Mara Rutherford

“A fabulous interweaving of fantasy, politics, and sisterhood—this unusual, tense tale will have you on the edge of your seat!”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce Red Queen meets House of Salt and Sorrow in Mara Rutherford's 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 crown princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. Nor once dreamed of seeing the mysterious mountain kingdom for herself, but after a childhood accident left her with a scar, she knew her twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the crown prince. Then Zadie is injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. She soon discovers her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, Prince Talin, Nor learns of a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen...and a plot to destroy her village. 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 cost her everything she loves. Books in the Crown of Coral and Pearl duology: Crown of Coral and Pearl Kingdom of Sea and Stone

Crown of Coral and Pearl

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.

Elena M.

But fear could be useful. It could be turned into strength.

Hiding our scars doesn’t mean they’re not there.

She was like a beautiful house built on stilts, only the stilts were lies, and accepting the truth meant destroying the foundation of her existence. Accepting this new outcome would mean admitting that life could, in fact, go on.

Perhaps I am a weapon,” I continued, despite Father’s grip on my arm. “A blade honed on your bitterness. And perhaps I have come to stab you in the back.

I’m the perfect seashell you pick up from the ocean floor, only to turn it over in your hand and see the crack. I’m the fabric with the tear in the seam that you give back to the trader and demand first quality.

Linara K.S

“I was coming to realize that beauty— at least as defined by my people— was more of a burden than a gift.”

A SLYTHERIN READ. 
-Dark castle atop a mountain
-Attractive villain
-unyielding protagonist 
-sister love
-royalty 
-brother conflict 

This was a masterpiece. This book completely surpassed my expectations. I'd thought it would be a generic YA plot with the same old characters driven by the same objectives as other YA protagonists. However, I am more than happy to say that I was utterly wrong. Even though there were MANY good aspects of the book, there still was a tiny matter perturbing my read. 

I find the world quite an original take since it surprised me when I learnt that cities and communities were deep-rooted in an ancient myth that varied from place to place. For example, in Verennia: people lived on the ocean without ever walking on land. They live in boats in the open sea. Whereas in Illara, people have a grounded fear of water, where they even hold their breaths when passing near a body of water in fear of letting the 'water spirits' take over them.
Many superstitions revolve around water. The way the author made it so alive and seem vital to the main character enthralled me into the setting. 

I quite frankly was emerged in the story only after a couple of pages. The main character's voice came through prominently and contrasted with her sister's character. I love that the author brought forth the unique bond between siblings throughout the entirety of the book; making it quite clear that the protagonist's sister, Zadie is an important pillar in her life. 
Nor, the main character, mirrored my thoughts at each obstacle. 
(I'm not good with reviews so imma gush instead please join me in my folly)

¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ SPOILERS ¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸

ARGHHHH! I just adore the villain! like HOW did Mara Rutherford came up with the idea of such a realistic and profound character. I quite frankly wanted him to have a redeeming arc and kind of start a romance with Nor. I know that he's affectionate towards her, I noticed it from the minuscule gestures and attention he gives her. Though ruthless, he is very messed up. In my ming, Ceren would forever be the right person for Nor. 
There many moments where the author could've shown a better image of him. I wanted Nor to start seeing what I saw in him. (Maybe I'm just fangirling)
This brings me to the problem, the ROMANCE between Nor and Talin. First of all, he wasn't very present, the rare times we saw him, he would be just... too mysterious like; how could you fall in love or even get attached to a person you didn't know anything about except for the fact that he was the crown prince's brother. I couldn't even feel the tension between the two love interests. Plus, he seemed like a 2D character compared to Ceren who was thoroughly brought to life with many flaws and quirks. IDK... maybe I'm crazy. 
The plot was amazingly executed with an intrigue that kept me turning the pages after 3am. (I finished the book after only two sittings and I CRIED twice during my read which says more than it should.) I can't wait to read the sequel!!!!! May be my wish will be granted in the second book, maybe Ceren would heal from his wound and finally start a devilish romance with Nor.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Actual Rating: 3.5

I have to admit that I struggled a bit with the rating of this book. Overall, I enjoyed it. The general opinion here on Goodreads seems to be that people found the plot before Nor’s arrival to the castle slower than the rest of the book, and for that reason they enjoyed it less, but for me it was quite the opposite. I loved seeing Nor and Zadie together, their twin dynamic, the whole aspect of the competition between the Varenian girls, and the twins’ different relationship to Sami. This trio of characters—the protagonist (Nor), her twin (Zadie) and their best friend (Sami)—I really liked. At the end of this first part I cried, and when a book touches me so deeply, it’s a good sign. 

However, the moment Nor goes to Ilara, things change. There was a first part of the castle storyline that I struggled to push through, and that may have to do with just how miserable life at New Castle really is. Things pick up eventually, and I found myself enjoying the story again, especially thanks to Ceren, the prince who Nor is supposed to marry. However, when we are introduced to him, we’re immediately told he’s cruel: Nor decides he’s cruel just by looking at him, a few other characters tell us he’s cruel—but we haven’t actually seen him be cruel yet. I like making up my mind about a character by their actions, not what people tell me of them. Forget that Ceren does prove them right later, but since he seems to be a very grey and complex character (and one of the most interesting as well), I think there would have been a greater emotional impact to his cruelty if it had been shown to us as the story progressed, instead of being downright spoiled to us at the beginning. 

Then there is his brother Tarin, whom we’ve already met before. He and Nor immediately have a connection—and if that weren’t enough to know he is the love interest, the blurb basically spoils it for us. Tarin is kind, he’s handsome, he’s strong and healthy. Tarin is everything Ceren is not. While I do like kind characters—heck, some of my favorite book boyfriends are cinnamon rolls—Tarin feels a bit bland compared to the mystery that is Ceren. And while I found his scenes with Nor to be cute, I feel like there was no real build up between the two, which doesn’t make me ship them. I have nothing against insta-love—contrary to popular opinion, I actually like it just as much as a slow-burn—but for my taste there weren’t enough key scenes of the two together before that attraction turned into the all-consuming love that they feel for each other. 

Another aspect that I think penalized the book was the single POV format, and this is another thing that I’ve noticed since Nor’s arrival at New Castle. There are several important moments both in Ilara and in Varenia that Nor does not witness—she hears about them later. It might have been useful to have another POV character in New Castle, like Ebb, so that we might have seen some of the things Nor could not, but I especially think it would have been interesting to have Zadie’s POV as well, since things in Varenia are complicated when Nor leaves, and they become even more so from what we’re told. Honestly, everything that happens in Varenia is one of the biggest reasons I’m curious for the second book, so it’s a shame we’ve only been told about them. That, and the ending of a character’s storyline that makes me wonder.

Conclusion: I loved the sisterly bond between Nor and Zadie, I loved the world-building in Varenia especially, but I was not a fan of the several “tell-not-show” moments and I was not entirely sold on one of my favorite aspects of a story: the romance.

Livia

3.5 leaning towards 3

Nor really is admirable but a lot of times she's just... flat out reckless and the ending is not what i was expected

Campbell Berry

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It's so fast-paced, the plot is unique, and the characters are so compelling. I love every part of this book!

Aurora Corbett

It was really really really good but I was hoping for one thing and got another thing. The other thing was ok but not satisfying.

Impetuous and outspoken, seventeen-year-old Nor is used to living in her identical twin sister's shadow. As the most beautiful girl in Lakana, Zadie is destined to marry the prince of Ilara, heir to all the ocean realms. Though free from her mother's strict constraints, Nor still feels trapped. Just once, she longs to see Ilara's glittering towers and encounter its dashing prince... But when Zadie is injured, Nor is chosen to replace her. And she soon finds Prince Ceren is as forbidding and cold as llara, a realm carved into a mountain and devoid of light. Ceren's plans would strip Lakana of its most precious resources--a decree Nor will risk anything to stop. And through Ceren's half brother, Talin, she pursues an even darker mystery rooted in the failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen--and Ilara's sinister secret history. Now Nor must negotiate the treacherous protocols and insidious deceptions of a dazzling court where lies reign and obsession rules. And discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Lakana and Zadie.

Ashlee

Wow. This is one of the best YA fantasy books I’ve read in years and honestly, I am a little disappointed that it isn’t talked about more!

I feel like this is going to be one of those raving reviews where I just talk and talk and talk about all of the positive aspects of this book … and it would be accurate to do that because there isn’t much that I didn’t enjoy!

There is a heavy romance subplot and I’ll be honest, at times I wasn’t sure where I wanted it to go. Okay, okay, actually I did. But damn, Mara Rutherford had me conflicted and section guessing myself a times! I really feel as those one of Mara’s strengths in this is writing nuanced and complicated characters, who have distinct positive and negative qualities. That said, I was totally invested in the romance of this book and am more than happy with where it’s gone!

The world building, as well as well as history/mythology in this book is fleshed out nicely and fully realized. Sometimes there will be grey areas in fantasy, where the world building is lacking and your mind is like “OKAY BUT WHY?”, however I didn’t feel that at all in this book. The mythology is closely tied to the world building and I feel as though Mara did a fantastic job of making sure readers have a good grasp of things before we loose ourselves in the story.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading the sequel!

HeyBiblio Fam Club

Tatiana Alvarez 

This wasn’t a bad book. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters were like able. It reminded me a lot of Red Queen, so fans of that series would definitely enjoy this book. 

However, I just felt like this book was forgettable? It didn’t stand out in any way from other books and I don’t care enough to continue listening on. The book follows the basic storyline of reluctant heroine forced into a compromising situation in which she must now face (and marry) the heir. However the heir to the throne is ten types of crazy. 

BUT this crazy heir has a sane and hot brother that our MC falls head over heals for. (Didn’t see that one coming, she says sarcastically.)

Anyway, I font remember anything else that really stood out. Like I said, the writing isn’t bad, the story is just forgettable.

Sheila Goicea

I received a copy of this book via the publisher, Inkyard Press, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. 

Content Warning: Torture, Death, Murder

It's such a wonderful thing when I come across a book like this. I could take several hours to fully unpack what all is represented in this pearl of a book in a mile-long review, but don't plan to do quite that. Still, prepare yourself for some gushing!



Okay. First and foremost, very few books are, in my opinion, completely flawless. I'll admit that there were a few things within Crown of Coral and Pearl that perhaps, could have been explored further, or told in a different way. The most important note is that there was nothing vitally wrong with this book. I'm a gal that loves detailed world building. While places like Varenia were more unpacked, others like the mainland of Ilara could have had more detail. I do love me a page-long description of the surroundings here and there, just to get my bearings. I'll also take a page-long description about a character and what they actually look like. It's a common flaw in Young Adult books today to leave out necessary details about how a character not only looks, but how they are perceived. While Crown of Coral and Pearl does a great job and discerning it's characters, I still don't have a clear and detailed painting of everyone in my mind, which to me, is a shame. I believe that the main character Nor, along with Zadie, are darker-skinned and introduce diverse casting. However, I didn't get a good enough picture to say that for certain--it was just my impression from what details were given.

Despite these flaws, and the plot moving a little slow at times, I really don't have much to complain about. The plot is compelling, the characters aren't lacking in acumen and complexity, and the problem isn't as simple as it may originally seem...

There are two topics, or themes, that are the driving force for the plot and it's direction. With the choosing ceremony that eligible Varenian girls must prepare for their entire lives, beauty is immediately highlighted as a necessity if one were to be "useful" to their family. In particular, Nor and Zadie's mother obsesses over her daughters and their beauty--to the point where a single, tiny blemish would bring a daughter to ruin. While Nor and Zadie are preened from a young age, Nor learns what it is like to lose the favor of her mother when an accident occurs, and Nor is scared for life. 

  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.

Nor's insecurities are immediately made known to the reader. In reality, she obsesses over beauty and it's importance to her people. It is not for a vain reason, as she begins unpacking what exactly "beauty" means and the power that it possesses, and also doesn't possess. It is because of this slow revelation that Nor doesn't envy her sister Zadie. In fact, she recognizes the freedom that "flaws" allow her to have.

  ...beauty was always on our minds, even then--I always felt defensive on Zadie's behalf. Because if I were prettier, it meant she was uglier, and a compliment at my sister's expense was no compliment at all.

Nor's redefining beauty brings her closer to her sister, and opens her eyes to what truly matters: her sisterhood with Zadie. This is the second, strongest theme throughout the plot. The bond between Nor and Zadie can be felt within each and every page. It is this factor that transforms this book from just being interesting, to having true meaning. Beauty has a certain charm, but it should never overrule a person, and who they are.

  I didn't want to hear about my beauty in relation to Zadie's, or anyone else's for that matter. I wanted to be seen for me.

When Zadie is chosen to be the next princess of Ilara by the Elders of Varenia, events that follow drastically change Nor's intended path. Due to an injury that leaves Zadie badly scarred, Nor is chosen to go in her place to marry Prince Ceren--whom she knows nothing about. Nor leaves the only place she has ever known, and becomes acquainted with the unpleasant king-in-waiting, and his compassionate step-brother, Prince Talin. As bits of Prince Ceren are revealed to the reader, it is hard to not be astounded by his character. I found Ceren to be incredibly interesting, as his actions were always calculated. Nothing was done without reason. He stands out to me because of his psychology, and the manic/depressive tendencies that he displays made for a very effective antagonist.

This may be a bit spoilery, but the synopsis says it right in it; I didn't mind that the romance between Nor and Prince Talin wasn't the main focus in this story. In fact, I welcomed the fact that it wasn't. I absolutely loved that the focus remained on the twins, Nor and Zadie, throughout the entire story--even when they are apart for a majority of it.Their love for one another, and Nor’s unwavering love for her people (even when they treated her so poorly), is constantly at the forefront, and really highlights how concrete Nor’s character is.

I think there are some really valuable, and beautiful lessons and representations throughout Crown of Coral and Pearl. I will highly suggest this read to any Young Adult reader, but keep in mind that there are some elements (listed in the beginning about some of the contents in this book) that may be upsetting for some. 

Vulgarity: None.
Sexual content: Minimal with some kissing scenes.
Violence: Moderate including torture.

My Rating: ★★★★

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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... 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.

Jennifer

Crown of Coral and Pearl is a quick and fun read. Set in a Greek mythology inspired fictional world, the setting consists of a delightful seaside landscape. I think the description of the worldbuilding was my favourite aspect of the book: it's detailed, refreshing, and vividly described - for some reason I find that many books fall short when it comes to describing oceanic adventures but this one did a pretty decent job! If anything, the worldbuilding did a great job setting the tone & the mood of the book so that helped me stay engaged in the novel.

On the other hand, I do think there are noticeable drawbacks in terms of the characterisation and the plots. For the characterisation, I personally thought that the side characters aren't sufficiently fleshed out (i.e. they appear a bit one dimensional and hold overly simplistic views). Plotwise, I found the book to be slightly predictable even though the fast pacing does help keep my engaged for most parts.

While I have these technical concerns, I still think this book did a pretty good job crafting a vivid landscape of the fictional world. For anyone who's looking for some fast-paced reads with a sea side setting, this one will not disappoint.

N.B. this book contains following content warnings: illnesses, loss of loved ones, injuries, accidents, weapons, violent death, and emotional blackmail

Story Eater

What a pleasure to read this book before its debut! I’ve read many ARC’s, but this was one of the few by which I’ve been so pleasantly surprised. I have very little negative to say about this nearly perfect, although a bit formulaic, debut novel, aside from the clipped ending that could have been 50-75 pages longer.

The book opens with a lagoon-like setting where we readers meet a community of beautiful people living on a free-floating village in the middle of the sea who pay homage to a kingdom from the north in the form of seafood, pearls, and women. Two sisters, twins, are in the running for future queen on the northern kingdom, but one has scarring and cannot now be a contender, so she spends her life doing “man’s work” of diving for pearls and making sure her sister does not get a scratch on her.

While that all sounds like a formula for a bitter rivalry between sisters, in our story it is inconsequential. The two sisters are closer than usual in a story from my time as a YA, and I think I like the change very well. The main plot of the story, however, does not focus on the sisters but on a relationship with a neighboring kingdom, which is bitter, and takes the reader very quickly into a dark place of illness, blood magic, and insanity.

The kingdom in power in this novel uses the perfect girls from the sea village as wives for the king, and whichever family’s daughter is chosen reaps the benefits of rewards from the choosing. The problem is, the sister who was meant for the choosing is not the sister the king gets. And we have a whole novel centered on the premise of this ruse, along with political plots and court intrigue thrown in the mix. While it sounds, as I mentioned, formulaic, I found that I was pleasantly surprised and not the least bit bored while reading.

I most admire this book for its lack of foul language and sexual situations coupled with a plot line for older readers who can handle a bit of darkness but don’t need the sex and profanity that goes with it. 

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.

Megan Lapides

I really liked this! I loved the setting of the entire book from the sea to the castle. It was super atmospheric and described very well. I liked the characters and the storyline and I was invested in the murder mystery.

Nickie Mohler

3.5 stars

This is a fast paced story filled with political intrigue, fantasy, and family. I enjoyed the characters, and I found Varenia to be fascinating. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the romance. But, that's just my personal preference. Other than that, I thought it was pretty good. I would definitely read more from this author.

I received a copy from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors!

Book: Crown of Coral and Pearl

Author: Mara Rutherford

Book Series: Crown of Coral and Pearl Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: romance, cliché ya lovers, fantasy, arranged marriage plot

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 14+ (romance, slight violence and gore)

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 432

Synopsis: 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.

Review: For the most part I really liked this book. If you’re looking for arranged marriage fantasy books, then this is your book. The characters were well developed and the world building, though it took awhile to get to, was good as well.

However, I did feel like the book was very slow and the plot was very weak. The plot is very classic YA with love triangles and a girl who doesn’t think she’s beautiful who has to chose between them while the world goes to crap.

Verdict: It’s very cliché but it’s good.

Samantha Bass

I loved the pacing of this book until the last 10% though. The ending felt rushed and I wanted more time given to the resolution and ending. Besides that, I really enjoyed this story and the path it took. Definitely an interesting read!

Hannah

book #3 for the owls magical readathon 2020!

defense against the dark arts: book set at the sea/coast

Tiffany Engler

Crown of Coral and Pearl follows Nor, a twin who has dreamed of leaving her village that lives basically on the ocean. Since birth, Nor and Zadie have been told that beauty is everything. Beauty is going to be the only way that you can leave the village.

Unfortunately, only one girl can be chosen to be the prince’s wife. Nor knew since a young age that Zadie will be the one chosen. Nor has a scar on her face due to an incident as a child, which has deemed her “not beautiful”.

When Zadie is chosen, it’s no shock. Zadie soon gets injured and was told that if she were to make the journey from Varenia to Ilara, she wouldn’t survive. Nor gets sent in her place, but she has to pretend to be her. Her dreams have come true. Although, Ilara is not what she expects. It’s dark and cold and so is her future husband, Prince Ceran. She only has one ally there, Prince Talin. As she grows closer to him, she realizes that there’s more happening than what everyone knows.

So to start off, I really love Nor and Zadie’s relationship. I love a good sister relationship. I love that Nor doesn’t give Zadie crap because she knows she’ll be chosen to be the prince’s wife. She will do everything for her. Which is how she ended up getting a scar on her face.

I just want to go on a mini rant about their mother. I hate her. Since Nor got the scar on her face, her mother has treated her differently. She’s not beautiful anymore and you have to treat her like there’s no chance for her. She treats her like she hurts Zadie out of jealousy. She gets no redemption in this book and I’m kind of mad about that.

I love that this story is much more than girls worrying about beauty. I love that Nor’s main focus for going to Ilara is to help her village out of poverty. Everyone is hungry and there’s not enough pearls to sell. I love how she tries to be a spy and tries to solve everything. She’s so strong. Even though Ceran puts her through so much, she still comes out on top.

I cannot wait to see where this series is going to go. I want to know what happens with Nor and Zadie. I want to know what happens in Ilara. I need to know now!

4/5 Stars

Sans

Really, really, really not my cuppa. The first third of the book was set up that didn't actually set much up, all tell, no show. The last 2/3 seemed to drag too, even though Things happened. I'm not going to read the sequel.

Aubrey Erskine

For the full review visit my blog: http://shelflifechronicles.com/2019/0...

In the sea village of Valerian, every generation the most beautiful girl of the village is selected to marry the prince of Ilara and become the next Queen. Many years ago, the young princess of Ilara ran away to be with a prince of another kingdom, who did not pay penance to the sea, among the ocean and be wed. Their love was strong but the sea god, Thalos, wanted what he was due from the kingdom that had given him little. He created a storm and stole the princess from the prince, who was also never seen again, leaving the Queen of Ilara devastated. For their part in helping the prince and princess escape and be together the servants create their own village of Valerian and repent, every generation they send the most beautiful female to marry the new prince until a new princess if born.

Gabriela Roxana 

REREAD 2020: Listent to it on audiobook. It was so great! 

"Mother was wrong, Nor. You have the power to do anything and everything you dream of, more than any person I've ever known. And that power, that inner strength, that is what makes you the most beautiful girl in Varenia."

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, I went into it not really expecting much, and it turned out to be a 5 star read! Who would have thought?

This book follows the story of two sisters, Nor and Zani that live in a city called Varenia, a city that supports itself entirely on picking up pearls from the Ocean. The capital of their country is called Illara that has a tradition of picking up the most beautiful girl from Verania when one of their princes come of the age of marriage. Because of this, women become very desperate to keep their daughters as protected as possible in order not to gain any scars, sunburns, freckles, etc. Nor and Zani are twins, and a few years ago, as they were diving for pearls, Nor saved Zani's life, an accident that got her with a deep scar on her face. In the of their mother, Nor becomes a nuisance, a great disappointment. But when the choosing takes place, and Zani is selected to be the future queen, an accident happens to her, and Nor is sent in her place. As Nor steps into the world of intrigue and murder hidden in the capital mountain, she realizes that life may not be what she might have thought.

I found this book to be extremely powerful as I have been severely punished in my childhood every time I fell and bruised myself, out of a fear that I might scar and lower my chances to get married. At 21 now, I find this prospect to be absolutely disgusting, but maybe not as surprising as people put a lot of price on someone's appearance. One thing I absolutely love about the YA fantasy (but not only!) books of the last years is how much the characters emphasise on embracing you scars and not being ashamed of them because they are signed that they lived and that they survived. Hooray for good lessons for the YA society of today. Heavens knows how much I would have appreciated this kind of books when I was 10 or something.

Although not a fairytale retelling, this book was simply fairytalish for me, with all the legends entwined into it. I found the writing style to be absolutely superb and extraordinary. There were some certain scenes, like the one where Talin kisses Nor's scar that truly made my heart tremble with magic. I found myself liking all of the characters, well, maybe apart from their mother, but I think she was thought to be insufferable and terrible. Yes. I even liked Ceren. What can I do? I so wanted to see more in him than it actually was, I guess.

I actually found this book on a review blog kind of site, where the reader called it kind of an ACOTAR fan fiction. As being said, this book has little if anything to do with that series. The only thing that did strike me indeed was the great resemblance in names, the capital of Illara (??), Talin (ehem!), and the people called galthyens (wow!) . But I think these are more coincidence than anything else, and I think the article was more built as a joke.

I truly recommend this book to everyone that wants to see what YA fantasy books are about these days!

Sophia Geron

At first, I was really intrigued by the whole plot and sister relationship, but the plot fell flat for me. Some really good elements and twists that kept me going, but the end was too abrupt and the romance was not believable. I then tried to start the sequel and couldn’t make it past the second chapter. It’s a cool concept, but I think I’ll stop with this one.

Crown of Coral and Pearl

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