I for one was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't realize how involved in the story I was until my kindle said I was over 60% through already.

This book is about twins Zadie and Nor. They are raised in a floating village where for a girl, beauty is the only thing that matters, because once every generation the most beautiful girl is sent to the mainland as a bride for the prince. The village is very poor and every family wants to receive the bride price that the royal family pays.

I don't want to spoil anything so I will be vague. One of the twins is sent to marry the prince. However things are not as she thought they would be. The castle on the mainland is cold and dark, her fiance even more so. Nothing is as she was taught, and she has no one that she can trust in this strange place. How can she survive there, much less help her starving family and friends back home??

This book was enchanting, while at the same time addressing issues that plague all of us. Mara does a wonderful job of blending real problems such as poverty, oppression, and the struggle for beauty, with the feeling that you are involved in something magical.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for sending me a ebook version of this lovely book for an honest review.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Crown of Coral and Pearl

Author Mara Rutherford

Description

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen…and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

Initial Thoughts

I was super bummed at Book Con 2019 when I met Mara Rutherford, but unfortunately was not able to snag an ARC of this book. However, as luck would have it, I was meant to read it. My request on NetGalley was approved last week and I jumped at the chance to read this story.

Favorite Character

Ebb — I loved her name. It made me think of ebb and flow and that’s exactly what she represented. She kept everything moving for Nor and made sure she was where she needed to be and dressed appropriately at all times.

Some Things I Liked

I loved all of the names used in this book. Everyone’s name had meaning and I thought that was a really cool feature. The writing and naming conventions of this story were very thoughtfully crafted and I enjoyed that.
Twins — I’m a sucker for a story about twins. Not sure if I have any fans of The Office reading this post, but there’s a scene from one episode where Dwight tells Michael to abandon the lady he’s talking to at the bar for “twins”. Michael jumps at the chance only to discover Dwight meant two large, bearded men were the twins Dwight was referring to. That’s me with twins. I am the Dwight Schrute of the YA reading world (minus the beet farm). I loved Nor and Zadie’s connection and the way they would do anything to protect the other. I also loved in the Acknowledgements (yes, I always read those too), that Mara Rutherford thanked her twin for being part of her inspiration.
Something I Wasn’t Crazy About

The ending. I didn’t love the cliffhanger-esque ending. It’s final, but I felt it was lacking that conclusion of everyone together in the end that I wanted to see.
Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. I think it had some flaws (a smidge predictable and a somewhat inconclusive ending), but, overall, I liked it. I think there is a lot of potential for a series here and I liked the political and social aspects that dictated the characters’ society. I thought this was a very thoughtfully written story with so much meaning behind every word.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date August 27, 2019

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Princess in the Opal Mask and The Opal Crown by Jenny Lundquist – this is another story of twins where one takes the place of the other meant to marry a prince.
Everless and Evermore by Sara Holland – no spoilers here, but there are some **STRONG** parallels between the storylines here. Secrets, royals, romance, check these stories out if you liked the plot twists and relationships in Crown of Coral and Pearl.
Caraval, Legendary, and Finale by Stephanie Garber – this is an amazing series about sisters who would do anything for each other.

Crown of Coral and Pearl
By Mara Rutherford
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


"Can you hear the ocean humming? See the blood go sweeping past? The child of the waves is coming. To set our people free at last."

About/Synopsis:

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine...



Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.



Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen…and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.



In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

My Thoughts:

Thank you to the Publisher as well as NetGalley for this early copy in exchange for my honest review...

Sadie and Nor are twins, and have grown believing that beauty is everything. Nor having been injured and having a scar was considered 'damaged' so when her sister is chosen to leave it came as no surprise. But we quickly learn what a person will do for the ones she loves!! As Zadie is preparing to leave she plots to harm herself and ruining her chances of going this put Nor in her corner and she goes for her but what will happen if the king or the prince finds out.
Upon arriving there she again meets Talin the gentlemen sent to see them before areiving but he couldnt know of her either, even though he has secrets of his own... She is not impressed by the spoiled, disturbed, and dangerous young prince and things get worst for Nor from there as she makes her way through the webs of Court Politics and back to her sister and her people. Nor is a very strong and independent character. She speaks her mind, she is intelligent and witty... And I just loved her relationships and attributes. A real coming storyline with the perfect writing style to bring together a fantastic and fast read!! Once you start you wont want to put it down!!

There were things I loved about this but there were also things that made me very annoyed.

The good

-A beautiful world with good development
-A dash of magic
-A pretty writing style
-Layered, complex villain

The Bad

- Predictable at times
- INSTA-LOVE 😡
-One sided love interest
-Ending wrapped up to nicely

I really loved this story, and while I've been wanting more standalone in my life, this time I honestly would have liked to get more books following Nor and Talin, because I felt like there was so much more to tell with this story.

While things start out a little slow, once Nor leaves for Ilara, things get a little more exciting. I really loved the connection between Nor and Talin and how he knew it was her from the beginning. I love how he always thought her the most beautiful girl, even though all her life she was told she was useless because of her scar. I love how she found someone who saw her for her and didn't compare her to her sister or think her a lesser version of Zadie.

I really loved Nor and Zadie's relationship and how much they loved one another, how they would have done anything for each other. I wish we could have gotten more of their interactions after Nor left. And I really adored Sami and how much he loved Zadie and how he was like a brother to Nor, how he helped her by meeting with her at the market, how he wanted to help make things better for their people. I also wish we could have gotten more of him.

Talin was a great character and I really loved his love for Nor and how he wanted to fight against what Ceren was doing, while simultaneously still caring about his older brother. I loved how he helped Nor along the way and how he was there for her when she needed him.

The ending did feel a little rushed, and I honestly thought Ceren was going to come back with super healing powers and become impossible to beat. I feel conflicted on Ceren because there were times when I thought there was a chance for him to find redemption, but then there were all his cruelties. And then I love that Talia was actually alive and had a daughter and how she's going to come back and bring the queendom back to life. I just need so many more books to get to watch Zadie and Sami get to be together, to watch Talin as an older brother to Zoi, to watch Nor and Talin get their happily ever after.

I really loved this book and I can't wait for it to be published and for everyone to fall in love with these lovely characters <3

I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It was the kind of book I could put down but that I kept thinking about until picking it up again.

The sister bond is really well done although the beginning with it feels a bit slow. Everything flies after Nor gets to Ilara though. I think it was a little too much insta love with Nor and Talin but at least it didn’t feel too forced. Ceremony felt like a creepy vampire locking himself in the mountain and doing experiments.

I liked the ending too. I’m glad Nor wasn’t the damsel saved by someone else, she is a strong girl who can do things herself. Some of the twists were kind of predictable but ehh whatever this is YA fantasy, that’s expected. All in all I really liked this book, perfect summer fantasy to read!

Crown of Coral and Pearl is a great read.

This book has a little bit of everything you’d want in a fantasy book. A competition to become Queen, an identical twin identity swap, danger, forbidden love and a whole lot of intrigue. I loved the fantasy world that Rutherford has created. It had a rich history and some very interesting elements to it. I also really enjoyed Nor’s character. She was inquisitive, strong willed, fiercely loyal and always tried to do the right thing. There were some elements of the story that felt expected for the genre but there was plenty to keep things interesting and made me want to read more.

Overall, this was a great read. Fans of Grace and Fury and the Red Queen will love this book with the strong sister bond and rivalry between princes.

I went into this book not knowing anything about it (I didn't even read the synopsis). And I completely loved it. The story is fascinating: each generation, the princes of Ilara marry the most beautiful girl from an ocean village. But when Nor goes in her sister's place, she discovers the dark secrets of Ilara and finds out that her people are in danger. There's so much more to the plot, and so many characters I grew to love.

I loved the sea aesthetic coupled with a formidable mountain castle. Nor is a strong character and it's easy to get lost in her point of view and engage with the story. Also, the slow-burning, chemistry-filled romance in this book is divine. This book has everything: sea folklore, tension, betrayal, magical reefs, sisterly bonds, romance, political intrigue, and hope. It's an uplifting book, and one I think I would return to.

Mara Rutherford's writing is fantastic. As I said, it's easy to get lost in her writing and in the story. The plot moved effortlessly. My only reservations are that I wish it had a little more resolution and a little more romance. I wanted to see their bond strengthen, especially at the end, and I felt that this book is missing that. But still a well-told, entertaining book.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4.5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, NetGalley and Inkyard Press, for the ARC! This book will be released on August 27, 2019.

This was a phenomenal book. I really loved the sister dynamics that were happening between Nor and Zadie, their relationship felt very meaningful and well developed. On that same note, I felt that Ceren was also very well developed and at times I sympathized more with him than with the others. This isn't a bad thing at all, just something of note about the villain. Talin and Nor's romance felt a little bit instant, but other than that, I quite enjoyed it. The story progressed quickly, but I felt that it was enjoyable. I'd love to read more from this author.

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I have absolutely love this book and was hooked by the two sisters, Nor and Zadie from the start. Really love the world that Mara Rutherford built for Crown of Coral and Pearl.

The only thing I didn't really like is that the end feel rush. Left me hoping for a sequel.

Crown of Coral and Pearl, by Mara Rutherford, is a fantasy/dystopian, YA novel about twin sisters, Nor and Zadie from ocean village of Varenia. Varenia is a village ruled by the kingdom of Ilara. For generations, daughters in Varenia focus on one thing - beauty. The most beautiful girl in Varenia is to be chosen to marry the prince of Ilara. It was clear to Nor that her sister Zadie would someday be chosen to marry the prince after an incident that left Nor scarred. But when Nor is chosen and sent off to Ilara to marry Prince Ceren, it was nothing like what she hoped Ilara would be.

When I started the book, I really enjoyed it. The narration in the beginning where the sisters prepped for the selection ceremony was fun. I loved the description of Varenia. It reminded me of the series, The Selection by Keira Cass. However, the world of Ilara was less impressive. I found myself a bit bored with the book, after Nor arrived in Ilara. The development of the characters were not there. I did not really take a liking to the princes or ship any potential romance. A lot of it seemed forced just to fit the typical YA elements. However, I felt the author redeemed herself at the end. So overall, I thought the beginning and end of the book was well-written, but the execution/development was lacking.

Thank you to Harlequin Teen, Mara Rutherford, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The cover of Crown of Coral and Pearl was the first thing that caught my interest, and when I read the summary, I was desperate for this book. I was so happy when I was approved for an ARC! And this book did not disappoint. Crown of Coral and Pearl sweeps you under its tide, so you'll be enthralled by its magic.

I'm not quite sure why I thought this, but I thought this book took place in space before I read it? I think I misread the summary or something. Anyways, the world building in this book is really cool. The people of Varenia live entirely on the sea — not on an island, but on the sea. It was interesting to think about this divide between Ilara, and how the differences between living on land and on sea matter, especially health-wise. Varenia is also known for their pink pearls, which are pink due to close proximity to the deadly blood coral and have potent healing powers.

The writing is really pretty; it had a calm quality to it, like the waves lapping on the shore of a beach, soft and constant. Nor was an easy narrator to follow, and I found myself in suspense as she was at times.

Beauty is highly valued in Varenia, as the most beautiful girl of every generation is sent to Ilara to marry and become the next queen. Nor has known it will be her twin sister Zadie since a blood coral scarred her face, leaving her almost worthless. However, Nor has her own strengths. I liked the narrative of beauty being only one aspect of a person. I didn't expect to get really into beauty standards in a fantasy book, but we did, and I loved it.

I loved the plot! The pacing was really well-done, balanced between establishing the world as we know it and plunging into the world that Nor is new to. There's a great deal of suspense, as well, with the prince that Nor is engaged to. I found him to be a very intriguing antagonist; although he's cold and calculating, you can't help but be a bit fascinated by him. A comparison could be made to Joffrey from Game of Thrones.

My absolute favorite thing about this book, the aspect that left me almost in tears, was the sister relationship. As twins, Nor and Zadie have always been close. They do everything together. I think that a lot of YA fantasy books contain sisters who are close, but over time, become enemies, and this was a refreshing change from that pattern. It also wasn't one-sided, as I've found some fictional sibling relationships to be. You know, when the protagonist says they'll do anything for their sibling, but you don't get to see enough of their sibling to feel that it's a two-sided relationship? Yeah, Nor and Zadie are not like that, thankfully.

The only thing I really had an issue with was the romance. I thought it really needed to be fleshed out more, especially considering that the pacing of the book was so good. I mean, I too would probably fall in love with the hotter brother if I were engaged to the creepy, incredibly pale, cruel one, but it was just a touch too insta-love for me to like. I think given more time, it could have developed more.

Crown of Coral and Pearl blew me away honestly. I liked the plot and the worldbuilding, and I adored the characters. This book has one of my favorite fictional sister relationships ever, and I'll always be grateful for that. Crown of Coral and Pearl is a debut, and Mara Rutherford is definitely an author to watch out for. I can't wait to see what she does in the future! Meanwhile, pick this book up August 27!

**This review will be posted as a part of the blog tour on my blog Magical Reads on August 21.**

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. In this book we get to meet some great characters and I just loved their story. I loved getting to see where these characters end up and their journey to the end. This book was such an easy read and I highly recommend this title you will not be disappointed.

ARC kindly provided by Netgalley and publisher. The opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.

Rating: 4/5

I was in the market for an easy read that wouldn't require much analysis and pondering and I seemed to have stumbled upon just the right book! I really liked this title because of, surprisingly, its simplicity. But before I go on about why I enjoyed this book, let me dig into the plot:

Plot: Zadie and Nor are twin sisters living in the sea village (yes, it's floating in the ocean- think Water World, here) of Varenia. Where Zadie is polite, subdued, and kind, Nor is adventurous, speaks her mind, and wants to explore the world. Varenia is connected to the mainland Ilara by trade, its citizens cannot set foot on land lest they seek death, and every time a new prince becomes of age to succeed on the throne, a Varenian woman is selected as a bride. There is a big competition in the sea village for the most beautiful maiden, and most, if not all, girls in the village dream of some day becoming Queen. Nor has been made to feel inadequate by her mother due to a scar on her cheek (which she received trying to save her sister while they were diving for pink pearls), while her sister Zadie is unblemished and received all of their mother's attention and praise. Nor, however, loves her sister dearly and both are inseparable.

Varenian families have it rough, though. They have been providing Ilara with pink pearls (pearls affected by blood coral, which grows from the bodies of deceased Varenians in their underwater graves), pearls whose value has increasingly dropped. Supply is short due to over-harvesting, and the sea around Varenia has been over-fished as well. In short, families have been slowly starving and Ilara has imposed increasingly harsh rules.

Back to the twins [SPOILER ALERT]: After Zadie wins the competition, Nor finds out that she is to marry Sami, their childhood friend and the Governor's son. Little does everyone know that Zadie and Sami are in love, and Nor is horrified by the prospect of marrying her childhood friend. Nor wishes to go to Ilara, and Zadie wishes to stay, yet how can she go if she has already been promised? Well, this is how: Zadie forces everyone's hand one night as she forces Nor to help her injure herself with a maindenhair jellyfish's tentacles- to the point where she would be deemed unfit to go to Ilara. Nor is sent instead, with a tincture that covers her scar. Yet she must be careful as her indiscretions would surely mean death to her and her people. Nor is convinced that by going to Ilara, she can convince the current monarch to take pity on her people, and improve their conditions.

But once Nor arrives at New Castle, she learns that things were nothing like she had expected. She finds out exactly how cut-off her people are from the world and how badly they are being exploited- not by the King, but by the regent Prince Ceren, who she is now betrothed to. Prince Ceren's half brother, Talin, sympathizes with Nor- his own mother being Varenian herself. Nor slowly grows closer to the man she is not supposed to develop feelings for as she discovers what a monster her future husband really is. Will she be able to save her people from exploitation, discover the truth behind Ceren's plots for the crown without being discovered?

PROS: Alright, now that you know about the plot, let's get into the pros.
-Characters are likeable
-The plot is simple and easily runs its course (there aren't a lot of plot holes, etc.)
-There is a good balance between dialogue/world-building/setting description
-Touched on topics like exploitation

CONS: There were some cons to the book (as is expected). This is what I found to be on the lacking side of this novel:
-Plot was a little too predictable
-Dialogue was sometimes a little choppy and forced
-At times, if felt like the book was a little slow. I feel like it could have been written with less fluff.

Alrighty then, there you have it guys. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I did!

In the land of Varenia, girls are brought up to believe that beauty is literally everything. If you are not the most beautiful girl, eventually chosen to marry the Ilarean prince, you are essentially nothing. When Nor earned a small scar on her cheek in an accident when she was young, she believed she would be lucky to find any husband. But when her sister, Zadie, was badly injured and scarred, Nor became the chosen princess. But is being a princess everything she dreamed?

When I read about Varenia, I pictured the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, with huts on stilts, thatched roof and all. In clear contrast, the mountain of New Castle was gloomy and claustrophobic. Rutherford did a wonderful job with world building and describing the locations, and really made me feel as though I was experiencing the shock of leaving home and the castle right alongside Nor.

I felt that the premise was well done, original and thought out. I really enjoyed the times spent with Talin, and of course the way Ceren behaved made me shudder more often than not.

Where the story falls short for me is the ending. It felt very rushed compared to the rest of the story. I would have liked to see it play out more on the pages, rather than the quick wrap up we received. I do hope that there will be another book in the future, as I'd love to get more closure on the events that were laid out in those final pages. I feel there is a lot more to experience in Nor and Zadie's story, and would definitely continue reading if it becomes a series. Overall, I still enjoyed the book enough to bump up the 3.5 star rating I'd like to give to 4 stars, with the hopes that there is more to come.

This was a good book. Sci-fi/Fantasy is not usually my genre of choice but I am trying to expand my horizons. I really, really liked the first 1/2 of the book and then it died down a little for me. I'm not really sure what happened...but I felt like the characters and their relationships just got a bit dull. But again, overall I really enjoyed it!

I loved this book! If we're being honest here, I totally chose it because I liked the cover, but it excelled in both story and character in my opinion!

The characters felt real and three-dimensional and I found myself unable to put this book down - there was plenty of plot - and it has been just what I needed to get over the slump I've been in lately. I appreciated that, while there was romance, it wasn't the entire story, and the way it was written was beautiful and yet clear and easy to understand. I found myself literally making noises out loud at certain parts and couldn't help but excitedly explain what was going on to my loving but confused husband (thanks for being such a good sport, by the way).

Once I finished, I found myself excited for Rutherford's future novels: this author is definitely going on my "watch" list!

I thought this was extremely readable. It's well-written and compelling enough to want to finish. I just have been struggling with YA fantasy lately. But a lot of this book felt really familiar. A beautiful maiden, a sullen & smirking prince, a girl thrust into luxurious royal life, falling for the alternative love interest, etc.

Except for the obsession with scars. I found it incredibly jarring. Almost every character either proclaims or sadly agrees that any skin blemish is literally the most disgusting thing ever, and it's never really challenged. Even by the end, I found the attempts at addressing it unsubstantial. The way Nor's facial scar is described is just nonsensical. It's so small and light you can barely see it, yet apparently it's the first thing anyone notices and is incredibly memorable. The idea of her being 'ruined' for it is just so absurd to me that I found it more unbelievable than the magic healing coral or mystical sea spirits.

And for an alleged "queendom", there was some of the lowest levels of female agency that I've seen in a while. If the aim was to make anyone on the island of Varenia even somewhat sympathetic, it did not come across. It's probably not the best sign when an entire population is threatened with extinction and my first reaction is 'GOOD'.

I'm not sure if the ending is a set up for a sequel, but I think it would be best as a stand-alone. I liked the relationship between the sisters, but the romance(s) felt forced. And the villain seemed to just do whatever would make the story most interesting for the protagonist. Although I think a lot of people will enjoy this, it just wasn't my favorite.

This book certainly had some good things going for it. The sister relationship throughout the story was spectacular. I love when you run across positive sibling and familial connections in stories if only because they are so rare. I also loved how fierce our main character, Nor, is. She does what she thinks is right and puts her whole self into it. There is nothing halfway with Nor, she is all in with everything she does and it was fun to go with her on her journey.

Despite my love of the characters, the plot of this book felt a little thin. There was so much seemingly going on in the background that the reader didn’t get to take part in and that was very frustrating. A fierce queen from the south is mentioned several times but you never encounter her which was a huge let down because the story had really pumped you up for her big moment…which then never came. There is also a character whose fate is left dangling at the end but you are just told outright, “Oh, he’ll be fine!” and you as the reader are just supposed to believe it. That didn’t jive with me.

As a whole, this was a good book. Not great, not terrible, but good. There were some great parts and then other bits that really left me wanting. This author is going to do wonderful things, she seems to have all of the building blocks at her disposal, and I will definitely pick up her work in the future.

Crown of Coral and Pearl is much more than the story of naive, beautiful sisters that I thought it was going to be. As I first started reading Zadie and Nor's story I felt like I had read this book before. There were pieces of the story that felt familiar, and any books where characters put a ridiculous amount of someone's worth on their beauty makes me wary. Don't worry though because this book was continually surprising. Coral and Pearl tells a story of two sisters and two peoples, both total opposites and full of mystery. Varenia is a people that live in the ocean and they send their most beautiful girl to marry the prince of the land, Ilara. Zadie has always been the obvious choice after her sister got her scar, but when Nor has to take her sister's place she is thrown in the heart of centuries of palace intrigue.
I was pretty hesitant when it came to the sisters since they placed so much importance on beauty, and Zadie's attitude and Nor's quick tendency to sacrifice her life for her sister, but it was nice to watch Nor realize she had more to contribute to her life and her people than just her face. The people of Ilara are so different than the people of Varenia who we spend the first half of the book with. Rutherford did an impeccable job telling this story of two sisters, two princes, and two countries at odds.