All but one member of the royal family of Cello is missing.
As the only one present, teen Princess Ko must assemble a
team to find her family while also keeping her court unaware
of their lacking presence. Part of the team is farm boy
Elliot, who mainly got chosen for his connection to the
World, also known as England, through a girl named Madeleine
who he exchanges letters with. Princess Ko suspects her
family may be in the World, and it will be up to Elliot and
Madeleine to use their connection to find the missing
royals.
THE CRACKS IN THE KINGDOM by Jaclyn Moriarty is one of the
rare, but very hard books to review for me. It's very hard
to label whether or not I liked it, but not because of any
confusing plot or actions that don't make sense. This story
is filled with humor and very well written in terms of
plotting, but it isn't a book that I match up with. The main
character, Madeleine, is quirky and lovable, but I struggled
to connect with her. The style of writing in the story is
along the same lines, extremely quirky, extremely humorous,
and it kind of falls into a love-it or hate-it feel. In a
way, it kind of reminds me of the TV show, Doctor Who, in
the sense that it's something you either get hooked on right
away or you never really understand (though in the case of
Doctor Who, I was hooked). THE CRACKS IN THE KINGDOM would
normally have everything I love: royalty, romance, fantasy,
fun characters, etc. When it comes down to it, I really
think the style is the only thing that breaks my connection
to the story.
That being said, I absolutely, 100% think THE CRACKS IN THE
KINGDOM could be someone's favorite story that they just
fall in love with. If you really enjoy quirky, kind of out
there books, then I would go read it right away.
Unfortunately, Jaclyn Moriarty's style, though clearly
developed and talented, just isn't for me.
Princess Ko's been bluffing about the mysterious absence of
her father, desperately trying to keep the government
running on her own. But if she can't get him back in a
matter of weeks, the consequence may be a devastating war.
So under the guise of a publicity stunt she gathers a group
of teens -- each with a special ability -- from across the
kingdom to crack the unsolvable case of the missing royals
of Cello.
Chief among these is farm-boy heartthrob Elliot Baranski,
more determined than ever to find his own father. And with
the royal family trapped in the World with no memory of
their former lives, Elliot's value to the Alliance is clear:
He's the only one with a connection to the World, through
his forbidden communications with Madeleine.
Through notes, letters, and late nights, Elliot and
Madeleine must find a way to travel across worlds and bring
missing loved ones home. The stakes are high, and the
writing by turns hilarious and suspenseful, as only Jaclyn
Moriarty can be.
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