A tangle of gold by Jaclyn Moriarty

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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

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