Wonderful! I was hooked from the first chapter. Does have a bit of the typical TA trope, but turned slightly on their heads. The love triangle isn’t a real love triangle, and instead of the “oh I’m so moist looking why does everyone think I’m beautiful!” the protagonist knows she is beautiful but has to learn she is strong and smart. Was tough to tell from the ARC but I think there may be a sequel, if there is I am incredibly excited to read it!

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own**

I really enjoyed this book! I think my favorite things was the world building. I thought the idea of a village in the sea was amazing and all the history behind its existence was really cool. I liked the characters. The relationship the sisters have is beautiful. And the little romance they both have is cute, but I didn’t feel like there was much development for any of the characters. Ceren did seem to get a little crazier, but that doesn’t count.
The twist at the end had me really excited for the next book as well! I have to know what happens!

I absolutely love books that have to do with arranged marriages that turn into failure, ruin, and also love—in a way. I do not enjoy books that create an instant connection for these types of plots which kind of happened here… but kind of not. It was hard to truly LOVE what was happening in the book because it was making me LOVE the villain when it was trying to make them out to be a bad person. It was very hard to know exactly which way the author was going but at the same time I enjoyed it and would certainly give it an honest good review that I am sure my students would pick it up from. It was not the best nor the worst book that I have read this year.

If Nor had stuck to her guns and we had been given a true villain-- this story would have been much different and much more interesting to read.

This was lovely! I really liked the characters and their interactions with each other. I felt like the plot moved along at a fair clip, and with enough surprising events to keep me intrigued. I liked the power the women claim in a society that gives them none. I also really enjoyed the mythos behind the world building. The different political dealings that could have been boring (as they often are in other books) feed the plot instead. I am really tired of this "Something of something and something" naming convention, though. This could have been called "Ilara" or "Coral and Pearl" or "the wave people" or "Blood Coral" or literally a hundred other things. But name aside, it was a great book.

Crown of Coral and Pearl has been on my to read list since I heard about it. I think in this case, the synopsis managed to spoil a few things. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Beyond this, I felt like the author did a great job with world building as well as creating likeable characters. I did have the feeling that I had read this before, but it could have been due to a YA fantasy binge. Overall, it was a fun, fast paced read.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars ( rounded to 4)

* I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this book! One of my favorite aspects of this one is the slow build. We get approximately halfway through the book before Nor even leaves her island. I feel like there was a perfect balance of building up to the excitement without falling flat, which is a hard balance to find. Either I feel like the beginning is dragging and lose interest, or the author tries to just slam into the action straight away and we lose the back story of how the characters got to where they are.

I also really liked the relationships in the book, aside from the twins’ God-awful mother (what’s HER DEAL??) The relationships were important to the story, but weren’t necessarily the highlight of the book. The biggest relationship in this one is that of the twins, which I found endearing.

Can we also please talk about the major Maven Calore (Red Queen series) vibes that Ceren was giving off? Y’all know I am a sucker for Maven, and I was so so thrilled when I started to get that feeling from Ceren. But don’t worry, Ceren is distinctively his own character and surprised me throughout the entire story. I didn’t know what to expect from him as the story progressed, and found that even at the end of the book I wanted to know more.

Prince Talin is… alright. He’s not my favorite character. I felt like he was a bit lack-luster and just your standard love interest. I didn’t feel like he got much character development, which really bummed me out. I would have liked to have gotten to know him better. I definitely didn’t hate him.. he just fell a bit flat. I do look forward to seeing if the next one (there’s going to be a second book, right???) fills out his character a bit more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to literally anyone. Don’t like fantasy? Don’t care..read it anyway. I already lent my copy to my sister! She doesn’t do fantasy, but I slipped it into the pile of books she was borrowing any way *insert evil laugh* I am definitely hoping for a sequel and will snatch it up the moment it releases.

Despite the many promising aspects of the book such as portrayal of sibling relationships, the sinister and dirty workings of royal politics, and characterization of the villain, I found the ending to be a bit contrived and unjust as it frankly wastes the potential of the villain - undoing the pacing and the effort the book carries the readers through prior to the ending. The romance is also admittedly lacklustre, although future sequels may benefit from addressing the dynamics of the romance further for some hopefully interesting twists and turns.

All in all, a fine debut with lots of room to grow into a sweet, truly malicious world of the seas.

The only downside to this book is having to wait SO long for the sequel. Luckily, the ending doesn't just drop. It's a good one. I can't wait for the sequel because I just adore the characters(all of them) and LOVE the world building the author did. It's seriously so beautiful. I can already guarantee I will reread this when the sequel comes out.

I had lost my initial review of this book but I was happy to remember that I enjoyed this reading this book. Identical twins Zadie and Nor were raised on a beautiful and simple ocean village of Varenia ruled by the royals of Ilara. The village have raised their female children with the goal of being the most beautiful maiden to be given in marriage to the princes of Ilara. Unable to compete with her identical twin who is chosen in marriage, Nor must switch identities with her sister and become engaged to the prince only to discover the horrible truths among generation of lies that endanger her entire village's existence.

Though I read this book some time ago, I remember it well and thinking how it reminded me of the Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets storyline -- I enjoyed and look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved this book. I couldn’t wait to get time to sit and read it to see how the story would progress.

Twin sisters, Nor and Zadie, live in Varenia. All their lives, they’ve been taught that beauty is very important because the most beautiful girl of Varenia will go to Ilara, marry the prince and become a princess - soon to be queen.

Unfortunately for Nor, who wants nothing more than to leave Varenia so that she can see the world, her chance of being selected ended when she was younger. A tragic accident that nearly cost her life, left her with a small scar on her cheek. When Zadie is selected, but doesn’t want to leave, Nor agrees to help her, but the results are tragic for both of them and the familial consequences are dire.

Nor does go to Ilara, in place of Zadie, but the switch is done in secret from the Ilareans. What Nor discovers, when she arrives changes everything. Being selected could be a death sentence. The Crown Prince is a ruthless man who desires nothing less than power and Nor has to find a way to save herself, if she can, her family, and all of Varenia.

Prince Ceren was an amazingly well developed villain. I despised him and felt bad for everyone around him - especially Nor who was set to marry him, and his younger, half-brother Prince Talin. Prince Talin was much more likeable but whether or not he was entirely trustworthy was uncertain especially as he kept doing things with Nor that only infuriated Prince Ceren making it more difficult for Nor. Of course, Nor wasn’t entirely innocent as she clearly had feelings for Prince Talin and desired to be with him, and Prince Ceren knew this.

The ending begs for a sequel, and I hope there is one because I can’t wait to see how everything gets concluded, but at the same time, I felt content with the ending, so the book could do well as a stand alone,

I really really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately, I was fascinated by the sister relationship and the island setting but not much else. I'm going to try rereading this again in a few months and see if time might make me like it more.

Every generation, the most beautiful girl from the floating ocean village of Varenia is sent to the mainland kingdom Ilara to marry the prince and maintain peace among society. Nor knows that her twin sister Zadie is going to be chosen, but when Zadie gets cold feet about leaving home, Nor reluctantly takes her place, only to learn that Ilara is a cruel, treachery-filled place that puts her Varenian kinfolk in even more trouble than she realized. This book's greatest strength is its unique setting; the boats and docks of Varenia have a touch of iconic Venice or a mythical Amazonian village, yet remain entirely unique. While the mainland, on which the majority of the book is set, lacks the same vivid charm, it is still a unique locale that is itself central to the story. Character-wise, Nor is a strong and likable, relatable protagonist. Her sister Zadie is just too pure and sweet to be believable, and several other characters, including the girls' mother and Prince Talin are disappointingly one-dimensional, but Rutherford expertly creates a nuanced and surprisingly sympathetic character in the villain, Prince Ceren. The romance in the book falls into the too-sudden-to-be-believable trope that plagues many a YA novel, but the romance does not overwhelm the core story about a girl determined to save her kingdom and her sister. The book struggles with pacing somewhat, spending too much time in the expository stages in the Varenian village and then glossing over Nor's adjustment to Ilaran life, but the ending is timely and well-executed and will leave readers eager for the sequel. While not a standout in the YA fantasy genre in terms of originality or writing style, this is an enjoyable, fast read, gaining merit for its unique setting and strong protagonist.

I usually have little expectations when I first start YA Fantasy books now since I feel like I've read a lot of 'meh' or bad books. However, this was not the case and I really liked this book. I'm even curious to find out what happens next!

I was glad to see Crown of Coral and Pearl was available as an audiobook on Scribd since I was late reading it before its publication date. Right from the start, I found this story interesting and entertaining. I also really enjoyed the romance in this book. I was rooting for them the whole time.

In this book, you will meet Nor and Zadie. They are twin sisters that have been raised to be the most beautiful girl of Varenia to be chosen to be sent to be a princess in Ilara. Their mother is obsessed with this and therefore, when Nor ends up scarred on her face, all of her hopes are based on her twin sister Zadie. But when Zadie falls in love with the Governor's son... things won't go as planned and Nor will end up being the one going to Ilara. And while she dreamed of seeing the world, she didn't expect to be stuck with a cruel Prince willing to do anything to get more power.

Crown of Coral and Pearl was an interesting beginning to a new series I'm excited for.

(Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Thank you to the Publisher and Author for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book!!!

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! What a fun and romantic and exciting adventure!!!! I was completely swept away in this story from the very beginning. Its interesting to think of an entire town built on water, unable to go to land and so they must find ways to survive and thrive living off of what they have around them. So of course they take to diving for pearls and the prettier the pearl, the better the price they can get for it. That's not the only condition for these poor people, they also are raised to value beauty above all else so that one day they might be picked to marry the Prince on land and then their family will be taken care of for the rest of their days. But what they don't know is that being on land isn't all that they had imagined. There are other unspeakable problems and horrors waiting for the chosen girl.

This book was part fantasy and part mystery as we follow the characters through their crazy ways of life. I liked that the main character is a twin, and there is that constant struggle for her to be compared to someone who is supposed to look just like her, while also trying to be the prettiest girl in their village/ water town? Luckily for our main character, she was in an accident when she was younger and a scar on her face has given her the opportunity to live a life that she enjoys rather than one based around staying beautiful.

From the sweet romance, to the mystery disease, to the different living situations from one setting to the next, there really isn't a dull moment in this book. I could hardly put it down in my wild need to devour it as fast as possible so I could find what happens next! I will most definitely be eagerly awaiting the next in this series and I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to read this book!!! It was wonderful!

Aaaaaaaaaah. That’s me screaming cause this book. I loved this book. Nor was great, and I cheered for her throughout the whole book. I did love the turning of the trope “she was beautiful but didn’t know it” on it’s head (spoiler, she’s beautiful and she does know it). I knew going in that this one would have a heavy romantic subplot, which is normally a dealbreaker for me, but I gave it a chance, and thought it was really well done.

I love love love Nor’s relationship with her sister. So refreshing to see, and I’m a sucker for strong family relationships. There were a couple well-planned twists, which I personally loved. Oh and that world, like honestly, all I did today was think about building an ocean city near a coral reef. Loved it. And wow, the way the settings shaped the characters, excellent, excellent.

What really sold me on this one, was how much it reminded me of the YA books I read when I was a teenager. It had that same feeling that I’m constantly looking for and yet constantly disappointed by. It was just laced with excellent nostalgia, and I read it in one sitting. Seriously, I stayed up half the night devouring it cause I had to know what would happen.

Anyway, this is a fantastic book, I’ll recommend it to anyone looking for a young adult fantasy.

I loved Crown of Coral and Pearl, I could not put it down, the storyline happens at a good pace, I never got bored. The characters are well developed and there is a character for everyone to love or eveb hate. Fantasy, fairytale and romance are all here.

The character relationships are really well fleshed-out, and I’m definitely anticipating how the romance further develops in the next book. The exploration of the lore and world building is an added plus, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store for the next installment.

Great fantasy debut. It took me a while to get into this one though for some reason and I found that I wanted more from the romance.

A fluid and immersive read, Crown of Coral and Pearl follows Nor as she is sent away to marry the cruel prince of a colonist nation, thereby saving her twin sister and village. With extensive world building and good pacing, I found Nor to be a sympathetic heroine and the prince Ceren was a well thought out anti-hero. The concept was original, but I found the novel to have some pacing problems, especially towards the end. Still, I found this to be an amazing read and highly recommend it!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought the book was pretty good. It was suspenseful and made me want to keep reading it. I thought it was a fun adventure to be on. I also loved that it was about a sisters bond. I am extremely close to my sister so I could really relate to what the sisters shared and I think that the author did a great job describing how the sisters were together and what they went through. I loved the main character Talin. I thought the little romance they has was perfect. Overall, it was a great book and I would easily recommend the book to fellow readers out there.