When I first read Noughts and Crosses, I had no idea the impact the story would have on me. Nor that the story would span so many years and end with Endgame.

I was really excited to get my hands on this book and devour it, especially as there had been a huge cliffhanger for the last book. I was eager to dive straight in and find out how it would all end. Endgame is very different from the first book, with the final book having more thriller vibes. Not that I'm complaining as I feel that the books have grown with the readers.

This was a chance to tie up everyones stories and to finally finally get the happy ending everyone deserved. I have been super invested in the ,world of Callum and Sephy, Jude and Meggie, jasmine and Callie-rose, and even Tobey and Dan, that now I am not sure what to do with myself. 

To be honest, trying to write this review without spoilers is nearly impossible. All I can say is that this leads on from Crossfire and ties up every question you ever had. Also I really enjoyed Sepoy's journey and how much she has changed from the first book. And to then see the the new generation being able to move forward.

Perhaps it is childhood nostalgia, but I was was so sad when I turned the last page of Endgame. This was the end of an era, but what a way to end. Now its time for me to binge read the series all over again!

I have really loved following along with this series. I always get super invested in the characters and storyline in a series and this one was no different.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Endgame by Malorie Blackman.
Nought and Crosses, Sephy and Callum- this world, this couple, have been a part of my reading life since I was at school nigh on fifteen years ago.
I'll never forget when my English teacher began reading us Noughts and Crosses, and a whole new literacy door opened up in my mind. A door that had stacks of books that spoke about issues, that were diverse, that were written by own voices authors.
Endgame was no exception, and it was a bittersweet moment to turn the last page on this story.

The final installment in the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ saga, or is it. After the cliffhanger ending of ‘Crossfire’ we finally find out what has happened to Libby & Troy - and more importantly why!Meanwhile Dan Jeavons murder charge is hanging over Tobey & only Callie can get him out of this one. Sephy cannot stand by and see her family destroyed and knows the truth will come out and that old rivalries will finally be settled.
A bittersweet ending to an excellent story but will there be more tales woven around the next generation? Malorie??

I've been reading this series for 20 years and each time a new installment is released, I wonder if it can live up to what comes before - it always does. Having followed the ups and many downs of 3 (you could even say 4) generations of these intertwined families, it was bittersweet to see this series come to an end.

In this book, we follow straight on from the cliffhanger ending in book 5. Troy and Libby are still in a dangerous situation, Tobey and Callie's relationship has become even more strained and Sephy is once again forced into contact with some of the more criminal inhabitants of Meadowview in order to try to save her family. Everything seems to centre on a dinner party given one fateful night and tye question, 'Who murdered Dan Jeavons?'

In comparison to the first book, many changes have occurred in this world, which back then wouldn't have seemed possible. However, Malorie Blackman's writing skillfully shows that bubbling just under the surface, many prejudices and tensions are still there, ready to flare up. The world is still unequal. It still matters where you came from and how you got there, and though sometimes less overt, racism still pervades every aspect of life. The privileges some characters are born with means that others have to claw their way up just to have a chance of getting opportunities the priviledged take for granted.

These tensions are brought to focus by the extreme situations Blackman puts her characters in. As well as taking us on a rollercoaster of emotions, this book leaves you with many important questions to consider.

It seems strange to be reading about Sephy fifteen years after we were first introduced to her. Things have changed for her since that first outing, a lot, and though she features in Endgame there are numerous characters that we focus on.
This picks up after the events of book five and much of the time is spent looking at exactly what happened to Dan. Who killed him, why and what happens next. We also focus on the cast of characters we’ve seen over the years and get some sense of their next stages.
Some things have changed since book one, and it certainly seems that contemporary life/issues have worked their way in. The action shifts from character to character, and there was - on occasion - a sense of deliberate attempts to misdirect us.
On the whole, a fitting end to the series though events were far from resolved. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.

A beloved treasure for a reason. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant..

It's been decades since Sephy and Callums' tragic love story shifted the entire world - but there's still a long way to go. Noughts and Crosses have made strides in the ways of equality and love, but changing the world is never simple.

Now, Tobey, the first ever Nought prime minister, is on trial for the murder of an old friend and being blackmailed by kidnappers and Callie-Rose finds herself back by his side again defending him. With the life of Tobeys long-lost daughter and Callies brother on the line, this is one game they can't afford to lose.

Can they find out who is framing Tobey? And will he ever get to meet his daughter?

... and will he and Callie ever be able to fix the cracks that divided them?



"I am a Cross woman. More than the cliché of a woman who is always indomitable, never vulnerable. So much more than the stereotype of a woman is fearless, never afraid. I just try to make sure I don't live my life in fear; that would be no life at all."



The Noughts and Crosses series has always held a very special place in my heart and my bookshelf - it was one of the first novels I read as a child that made me question the world I lived in - it made me face deeply uncomfortable truths about the world we live in, it made me question the differences between good and bad, made me reflect my own internal biases and the biases projected on me by others. I cannot understate the importance of the impact this series has had on me and many others.

Bringing striking speculation once again about race, class, love and society that never fails t to leave the reader in deep thought, this instalment in the series packs as much of a punch as it's predecessors.

Told from multiple point of views and multiple times, we slowly piece together the final parts of the puzzle and makes the reader step back to watch the action unfolding in front of their eyes. Malorie Blackman is a master of complex, rich storytelling that's somehow still so easy to follow. Each storyline weaved together expertly, bringing characters who feel so familiar now but also revealing something new about themselves.

Endgame is the epic, earth-shattering conclusion to a series that spanned decades, generations, revolutions and recoveries to create something so uniquely compelling and stunning.

An exciting finish to a series I have loved all the way through. It kept me guessing right through until the end and had some poignant messages to share. If you loved the previous books this will not disappoint

When I was a teenager voraciously reading anything I could get my hands on, I came across a beautiful novel about a doomed relationship between Callum and Sephy, race relations turned on their head in a world putting up a mirror to our own prejudices. Blackman's 'Noughts and Crosses' was a formative book for me and has remained so for my own students to this day. I can hardly believe it is now twenty years and five more books later - Blackman's final delve into her parallel world with the sixth book in the series 'Endgame'.

But does it live up to the beauty of the early books? The answer is mostly. I still find the world and the power dynamics in this novel fascinating. Blackman cleverly brings this universe right up to date by taking contemporary news stories, such as films using 'poverty porn', a lack of uptake for vaccinations in the "WAME" community (we are in a backwards world here remember), and the war on drugs. Her viewpoints shine through and are a welcome addition to those speaking out on racial inequality.

However, the news articles and the main storyline of this novel do not gel. We resume as Troy and Libby have failed to escape their kidnappers; Sephy, Callie-Rose and Tobey get drawn into a web of blackmail, desperately trying to save their loved ones but up against violent people with links to organised crime. The story is fully engaging and tension is ramped up through frequent cliffhangers and illuminating moments of flashback to a fateful dinner party. Despite this, Tobey now being prime minister seems to be the only link to the sporadic news articles and issues of race take a backseat to larger themes of power, corruption and family relationships. The articles felt just a little shoehorned (sometimes to create some tension at the worst possible moments!) and could have been woven more pertinently to reflect the main plot.

Overall, this is a fitting and thrilling end to the series (including excellent homage to Callum from the first novel). Despite the lack of gel between the two ideas (the articles and the main plot), Blackman remains one of the best writers of young adult literature out there. I will miss reading books with these characters. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.