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thshelton's review
5.0
I love this series! It is so creative and detailed. The audio version is brilliant with excellent characterizations of the many voices.
danoreading's review
5.0
This book just made an "EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus" reference. It made my day. This is clearly the best book ever.
Really excellent - the problems I had with the first book (the encyclopedia entries and slow pacing) were resolved - and this is the rare middle book that's better than the first. The book moves along at a clip, it's a bit overlong at times but the delicious details and elaborate worldbuilding don't feel excessive, just delightful. This is the best kind of fantasy - quirky, complicated, and both heartrending and hilarious.
Really excellent - the problems I had with the first book (the encyclopedia entries and slow pacing) were resolved - and this is the rare middle book that's better than the first. The book moves along at a clip, it's a bit overlong at times but the delicious details and elaborate worldbuilding don't feel excessive, just delightful. This is the best kind of fantasy - quirky, complicated, and both heartrending and hilarious.
catherine_mack's review
5.0
Why have I not heard of Jaclyn Moriarty before, I ask. Then promptly find that I have another of her books on my shelf, but haven't read it yet. It's now been moved to the top of my reading pile. Perhaps the reason she hasn't come to my attention is the appalling choice of covers for her books. I'm not sure what they were thinking with this one -- it has nothing to do with the story and looks like some kind of Red Riding Hood in Manhattan thing. How would I ever convince a guy to read this book? and they should read it, just like they'd read HP or HG. The cover is misleading and incredibly limiting for readership.
I was so sad when Dianna Wynn Jones passed away. I thought there was no one left to write amazingly original fantasy with astonishingly fresh, quirky characters and worlds, but I'm feeling better now that I've read this book. Jaclyn can do it!
This is the second book in a series, so I'll have to scout out the first but didn't need it to enjoy this one. And boy did I enjoy it! We were right in the middle of moving house after 14 years and I could not stop sneaking off to read a couple of pages instead of packing ... right up til the night before the truck arrived.
I was so sad when Dianna Wynn Jones passed away. I thought there was no one left to write amazingly original fantasy with astonishingly fresh, quirky characters and worlds, but I'm feeling better now that I've read this book. Jaclyn can do it!
This is the second book in a series, so I'll have to scout out the first but didn't need it to enjoy this one. And boy did I enjoy it! We were right in the middle of moving house after 14 years and I could not stop sneaking off to read a couple of pages instead of packing ... right up til the night before the truck arrived.
cornmaven's review
5.0
Madeleine and Elliott are communicating again through the cracks, this time trying to save the royal Cello family, most of whom has disappeared into the World.
Such a wonderfully romantic book, intense with Moriarty's skill at analogy, simile, and description that drips off the pages. How can you not fall in love with something like this: "His ankle protested like an angry coach, then the shouting settled down to an irritable mutter." Or this: "He hadn't known voices could run soft palms across your juddering soul." Exquisite imagery, enough to immerse you in their worlds, totally.
I hope Moriarty is not done with Elliott and Madeleine.
Such a wonderfully romantic book, intense with Moriarty's skill at analogy, simile, and description that drips off the pages. How can you not fall in love with something like this: "His ankle protested like an angry coach, then the shouting settled down to an irritable mutter." Or this: "He hadn't known voices could run soft palms across your juddering soul." Exquisite imagery, enough to immerse you in their worlds, totally.
I hope Moriarty is not done with Elliott and Madeleine.
keen23's review
4.0
I really am enjoying these books. My only complaint is that I wish they'd come out faster! These books are in the same vein as The Magicians series, but for a bit younger reader. The story is pretty delightful and complex, and I'm excited to see what happens next.
scholarhect's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
roseleaf24's review
4.0
Tight pacing, with moments of page-turning tension that weren't really in the first book, but are welcome here. The lightness and fun were still present, as well. The characters are wonderful, though the returning characters weren't developed much further in the interest of developing new ones. At least one plot twist I didn't see coming, and I can't wait for the next book!
danielcrogers's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
franuary's review
5.0
In The Cracks in the Kingdom, the follow up to 2013’s A Corner of White, Elliot Baranksi and Madeleine Tully intensify their study of a crack between The World and Cello in an effort to find the missing members of Cello’s royal family. Moriarty does an admirable job of summarizing the previous book for new readers, but without the full history of Madeleine and Elliot's worlds, Kingdom may not impress as a stand-alone title. For those who loved A Corner of White, however, Kingdom is a joy to read. Like its predecessor, Kingdom’s humor, quirk and charm are captivating to the right reader (and will leave others puzzled as to why some find it brilliant). This isn’t a crowd pleaser, but the series is sure to find an intensely devoted following in libraries serving teens. A delightful addition to an incredibly original young adult fantasy series, and by far the best thing I’ve read in 2014.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Scholastic and to NetGalley for the advance copy!
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Scholastic and to NetGalley for the advance copy!