The Cracks in the Kingdom (Colors of Madeleine, Book 2): Book 2 of The Colors of Madeleine (Volume 2) - Couverture rigide

Praise for The Cracks in the Kingdom:

* "Madcap, whimsical, smart and even heartbreaking... Even better than the first." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Full of clever invention and intrigue, excellent surprises... and all the sophisticated wit Moriarty's fans expect." -- Horn Book, starred review

* "Readers will be clamoring for the next title after the thrilling yet satisfying conclusion." -- School Library Journal, starred review
Praise for A Corner of White:

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Book

"Jaclyn Moriarty makes me laugh, hysterically -- and cry, unexpectedly... Startlingly original fantasy." -- E. Lockhart, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars

"A marvelous novel -- in every sense of the word... A Corner of White slips through a previously unnoticed crack in the reader's heart and changes everything." -- Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches

* "Quirky, charming, funny, sad: another winner from this always-surprising author." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Irresistible characters help readers navigate a tantalizingly complex plot that will leave them eagerly awaiting the next book." -- Horn Book, starred review

* "In this lovely fantasy... mysteries abound." -- School Library Journal, starred review

* "[A] genre-blending feat of stylistic energy... The plotting is as innovative and riveting as the world-making." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

Kirkus Starred Review
Moriarty’s latest draws this world and Cello ever closer.

Picking up just after the revelations that ended A Corner of White (2013) and ratcheting the stakes up even higher, this middle volume moves from a balance between Madeleine, in our world, and Elliot, in Cello (which is kind of fairyland, but stranger and more modern), to a tighter focus on Elliot and Cello’s political situation. Elliot has teamed up with the seemingly airheaded but actually ruthless Princess Ko and the Royal Youth Alliance in search of the abducted royal family, who have all been spirited away to this world. Meanwhile, the search for Elliot’s missing father has been taken over by a pair of agents, now that it appears Abel really was a Loyalist abducted by Hostiles; in this world, Madeleine continues learning strange facts that seem to have bearing on Cello. This is madcap, whimsical, smart and even heartbreaking, but Moriarty never drops the dozens of balls in the air. By turns coming-of-age and wild adventure (the Lake of Spells and the Turquoise Rain in Jagged Edge stand out), this volume complicates the characters, expands the worldbuilding and sets things up for a grand finish in the trilogy closer.

Not for the impatient or new reader, but otherwise even better than the first.

Horn Book Magazine Starred Review
In this second book in the trilogy (A Corner of White, rev. 5/13), Madeleine (in Cambridge, England) and Elliot (in the Kingdom of Cello) continue to communicate through letters they send through a “crack” between their two worlds. Elliot is even more determined to find his missing father but is sidetracked by Princess Ko, whose parents and siblings have disappeared into various places in Madeleine’s world, where they have found new identities and completely forgotten who they are (for example, the queen lives in Taipei and teaches Zumba). Ko has been covertly running everything while pretending the other royals are traveling, but if the king doesn’t turn up soon, war may break out. At Ko’s behest, Madeleine and Elliot attempt to cross into each other’s worlds; they achieve a measure of success and give readers a tantalizing hint of romance to come. The characters’ desperate yearning for absent loved ones adds emotional depth to the story, which is full of clever invention and intrigue, excellent surprises (readers will kick themselves for not spotting one of the missing persons earlier), and all the sophisticated wit Moriarty’s fans expect. This wholly engrossing book outdoes the first—not an easy task.

School Library Journal Starred Review
In this lively follow-up to A Corner of White (Scholastic, 2013), Moriarty chronicles the ever-intertwining lives of Cambridge resident Madeline Tully and her secret correspondent Elliot Baranski, a quick-witted farm boy from the Kingdom of Cello. After discovering a crack between their parallel worlds, the teens have been exchanging letters through the gap, venturing on a tentative friendship that may be growing into something more. The stakes are higher in this second installment, with Elliot recruited to help save the missing royalty of Cello, who were pushed into Madeline’s world in an attempt to destabilize the monarchy. Mixed in with the regal intrigue is a complex, moving look at families, friendship, and loss. The blossoming relationship between the pen pals, told in letters and through omniscient narration, is but one of the many charms this novel has to offer. Madeline’s emotional growth enriches her interactions with her friends and teachers in Cambridge, who fans will remember fondly from the first book. Elliot’s mission introduces the Royal Youth Alliance (RYA), an intriguing group of Cellian young people working (some reluctantly) toward a common goal. The RYA’s work around Cello expands an already complex and intricately drawn world. Readers will be clamoring for the next title after the thrilling yet satisfying conclusion.

From THE CRACKS IN THE KINGDOM:

They all hesitated, deciphering the warning bells.
“That's twinned Colors.”
“Blue and – what? Aquamarine?”
“No, Blue and Green.”
“Level-four Blue?”
“Better: 5(a).”
“Then it must be Green 6(b). They travel together.”
Sergio spun on his heel. “Then it is Turquoise Rain! It is what I have wanted to know ever since I am coming to your Kingdom!”
The Princess and Keira were both grinning. They caught each other's eyes.
“You've been in Turquoise Rain before too?”
Keira nodded.
Nobody else had.
“Anyone who wants to go inside, go now,” the Princess said, swinging her elbow back toward the kitchen door. “But I'm staying out.”
“What's it like?” Elliot asked.
They were speaking over the warning bells, which continued to chime. Nearby, doors were slamming, shutters clattering, footsteps running. Something made of glass hit the ground, spiraled, then stilled. The laneway was empty.
“It's like possibility,” Keira said, her eyes searching the night sky.
“You feel wild,” the Princess explained. “Like you could dance on the wildness –catch hold of it, straddle it, and fly it.”
“I have read,” said Sergio, “that it makes the world sing with hidden doors. That the effect is so beautiful you wring it from your clothes for days to come.”
Samuel took a step backward, eyes alarmed.
“Turquoise Rain!” He crouched to find where his hat had fallen, hands trembling. “It is dangerous! It has been known to quicken the heart so that some fall dead!”
“Not many,” the Princess countered. “And they've usually got a preexisting condition or something.” A thought occurred to her. The volume of the bells was increasing, so she shouted to be heard: “Some people get addicted. They do it once and then basically ruin their lives chasing it around the Kingdom.”
The bells stopped.
“So if you're an addictive personality” – the Princess looked from Sergio to Elliot – “it's maybe a mistake.”
“And if this is your first time in a night-dwelling city,” Keira added, twisting on her heel, “it'll be sensory overload already.”
She regarded Elliot.
“Especially you, Elliot, since you're pumping already about your dad.”
He shrugged. “I'll risk it.”
Sergio danced down the laneway. “When will it start?”
“I will see you all on the morrow!” Samuel pressed up against the kitchen door. “Please to all be alive at that point.” He reached for the handle – and a drop hit his hand.