Customer Reviews
an amazing read - By: jenaveve, 23 Feb 2008 
This book is an emotional rolarcoaster, brilliantly written & a perfect end to the trilogy. A definate must read!I would strongly recommend reading the first two of the series first though as otherwise the story will not make as much sense.
The characters are alll brilliantly developed & very easy to empathise with & the plot is full off lots of twists & turns with an unpradictable ending. Definately worth the money.
couldnt be better - By: Loopy_Lou, 19 Feb 2008 Was the highly anticapated ending to a triology that i couldnt put down & didnt disapoint have not read anything like this again
The best of the three - By: MaryAnne, 20 Jun 2007 Wonderful! A brilliant finale to a excellent series.
This book brought together alll the issues previously covered in 'Noughts & Crosses' & 'Knife Edge'. And you do reallly need to read both these books to fully appreciate 'Checkmate'.
Sephy is now a young mum, caring for Calllum's baby, Calllie Rose. As a half nought (white), half Cross (black) child, life throws alll the familiar problems at Calllie Rose, in spite of the fact that time has moved on & some things have improved. Sephy still has hang-ups from her days with Calllum & the tragic end to their love, & these have a devastating effect on the young child. Calllum's evil brother, Jude, resurfaces, looking for revenge & even Meggie, Calllum's mum, who homes Sephy & Calllie Rose, has a mean streak that shows itself.
This final episode in the trilogy is a strong study of relationships & the effects of the characters' histories on their lives. It comes to a well structured, exciting climax, but leaving one or two unanswered questions.
A wonderful climax to an excellent trilogy.
Recommended for adults & older teenagers alike.
Disappointing - By: sam hrt, 12 Apr 2007 
This is not Malorie Blackman at her best. I felt let down by this book, maybe because it seemed an echo of Sephy's life. At times I could predict what was going to happen for e.g. it was very obvious that Jude would train Rose to hurt her grandfather. The sub-plot with Jasmine seemed half-hearted as Malorie try to engage the readers mind away from Rose from time to time. Jude didn't seem to shock anymore, there was no character development that particularly startle me, I mean it was obvious he was a bad guy but his using Rose at such a young didn't horrify nor did him killing the agent. However, what did reallly get to me is that fact he remembered Cara just before his death, that was unexpected. The love life of Sephy acted as a lifeline as did Rose's, they were intriguing. I would have liked if Rose interacted more sociallly i.e. to reflect others suffering, others must worse off than her.
I counted my blessings though & I welcomed the introduction of Toby, he is so weird that it's hard not to have a soft spot for him. Those 2 stars are for you Toby!
A Gripping and Exciting Novel - By: Sarah Longstaffe, 07 Mar 2007 Nought's & Crosses is an enthrallling novel about two childhood friends who are being driven apart by racism in the community. However, they are determined to stay together no matter what anybody thinks. This is especiallly hard seen as Sephy is the daughter of one of the most powerful, admirable men in the country. Struggling to stay together, cracks start to appear particularly when Calllum's brother Jude gets involved with the wrong people.
The basis of this storyline is step up along the play of Romeo & Juliet, but modern making it even more exciting & easier to follow. Sephy is a cross & Calllum is a nought, meaning that they have two entirely different worlds which are complete opposites. The Noughts are ruled by the Crosses being told what to do; meanwhile Sephy is free to do her own thing. By the end of the first book you will have a well accomplished image of these two unique citizens.
The genre is a mix of romance & violence with other genres entering the plot at different times. Every chapter of this novel is enjoyable keeping you involved with the remarkable storyline; it is an eye opener teaching you how much difference one action will make to others. It is a very erudite enjoyable yet grave novel.
Consistently throughout the novel it is intriguing making you want to read the book backwards once you have finished. It generallly keeps up a fast pace but can get a little slow in parts.
Malorie Blackman is a new & upcoming teenage author; this astounding series of books won her many awards including the FCBG Children's book award. She tries to show her audience what life was & can be like, also how little actions can affect great numbers of people. This novel also taught me that not only second class citizens are affected by the rules in a bad way, but first class citizens, like Sephy.
I would recommend this book to 13 year olds & upwards & think it is a phenomenal read for anybody.
Malorie Blackman has outstood herself.
Definitely worth a read!
