bookperson
Written on Aug 23, 2018
- ISBN10 0545397375
- ISBN13 9780545397377
- Publish Date 25 February 2014
- Publish Status Cancelled
- Imprint Arthur A. Levine Books
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 384
- Language English
Reviews
bumblingbookworm
Written on Jan 2, 2018
First of all, what the hell is wrong with me and why do I procrastinate reading books written by my favourite authors?! This is the first book in a #LoveOzYA series that was originally released about 5 years ago now and for some reason I've never read it until now, despite loving Jaclyn Moriarty's books since childhood. Seriously, WHY!? I picked up the whole series in October and I'm finally getting around to reading it, but I seriously question my judgment sometimes.
This book was a whimsical and quirky fantasy and I loved every minute of it. The world building was sublime, from the Kingdom of Cello and the town of Bonfire in the Farms, to Cambridge in the World. The characters are precious cinnamon rolls, especially the citizens of Bonfire - Madeleine was a smidge annoying at times, but that's to be expected when she's a 14 year old girl who has gone through quite a bit of upheaval. But I ADORED the citizens of Bonfire, and I want to move there pronto! As for the ending, OMG - I must read book 2 immediately! A five star read for me, I loved every minute of it and I'm told it only gets better :)
Check out the rest of my review here!
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Mar 13, 2013
Madeleine lives in “our world” in Cambridge with her mom and on a windy afternoon she spies something white wedged in a broken parking meter. She pulls on it, and twists and digs her fingernail between the cracks of the meter to reveal a note. It says, “Help me, I am being held against my will!” Madeleine finds this funny, after all it’s not as if someone is trapped in the meter! She decides to write back. Elliot lives in Bonfire a farming town in the Kingdom of Cello; a parallel world to ours. There he discovers a note in an old broken TV converted to art near the town square. The tale that unfolds divides its time between both worlds introducing us to two whimsical and lovable characters and the worlds they live in.
Madeleine is such a unique, quirky, and imaginative character. Madeleine ran away from home and her mother went with her. They left a world of travel, cakes, and iPods and now live in a tiny flat in Cambridge, England and eat way too many beans. She loves to read and finds history fascinating She is home schooled with two other children; Jack and Bella. A strange group of characters make up their tutors and I the lesson were rather curious. Madeleine dresses in color from her head to her toes and sees the world differently than those around her. She questions everything and I adored her. Elliot’s father disappeared on the night the Purples killed his uncle. He spends a lot of time traveling throughout the kingdom searching for his Dad. He is anxious to set out again to the Lake of Spells to catch a locator spell but family and the town keep him from leaving. Elliot is well liked by both the adults and children of Bonfire and they often look to him to solve problems. I found him loyal, protective, determined and brave. The budding friendship between Madeleine and Elliot began as humorous and developed into something deeper. They both have love interests and confide in each other. The citizens, and princesses of the kingdom added to the tale and their newspaper correspondence was hilarious. The characters were beautifully developed and we see growth throughout this first tale. I enjoyed the secondary characters like Jack who believes in reincarnated and Bella who claims to read auras.
At its core A Corner of White is about friendship and how two people from seemly different worlds can find common ground and issues. The world-building was fascinating, and the Kingdom of Cello felt original and fresh. We get a good sense of how the two worlds divided, and a history of Cello since the separation through the letter exchanges. The works of Isaac Newton, Byron and more influence our characters and aid them. Moriarty gave me a panoramic view of Elliot’s world and the descriptions were vivid from the colors to the game of deftball. She laid out the kingdom for us through Elliot and her descriptive writing helped immerse me into his world. Colors and the role they played in both worlds was fascinating as the author brought them to life. The Butterfly Child was positively wonderful and I loved this Kingdom lore. While I still have questions, the world-building was solid and a foundation has been laid. Madeleine’s world is familiar to us as the author brings the sights, smells and colors to life thorough Madeleine’s creative eye. Her world is more character driven and Elliot’s is more world-building and incredibly the author developed them both. We travel back and forth between Elliot’s and Madeleine’s worlds and for the most part I found the transition to move smoothly. A few times I resented leaving one world as the tale had me captivated, but I quickly became equally absorbed into the other. The interaction between them was hilarious, and as their friendship grew we began to see compassion, understanding and serious conversations. Suspenseful threads, character obstacles and mystery are woven into the tale, making our visits to each world enthralling. The ending closes these threads, and opens a few others. I love that we have a strong sense of where the next tale is taking us and I cannot wait to go.
ARC provided in exchange for my unbiased review.
See more of my reviews @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer