Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Corner of White | 2012 | Jaclyn Moriarty | Buy |
| 2 | The Cracks in the Kingdom | 2014 | Jaclyn Moriarty | Buy |
| 3 | A Tangle of Gold | 2016 | Jaclyn Moriarty | Buy |
The series centers on Madeleine, a teenager living in Cambridge, England, who begins exchanging notes through a crack in a parking meter with Elliot, a boy in the Kingdom of Cello — a world where colors can be dangerous weather events and each region has its own political tensions. The two main characters never meet in person for most of the trilogy, yet their correspondence drives the emotional core of the story.
What sets these books apart is Moriarty’s commitment to the strangeness of her world. Cello is not just a backdrop with magic sprinkled over it; it has its own history, economy, and internal conflicts that feel fully worked out. The tone shifts between wry humor and genuine stakes as the plot builds toward its conclusion in A Tangle of Gold. Readers who enjoy unconventional fantasy with strong character voices tend to find this trilogy a standout.