Crown of Coral and Pearl (Crown of Coral and Pearl, #1)

by Mara Rutherford

Ash Princess meets Song of the Current in Mara Rutherfords debut YA fantasy Crown of Coral and Pearl , which follows a young woman from a village on the sea who must impersonate her twin on land to save everyone she loves from a tyrannical prince.

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.

• ISBN10: 1489282726
• ISBN13: 9781489282729
• Publish Date: 1 September 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: Harlequin
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Crown of Coral and Pearl has such a generic cover that I almost overlooked it entirely. Add to this that the summary sounds a bit like other novels like Grace and Fury, and I wasn’t expecting much from it. However, while it does have the general tone and structure of many mainstream YA fantasies, the story still struck me as unique and one worth reading if you like court intrigue, forbidden romance, and strong sister friendships.

I was initially drawn into the book by the world building. Protagonist Nor and her twin sister Zadie live in a sea village—as in located in the middle of the sea, not on the coast—where they are entirely dependent on trading with merchants from the land to survive and which they are forbidden to leave on pain of execution. The culture of their small, mostly tight-knit village reveals itself page after page, both positives and negatives, and it reads not quite like anything I’ve read before. There is a bit of magic to the place, but the author does take care to mention some nuances like how one might get sick adjusting to land, if one ever gets there.

Next, I fell in love with Nor and Zadie, both strong girls devoted to each other and to fighting for what they want out of live. I’ve noted before that twins in literature can be incredibly stereotypical, but the author of Crown of Coral and Pearl is a twin herself, and I think that shows in the care she takes to show how close Nor and Zadie are without overdoing it. She also touches on some of the downsides—being compared to your twin, constantly having to respond to her name instead of your own, having people assume you’re competing with your twin when you’re not, etc. I don’t read a lot of books where I really become invested in the sibling relationships, but I loved the portrayal here.

The plot is also excellent. It does proceed in some of the ways one might expect from a YA fantasy, but I still did feel as if I were generally reading something original. Nor is clever and resourceful in ways that make sense from her upbringing, and she drives the plot to make decisions that she hopes will benefit her and her people. Around her, court politics and plotting she does not fully understand take place, and small twists and turns keep things exciting for readers.

Crown of Coral and Pearl is an excellent story on every level, and I can’t wait to read the next book.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Crown of Coral and Pearl through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Crown of Coral and Pearl is the debut novel by Mara Rutherford, and it’s been getting a lot of hype and attention lately. Having read it, I can certainly see why. It’s the first novel in a series of the same name, and looks like it’s going to be an epic journey to the end.
The novel follows Nor, a twin who grew up on the island of Ilara. Her people catch clams and hunt for pearls to survive. All while the people in Varenia thrive off the exploitation of her people. Nor and her sister, Zadie, are two of the prettiest girls on the island, and thus to their mother (and the crown prince) hold a higher value than most others.
Crown of Coral and Pearl is a fantasy, with a lot of other themes gently touching upon the surface. It deals with a lot of the heavier elements of coming of age story, and tells a strong tale of resistance and fighting for what is right. It’s no wonder so many people have felt an emotional connection with this novel.


Warnings: Ilara is a beautiful island, but it has its downsides. Here is a world where food restrictions and starvation are a growing trend. The people also value beauty to an unhealthy degree, thanks mostly to the way Vaneria treats them.
Crown of Coral and Pearl is without a doubt one of the most emotionally compelling novels I’ve read this year. It’s intense and beautiful, while dealing with darker tones and elements. It’s a tale that truly captivated me straight through to the end. And now I find myself looking forward to the sequel.
Nor’s tale was one that steadily unraveled as time went on. At first, it appeared that she and her sister lived in a paradise, only for the truth to be revealed with time. From that moment onward, all we seemed to see was Nor discovering obfuscated truths all around her.
Nor herself was a fantastic main character. She’s strong and independent, while also being fiercely loving and loyal to her sister. Many people in her shoes would have focused on the hurt, but she turned that hurt into something positive. She turned it outward and used it to drive her to make a change. It was really quite empowering to see her in action.
This novel was intense, especially at certain points. The kingdom and island structures are not set up for sustainability, and that was before the wicked prince started getting his hands into things. That made the struggle Nor was in feel all the more intense – knowing exactly what was on the line.
There were times where I had thought that I knew what was going to happen next, only to be surprised by what actually happened. I love that the twists and turns in this novel were not always predictable – though they always made sense in the context of the story.
Another brilliant element of this story was that all along it had been setting up a larger plot. It wasn’t until the end that I realized just how long this quest of Nor’s was going to be, or how far-reaching the effects would be.
I honestly can’t wait until Kingdom of Sea and Stone comes out, though obviously, I have quite some time to wait until that point. In the meantime, I suppose I’ll just wait for a cover reveal. If it’s anything like Crown of Coral and Pearl, I know it’s going to be striking.


For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[tweetybugshouse]

This is an amazing tale of sister love and the lengths you go to for family. I found out at the end of the book that the amazing author is a twin. So that makes this story that much better as i know the author is writing from her heart when she writing about these twins. In this story the island where the twins live is ruled by beauty and pearls. One twin has been groomed since birth to be sent across the sea, so she never takes risks, never bumps herself, almost lives like a glass statue. While her twin knows she never escape the island so she takes all the risks to the point where she truly ends up scaring herself and sealing her fate.

You be wrapped up in this tale and not want it to come to end which thankfully there more story to be read in the sequel. I love that their a sequel so many tales end where the evil been defeated and the girl or guy gets their true love. I always been one that wants to know what is next, how does the kingdom continue on, does the new ruler really know what best for the world, and most of all how does it all play out for the happy couple. Stay tuned to for the sequel in 2020 and pick up the first book August 27, 2019.

[Veronica 🦦]

This review can also be found on my blog.

B+/B- | The combination of a well-written and powerful relationship between two sisters, world-building, and a compelling protagonist makes Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford worthy of 4.5 to 5.0 stars/A- rating. However, this debut novel was brought down to a 4.0 to 3.5 stars/B+ or B- by the shite romance, a pretty terrible one-dimensional romantic interest, a villain who I wished got fleshed out more, and the abrupt ending.

I admit that I consumed this book. I admit that instead of studying for my lab exam and practicum, I was reading this book. Why? It was interesting and pretty okay. I found it completely and utterly interesting until I hit the last ⅓ of the book. I honestly said “wtf” when I finished because I was just stunned on how it went up and up and up and then crashed so hard.

But let’s talk about the good first.

The writing was great. It moved fluidly like the ocean and was just as colorful, too. This awesome writing was supported by this awe-inspiriting world-building and fantastic characterizations.

Anyone who has read my other reviews knows I’m a die hard for good world-building and Mara Rutherford handed it to me on a silver platter with delicious Filipino food. Everything from Varenia’s culture, legends, and vivid, blue and warm descriptions of their surroundings to Ilara’s dim and grim atmosphere gripped onto me and refused to let go. I was transported into this world. It felt like I was actually there with Nor.

The world was fleshed out and explored. There was no stone left unturned when it came to exposing me to this universe. The contrast between Varenia’s and Ilara’s cultures were exposed and brought to light. When Nor first arrived in Ilara, I got introduced to the strangeness of Ilara’s culture, too. And most importantly, I felt it and it made me long for Varenia’s sun and sea. The dank and grimness of Ilara is further added on when Nor is brought to the New Castle. You thought it was strange this kingdom is still morning the death of this princess who has been dead for years and years? Wait until you see New Castle.

But it also calls out to you to find the answers to what is going on with the people living in New Castle. Is it the lack of sunshine alone that’s killing them or something else? What makes these people shun the sun and its warmth to living in such a cold place? 


Nor was a compelling protagonist that I could truly connect with the more time I spent with her. She felt human. Her emotions screamed at you and held you by the neck.

Her bond with Zadie was explored to its fullest and I am so grateful for it. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a book with a well-written sibling bond. Hell, it’s extra props that this twin bond was well executed and explored. The scene where Zadie begs Nor to help her kills me every time I think about it because of how awesomely it was executed. I could feel the tension, the fear, and the pain.

Nor’s relationship with her mother also got to me because I want to scream that this woman is a narcissist! However, as we get introduced to Ceren, his lust for more and more pink pearls, and his callous apathy towards Nor’s people, it made me question this judgement. Yes, I still disliked Nor’s mother for her words towards Nor as well as her actions in the years preparing the twins for the selection, but I also sort of started to understand her obsession with Zadie and Nor (up until Nor’s injury) being selected to become Ceren’s bride.

It’s layers and layers, you see and I love layers.

So you could maybe see how I was so utterly disappointed towards the end. It quite honestly shocked me how this gorgeous world and characterizations were weakened by this insta-romance between Nor and Talin, Talin’s characterization, Ceren himself, and the pacing.

First, let me go into Talin or what I have of him. Basically, when you compare it to Ceren, there’s nothing there. He’s nothing more than a piece of cardboard that was cut out. There wasn’t much there and what was there bored me. I honestly preferred Sami than Talin because Sami at least felt like a person than a cardboard box. Like, okay, cool, so the second son of the king born to a woman from Varenia. So, what? Give me more! Give me a reason to like him more than Ceren aside from the fact that Ceren is a callous dude who doesn’t care about other people’s lives.

Speaking of Ceren, let me talk about him before I go to the romance. Ceren was wasted potential. Whereas we didn’t get to see much of Talin, we got to see a lot of Ceren. He has so much potential to be this fantastic, morally grey character whose ambitions and lust for power knows no bounds and is controlled by his need to live and be healthy. But instead, he’s like a two-dimensional figure who isn’t exactly the most terrifying villain.

I wanted more Ceren and certainly more of Talin. Having a slightly fleshed out villain shouldn’t be done at the expense of the romantic interest. Talin was so one dimensional that when the romance between him and Nor occurred, I was just honest to God rolling my eyes.

Insta-romances are **boring**. I would rather see no romance at all than have this forced on me. Hell, I would have honestly been more interested in seeing Nor with Sami or Ceren because she actually interacted with them more than a couple of times.

I also think what contributed to this whole crash and burn was the pacing. Don’t get me wrong, I devoured this book and I wasn’t bored by any means due to the characters and world-building. But these two things can only do so much when there’s not much happening in terms of the plot. Perhaps part of the reason why I moved through this book so quickly was that I was waiting for something to happen. Fillers are okay at times, I also need action to happen. I think what could have been improved here is if the fillers had stuff relating to the romance since we had to have romance here apparently.

So when it came time for the climax, it was unsatisfactory to say the least. It was rushed and ended so abruptly. It felt like everything was jam-packed into the last ⅓ of the book while at the same time, there were things that were left unsaid and not explored.

Also, this book is definitely setting up for a sequel because I refuse to believe that this is the end. I will certainly be reading the sequel because I do want to know what happens next, however, I’m really hoping that Mara Rutherford does better on the romance, on Talin, and on the endings.

Do I recommend this book? Sure. If you’re looking for a book with great world-building, a compelling protagonist who has a well-developed relationship with some of the characters and you can ignore the disappointment with the insta-romance and the one-dimensional love interest, then this is for you.

Thank you to Harlequin TEEN and Inkyard Press over at NetGalley for providing a copy of the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

DNF @ 30%

*Review to come!*