A tangle of gold by Jaclyn Moriarty
The Colours of Madeleine bk 3. Pan Macmillan, 2016. ISBN
9781743533239
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Magic. Colour. Coming of
age. After a short stay of only two weeks in Cambridge, Elliot is
swept back into the Kingdom of Cello with his father. He is taken
prisoner by the Hostiles and Princess Ko and Samuel and Sergio have
been arrested and face execution. Cello is facing a crisis and
bitter colour storms are raging through the land.
Back in Cambridge, Madeleine is increasingly lonely. Her nose bleeds
often and her mother is not well. She has lost communication with
Elliot and fears that when the remaining Royals are sent back to
Cello she will lose him forever.
This is a stunning conclusion to a truly unique, clever and
memorable trilogy. There are many unexpected surprises and twists
and turns as Madeleine and Elliot try to work out the mysteries in
Cello and bring back equilibrium to their country. Ably assisted by
Keira, Princess Ko and the other fully realised protagonists, the
reader is swept along on a mighty adventure that is sprinkled with
references to Isaac Newton, the science of colour and the poetry of
Lord Byron. Some philosophical ideas and some heartbreak all made an
appearance to complete a wonderful story.
This is an outstanding series with a superb final book that weaves
all the tangles together in a creative, complex and utterly
satisfying way. I highly recommend all three books for both upper
primary and secondary readers and all who love fantasy.
Pat Pledger