A Corner Of White by Jaclyn Moriarty: review

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Series: The Colors of Madeleine #1

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Magic Realism

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Release Date: April 1st 2013

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) The first in a rousing, funny, genre-busting trilogy from bestseller Jaclyn Moriarty!

This is a tale of missing persons. Madeleine and her mother have run away from their former life, under mysterious circumstances, and settled in a rainy corner of Cambridge (in our world).

Elliot, on the other hand, is in search of his father, who disappeared on the night his uncle was found dead. The talk in the town of Bonfire (in the Kingdom of Cello) is that Elliot’s dad may have killed his brother and run away with the Physics teacher. But Elliot refuses to believe it. And he is determined to find both his dad and the truth.

As Madeleine and Elliot move closer to unraveling their mysteries, they begin to exchange messages across worlds — through an accidental gap that hasn’t appeared in centuries. But even greater mysteries are unfolding on both sides of the gap: dangerous weather phenomena called “color storms;” a strange fascination with Isaac Newton; the myth of the “Butterfly Child,” whose appearance could end the droughts of Cello; and some unexpected kisses…

My Thoughts:

A Corner of White has the kind of originality that sends sparks flying into the air. The kind of originality that has been lost for a looong time. Jaclyn Moriarty has completely and utterly blown me away with the way she can grab hold of a story and render it into something made of brilliance in its whole entirety.

Oh, let’s not forget “genius”!

But alas, not everyone will be able to love this book. I will not hesitate to say that A Corner of White will be unbearably slow for many people. It seems to me that Moriarty’s priority was not making her creation exciting in a general sense. No, she uses much of the pages in A Corner of White to build up the characters and the world of Cello. So if you don’t like looking at the scenery and smelling the roses for a long period of time then this is most probably not for you.

There are some people who love strolling slowly and looking at the scenery, though, and those people will definitely fall for Moriarty’s quirky, strange, and lovely, lovely story that is full of Colour. Literally. Warning: You will be attacked by a vicious wave of Red when you get about halfway through this book.

The story in A Corner of White is easy to understand, but I found it to be complex, and tear jerking at times. A Corner of White tells the stories of Madeleine and Elliot-two teens who feel like they have been looking at the world with their eyes closed- just living their lives. Madeleine is a girl who has run away from her rich and colorful life to a small apartment in Cambridge, England with her mother. Elliot is a boy who is looking for his father- a man is suspected to have been abducted by a Purple.

Madeleine, Jack, Belle, and Elliot are such a loveable, quirky group of characters. Madeleine is a very mysterious character for much of the novel. The reader only knows that she is a flawed person who often gets lost in her own thoughts. Elliot is what I would call the exact opposite of Madeleine. He has a sheer determination to find his father and he constantly thinks about his father. These two characters are hard to forget and I can’t stop thinking about them!

Jack and Belle were surprisingly good for side-characters. Jack was extremely cute with his theory of reincarnation and his ramblings, and Belle shined bright with her ability to read auras and her hard-to-describe personality.

Moriarty has a habit of writing a scene with intense detail. Sometimes it feels like Moriarty dedicated more time to the scenery than the characters. And oddly, I loved that. Moriarty has a beautiful way with words and reading her descriptions was an absolute delight! But if you don’t like that, don’t worry! Moriarty does focus more on her characters when things start getting interesting.

The world of Cello was cleverly made. It was unique and I can honestly say that I have never read a world like it. I mean, have you ever read a book where Colours are monsters and a Butterfly Child is a good omen? Most probably not.

As you can see, this is a wonderful, creative novel that I highly recommend! Moriarty has completely wowed me with her skills. The ending is a perfect set-up for a exciting series. And I can wholeheartedly say that I can not wait for the next installment! A Corner of White may be made with the beauty of a rainbow but I can imagine that when it is put together with the rest of the story it will become a universe made of colorful stars.

An advanced copy was provided in exchange for a honest review via Netgalley.