A Tangle of Gold

Starred review from December 15, 2015
A grand finale to a grand adventure, complete with truly startling revelations. Elliot and Madeleine have come a long way from that first exchange of letters through a crack in a parking meter (and also time and space). Moriarty amps the tension and stakes higher with each volume. Here, the action and cast of characters move to Cello, a brilliantly imagined alternate world that is both like and unlike the world Madeleine and readers know. Peculiar dialogue (particularly Samuel's Olde Quainte accent and Ko's strange verbal constructions), just-right quirkiness, non sequiturs that are in fact all critical moments of connection, alchemy, and of course Isaac Newton: in any other hands, this might be a disaster, especially as the whimsy is cut with moments of genuine pathos and serious issues (Holly's health, Belle's mother). As Madeleine, Elliot, and Keira (the Royal Youth Alliance member from Jagged Edge) join with a host of motley others to save Cello, it's hard not to draw parallels to our own world--climate disaster (here in the form of raging color storms); political unrest; cutthroat anti-government groups--but Moriarty infuses the chaos with hope. Love, connection, and clear sight can save Cello, and perhaps the World. Colorful and madcap, a veritable "whirlshine" of sparkle, with a side of tears: deeply satisfying, perfectly ended. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

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Starred review from May 1, 2016

Gr 6-9-Moriarty ably wraps up the many plot threads woven through this concluding volume. Elliot and his father, reunited at the end of The Cracks in the Kingdom, are brought back to the magical kingdom of Cello, and it seems Madeleine's involvement with the parallel world has come to an end. But worsening nosebleeds and visions of another century plague Madeleine, while back in Cello, Elliot is being held captive by a dangerous group who want to overthrow the monarchy Elliot, Madeleine, and the Royal Youth Alliance have been working so hard to restore. This tale concurrently presents a multitude of stories in three settings (Madeleine's world, Elliot's hometown, and Elliot's Hostile prison), and teens may feel overwhelmed by the large cast, multiple locations, and intertwining plotlines. Yet despite the complexity, the story works, zigging and zagging in pleasantly surprising ways. The magic continues to be refreshingly inventive, and the world-building is so precise readers will easily picture the lands of Cello in their minds. Elliot and Madeleine are characters to cherish. The sweetly satisfying conclusion will leave fans with a smile. VERDICT This final installment will garner even more followers for the inventive, exciting series.-Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2016
Going into this final book in the trilogy set in two worlds (A Corner of White, rev. 5/13; The Cracks in the Kingdom, rev. 3/14), Moriarty left herself with an astonishing number of loose ends to tie up and questions to answer. (Among those questions: who are Madeleine and her mother Holly; what will happen to Mischka Tegan's daughter Keira; and who among the Royal Youth Alliance was a traitor?) But as demonstrated in her Ashbury-Brookfield series (Feeling Sorry for Celia and sequels), Moriarty has a real penchant for resolving a multitude of items in a breathless and exhilarating race to the finish; here, she does precisely that, with a variety of unexpected revelations and marvelous surprises, and with her usual perfect timing and panache. While the second installment unveiled some hidden identities (computer guy Denny/Elliot's dad Abel) and talents ( occasional pilot Sergio), this volume is jam-packed with secret identities revealed (Madeleine and Holly, natch, but also Jack, Samuel, T. I. Candle, and more) and with talents discovered (a certain couple turns out to be a magic weaver and a truth seerthe exact combination needed to save the Kingdom). The trilogy is an alluring mix of fantasy, humor, coming-of-age, romance, history, mystery, and political intrigue; Moriarty bends (and blends) genres the way the good people of Nature Strip, in the Kingdom of Cello, bend Colors. Just one question is left hanging: what will this remarkable author come up with next? jennifer m. brabander

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2016
Going into this final book in the trilogy set in two worlds (A Corner of White, rev. 5/13; The Cracks in the Kingdom, rev. 3/14), Moriarty left herself with an astonishing number of loose ends to tie up and questions to answer. (Among those questions: who are Madeleine and her mother Holly; what will happen to Mischka Tegan's daughter Keira; and who among the Royal Youth Alliance was a traitor?) But as demonstrated in her Ashbury-Brookfield series (Feeling Sorry for Celia and sequels), Moriarty has a real penchant for resolving a multitude of items in a breathless and exhilarating race to the finish; here, she does precisely that, with a variety of unexpected revelations and marvelous surprises, and with her usual perfect timing and panache. While the second installment unveiled some hidden identities (computer guy Denny/Elliot's dad Abel) and talents ( occasional pilot Sergio), this volume is jam-packed with secret identities revealed (Madeleine and Holly, natch, but also Jack, Samuel, T. I. Candle, and more) and with talents discovered (a certain couple turns out to be a magic weaver and a truth seerthe exact combination needed to save the Kingdom). The trilogy is an alluring mix of fantasy, humor, coming-of-age, romance, history, mystery, and political intrigue; Moriarty bends (and blends) genres the way the good people of Nature Strip, in the Kingdom of Cello, bend Colors. Just one question is left hanging: what will this remarkable author come up with next? jennifer m. brabander

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)