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.

A brilliant kick off to an exciting series. I was honestly smitten with the cast, the setting and the plot. I cannot wait to see what the sequel holds!

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.

The story was captivating on a certain level that i cannot fathom the boredom i felt. 3 stars.

This was a very unique read. I enjoyed the story and characters a lot. While some parts felt long (or dragging) the rich detail of the surroundings and world building kept me reading even when my attention began to wane.

The weaving of history, culture, myth, and the religion of the people in the story that creates such a beautiful tapestry, and builds such a rich background without being overpowering.

The characters were all completely wonderful in their very unique ways, they're very easy to distinguish between each other. Nor and Talin were both such lovable characters, and I loved the sweet relationship Nor shares with her sister.
The was a wonderful world-building, and I loved it. The author did a wonderful job bringing the atmosphere to both of Nor's worlds - the warm, sunny Varenia in contrast to the dark, dreary, cold life inside of the castle. One of my favorite parts of a story is being able to immerse myself in the world.

The settings were amazing, a city being completely out in the middle of the ocean, and a castle built into a mountain, both such unique idea's.t was such a fascinating to see these unique settings impacted the people who live there. The subtle mystery, which developed into a large part of the story, in the end, was so engaging, and I think a lot of readers will enjoy it.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

I request pretty much any title I see that relates to mermaids. (Can I just add a blanket auto-request? Kidding!)

This book is...okay. It wasn't spectacular (Although it does have gorgeous cover art) and it wasn't terrible. It just wasn't anything I was completely blown away by.

There are some very quotable lines in there--the writing is very nice, not overly purple. It just moves fairly slowly, especially when you've read the synopsis and therefore have the whole of the story.

Hopefully the second half of the series will be more revealing!

I just did not care for this book. The characters for me just weren't likeable. I can see sort of a beauty and the beast twist but still didn't work for me. Sorry

I enjoyed this book, and the creativity of the world, but I felt that the future husband was occasionally portrayed too sympathetically - like the author had considered making a love triangle but then edited most of it out.

Disclaimer: This review MAY contain spoilers. I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.

The premise of this book really pulled me in. I adore a story where siblings, especially identical twins, have to switch places for the greater good or to thwart evil. Throw in marrying crown princes, court politics, and a mission to save one's people? Yep, I'm so here for this.

I found the world-building. The imagery was very elaborately detailed and the surroundings felt almost surreal. Very dream-like in its intensity. I loved it. I felt as though I could walk right through the mist of the dream and be in this world. I loved the different locations that we experience in the story.

I found the integral parts of the plot intriguing and entertaining, but some of the story dragged on a bit for me. While this book does have some tropes that I have read before, I felt that the execution of these tropes was well planned. I did love that there were twists in the story that I didn't necessarily see coming.

I adore a story with incredible sibling dynamic and this book really has that. Each of the characters in the story is beautifully written. Each character was developed arduously which only added to the overall plot and dynamics between characters.

The romance was bearable but not ultimately my favorite. It definitely had its moments, but I am not a fan of insta-love. It felt very underdeveloped to me. I am hoping for some more to win me over to the romance in the next book of the series.

Overall, I am very eager to see what will happen in the second book of this series. I am so overjoyed that I took a chance on this amazing story and I highly recommend it to all fantasy fans!

I liked this book, I think it is a fairly standard YA fantasy, and I wasn't really able to fully immerse myself into the world. I loved how selfless the main character Nor was. I think that the monstrous prince was a little overdone as a villain. She had to be very resourceful when she met the emissary when she was herself instead of the role of her sister. I really do not blame her for not wanting to marry that dude, and this story ending did remind me a little of ACOTAR.

I really enjoyed this book - the character development, the pacing of the plot, the world-building - it was great. It's a new take in the Teen/YA group in that it focuses more on sisterly relationships rather than romantic, and it doesn't sacrifice the overall conflict of the text to neatly tie romantic bows. However, the relationships (in all facets) are a driving force in the text, and I'm impatiently waiting for the next book to arrive. If you're a fan of Victoria Aveyard or Kendare Blake, I think you'll enjoy Rutherford's work.

This book was interesting and engaging. Not a 5 star read for me though. The characters weren't as relatable as I wold have liked but overall it was a good read.

I'm always iffy about books with titles like this, because they are either incredible or overrated, but Mara Rutherford hit the mark on incredible. I couldn't put this book down. The plot was unique and fantastic.

Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to read this ARC prior to the book's publication, but we did end up buying it for our library collection.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for providing me for a digital arc for my honest review.

I came for the beautiful cover, but stayed for the plot. I found "Crown of Coral and Pearl" had all the elements to make this book a winner. Sisterly love, scheming princes, and a princess in disguise, all set in an idealic seaside kingdom. All of these aspects arent new, but somehow this story delivers them in a way that kept me interested to the very end.

This was a promising beginning to what I imagine will be on of my favorite series. There is room for growth, but that only means it should get better from here. Can't wait for the sequel!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a sucker for a book about sisters. This book is no exception. I loved Nor and Zadie and their relationship and willingness to do anything for each other. You can definitely tell it was written by someone who has a sister (and I was even more excited to learn Mara Rutherford is a twin). I really enjoyed the world building, although sometimes I found myself frustrated by Nor's lack of knowledge because it meant we were kept in the dark as well. I hope the second book explains more about the politics of the world and unravels more of its secrets and history because I found that all fascinating.
And of course I love a book with some good romance. This one was very swoon-worthy and I loved the contrast between the brothers.
I'm interested to see what happens in the next book, especially with how this story ends. I don't think everything is wrapped up as neat and tidy as it appeared.

It took me a little while to get into this story but once I did, I was hooked. It is a fantastic love story. A set of twins. One is promised to marry a prince but she is in love with someone else. Her sister takes her place. The prince is cruel and if he finds out he's been tricked, it will mean the end to her family and village. To add to the drama, Nor realizes she is in love with the prince's brother.

I absolutely adored this book and can't wait for a sequel! I read this in one sitting after a particularly nasty reading drought in which nothing could hold my interest. But Crown of Coral And Pearl was such great fantasy that I could not put it down. I love this world so much. Nor is my kind of girl, and her relationship with her sister is perfect. Honestly though, the ending of this book had me tearing at my hair because I NEED MORE.

3,5 stars
I really liked the atmosphere in this book, but the plot lacked a little, especially towards the end.
I still plan to continue in the series.

There was nothing "wrong" with this book, the writing was good and the story was good but for a fantasy it was not the kind to inspire a fandom or have students talking in the halls about it. It just doesn't have the depth and engagement that comes with the really good fantasy novels.

That said, it was good. I enjoyed reading it as someone who likes fantasy books.