(4 stars)
Published: 2nd January 2014 (UK)
Synopsis: Years after a violent war destroyed much of the world, Kaspar has grown up in a society based on peace and harmony. But beyond the city walls, a vicious band of rebels are plotting to tear this peace apart. It is up to the Guardians - an elite peacekeeping force - to protect the city, without ever resorting to the brutal methods of their enemy.
When Kaspar joins the Guardians, he has a chance encounter with a rebel - a beautiful girl named Rhea. Haunted from that moment on by strange visions and memories - memories that could only belong to Rhea - he realises he hasn't been told the truth about what the rebels really want, and what he's really fighting for.
Review: *I received my copy from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!)*
"Books and knowledge don't make for a safe world. Just the opposite. Books and knowledge are facets of the truth and the truth can be dangerous."
As a huge, huge fan of the Noughts & Crosses series by Malorie Blackman, I was so excited to receive Noble Conflict to review! I had heard of it before and so when I started reading it, I was so happy to get stuck into another book with Blackman's wit and humour, mixed in with all the serious stuff. I know a lot of people are getting tired of dystopia but personally, I still absolutely love it. I thought that the plot of Noble Conflict was really fresh and unlike other dystopia novels I've read recently.
Starting with our protagonist, I thought that Kaspar was really interesting. At first, I wasn't so sure whether I would like him but as the novel progressed I found myself really rooting for him to discover the truth behind all the lies he had been told. In one particular scene at the end of Noble Conflict, I really felt for him. He was a hero through and through, but had to realise that he could not save everyone as he struggled to choose the moral thing to do. Alongside him there was Mac, a girl who features heavily in the book and who I absolutely love! She was funny and engaging, and I always enjoyed the scenes she was in. I only wish I could read more about her and Kaspar's developing friendship and possible relationship, because they were such an entertaining team when they worked together.
The blurb mentioned Rhea and so I honestly thought it would be a forbidden love type story between an Insurgent and a Guardian, but in reality Rhea did not really appear very much in the novel, and I felt like I never got chance to know her properly. She was a fascinating character with so much potential, and I would love to read more about her.
Other characters worth mentioning are Voss, Dillon, and Janna. I loved the banter between Voss and Kaspar, they were some of the scenes that had me laughing out loud, especially when Kaspar took himself so seriously. Dillon as well, was so entertaining and really showed off everything I love about Malorie Blackman's writing style. Janna teasing Kaspar about Mac really added some comic relief to the serious aspects of the book, and I loved that her sexuality was not made to be the most important thing about her character.
The twists and turns throughout the novel were amazing. As the bits and pieces of clues scattered through the story finally started to make sense, it was pretty amusing to work some things out before Kaspar and then have him figure it out. Some of the twists, I honestly didn't see coming, which was a lot of fun. Although the plot could be described as fairly typical of dystopia, I really thought that Noble Conflict brought some great new ideas to the table – especially with the way captured Insurgents were (really) treated. On the outside, the Alliance's treatment is almost frustratingly humane, but beneath the surface, their motives and actions are much, much more sinister and gruesome.
Overall, I thought Noble Conflict was a brilliant book which was wonderfully written. I am such a huge fan of Malorie Blackman's writing style, and Noble Conflict really delivered. As always, I love how Blackman does not dumb down her literature when writing for Young Adults. There are truly gritty moments in her books which are often uncomfortable to read, but she never shies away from it. Growing up reading Noughts & Crosses in my early teens, I absolutely loved that about her books, and I still love it now as I enter my twenties.
For fans of dystopia who love witty humour mixed in with serious issues relevant to our society today, lots of twists and turns and secrets, and entertaining characters, I would absolutely recommend Noble Conflict! For as long as Malorie Blackman writes books, I'll be reading them.
Have you read Noble Conflict? What were your thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment