Cover Image: Crown of Coral and Pearl

Crown of Coral and Pearl

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Member Reviews

Crown of Coral and Pearl was so much fun to read. I was getting slight The Little Mermaid retelling vibes, and I loved how differently Varenia and Ilara felt on the page. It definitely came across as two very different countries with different customs and ways of life. I can't wait to see what will happen for our heroes in the second book.

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Beautiful writing and world building, but I didn't quite connect with the characters. Relationships felt undeveloped and rushed, romance felt forced and the ending seemed off. That said, with editing this could have been a 5 star title. I have high hopes for future releases from the author.

"I was frightened of the person I was becoming: a woman who lied to everyone, who disrespected her parents, who helped her sister injure herself. A woman who would spy on a king.

A woman who would steal a crown."

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well guys, I made the mistake of picking up another book to read immediately after finishing this one, and now sitting down to write this review is proving difficult as my memory just isn't what I need it to be. So, please, be patient with me as I try to sift through my thoughts on Crown of Coral and Pearl enough to satisfy the needs of this review.
Let's begin by talking about the fantastic twin dynamic between Nor and Zadie. They are so in tune with each other, and both so self sacrificing for the other. It's a really beautiful relationship. I especially loved that while they're so close to each other and identical in looks they couldn't be further apart in personality. Nor is so strong, outspoken and determined whereas Zadie is more meek, quiet and subservient to everyone around her. Their opposing personalities were so complimentary to each other and really compounded the depth of their bond as sisters and best friends.
The love story in Crown of Coral and Pearl left a lot to be desired. Technically there are two romances in this book, one per sister, but Nor's is the one at the forefront of this novel and honestly, I just wasn't feeling it. At first I totally bought into the attraction between her and Talin, but then things started happening between them at a bizarre pace that was either altogether too fast or completely non-existent. It was confusing to say the least. And in the end, I wasn't buying any of it, unfortunately.
Actually, I'm pretty sure that I ended up feeling more for Ceren than I did for Talin. Not that I particularly liked him, but there was a lot more background given and character building for Ceren than Talin. It made it a lot easier to sympathize with his character, while I was rooting for him to fail. Talin's character just seemed weak and pliable throughout the book, which makes me think he isn't the best match for Nor.

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An interesting mix of A Court of Thorns and Roses, The 100, and Dark Shores, this book starts out slow and then really amps up all the way until the end.

Varenia has been under an oppressive rule from a neighboring kingdom. The people are forced to fetch pearls in dangerous condition due to their possible healing properties and as time has passed, they’ve received less and less profit for the pearls. They continue to work under these conditions with the hope that one day one of their daughters will be chosen to leave their land, and marry a prince to someday become a queen. Nor and Zadie are twin sisters and could potentially be selected to become a princes.

Nor and Zadie are fierce sisters and as we see all of the harshness them and their people have to go through and then the contrast of the other kingdom, it is quite sickening. The beginning is slow as the author shows us how the people in Varenia live and as we get to see the relationships our main character has with her family and people.

This book does a good job at showing how one event can really change so much for multiple people. It shows how one ruler’s decision can affect thousands.

The romance is mostly in the background and for the most part serves a purpose to move the story along. I really did enjoy the few romances we saw between characters, but I also enjoyed how they did not completely take over the story.

This book isn’t super unique in terms of fantasy, but I did find it be better written and more engaging (and less trope-y) then some other fantasies I’ve read recently. Overall, I would recommend if you’re interested in any of the three books I mentioned above.

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I'm going to start this review out by saying that this book definitely wasn't for me, which was incredibly disappointing because I'm an avid Fantasy reader so this book is completely up my alley. I will say that the story line is awesome, the plot itself is engaging and was 100% of the reason I trudged on even though I wanted to quit after the first half of the book.

I could NOT get past the writing. I really hate to say this about someone's work, but I felt like the writing was simplistic, non-engaging, fake, and at some points, laughable. There were extremely awkward and unnatural chapter breaks that for some reason really bothered me. Like they would be in the middle of a conversation between two characters, CHAPTER BREAK, then the other person would respond. This happened multiple times where the chapter could have continued without a random break.

This writing made me cringe at some moments, this one in particular: "Her eyes were like honey" Sami once said, though neither of us had ever seen it. He described it as something insects make".

like... o__O All insects make honey?

There are many more instances that I highlighted on my kindle, but this would be a really long post if I listed them all.

I will say that the reason this didn't get 1 star from me is that I was completely invested in the story itself. Many times I went to DNF this book, but really wanted to find out what happened. The settings are intriguing, the story is actually very good, it could use some help with character development, but as I mentioned earlier- I just could not get past the writing. I think that a few more months on copy edits or something would have enhanced the quality of the writing, but this left me incredibly disappointed.

If you love Fantasy with intriguing story lines and a plot that really sucks you in, this book is definitely up your alley. I would maybe stay away from this one if the quality of writing is an important factor in what you read.

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The Crown of Coral and Pearl has proven to be a YA fantasy that has barely been talked about. Yet it is fantastic. It’s full of courtly intrigue and secrets. Set in a world that is captivating and unique. A must read for YA fantasy lovers.

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This was a really good story with lots of interesting characters, which is all I need to love a book. The world building and plot was really unique and I highly enjoyed that aspect. Pretty much all the characters grabbed my interest with the exception of a few. I love when authors make villains relateable and you can certainly see that here. My only complaint was the romance bit. I'm pretty picky about romance in YA books anyway and this one wasn't awful but it could have been better. Looking forward to book 2!

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This book is an amazing start to a new series!

I loved the character development in this story. Nor and Zadie looked alike but they were complete opposites. Nor wanted to be chosen to become the princess of Ilara, but since she was scarred, she wasn’t beautiful enough to be chosen. Zadie was the more perfect girl, but she wanted to stay behind to be with the boy she loved. Nor ended up showing that you can get anything you want, as long as you try for it.

There was a variety of settings in this book. Nor and Zadie come from a village on the ocean. The castle is in a mountain, and some smaller villages on land were described as well. These different settings challenged the characters who weren’t used to the different kinds of land.

I loved this book so much! I don’t know how I will wait to read the next book!

Thank you HarperTeen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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DNF at 35%
I gave this a fair shot, but sadly this didn't work for me personally. I do know that many teens have loved this and I think that younger teens will love this book. But sadly I didn't care for the sisters. Nor is the main POV and I just thought that she was flat at times and read like other female characters from many YA retelling novels I've read. I also feel like the tropes in here such as the arranged marriage, a secret conspiracy against the kingdom and how beauty is everything didn't grab me. And while I loved the ocean setting and the information on the blood coral, I felt the story suffered from the amount of thoughts and themes that were repeated many times in the beginning chunk of this book.that I never felt like the story was getting anywhere. I will give this author another try in the future, but this wasn't for me.

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In the ocean city of Varenia law dictates that whichever girl the council of elders decides is the most perfect, the most beautiful, will move to the city of Ilara and marry the prince. This has been the tradition of the Varenian people for as long as they can remember. It is considered an honor to be chosen, or at least that is how you are expected to feel. In exchange for the beautiful bride the Ilarans will continue to trade with Varenia, buy their pearls, and keep the drinking water available to the community. The Varenians survival hinges upon this arrangement. Never are the Verenians allowed to travel on land and so they are at the mercy of the Ilarans.

Zadie and Nor are beautiful twins and the most likely to be chosen to marry the prince. Until Nor sustains an injury that leaves a scar upon her cheek and leaves Zadie to be the chosen one. But then the unthinkable happens and Zadie is gravely injured and Nor must go to Ilara in her place. Nor has always dreamed of traveling to land and discovering the world so this seems like it could be a dream come true for her until she learns the price that must be paid to be chosen for royalty. Prince Ceren, her betrothed, ends up being a cruel man who lives in a castle carved into a mountain where there is no sunlight or warmth. As Nor becomes close to Prince Ceren's brother, Prince Talin, she begins to learn unbearable truths about her people and the maidens that were chosen before her. She also realizes that her family and all the other Varenians could be in grave danger and she is the only one who can help them.

The premise of an ocean city is what originally drew my attention to this book. The city is not below the ocean, but above. Houses are built on stilts and traveling from place to place requires a boat or you must swim. This turned out to be the most interesting part of this story. The plot is heavily reliant on the beauty trope for the first half of the book. At least for girls who have a chance at being chosen to marry a prince. The family of that girl is in turn heavily rewarded and would not have to worry about starving or the fact that they are able to find less and less pearls to trade to Ilara or less fish to feed to their family. In this case Nor and Zadie's mother is completely obsessed with keeping Zadie absolutely perfect. She must not sustain an injury or have a scar of any kind. She must be perfect. Which is why it made no sense to me that she was allowed to go diving in dangerous places and continuously put herself at risk.

Nor and Zadie are extremely close. Nor has accepted that she will never go to Ilara and instead dedicates her life to protecting her sister and diving for pearls to feed their family. Zadie is the more demure of the two as she has been constantly practicing to be a queen since she was old enough to talk. She seems very willing to do her duty and leave Varenia forever no matter how much she'll miss her family. That's why Nor is shocked when Zadie requests the impossible from her. But Nor cannot refuse her beloved sister anything and the events that follow leave Nor going to Ilara in Zadie's place. I did enjoy the portrayal of sisterhood. The two sisters really loved and cared for one another and Nor grieved the loss of Zadie pretty hard.

Unfortunately there are parts of this book I found lacking. Once in Ilara Nor uncovers many truths about both Ilara and Varenia. The conflicts during this second half of the book were simply not convincing. I felt the problems could have easily been fixed with much simpler solutions than putting an entire community of people at risk. There was one scene in particular where Nor could have made a very simple and easy decision that would have in turn saved both the Ilarans and Varenians in one fell swoop... and she just didn't. It went against her morals. I found this to be extremely annoying. It just didn't add up.

As for the courtier life and relationships that Nor built once in Ilara, I found that part of the book to be very bland. Not much happens at all until the end of the book when a large plot twist is revealed. The plot twist was probably my favorite aspect of the book and the only part of the story that made me even slightly compelled to read the next book. The building romance left me feeling nothing at all. I didn't care about it. I felt it had potential when we were first introduced to the character but then it just fell flat. I'd say that the book would do fine without it but so much of what happens next will be reliant on that relationship. I especially wish it had been a more interesting element since it's so necessary to the story.

The book was definitely written well and I liked the main character and her gumption but the other characters were not fleshed out well enough and in turn did not inspire me to care about them at all. The story didn't have enough intrigue to make it shine among a million other books just like it in the YA fantasy genre, either. Even though some of the aspects were definitely unique and not something I had seen before, the bare bones of the story were just like so many others before it. I do think this book offers a sense of adventure for someone who's looking for that in a book. It's also pretty easy reading. Between these things and the strong main character I think this book could definitely appeal to some people, it's just not the book for me.

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I was given this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot kept me intrigued and guessing at every turn. I feel in love with the characters and the world building was great. Definitely a good quick read

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In a time when fantasy YA novels are a dime a dozen, it was nice to find one that actually kept me interested and engaged in the story. It had a few elements that were easy to see coming, but for the most part, it was a fairly fresh story. Strong characters, interesting settings, some good world building. I'll be sure to pick up the next in the series.

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I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.  I have a twin sister so this book pulled me in and held on to my heart and soul as each chapter went on. The world is wonderful depicted and shown as if you were right there walking along side the characters in this journey. There is a hint of romance and adventure. It made my heart hurt at times. I want more and more from this debut author.

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This book started a little slow for me, and I found the plot to be fairly predictable. The book opens with two twin sisters who are both beautiful, but Zadie doesn't have a scar on her cheek and is therefore more likely to be chosen to be the prince's bride. But it's Nor who actually wants to go, while Zadie wants to stay and marry her childhood best friend. I'm not sure why the book spends 30% of its time getting us to the obvious events that are going to lead Nor to actually going in Zadie's place. Once Nor leaves her home, things are fairly predictable through to the end of the story.
I felt that I could see the messages the author was trying to instill about beauty and power, but the execution fumbled for me on that front.
All this to say, I still found the book an enjoyable read and I think students who are fans of The Selection and Throne of Glass will also find this book to be enjoyable if they can stick with it long enough for anything to happen.

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This book had a really promising start. I was instantly gripped by the exposition and the introduction of an intriguing setting and an interesting set of characters. However, by the time I was about 30% through the book, at a point where the plot hadn't really started picking up, my interest in the book declined. I managed to get through it all, and the ending definitely had a more satisfying amount of action, but the book as a whole was just meh.

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I wanted to finish this book before the end of the month, and I really think I wouldn't. But what I didn't know was how many twists and turns the story held! My mouth flew open a couple of times, I have to admit that I didn't fight sleep at all while reading the book!! I honestly don't remember the last time I stayed up this late reading a book😅 I loved how Mara Rutherford described this world, and how the characters were developed to guide you on who to like and dislike. I can't wait to see what adventures will be in book 2!

Thank you so much to Harlequin Teen for the e-copy of this book through NetGalley! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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"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…"

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this world that Rutherford created. While there wasn't much world building, what you do learn about it was interesting. This book is a fun and easy to get in ya fantasy story. Despite it not doing anything original. I found myself invested in the story from the very first chapter and I finished it in two days. However where this story went wrong for me was the romance. In my opinion it was not needed and they fell in love WAY too quickly. I think it would have been more powerful if our main character was able to find her confidence and strength without the help of the love interest. The story would have been more impactful that way. Since this is the start of a series I would have liked to see the love grow and build throughout the series instead of being within the first half of the book. The romance took up so much time that they main story took a back seat and I think this was a determent to the story. Overall, I did enjoy it and I will keep going to the series but I am disappointed.

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Reading Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford it is hard to believe that this is her debut novel. Her talent for creating and describing a new and unique world with equally new and unique characters would make even the most seasoned author proud.

While I enjoyed the lush descriptions of the world the characters live in, it is the interaction between the characters themselves that really drew me in. The relationship of the two twins, Nor and Zadie, is especially well done. They may be identical in looks but they are two completely different people, something that Rutherford does an excellent job in pointing out without being overtly obvious. Reading the way these two sisters get along is very true to life and something any one with a sibling who is close in age can relate to.

The second half of the book – when Nor leaves for Ilara – did not quite grab me in the same way that the first half did. The settings were just as lushly described but there wasn’t the same connection felt. I did like the introduction of characters that roused both sympathy and distaste as well as the beginnings of what secrets the royal family might hold. The instant connection/love between Nor and Talin was a bit off-putting as was the love triangle that seemed to develop between Ceren, Talin, and Nor. There were also a few scenes that made me roll my eyes in their ridiculousness. I will not go in to them for fear of spoilers but I believe many readers will recognize the scenes when they come across them.

Overall, I quite liked reading Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford. Readers who enjoy fantasy and/or romance, whether YA or not, will do well to give this one a try. I personally am looking forward to the sequel – Kingdom of Sea and Stone.

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Interesting premise of sending the most beautiful girl from one village to marry the prince of another village however, it made the story a little hard to buy into; no one ever questioned how the girls were doing? I liked the portrayal of the sister/twin bond and that Nor had strength of character. I was a little unsatisfied with open ending.

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My favorite thing about this book was the sister dynamic. The rest of it was okay. the world building was good. Nor was interesting although I wasn't as interested after she leaves her home in her sister's place. Also I didn't love the romance.

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