The Cracks in the Kingdom (#2 The Colours of Madeleine) by Jaclyn Moriarty
This book is stunningly wonderful.
And I'm not saying that just so that I have something to say, I'm saying it from the bottom of my heart, with my whole heart and being. It's not an embellished description or me trying to use filler adjectives to puff out a review (I have to admit to doing that sometimes for a few of my lower star reviews) ... those are factual words that you might not believe if you haven't already read this book.
It's magical and marvellous.
It's incredibly well thought out and I've read nothing like this before, outside this series.
The fantasy world I dive into is indescribable. I was literally sitting here for a good while trying to find a word more fitting than 'indescribable' but I simply cannot think of any words that could even come close to accurately describing this combined contemporary/fantasy setting. It is so imaginative (I guess this is one measly word to describe it!) and I had such a pleasant time delving into this world of cracks, colours and kingdoms.
So last night/very early this morning I finished The Cracks in the Kingdom and I enjoyed it immensely. As we all know Jaclyn Moriarty is one of my favourite authors of all time, ever since I encountered her novels back in high school, starting with Finding Cassie Crazy (which I read in one day... and even to this day I believe it's the most reading I've done in 24 hrs). The story is incredible - like I said about the first book of this series - it's able to stand on its own as a whole story, but it follows on so well on this beautiful narrative arc that Moriarty has created for this series. It's full to the brim of adventure, magic, and there are a bunch of twists and shockers.
I give the 5 star credit to the craftsmanship and artistry of the story, but the characters and writing are important too and I wasn't disappointed with those... although I almost gave the book 4.5 stars and not 5 just because the book didn't draw out of me as many hearty chuckles as I expected for a Jaclyn Moriarty novel. Don't get me wrong, there were hilarious moments and several points where I LOL-ed, but I assumed there would be a teeny bit more humour. Also, Moriarty loves to personify everything, and there were a couple of instances in which I doubted its purpose.
It was a lot of fun learning more about the Kingdom of Cello, the different Color attacks and how cracks between worlds work, getting to know the other kids in the Royal Youth Alliance, and I loved how Elliot and Madeleine's realities aligned a little more in this sequel to A Corner of White. I hate seeing reviews of these books when readers just don't get it: they come away feeling confused and thinking it was too quirky or vague... to me it is perfectly captivating... human issues are at the heart of what drives the story and these characters - loss, fear, courage, faith, love - all these things are swimming in this beautiful, magical, crazy ocean that is the world Jaclyn Moriarty has created. I wish The Colours of Madeleine series would be a healthy seven book saga, but we can always dream.
My rating: 5 stars!
My thoughts on Razorhurst by Justin Larbalestier is coming soon!
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