3.5 STARS

CW: self-harm, murder, animal cruelty, loss of a loved one, animal death, gore

With a cover and summary like that, I have to admit I was expecting mermaids from Crown of Coral and Pearl. Which ultimately led to some disappointment, BUT me getting ahead of myself is hardly the book's fault. Instead, this is a book about the lengths sisters can go for each other and what it takes to upend everything for the sake of a new future. How could I say no to that?

And for the most part, I was pretty pleased. I loved the setting of Varenia in particular, how I could imagine the village floating on the ocean, and Nor and Zadie swimming between houses or taking a boat out into the deeper sea in search of pearls. I loved that there was a creation story to the nation, a reason they lived out to sea when most resources are found on land in the stranglehold of Ilara, and I adored the concept of blood coral (though admittedly I wanted to explore that more, since it seems to be the only magical high fantasy concept in a book that reads more like a low political fantasy, and high fantasy is my one true weakness).

I also loved that Nor was able to rely on herself so much. It's hardly a bad thing for characters to have friends (the more friendship the better if you ask me), but in a place where she suddenly doesn't know who to trust, where her life and the lives of her loved ones are on the line, I really enjoyed her proactive nature. She doesn't let things come to her for the most part. Instead, she takes the initiative and drags things to her, kicking and screaming if she must. And not only that, but she holds tightly to her Varenian morals, even if it's not the most helpful thing to do. The most endearing character flaws are the ones that can equally be a strength, and Nor fit that, in my eyes. 

Throw in some murder and contention for the crown and an uproar in the country, and Crown of Coral and Pearl had a lot of things that caught my eye and held my attention.

That said, I did have three issues with the book that I'd love to see tightened in the final copy.

For starters (brace yourself, you know this one coming from me), I didn't like the romance. It felt entirely shallow, given that Nor had every reason to avoid getting tangled up with this character for her own safety, and because he had minimal personality. Really, the only thing that the two of them shared is that he wasn't a complete jerk, and that his mother was Varenian. Otherwise, I didn't get the appeal, so the romance felt flat and forced from almost every angle.

Not only that, but since the first portion of the book was centered on Nor's frustration with the standards of beauty in Varenia (which place a woman's worth almost solely on her beauty, due to the arrangement with Ilara), it felt pretty at odds with the theme of worth beyond physical beauty to make it clear that the LI was a really cute fella and the villain was sickly and not as good looking. He's the villain because he's cruel, yes, but still. Not really loving how that one shook out.

And finally, everything feels so unresolved. I understand that it's because this sold in a one-book deal, so there won't be more unless this does well at publication, but that means the ending was painfully rushed, and lots of things felt unresolved. Sami's fate? The connection between bloodstone and blood coral? The consequences of the woman king's sights being set on Ilara? What Nor and Zadie are going to do about the village that's been convinced it should hate them? The title crown, which appeared at basically the last second? The exact nature of Varenian health and aging and healing, especially in relation to the blood coral? So, so much about Crown of Coral and Pearl has me wishing this was at least a duology so that these things could be expanded on without turning this into a 600 page beast of a book. All the most interesting parts of the resolution were missing, and I'd come back to this world in a heartbeat if I could because I still have questions!

At the end of the day, though, I enjoyed Crown of Coral and Pearl, and I hope it does well enough to warrant Mara returning to the world and further exploring what she's already set up. This could be absolutely fantastic with a little more time spent developing the details, and it's already pretty good as it stands. 

This review will go live on The Words Gremlin around 10 am EST, 8/13/19.

This is an amazing tale of sister love and the lengths you go to for family. I found out at the end of the book that the amazing author is a twin. So that makes this story that much better as i know the author is writing from her heart when she writing about these twins. In this story the island where the twins live is ruled by beauty and pearls. One twin has been groomed since birth to be sent across the sea, so she never takes risks, never bumps herself, almost lives like a glass statue. While her twin knows she never escape the island so she takes all the risks to the point where she truly ends up scaring herself and sealing her fate.

You be wrapped up in this tale and not want it to come to end which thankfully there more story to be read in the sequel. I love that their a sequel so many tales end where the evil been defeated and the girl or guy gets their true love. I always been one that wants to know what is next, how does the kingdom continue on, does the new ruler really know what best for the world, and most of all how does it all play out for the happy couple. Stay tuned to for the sequel in 2020 and pick up the first book August 27, 2019.

Overall, I enjoyed Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford. The world that she puts us in is quite unique: Nor and Zadie are born asea in a culture that lives upon the water. Their culture has two goals: 1) provide pearls to the nobility and 2) provide a beautiful princess for the prince once every generation. Nor and Zadie live their whole lives doing everything they can to not mar their beauty. The only person from their culture who is ever allowed to set foot on land is the princess.

Through the course of the book, Zadie is chosen to be the new princess, but Nor ends up going. When she arrives at the castle, things aren't all hearts and puppy dogs. Her fiancée, Ceren, isn't a good guy. Even worse, she and her family back at sea could be in danger.

The book started off slow for me, but the last 2/3 of the book made up for it. I enjoyed the court intrigue, although sometimes I feared for Nor as Zadie's actions. The worldbuilding was well done, and the writing was good as well.

Even though the book started out slow for me, the second part (and especiallly the end) make me want to read more. I really didn't suspect the ending, in a good way.

<b>B+/B-</b> | The combination of a well-written and powerful relationship between two sisters, world-building, and a compelling protagonist makes <em>Crown of Coral and Pearl</em> by Mara Rutherford worthy of 4.5 to 5.0 stars/A- rating. However, this debut novel was brought down to a <b>3.0 to 3.5 stars/B+ or B-</b> by the shite romance, a pretty terrible one-dimensional romantic interest, a villain who I wished got fleshed out more, and the abrupt ending.

I admit that I consumed this book. I admit that instead of studying for my lab exam and practicum, I was reading this book. Why? It was interesting and pretty okay. I found it completely and utterly interesting until I hit the last ⅓ of the book. I honestly said “wtf” when I finished because I was just stunned on how it went up and up and up and then crashed so hard.

But let’s talk about the good first.

The writing was great. It moved fluidly like the ocean and was just as colorful, too. This awesome writing was supported by this awe-inspiriting world-building and fantastic characterizations.

Anyone who has read my other reviews knows I’m a die hard for good world-building and Mara Rutherford handed it to me on a silver platter with delicious Filipino food. Everything from Varenia’s culture, legends, and vivid, blue and warm descriptions of their surroundings to Ilara’s dim and grim atmosphere gripped onto me and refused to let go. I was transported into this world. It felt like I was actually there with Nor.

The world was fleshed out and explored. There was no stone left unturned when it came to exposing me to this universe. The contrast between Varenia’s and Ilara’s cultures were exposed and brought to light. When Nor first arrived in Ilara, I got introduced to the strangeness of Ilara’s culture, too. And most importantly, I felt it and it made me long for Varenia’s sun and sea. The dank and grimness of Ilara is further added on when Nor is brought to the New Castle. You thought it was strange this kingdom is still morning the death of this princess who has been dead for years and years? Wait until you see New Castle.

But it also calls out to you to find the answers to what is going on with the people living in New Castle. Is it the lack of sunshine alone that’s killing them or something else? What makes these people shun the sun and its warmth to living in such a cold place? 


Nor was a compelling protagonist that I could truly connect with the more time I spent with her. She felt human. Her emotions screamed at you and held you by the neck.

Her bond with Zadie was explored to its fullest and I am so grateful for it. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a book with a well-written sibling bond. Hell, it’s extra props that this twin bond was well executed and explored. The scene where Zadie begs Nor to help her kills me every time I think about it because of how awesomely it was executed. I could feel the tension, the fear, and the pain.

Nor’s relationship with her mother also got to me because I want to scream that this woman is a narcissist! However, as we get introduced to Ceren, his lust for more and more pink pearls, and his callous apathy towards Nor’s people, it made me question this judgement. Yes, I still disliked Nor’s mother for her words towards Nor as well as her actions in the years preparing the twins for the selection, but I also sort of started to understand her obsession with Zadie and Nor (up until Nor’s injury) being selected to become Ceren’s bride.

It’s layers and layers, you see and <b>I love layers</b>.

So you could maybe see how I was so utterly disappointed towards the end. It quite honestly shocked me how this gorgeous world and characterizations were weakened by this insta-romance between Nor and Talin, Talin’s characterization, Ceren himself, and the pacing.

First, let me go into Talin or what I have of him. Basically, when you compare it to Ceren, there’s nothing there. He’s nothing more than a piece of cardboard that was cut out. There wasn’t much there and what was there bored me. I honestly preferred Sami than Talin because Sami at least felt like a person than a cardboard box. Like, okay, cool, so the second son of the king born to a woman from Varenia. So, what? Give me more! Give me a reason to like him more than Ceren aside from the fact that Ceren is a callous dude who doesn’t care about other people’s lives.

Speaking of Ceren, let me talk about him before I go to the romance. Ceren was wasted potential. Whereas we didn’t get to see much of Talin, we got to see a lot of Ceren. He has so much potential to be this fantastic, morally grey character whose ambitions and lust for power knows no bounds and is controlled by his need to live and be healthy. But instead, he’s like a two-dimensional figure who isn’t exactly the most terrifying villain.

I wanted more Ceren and certainly more of Talin. Having a slightly fleshed out villain shouldn’t be done at the expense of the romantic interest. Talin was so one dimensional that when the romance between him and Nor occurred, I was just honest to God rolling my eyes.

Insta-romances are **boring**. I would rather see no romance at all than have this forced on me. Hell, I would have honestly been more interested in seeing Nor with Sami or Ceren because she actually interacted with them more than a couple of times.

I also think what contributed to this whole crash and burn was the pacing. Don’t get me wrong, I devoured this book and I wasn’t bored by any means due to the characters and world-building. But these two things can only do so much when there’s not much happening in terms of the plot. Perhaps part of the reason why I moved through this book so quickly was that I was waiting for something to happen. Fillers are okay at times, I also need action to happen. I think what could have been improved here is if the fillers had stuff relating to the romance since we had to have romance here apparently.

So when it came time for the climax, it was unsatisfactory to say the least. It was rushed and ended so abruptly. It felt like everything was jam-packed into the last ⅓ of the book while at the same time, there were things that were left unsaid and not explored.

Also, this book is definitely setting up for a sequel because I refuse to believe that this is the end. I will certainly be reading the sequel because I do want to know what happens next, however, I’m really hoping that Mara Rutherford does better on the romance, on Talin, and on the endings.

Do I recommend this book? Sure. If you’re looking for a book with great world-building, a compelling protagonist who has a well-developed relationship with <em>some</em> of the characters and you can ignore the disappointment with the insta-romance and the one-dimensional love interest, then this is for you.

Thank you to Harlequin TEEN and Inkyard Press over at NetGalley for providing a copy of the eARC. All opinions are my own.

The characters in this YA are engaging but the plot is recycled to the point of predictability. The heroine, Nor, is the scarred, strong, no nonsense, I-don't-need-a-man-to-complete-me, and always needs to be her sister's savior type. Her twin sister, Zadie, on the other hand, comes across as the pretty, weak, always looking to be saved, I-need-this-particular-boy-only-or-my-life-will-end type.

Every twenty years or so, the girls of the ocean village get prettied up in an attempt to be the one chosen to marry the prince of a far away land. Of course Nor doesn't want to be chosen and of course her beautiful twin sister is picked. But, when her twin sister makes it clear that her heart belongs to someone else, Nor does whatever is necessary to save her from unhappy marriage, even if that means going into the belly of the beast herself... Filled with love triangles and clinches that perhaps the jaded among would find annoying, this book would be a good choice for youngers readers just entering the world of Young Adult Literature. No extreme language, no extreme scenes.
****This review is based an arc copy received for free via Netgalley****

Of all the sea-centric stories that have come across my radar lately—and there's been a lot, both new and past releases—Mara Rutherford's debut was one I was absolutely looking forward. So imagine my surprise and sadness when it becomes another book in a recent string of lacklustre reads.

This book has a lot going for it. There's an interesting setting, political subterfuge, a curious mystery, court machinations, murder, and a whole lot of ooh, tell me more. It felt unique and a little different from what is out there in this particular vein. Not to mention, the ending was done in such a way that there is great potential for the sequel, Kingdom of Sea and Stone.

I really enjoyed the world, even though I could definitely punch 1000 holes in it. The idea of a sovereign state living out in the middle of the ocean is one I really connected to. The struggles they face with overfishing and relying solely on others for goods because generations of the past didn't know when to stop struck a chord, reminding me painfully of the issues we're facing in today's world. The tight-knit community and the stories that keep them together was endearing as well. Pirates without the pirate life. It was vivid and touching.

Something else I enjoyed was the plot-line with the blood coral and pearls. They are a way of life for those living in Varenia, who sell the pearls at the market as their main source of income, but there is also a bit of magic in them. They are a source of health and vitality. Varenians live extraordinarily long lives, well over a hundred, and rarely get sick because of their proximity to the blood coral and pearls they ground up. That premise played beautifully into the story as a whole and the conflict that arises.


There were a few things that really dragged my rating of this book down. I didn't think it was a bad read as I devoured big chunks at a time. That said, the pace is slow. The summary above? Yeah, that's about half of the book. It took a long time for something to happen to surprise me. There were also some plot-points and world details that just had me "Whyyyy?" The romance was a bit insta-love, but I think I'm okay with it.

There are tropes that feature quite heavily in the beginning that really turned me off as well. One: the evil mother. I truly don't understand how the mother's attitude fit in here. Her daughters are twins, both disgustingly beautiful, but one has a tiny scar on her face. Apparently that means she she's out to sabotage her sister and doesn't care about her family. Playing into that is the second trope that didn't sit well with me: beauty is everything. The longer the story went on, the less I came to appreciate this as the focal point. Too much of the value of the young girls in this story was based on how their face looked. How flawless their skin was. How they used oils on their complexion. It turned sickening after a quarter of the book.

I think I'll still look for the second book, but sadly this wasn't what I was hoping for.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for granting me an ARC.
I would say this is somewhere between a 3 and 4 star rating. It was a super quick read for me and overall enjoyable. It’s much more court intrigue and politics than overt fantasy, and the relationship with the main character’s twin sister was interesting to read about as I don’t have a sister nor twin, but I can’t say I’m all that invested in the story or that it was a favorite of mine by any means. It was a nice quick read that I needed to take my mind off of things and it worked for that purpose.

I was super excited to get this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
I wanted this book to be five stars, but I feel like it was just shy of hitting that mark. I loved the plot line, the mystery and intrigue of the characters, and the successful world building. I was a big fan of the relationship between Zadie and Nor. I loved Nor's personality and resilience during her journey. As someone who grew up on the beach, I completely identified with the wave children :)

**Spoilers!**
I didn't not like the relationship between Nor and Talin (also LOL I literally had to not read his name as Tamlin the ENTIRE time #acotarproblems) it just didn't seem genuine? I don't know, I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it was the characters of Talin and Ceren were left to be flat while Zadie and Nor's characters were so incredible. I felt like I was starting to peel back the layers of Ceren more when he is killed at the end. I think when it comes down to it, their relationship seemed a bit cliche to me. What I DID enjoy was the plot twist at the end involving the woman king. I'm not even going to type it here.

I also found that the ending was lackluster. There has to be another book or like...five more chapters added. With the stakes as high as they were throughout the tale, the resolution felt too...easy? Again, its hard to put into works after literally just finishing this read ten minutes ago. It's not that the ending was bad - I just found myself going "Wait, that's it?" I need more info on this banishment, if Ceren was really killed (that WAS way too easy), and the consequences of the kingdom moving to a queendom. What of Varenia? What the heck was wrong with New Castle? I have so many questions that weren't answered, I can only assume there will be another book.

Regardless, I LOVED this book and read it in ONE day. I'll be purchasing this one for my collection. Also I think it would be so cool to live in Varenia on the water. Sign me up for pearl diving and living on the sea anyday!

If there was anyway to give this book more than five stars I would. This book had me "hooked" from the very first chapter. The characters are extremely relatable. Nor and Zadie are great and I can almost feel like a part of their story. Sure I am reading it but it is written in such a way to make the reader feel as if they are an unwritten character instead of just reading about it. When Nor went in Zadie's place I wondered whether she would see her sister again. Talin was an instantly likeable character for me, just as his brother, Ceren, was a character I instantly disliked. While Talin is open and kind to Nor and treats her as a woman should be treated., Ceren treats her like an object. All he sees is an heir producing machine. With all these characters and all the different scenarios this book is sure to keep you reading late into the night to see what happens next.

i really enjoyed this book!

i really liked the family theme in this book, especially the bond between twin sisters Nor and Zadie. a good chunk of the beginning portion of the book focused on their relationship and their home, and it was a really interesting thing to read.

the world building was really cool. i found a few things to be confusing or not explained in depth enough, but it was still pretty good. i really enjoyed reading about the city of Varenia, and their ocean based culture. it was really easy to imagine the world they live in.

i enjoyed most of the characters. i liked the main character, nor, but i feel like most of the other characters weren't super developed. the only other character that was mildly interesting to read about was ceren, the villain. i really wanted to like talin, but he honestly had no personality other than hating his brother. i liked the romance, but it felt a little insta-love because it seemed like they never really spent that much time together and it was very much love-at-first-sight.

the plot was decent. the beginning focused on world building and the relationship between nor and zadie, and was a little slower paced because of that, but i'm glad i kept reading. the rest of the book was pretty well paced and kept my interest, but then the last 10% of the book kind of went off the rails. so much happened so quickly (i think i read somewhere that this was supposed to be a duopoly but is now a standalone instead) so it felt like every plot twist imaginable was being packed into the ending. i didn't really see either of the plot twists coming, but it felt like they happened way too quickly.

overall, i did really enjoy reading this and i would recommend it if you like ocean-aesthetic inspired world building! :)

This was a fantastic book! Great world and very well developed characters. Nor and Zadie go above and beyond most sister stories I've read. You could put this two out of a fantasy world and I'd still want to read about them. My only problem with it is that the end felt pretty rushed. A lot gets dumped on you at the end which is really interesting but isn't really able to be explored. I'm very glad there will be another book in this story and I cannot wait to read it!

Read for Netgalley in one sitting! This book really took a direction that I did not expect, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless! My one concern is that the ending did not seem particularly open to the possibility of sequels, but I would appreciate more work written within this world.

OMG Guys if you don't have this book on your TBR you are MISSING OUT!! This book blew me away, first with this gorgeous cover and then with an amazing story.

The story opened with us learning a little about twin sisters Nor and Zadie as well as about their world. The author did this amazing job creating a world of sea fairing people as well as the cold world around them. I was drawn in from the very first page and didn't let go until the end. It was well paced and the writing style was pretty straight forward. I was never lost and could not put this one down!! The pacing was spot on and it was never slow. I thought that as the story unfolded it was done step by step in this beautiful and terrifying world that Rutherford has created.

The characters were freaking amazing. I do think that the author could do a novella about what was going on with Zadie as the story is told from Nor's POV. It would be interesting to know what she was going through as Nor's eyes were opened to the adventure she was hoping for. We do get to know a little about this towards the end of the story but its from another character and not straight on. So this would totally hold me over until book two comes out.

The characters were fabulous I loved Nor and her determination to keep her family safe. Even her mother who at times I really wondered if she even loved her children. Being a mom myself I wonder what was really going through her mind as she got her children ready over the years to be chosen. What kind of life did she really think her children if chosen would go too? This is another wonderful novella that I would love to read about.

When Nor meets Talin you could tell that they were drawn to each other but to really call this insta-love I just don't see it. This book happens over the course of a few months. So it's not very quick, their romance does take time. Ceren is one of the most frighting characters that I have read in sometime. He is brutal and freaking crazy if you ask me. And I am pretty sure that there will be some major twists when it comes to him in the following books. At least I really hope so. He is one of those evil characters that you love to hate.

Trying to review this book is so hard!! I loved every second of it and I can not wait for book two. It is one that I will not soon forget and one that everyone needs to read!!

Overall, I loved the beginning, middle, and end of this one. The ending was very satisfying and even though I know this is a series I think this ending works well. It does leave some loose ends such as what is going on with Zadie and wither or not a certain character is dead but it does a really great job to be a full novel in its own right. It was full of twists and turns and I hope you love it as much as I did!!

Favorite Quotes: Please note that these quotes are from the ARC, also these apparently are backwards in reading order.

"As I walked away, I realized the part of me that wanted to stay was the part I would never be able to listen to again."

"But he was right. I wanted to dance with him. And I may never get the chance to be held by someone I desired again."

"Mother had given us one gift, at least, that no amount of time or distance could erase, each other."

"Just as beauty cannot disguise who we really are beneath the surface."

"I'll go. But it will be my body that leaves, and nothing more. Samiel has my heart, and you dear sister, my soul."

"Varenia is my home. You and Samiel are my home. What more can the world possibly have to offer?" "Roses, I thought. And horses and castles and all manner of things I hadn't dared to imagine, surely. What didn't the world have to offer?"

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #CrownofCoralandPearl in exchange for an honest review.

Rutherford has done an exceptional job of creating two very different worlds: Varenia, a poor sea village indentured to Ilara, a kingdom who exploits their women and deep sea pearls. Even though this book follows the familiar YA fantasy formula.... teens who enjoyed Throne of Glass and the Red Queen series will quickly fall for protagonist, Nor. Feisty and determined to save her twin sister- this is a peasant turned queen story that has some twists that will surprise teen readers. They will enjoy the drastic differences between Nor's two worlds and her desire to fight for her people, even when she is putting her own life at risk. The building romance between Nor and Talin underneath Prince Ceren's evil shadow will definitely appeal to this age group. I think it's always impressive when an author creates complex characters, whose motives aren't always black and white. Ceren is the perfect example of this... as the story evolves, the reader discovers more about his upbringing and events that shaped the person he became. Loved the setting in Ilara, the castle built inside a mountain!! Intriguing and an essential part of dark fantasy. Will definitely be purchasing this for our YA library section.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut by Mara Rutherford that was much different than the majority of young adult storylines regarding royalty. It kind of reminded me of Red Queen (without the fantasy element) mixed with The Selection (without a major competition since we know who will be selected to marry the prince). The bond between twins Nor and Zadie was unbreakable and more than once, Nor showed how much she was willing to sacrifice for the benefit of her sister. Prince Ceren was the definition of a psychopath and Talin was fun to read, though he wasn’t featured much. Despite a few interactions, there was instant love between Nor and Talin (from the moment they first saw each other) and that was a major weakness in the story, especially since they barely interacted. The twists were predictable but overall the story was a fresh read highlighting a strong girl who would do anything to save her family and country.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I am looking forward to the next installment.

As a twin, Crown of Coral and Pearl is excellent when discussing the relationship between protagonist Nor and her sister Zadie. The sisters' home island Varenia is a tributary state to the kingdom of Ilara and Rutherfod does a good job exploring the dynamics of being subordinated to a greater power. In Varenia, the most beautiful girl, defined purely through aesthetic values, gets selected to marry the crown prince of Ilara. This trope of a girl being selected for a royal marriage based solely on her appearance and then coming into conflict with her sister is not my favorite. I liked Nor but I felt that the rest of the characters lacked depth and nuance. Crown of Coral and Pearl would be a good beach read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The world in Crown of Coral and Pearl is unlike any other. The characters, setting, and politics are well thought out and introduced in an organic way. Rutherford carefully builds on each supporting character, emphasizing what Nor must sacrifice to leave Ilara.

Nor and Zadie’s relationship explores the boundaries of sisterhood. What lengths is she willing to go to for her sister? The family dynamic in this novel has so many layers. I was particularly pleased by Rutherford’s faithfulness to the mother’s character. It’s refreshing to read a story where some things are left unanswered.

The secrets Nor unveils in Ilara make for a real page turner. I love the parallel between Zadie and Nor’s maid Ebb. On the other hand, princes Ceren and Talin couldn’t be more different. I wish Talin’s backstory wasn’t rushed at the end of the book; it didn’t feel as natural as the other characters. However, I still highly recommend this novel.

I rarely read anything in less than 24 hours, but I devoured Crown of Coral and Pearl. Rutherford hit it out of the park with this brilliant debut novel. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the second installment!

This book -- ohhh this book. I could not put this book down, even when there were other responsibilities calling my name. Nor and Zadie were written with such depth; the author truly captured what sibling love and unspoken rivalry actually feels like. The romance aspect of the novel left something to be desired, but it almost reads as if it was intentional -- leaving more room to focus on the complexities of the sibling relationship.

Really great book about the price we pay for our dreams. This book was an intriguing read. Its not often I really dislike a character but Zadie is awful. She is so manipulative and such a user. This book is a fun fast read, that pulls you right in. I really liked Nor, but thought the love story was just ok. The world building is excellent and beautiful.

Firstly, I would like to thank Inkyard press and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of these novel. However, all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This novel has been on my radar for awhile and I have been looking forward to reading it. The premise sounded good in the write-up, the world sounds unique and interesting. I am down with court plots and intrigue. However, what I thought this book was going to be and what it was… was exactly the same thing as almost the entirety of the book is lined out plot point by plot point in the write-up. It’s basically all there. Don’t read the synopsis (or this review), just go straight for the book or you’ll be disappointed.

This book sounds good and dramatic. Even the tagline: Steal the crown. Save the kingdom. Sounds super dramatic, and is yet completely unrelated. Who is trying to steal the crown? Nor sure ain’t. She is aiming to save the kingdom, so I guess that’s half right. The crown on the cover and in the tagline also only appears once, by the way.

The plot and the characters were fairly standard. I wish I could say that the plot was well written, twisting and turning, edge of the seat gripping, and fast paced. I wish I could say that the characters were interesting, dynamic, multifaceted, realistic people. I wish I could say those things. What I can say is that almost all the action took place through dialogue and the tell not show method. I don’t even really have a good idea what this supposedly beautiful main character looks like. She has a slightly star shaped scar on… one of her cheekbones. The villain is the only one who had the slightly bit of dimension and I do know what he looks like. The rest of the characters were like dry, white toast. I don’t even see Nor as particularly sassy though everyone else does.

While I am on the subject of the characters, the relationship between the sisters was nice. It was nice to have sisters or twin sisters who got along and helped each other. Far too often are the sister or siblings in YA fantasy split up and divided between the good side and the bad side, when really they should be on the same side as family. However, one of the things that annoyed me was the main characters relationship with her mother. Having one parent be understanding (often the father) and one parent (often the mother) be abusive and mean is a YA trope that I would like to see end. I get it. We need some drama in the family life, but for this story it didn’t really serve a purpose. Oh, and the nearly instant love between the main character and the romantic lead is also annoying.

I know that quite a few people are going to enjoy this book. Also, I think that if you’re interested in it you should try it out. After all, the things that bother me, maybe won’t bother you. This book had a great concept, an okay execution, but it has a lovely sibling relationship. It’s a solid attempt for a debut novel. Perhaps the sequel will be better.