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.

Loved it!

Likes; - A great female lead character reflecting strength as well as beauty, integrity, bravery, and a loving nature. She is a truly an every woman. Marred by her scar, always in the shadow of her “flawless” twin sister Nor lives with a ferocity governed by the love of her people. Raised by a vain and hateful mother she maintains her sense of community and takes action for and not in spite of her sister Zadie.
- I loved the community in the village on the water. Preaching love and caring for one another at all costs while battling hunger, sea creatures and the dangerous blood coral that can kill but also provides the pearls which they depend on. Completely dependant on a monarchy that keeps the village in ignorance

Dislikes: - a bit predictable. You know before you even begin that Nor will end of travelling to mainland and not her sister despite being chosen. Additionally it’s always a bad prince and his amazing healthier, sexier brother that isn’t the heir to the throne.
- Nor’s Healing ability in addition to the properties of the Blood Coral aren’t clear. It seemed to pop up when she was in the capital and I wasn’t fully aware of it when she was trying to hide things from Prince
Ceran
- I question the villages ignorance. A small town that travels far and wide to fish and dive, suffering from famine and no one tried to smuggle themselves in to land because of stories that are a hundred years old? Why has a revolt never occurred? Also how are they getting their supplies and fresh water from the mainland? Nothings really clear on that front.

All in all I think it’s great! It was fast paced and I was completely engaged and flipping far too many pages per night when I should have been sleeping!

The Crown of Coral and Pearl is a fantasy and a bit of mythology mixed genre centered around our main character Nor who lives in a community that lives out in the middle of the ocean and can never leave unless they are picked to marry the king's son. In the meantime, they hunt for pearls. Nor and her twin sister hunt for pearls, though that supply is dwindling down by the days. When the time comes for another girl to leave the ocean village and go to the mainland. When an accident happens to Nor twin, she must go in her place. Nor comes to find that not everything is what it seems and life and death have become her only two playing cards. Nor must decide what's more important her life or her family and everyone she left behind. As the war starts to brew and secrets come to light. The time to decide what tradition must be broken or kept or they will be lost forever...
A really enjoyable book and interesting storyline, I enjoyed the dynamic between Nor and her sister, and I'm excited to see what the author does with the storyline.

This book had so much promise but I just have too many issues with it to have loved it.

The first third of the book was the best part. I love the sister bond between Nor and Zadie. I love the world building and learning more about the history of Varenia, Nor’s oceanic homeland and Ilara, the mysterious kingdom that controls their supply. I really liked Nor in the beginning. I felt great sympathy for her with her overbearing mother. I love seeing her and her sister together. Really the beginning was the best. Then Nor left her home to get married to Prince Ceren...oh boy. It just went downhill from there.

It was fine until a little while after she got to her new home. She became this naive and foolish character which I just couldn’t get onboard with anymore. She kept trying to get information about what was really going on in Ilara, but I couldn’t understand what was the point of it. Like what exactly did she think she would do with it. Her people have pretty much no power and no powerful allies to help. They can’t leave without a death penalty for stepping on land. What is telling her friend, Sami, going to do for them. Absolutely nothing.

Prince Ceren was in charge and her fiancé. He was horrible, cold, paranoid and cruel and I found his character to be incredibly interesting. Nor doesn’t fall for him but instead falls for his brother, Prince Talin. The romance had potential but was completely underdeveloped and superficial. They didn’t spend enough time together and Nor fell for him for his looks at first which is fine but I didn’t feel anything for this relationship in the end.

The ending was so neatly tied up and could have benefitted with a bit more wrap up for some of the characters from her home because when she got back it was in shambles. Then it was like okay, that’s enough. The end. Ummm...but what about...nope, the end. The whole woman king story could have made this epic if we have had seen more of these rebels throughout the story but it was mentioned in passing then was the answer to all of their problems. Just too neat of an ending.

Overall, this book could have been great. The only reason it didn’t get a 2 star rating was the sister bond and the world building, otherwise it was just so okay and underwhelming.

*This review is currently posted on my Goodreads.*

"Crown of Coral and Pearl" has just about everything I want of a fantasy within it.

*New but very vivid settings? Check.
*A mythology/backstory that feels unique? Check.
*A framework that feels very fairytale and yet credible at the same time? Check.
*Girlpower? Check again,
And so on. (I could list more items, but to do so would be to spoil more elements of the book.)

In short, "Crown of Coral and Pearl" surprised me by how much fun I had reading it, and I can feel an opening for a second book in the air. (If so, I'll buy it. Hint, hint, to the publisher!)

If all of the above appeals to you--if you like Sarah J. Maas' work, if you liked "The Hunger Games"--just go ahead and grab it, too. If you're like me, you'll have a blast.

This debut novel of Mara Rutherford is both riveting and written remarkably well! She brings the characters to life in such a way that I found myself loving and loathing particular ones in equal measure. The main character, Nor, was especially intriguing and likable. Nor grew up with her twin sister, Zadie, in Varenia where the girls were primed from birth to be the most beautiful and have the honor of being chosen to wife the Ilarean king. Nor knows that her beautiful sister will be chosen, due to a scar on her cheek from an accident in her youth. However, after Zadie is choosen, an incident leaves her badly injured and Nor takes her place. Nor has always dreamed of leaving their small sea life to see more of the world and sees this as the perfect opportunity.

Yet, once Nor reaches the castle and meets the cruel prince she is to marry, Ceren, she begins to realize that her small town life may not have been as stifling as she once thought it was. In a plot line reminiscent of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen, Nor is caught up in the dangerous games at court and finds herself engaged to a cruel and wicked man while desiring his brother.

I thought the character development of Nor was fantastic. At the end, she was a different person in many ways. While still fiercely loyal to those she loves, she was tougher after the trials she had gone through and had an even stronger resolve and determination. Talin was probably one of my favorite characters. He is so good and honest, in contrast to Ceren's cruelness, yet he still has a lot of layers as a person. I would have loved to see more interaction between him and Nor, but their scenes together were satisfying and I hope there will be more in the next book. Ceren, while easy to detest, is a complicated character that really comes to life in the book. While I couldn't stand him, I also found him fascinating and enjoyed reading the scenes with him as well. Zadie's transformation at the end of the book is also apparent. While we don't see her growth, as the main character, Nor, is not with her through most of the book, it is obvious that she has been through much adversity after Nor left, and that she has become stronger than the timid girl she once was. The other characters were also engaging and added much to the story as well.

"My people had a saying about home...:A Varenian can never be lost at sea, because he calls the entire ocean home. But they were wrong...Home was not a house, or a village, or a sea. It was family, and love, and the space where your soul could roost, like a seabird safe from the storm.”

Despite her home and family in Varenia not being perfect, I love how Nor realizes that it is still home and that the grass is not greener on the other side. While she had wanted so badly to leave at the beginning of the book, she comes full circle in wanting to desperately go back as the book progresses.

"I realized that my world had never been small. It had been as boundless as my love for Zadie, stretching out before me as far as the eye could see and beyond. Perhaps I had needed to leave to learn how precious it really was."

I especially loved this quote from the story. I think that many of us do need to experience "the other side" to appreciate what we have. Whether it be moving to a different town for college to appreciate one's quaint hometown or loss to appreciate what one does have. Nor needed this too to realize that everything she had been looking for had been right where she had been her whole life: It was just her perspective that needed to change. This also illustrates the love between Nor and Zadie. We hear a lot of comparisons at the beginning of the story. While Nor fiercely loves her sister then too, she doesn't love being compared to her constantly as people would pick apart their differences. She eventually realizes that they are much more alike than others may have seen and that their likeness bonded them. While there is a romantic element to the story, Nor's bond with her sister plays the star role in this novel, highlighting the depths she will go through for Zadie to ensure her safety and happiness, no matter how much bravery and sacrifice it required of Nor.

This book was captivating and I found that I could not put it down until I finished it. I savored each page, yet couldn't wait to turn to the next to find out what happened next. The writing was far superior to most other debut novels I have read and I am so elated to see what this author will do next. I am sure that she will become a household name among YA dystopian if this book is any indication of the quality of writing that will continue.
I was honestly so disappointed to find that Rutherford did not have any other novels, as I had planned to read them after this book. However, hopefully she comes out with a sequel to this soon. Really soon. Please?!?

I loved this read so much! As a twin the relationship dynamics were spot on between the twin sisters. The world building was fantastic.

My only complaint is I am hoping for a sequel. The ending was a little rushed but I was glued and could not put it down. 4 out of 5 stars!

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



Is the pasture really greener on the other side?



Nor definitely thinks so. The problem is there is no chance that she’ll ever be able to travel outside her small fishing town. Her life is simple. Dive for pearls, stay alive. Who has time for anything else? If only she was as beautiful as her identical twin sister Zadie but her permanent scar on her cheek has dashed her hopes of one day being chosen by the counsel men to go become the queen of Ilara. Only the most beautiful is chosen to be queen and is permitted to leave her home in Varenia.



But when Zadie is unable to go, Nor is sent in her place only the find the shocking horrors of what life is really like outside of Varenia . Prince Ceren is a monster, she can’t stand him but she has no choice but to marry him. If only there was a way to save both Ilara and Varenia from sure destruction, without first falling for Prince Ceren’s handsome half-brother, Prince Talin.



This book was riveting and kept me guessing throughout the chapters. The storyline was easy to follow and the mysteries unwound in the most intriguing way possible. I am very happy with my choice to review this book. What a pleasure.



This book is appropriate for ages 13+ for mild language and violence.

OMG, if you only splurge on one new release this summer make it this one. Absolutely loved this book, and was hooked from the first page. I read the whole thing in one night, because I literally could not put it down. The characters were dynamic, the story was engrossing, and the world building was phenomenal. Only potential downside is that it is unclear if this book will be a standalone or a series, and I'm really hoping its a series! I can't imagine having Nor and Zadie's world and story completely contained in one book, so I'm hoping we get to see more of them!

I am so happy I got an ARC for this book because it is refreshing in the best way. Say goodbye to the typical fantasy tropes — the protagonist is female, and is the strongest character in the series, her love interest doesn’t distract her from her goals and she kicks some major butt.

I couldn't put this book down. I say about a lot of books, but for this one it is extra true. Crown of Coral and Pearl is engaging and dynamic and so unique. I think I read it in about one day. It really has the potential to be next great book for YA fantasy fans.

Crown of Coral and Pearl starts in a floating village called Varenia and it’s one of the most incredible and unique settings I’ve ever read about. The descriptions of the floating houses, the ocean that surrounds the people, and the hard life they live on the water are vibrant. The characters make the setting even more vibrant. Twin sisters Zadie and Nor, meaning pearl and coral, reflect the environment not only in their names, but also how unique and well described they are.

Nor is one of the best characters in YA fantasy today. Seriously, she was a combination of all the great females in fantasy. And she has a great relationship with her sister, which makes me appreciate her even more. Her relationship with Zadie is one of the best illustrated in the entire book. It’s strong and real and I’m so glad they weren’t pitted against each other.

Unlike with her sister, though, Nor’s relationship with her love interest, Talin, is very undeveloped. Instead of a burgeoning relationship from a close friendship and understanding of each other, it’s just insta-love. They don’t even really have a conversation outside of longing looks at each other until the end of the book. He has great potential as a character, but it’s wasted.

I really thought this was going to be a series, though. I was so excited because I thought it was going to end on a cliffhanger and I was gearing up for this to be a great series. Instead, things got wrapped up neatly at the end, indicating a standalone. There are a few loose strings that might lead to a sequel, but a lot of the conflicts that I thought were brewing throughout the book — like hints at a war — ended up being resolved quickly in the last section of the novel. I loved the characters and just wanted to see more development with them rather than have a pretty ending.

Despite the drawbacks I have about the ending, I strongly recommend Crown of Coral and Pearl for fantasy readers. It checks all of the boxes: a protagonist venturing into an unknown land, fights with monsters, a cute boy, and lots of good conflict and suspense. This book is addicting in the best way.

In the ocean village of Varenia the most beautiful maiden among them is chosen to the next princess of Ilara. Nor and Zadie are identical twins who have been groomed by their competitive mother to be the next princess. A childhood accident however has left Nor scarred and Zadie as the true contender for the “princess prize.” Because this is a Y/A fantasy, of course, everything goes to shit right before Zadie is set to leave and Nor is sent in her place.

The good: This book absolutely nailed the sibling dynamic. Nor and Zadie were devoted to each other despite practically being raised as rivals. Their relationship was nuanced and authentic. The worldbuilding was very sharp and I enjoyed the political intrigue. This book was unique but also reminiscent of other Y/A fantasy series, which is by no means a bad thing. Prince Ceren was a three-dimensional Villain and I enjoyed his quirks and his “end game” was clear. I get frustrated sometimes with these Y/A villains because I feel like their goals aren’t well defined and they are villainous for the hell of it. Prince Ceren was wicked but he was wicked with purpose.

The not so good: Prince Talin, set up as Nor’s love interest, was very poorly conceived. Talin wasn’t as well-developed as his brother and neither was his relationship with Nor. I think a couple of more scenes with Nor in the beginning and middle of the book would have gone a long way of making their bond more believable beyond insta-love. The ending was also very rushed and open ended. It feels like maybe the author wanted a sequel, but her publishers couldn’t guarantee her that, so she wrapped up some things but loosely enough so that a sequel would be logical.

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot and would sign up for a sequel.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

So Crown of Coral and Pearl was on my tops list of anticipated books for the year..
and I've got to say I'm a bit disappointed in it.
*This review may contain some spoilers!

It's really more a tale of the love between two sisters, two twins who will do anything for each other.
Nor and Zadie, born in Varenia - a small isolated village. Forbidden from touching shore - save for a once a month market, and once every generation where the new king of Ilaria will choose a bride.
A tradition dating back hundreds of years since an Ilarian princess and a prince from another kingdom perished in the ocean trying to be together.
In Varenia everything is about beauty and perfection, each mother preparing and monitoring her daughter's beauty in hopes they will be sent to be the new queen.

When Nor's sister is desperate to remain, she offers to help, and the elders send her in Zadie's place.
I liked Nor and Zadie's characters, but much of the plot line fell kind of flat for me.
The prince she's engaged to, is a sadistic cruel person, and his brother warm and lovely, a kind person. And at the first chance to be rid of her fiancé- she saves him!

I felt like with the actual reveal at the end I felt like I had missed half the plot. Maybe it would have benefited from duel POV with Talin or something. So I could have seen more of the mechanizations behind the scenes. Not just be like "Hey! They've been in hiding all along! They get here tomorrow!, thanks for the murder!"

Nor saves the day, but not really because she isn't the queen they waited for and there was a planned battle, that doesn't happen. She does end up with a happy ending. But I don't know if this needed more writing or editing or something. I found the plot so strange.

3.5 stars

Ever seen a play or some other performance where the actors and actresses are just trying to hard? That cringey, slightly wooden and slightly melodramatic acting is exactly how the characters came off in this book. Not all the time, but just enough for me to have a hard time taking any of the drama happening seriously.

The plot itself was okay--it suffered from a lot of tropey-ness, like Yes, I Know We Just Met, But It's True Love, Deeply Complicated Bad Guy Who's Almost Love Interest Worthy, and Super Special Snowflake Girl (now with magical powers!) Who Doesn't Think She's Special. There was a few surprises peppered in there that I *almost* didn't see coming, so I actually finished reading it and enjoyed it for the most part.

Was it interesting? Sure, at times. Would I read it again? Probably not. This book just ended up being sort of "meh" for me.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: self harm, brief mentions of suicide, threat of rape

Content:
Language: At least one bad word, but I can't recall any more.
Violence: Definitely made me squeamish in places with graphic descriptions of wounds and one disgusting description of slaying a monster. And the bad guy is very ruthless.
Sexual: Several passionate kisses, at least two described. One instance almost goes farther than a kiss. One character is menaced and embarrassed in a sexual way by another. Threat of rape is present at least twice.

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This book was a decent book, a nice read, but not in the favorite or highly recommend category for me! I liked Nor and her spunk. Sometimes I felt like she was a little too good, she wasn't a real deep character. Still, I liked her and her story, but wasn't as invested as I wanted to be in her. The world building and characters were enjoyable, just not a book I was overly impressed with. I felt like the last 20 pages were rushed and had too much resolve way too quickly, when there were times in the middle that I thought the book lagged. The pacing was off for me, but it was a decent read and liked it.

*This book was provided by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review*

Beautifully written and completely captivating, this book drew me in from the first chapter. The plot is incredible and the characters have depth and soul. A truly wonderful book with wonderful characters you will fall in love with.

I received an electronic ARC from Netgalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off so amazingly well. It’s like a mix between Atlantia and Grace and Fury, but combined it’s even greater.
This book is about a poor ocean village that has the send their most beautiful girl to the kingdom that holds their wealth in the palm of its hand. Nor and her twin sister Zadie have been trained to be chosen their entire lives, except after a childhood accident leaves Nor scarred. Thus Zadie is now destined for the great honour. However when things don’t work out as planned, Nor must go to the kingdom in her sister’s stead. Nor soon finds out that things are seldom as they seem and that even though being chosen as the most beautiful girl at home is an honour, it may not be as fun and happy as she’d thought.

I LOVED Nor’s character at the beginning of the book. She was feisty, angsty, all her emotions had reasons and I loved her anger. I also loved how other characters’ emotions were portrayed and how real they felt in the situation. Varenia (their ocean village home) was deep and vibrant and so fun to experience.

Mara Rutherford is a great writer. I loved the dialogue between all the characters. Her descriptions of everything and everywhere were wonderful and created beautiful imagery in my mind. Her prose and flow is also amazing. She has the workings of being one of the great Teen/YA authors of her time.

Then came about 4/5 into the book. I didn’t realize this was a stand-alone until everything began to move so very fast. The ending was rushed to me, for a couple reasons too. Essentially, I felt that Nor kind of became the backburner. Her character at the beginning of the book was so feisty and endearing and relatable. But I felt that she lost her individuality as a book character and that the story was moving whether or not she had a part of it towards the end. Things were happening that didn’t really effect her or was affected by her. The way I read it, the same outcome would have occurred had she done or not done some things. Some things just worked out too well for my liking. And the romance was alright.

***SPOILER: I kind of wish that she found her own self-worth and beauty from accepting herself instead of finally finding approval and love from a man.***

Other than the last couple of chapters though, I really did enjoy this book and the world that was created. I expect great things from Mara Rutherford and can’t wait to read more from her.

I really liked Nor and her journey. The mythology was interesting and it was solid writing. I would have liked some aspects to have been fleshed out in the beginning of the book---such as the connection between Nor and Talin as well as Nor's dislike for Ceren.

I really enjoyed this book!!! The story at the beginning gave me some Grace and Fury vibes and I really loved that. The writing was so well done and really pulled me in from the first chapter.

I loved the character arc of Nor but I felt she was really the only one. The other characters stayed at the same level and didn’t really get more in-depth as the book progressed. I would have liked to learn more about Ceren and Talin and watch them change as the story progressed. I was expecting a twist (because things seemed to straightforward) and was let down that everything was as it seemed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and do recommend it to people who enjoyed Grace and Fury.

I really enjoyed this one! I'm a sucker for books with ocean settings lately, and this had a great oceany/atmospheric feel. Of course, this lasted only for the first bit of the book, but that was okay, because I liked the character enough to be willing to follow her :)

The plot is essentially this: the MC, Nor, lives in this village on stilts (or something?) in the middle of the ocean. Her society of 300ish people is tiny and relies on the pearls they harvest for the mainland royalty. They're all starving and have little. Their only excitement is when the prince of the mainland chooses a new bride every however-many-number of years. Nor's sister Zadie is a shoo-in to be chosen because of her beauty, except she's in love with a boy already. She purposefully scars herself so that she's no longer flawless enough to be taken away.

Anyway, Nor is forced to take her sister's place and goes to meet her horrible husband-to-be and his sexy brother. There, she realizes just how much danger her people are in, and tries to stop her future husband from ruining their lives. I won't say a lot more than that.

My favourite thing about this book was probably the dynamic between the MC and her sister. In a society obsessed with beauty and always pitting women against each other for competition, they were completely supportive of one another and loved without holding back. They never once tried to compete with one another, and that was really refreshing. Their relationship was well-established which made it so that you understood the MC's motivations going forward. I also really liked the love interest--who had a much more complicated relationship with his sibling--because he was just so fun and non-judgemental. I even liked the "bad guy," because you at least *kinda* understood what he was doing and why he was so ticked off. (And when I say liked, I mean liked-to-hate).

The end wasn't entirely satisfying for me, maybe because I didn't feel like the romantic relationship was very fleshed out? I don't know. But if there's another book, I'll definitely read it. It was the kind of read that was very quick and enjoyable and I didn't have to think too hard, which sounds kind of like an insult, but I promise it isn't! Haha. I recommend!