A Corner Of White

Review Time! I apologise for being MIA on the blog recently BUT I'm back now! A Corner Of White by Jaclyn Moriarty (Author of Feeling Sorry for Celia) is the first book in The Colours of Madeleine series. This is an Aussie YA that was published by Pan Macmillan in September. You can purchase your own copy of this book from Fishpond | The Nile | Booktopia | Dymocks | Angus and Robertson. Thanks to Pan Macmillan for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

The Short Story? - Fans of Jaclyn Moriarty will definitely enjoy her latest YA,  A Corner Of White! With the perfect combination of contemporary and fantasy, Moriarty has created not one but two worlds that are joined together by two very well developed characters. A slow but well planned plot, characters with depth and rich prose, from one of Australia's finest YA authors comes the start of a new series that will be enjoyed by many! A Corner of White will appeal to readers of YA fantasy and contemporary!

The Long Story? - This book took me forever to read for two reasons. A) I was in a reading slump and B) the book is quite chunky. There were aspects of the novel that I liked but also aspects of the novel that didn't sit well with me. One of the things I didn't enjoy about the novel was the slow pace. A Corner of White is a really slowed pace novel, the plot tends to ponder along and for someone who loves action-packed and fast pace novels, this just wasn't my cup of tea. The plot was interesting, I liked how Moriarty has interweaved to different worlds into one story, essentially it's two plots that are connected and in turn form a larger picture. One of the worlds is very fantasy based and the other one is very realistic hence the combination of contemporary and fantasy. I enjoyed the plot well enough and despite the slow pace, overall it was a really interesting and unique read. I liked how romance wasn't the focal point of the novel, I liked the family issues that the two protagonists were facing and I liked how everything worked out in the end. It's quite a confusing book but once you get the ball rolling, it's truly quite brilliant.

The characterisation is definitely my favourite part of the novel. The benefit of  a novel written about two worlds is that it follows two different characters. However instead of two different perspectives of the same plot, each character has its own story. Madeleine was a really great character, initially I couldn't quite figure her out because she's a really complex character whose actions and personality are rather confusing however once you start to connect with Madeleine, her character really comes to life! Elliot was a wonderful character and I felt myself connect better with him than Madeleine because of a variety of reasons but mostly because the issues Elliot tackles throughout the novel made him appeal to me more and also his personality really complimented mine. Fantastic protagonist, a wonderful cast of secondary characters and overall just a job well done in the characterisation department!

In a nutshell, A Corner of White is a novel that readers of YA will enjoy. If you don't mind a novel with a slow pace and some initial confusion, this book is definitely worth checking out! Moriarty latest YA novel is the perfect combination of contemporary fiction and YA fantasy. With a complex and brilliant plot and beautiful characters, A Corner of White is one to put on the radar!

What's it Worth? - Squeeze Into the Budget/ Hand Over the Paycheck

Badass Bookie xx