Wonderful world-building that pulled me in from the start. I fell in love Nor and Zadie and am so excited there story will continue in another book!

I loved this book from the moment I saw the cover, I liked the narrator and other characters, I loved the setting and world building. It was hard to put down and such an enjoyable read.

Welcome to this book review,

[Disclaimer: I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this book in exchange of an honest review]

This book attracted me for two principal reasons, first the description which is dark and beautifully mysterious and second the cover. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is this book. This is set in a world where for generations princes of Ilara come and choose a bride from Nor's village by the sea called Varenia, every girl dreams of being chosen , but they discover that the price to become royalty is higher than they could've imagined.

I loved and disliked a lot about this novel, The concept was great and while the writing style makes for a wonderful reading experience, for me the mystery wasn't as much of one since it had so many predictable things happening in it. I really enjoyed the complexity of the relationships (friendships, family relations) between the characters, I also enjoyed how the author really went deep into the dysfunctionality of the family relations. This fantastical world was so well described that I could see it perfectly in my mind, my issues with this book started to grow bigger with the second half of it.
I am not a fan of insta love, I mean when I want to read it I will, but I don't seek it out and expect to see it in a fantasy novel where the setting is meant to be so dark.
I really enjoyed Prince Ceren and hated that the insta love between Talin and Nor made him to be perceived as an even worse character since he is her fiance.
While the ending is quite satisfying I am glad that this is a duology as I really enjoyed the world, I can't wait to have a better understanding of it.
I recommend the read if you love fantastical world beautifully described, where the author promotes the fact that beauty is more than looks.

3.75/5 stars

-Bookarina.

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

Spoilers below.

Crown of Coral and Pearl was a lot of fun to dive into. In it, you will meet Zadie and Nor. Twin sisters that live in a place where beauty gives you status (in a way). Now these two definitely had their ups and downs. Nor was in an accident when she was younger, an accident that ended up saving her sister's life. Yet, since that day she lost value in her own mother's eyes. It was okay though because Zadie and her dad both adored her.

Now I loved Nor. Heck, I liked Zadie but she wasn't my absolute favorite. At one point, I kind of felt like she was a bit selfish. I get that she found love in her hometown but all the girls knew that they could be the chosen one to marry the crown prince. Yeah, it sucked ass for her that she was picked but she put her life at risk just so that she could get out of it.

Plus, I don't like how their own mother treated Nor. Ugh, if I could pick any book to reach into and slap a character - this one would be it. I hope in the next book her mother realizes how much of a twat she was. I'm also a bit intrigued as to what is going to happen. I definitely have a feeling that things aren't going to go Nor's way. Even though Talin is with her, which they are so freaking cute! I totally ship them and want them to be together in the next one.. but I have a feeling his mom is going to pull them apart.

Ugh, I need the next book ASAP!

I loved reading Crown of Coral and Pearl. It was one of my most highly anticipated releases of the year, and it did not disappoint. I loved reading about the relationship between Nor and Zadie. I always love books involving relationships between sisters. I do wish that we had gotten more of Zadie's perspective, since I feel like the single perspective drew attention away from the relationship between the twins.
I think the world-building left a little to be desired, so I hope that will be explored more in the sequel.
This book reminded me a lot of both Gravemaidens and Grace and Fury, two books I also really enjoyed. My favorite part of the book was the relationship between the sisters. The writing was beautiful, too.

I don't like fantasy but this one blew me out of the water!
I must have more stories about these characters!
Now for the actual review, just wow. I know that I've already mentioned that I liked this book but you don't understand how much.
The characters were golden. Seriously, there needs to be another story about Nor's twin sister, Zadie. The dedication between these sisters is amazing to read about, especially because many YA books lack on family relationships. Oh, and the villain of this story was despicable but also did some surprising stuff that made me very sympathetic for him. At times, I felt more for him than any other character.
The intrigue of this book kept me flipping pages and invested.
I would highly encourage you to do yourself a favor and find a copy of this gem as soon as you are able.

Rating: 5 Stars
Content: 4 Stars

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I liked Nor’s character straight from the beginning. Her protectiveness toward her family and her closeness with her sister make her an admirable character. Her spirit and thirst for adventure keep her at the center of her story as a heroine rather than the trade goods her people hope to make of her.

Besides Nor, other characters are pretty straightforward. The good guys are very good. The bad guys are very bad. I kept hoping for some hidden complexities, but that wasn’t really the direction the story took. I’m not sure I understood the plot. It felt out of focus to me. I felt like Nor’s goal gets overshadowed by other events, and fizzled a little bit as the story ended.

I found the clash of the two cultures– Nor’s oceanic people and Ceren’s mountain-dwelling people– really creative and interesting. Nor’s life at sea gave her a lot of freedom and vitality. Her new life in the mountain felt oppressive, dark, and creepy, even before all of the politics and people added complications. I thought the way CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL clashed those two cultures added a lot of feeling to the story and was cleverly done.

On the whole, I felt like the story world was cleverly created and Nor is a fantastic character. I’m glad I read the book, even if I wanted more complexity in its other characters. Fans of SEA WITCH RISING will like CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL for its cross-culture story and its emphasis on the unbreakable bond of sisterhood.

I was really intrigued by this book. The unique plot line and drive in the story was interesting and kept me wanting more. 

In their world, beauty determines who gets to become the next Princess and marry the Prince. So when two sisters find themselves being pressured to be the best beauty, their survival is on the rise because if one isn't chosen, how will they be able to afford to eat? 

It's definitely a character-driven story featuring a sister bond. You are thrown into all the feels from anger towards their selfish mother to cheering the main character on as she becomes the heroine. 

There's a lot of political intrigue, family cruelty, and even some romance. It's a book that has it all, and I'm excited to see where the sequel takes us! This book deserves the full 5 out of 5 stars!!

Loved the treacherous court life depicted in this book! The villain was also very humanized, although it was to the point that I was sympathizing more with him than with the heroes. The insta-love between Nor and Talin was...something that could have been left out of the book-- there was no explanation of why she loved him other than really superficial stuff like his 'sea-blue eyes' and his extreme handsomeness. Nor, the main character, is an extremely clever young woman so it was baffling as to why she was in love with Talin. The ending was rushed and sorta implausible which threw me off.

I loved the exploration of the wonderful, difficult, but always close relationship Nor had with her twin sister Zadie. The world-building is amazing, the pacing is great, and Nor was a great character when Talin wasn't around.

Good LORD this was good!
The only downside is that I have to wait a whole year for the next book. That kinda sucks.
It's hard to believe that this is the author's first published book if I'm being completely honest.
I don't think I have to explain what happens is the book because it's kind of clear.
Anyway, the characters! OOF. Talin and Nor are loveable and all but Ceren! The guy is COLD. And I mean cold cold. He is cruel and vile and extremely unloveable and that's exactly what makes the book so damn interesting.

A really amazing book!! I enjoyed the characters and overall story. Very well paced too. Definitely recommend this

This book started out absolutely amazing and the premise was exciting, but I just did not like that ending.

What I do like is the setting. Actually, I love the setting! We start in Varenia, a town build in the ocean (think on stilts, not underwater), where the beautiful twins Nor and Zadie live. I really enjoy how much we learn about Varenia and customs. It is such a cool concept and I felt Rutherford explained and explored it perfectly.
Then we move to The Mountain. It is so dark and dank and creepy. The people are so different and, again, creepy. I love it!! I just think the detail that was given on both the main places of the story was incredibly well done.

I also really like Nor and Zadie. I love exploring sibling relationships especially strong positive ones. These two could have easily grown up competing with and hating each other, but they don't, they forge a strong bond of love and trust and it was a joy to read about. The things these two would do and actually do for each other warms my heart.
In fairness, I think the other siblings were interesting too -- but that'd be spoilers....

The pacing of this story is great too. The action, the politics, the relationships, the fear. All of it mixes to create a book that is hard to put down.

Now, the reason this is a three star read and not a four, is the last 10% of this book. I won't go into detail, obviously, to avoid spoilers, but it was too rushed. That is my biggest complaint. I didn't get any satisfaction or real closure. It does seem like there may be a sequel and I think I would read it, because hopefully I can get just a little bit of a wrap up there.

I recommend “Crown of Coral and Pearl” to fans of “Red Queen.” The overall plot and many of the details are similar:
1. Girl pulled away from her family to marry a prince but must hide an aspect of her physical appearance.
2. Weird competition to be the crown prince’s fiancée.
3. Girl has instalove connection with the prince’s half brother.
4. Prince’s half brother is tall, athletic, and compassionate while her fiancé is pale, weird, and conniving.
5. Suspicions that the fiancé/his mom offed the handsome prince’s mom.
6. Fiancé has evil invention and seeks to use the girl’s native people for personal profit.
7. Girl has to do some inept spying.
8. Girl develops exactly one mentor/friend at court.
9. Kingdom is in peril from outside forces.

Overall, I liked “Crown of Coral and Pearl” more than Red Queen, and I appreciated that it didn’t fall into some of the same traps. COCAP’s relationship between twin sisters felt new and believable. Nor is a nuanced character who doesn’t try to bulldoze through every obstacle in her life like most YA heroines these days. Similarly, Zadie isn’t a useless beauty as counterpoint but has strength to her.

It’s a good debut and not entirely predictable even if the subject itself has been done to death.

I love this book! And the way it ends is very interesting. It's a great concept. Some of it was a little predictable, but it doesn't make you lose interest. All in all would recommend and am excited for more.

I've had this book on my tbr for a while because the promise of a magical tale involving the sea and a pair of twin sisters with some court intrigue sprinkled in sounded awesome, and I was not let down in that regard. Nor and Zadie love each other so, so much, it's almost palpable through the pages. And that love does not falter, no matter what life throws at them, and no matter how far apart they are. I found that refreshing to read about, same as the vivid description of Varenia and their home amidst the sea in the first half of the book. Simply beautiful. I really felt like I was there; I could almost smell the salty ocean breeze.

Nor is a very likeable heroine, a bit naive sometimes in her choices, but never so much so that it would have bothered me. I greatly enjoyed her POV to be honest.
What I would have liked as well is some more development for both of the princes. As it stands, I don't really care much for either of them.
Ceren was more interesting to me, because there were moments that showed layering to his character, and I would have enjoyed to explore that further. And Talin .. well, I don't really feel like I know Talin that well. Which could go in either direction tbh; I'm hoping for a couple surprises in the next book, but I'm not sure how likely that is.
I'm not mad though; I didn't really get the feeling that this story tried to focus so much on the romantic aspects - seemed more like the side quest so to speak, and that's completely fine. In itself it is not something I'd like to see changed at all actually; this isn't the boys' story. Just some more background for them would have been interesting, but I do prefer for the focus to stay on Nor's family, her people, and the politics and history of Varenia and Ilaria.

I've been flip-flopping about what to rate this book until the very last minute (still kind of am tbh). The story flows wonderfully; it's a quick read, probably something that can be devoured in one sitting if that's what you feel like, because it sure does not get boring. But I feel like I need the rest of the story to put this into context and find the right rating. So for now it's 3/5 stars, with the potential to be raised to 4/5.
Overall a well-rounded story with likeable characters, a sweet sibling relationship and interesting world-building.

Sidenotes: - I switched between reading my kindle version and listening to the audio book (which I purchased on my own) when I was on the go, and I can highly recommend the latter as well. The narrator is fantastic.
- Even with some questions unanswered and me knowing there will be a sequel (that I will most certainly read!), I believe this can very well be read as a standalone tale if you want to. There is no huge cliffhanger, the ending is just hopeful and open enough to allow you to imagine how it continues yourself, or wait for the next book. Both works in my opinion.

**I received an e-copy of Crown of Coral and Pearl from Harlequin through netgalley.com
Opinions are my own

Loved this! Never related more to a character in my life. Really enjoyed the twin relationship and the romance. What a lovely tale. Will be reading more from this author!

Overall, I'd say this book is only slightly better than average, but man it didn't feel like that while I was reading.  The highs were so high-- with a great sea-village setting, interesting commentary on beauty and the place of young women in society, interesting political world-building...  lovely.  Also, the author takes great pains to have multifaceted characters, and even the villain has seemingly decent people that love him, albeit in complicated ways.  
There weren't a lot of low points, but when they came along they were jarring.  Most of what I consider to be low points stem directly from the naivete of the main character, Nor.  Rutherford writes her in a way that is very true to how one would expect a teenager with her sheltered, community-driven upbringing to act, but sometimes for this jaded adult reader it was like watching a slow-motion train wreck.  ("You don't have to tell the villain the truth!  For the love of all that is holy, if you try to kill someone/something, make sure it's really actually dead before you walk away!")  
Finally, the ending feels very, very rushed.  While this was intended to be a standalone, it definitely leaves things wide open for a sequel, and it seems Rutherford is writing one.  I'll be sure to check it out if and when she does.

"Nor and Zadie: coral and pearl. Both precious to our people, both beautiful enough to adorn the necks of queens. But whereas a pearl is prized for its luster, its shape, its lack of imperfections, coral is different. It grows twisted. In its natural form, it can hardly be considered beautiful at all."
In the village of Varenia, girls are raised on the belief that beauty is power. For every so often, a Varenian girl will be chosen to be sent off to marry the Prince of Ilara and become the next Queen, the highest honor to receive in their small village. When Nor and Zadie are born, there is no doubt in anyones mind who will be chosen when the time comes. But a terrible accident leaves Nor with a scar on her cheek when she is young. No longer having a chance to be picked as the most beautiful girl in Varenia, Nor accepts her fate and watches as Zadie is groomed by their mother for the future that undoubtedly awaits her. So it comes as no surprise when the elders pick Zadie to go ashore. But Zadie does not want to go and when she suffers a grievious injury before she is set to sail to Ilara, Nor is sent in her place instead.

And so, Nor heads to Ilara to be wed to a man she has never met and rule a land she has never been to before. What starts out as excitement very quickly turns to dismay as Ilara proves to be nothing like what she expected. Growing up on the ocean, Nor is used to sunshine and openness and when she learns she will be living inside a mountain, she can't help but long to go home.
"There is no hope for any of us, child. We are all trapped in this mountain like lobsters in a cage, waiting for our turn to die."

On top of that, she quickly finds out that the man she is to be wed to, is a horrid, cold man with many secrets and a beyond alarming obsession with the pearls her village harvests. Nor soon learns that there is much more going on than what her people have been lead to believe and that they are in danger.



Wow! There was just so much amazing-ness in this!😍 Nor and Zadies relationship was so beautiful! I'd say almost the first half of this book focuses on the relationship between the two and what it was like growing up in a place that values beauty above all else and I absolutely loved reading of their sisterly bond. The world building was excellent. I felt like I was right there with Nor the whole time as she navigated new lands and new people. There's tension! Twists and turns! Some romance(but not an overpowering romance)! Wonderful growth with our leading lady. A villian whom you want to like but then he goes and does awful things, and no why did he do that I almost thought I liked him! A shocking ending! Literally, I gasped when I read it. This was a beautifully written YA Fantasy and please give me the sequel now!😅


*I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

If there was a way for me to post 3 1\2 stars I would for this book. I loved the concept of this book, but I found it was lacking for of a magical attribute I personally seek out. However, this book portrays a wonderful sister relationship I've never seen before. The love Not and Zadie have for each other really made this book for me. This is a very quick read and I would definitely recommend if your looking for great sibling relationships.

I really enjoyed Crown of Coral and Pearl. First off I love the cover and the overall idea of the novel that being said I need more. I need the characters to be flushed out more, their relationships as well. I loved the world building and the differences between the two locations within this novel. Cant really go in depth without spoiling anything. Overall a great first book, looking forward to a more fleshed out second. 4 out of 5 stars.