What’s it all about?:
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.
What did I think?:
I became a fan of Malorie Blackman immediately after reading her excellent Noughts & Crosses series which I highly recommend. I was also lucky enough to meet her in person at YALC last year and she was just as lovely as I had imagined so putting one of her young adult novels on our Kid Lit list for this year was an absolute must! Similar to Noughts & Crosses, Noble Conflict is set in a dystopian world of two sides at war. There are The Guardians, who control the city and protect it from their enemy – The Insurgents who have been mostly banished to the outskirts, known as The Badlands.
Our main character, Kaspar has just completed his Guardian training, hopes to follow in the footsteps of his famous Guardian parents and is tasked with keeping the peace on a daily basis whilst protecting the ordinary citizens from the “violent” behavior of the Insurgents. Of course, it wouldn’t be a juicy piece of young adult fiction without everything not quite being as it seems and after Kaspar comes across one of the rebels when one of his missions goes horrifically wrong and discovers the other side of the story it seems that there are terrible secrets being kept at more than a few different levels. Kaspar has to question everything he has ever been told, confront his own morals and decide whether he’s fighting on the right side of this war.
I loved the plot of this book and was pleasantly surprised (and at times horrified) to realize that the story goes a lot deeper and darker than your average war story. Malorie Blackman has created some fascinating, infinitely readable characters with exciting, nail-biting discoveries that keeps the reader on tenterhooks until the very end. The action never stops and there are many scenes that pack an emotional punch which she never seems to shy away from in her young adult fiction generally speaking. It’s another fabulous read from the former Children’s Laureate here in the UK that reminded me why I’m such a fan.
For Chrissi’s fabulous review, please visit her blog HERE.
Would I recommend it?:
But of course!
Star rating (out of 5):
