I have finally read this book! It has been sitting on my Netgalley Shelf for almost two years. I have a really bad time remembering that I also have books to review on there too.

I finally got to this one as it fulfilled a prompt for a readathon. A book with a map inside but anyways let's get into my review.

This was a very quick read. I'm pretty sure I read it all in two sittings. Although this story is quite typical in the ya genre meaning a young girl has to go marry a strange and drama ensues which I love by the way! Don't get me wrong but this story was so lush and very descriptive.

Crown Of Coral and Pearl had such a unique setting and a very light magic system which I really loved.

This story explores many themes such as beauty in society, oppression of minorities, poverty, sacrifice and sister relationships.

When the main character embarks on her journey to the prince things become quite dark with many twists and turns. All is not what it seems and seems to have walked into a very dangerous situation which caused so much tension. The tension made me want to keep reading all through the night.

All of the characters were so developed throughout this story some I truly despised and others I loved!

There is a little bit of insta live in this story but I really enjoyed the relationship that starts to form.

I had such a great time reading this story and I really look forward to getting my hands on book two and find out what happens next!

I dove into this book with all the hopes of a child running into a chocolate shop. I was excited to read from an author I have never before and I was - and still am actually - utterly in love with the cover. Whoever designed that one needs a big congratulations because they absolutely nailed it. The book within it's beautiful cover, however, was not as amazing as the artwork unfortunately. The writing was quite good, the setting something I could have pictured myself opening the page, doing a magical spell, jumping into the book and being there right along with Nor and Zadie. I think it takes a talented author to write a setting so good that readers can feel right there with the characters, smell the sea air, feel the sun on their backs and taste the salt on their lips.

The actual plot development is what brings this story down from a 5 star read. It is quite predictable and doesn't offer many twists or plot turns to create interest and intrigue. The characters are also what makes and breaks this book. Some are great, like Nor, who although believes herself ruined by the scar on her cheek, still works hard to protect her family, friends and especially her twin. She puts up with terrible community judgement as well as constant hurt from her vile and selfish mother, and then later on in the book, accusations of a terrible nature that she simply takes on the chin, rather than place the blame on the person who actually deserves it. If her sister and mother are selfish, then Nor is the epitome of the exact opposite and her nature and caring makes the character development what it is. She takes great care in making plans and putting herself in harms way to protect her loved ones, as well as the community who constantly offends and hurts her. I know many people, including myself, would struggle to put themselves in harms way to help people who don't care about them and are always making rude and judgmental comments.

Another honourable mention in this novel is for the brother princes who are as varied and different as Nor and Zadie are. Young adult readers are quite accustomed these days to loveable villains who are often so bad, but end up redeemable and have some positive traits that cause them to be among the most popular characters. I was expecting this for the cruel and evil brother Ceren, however this was not the path that developed for him. I found myself cheering on lesser characters who wanted him dead and frustrated at Nor for risking herself to save him.

Whilst the setting, sister relationship, realistic family bonds, and action are very well done, I also found a bit of an issue with pacing. I can't quite place when and where the pacing was not quite right in my opinion, but it just felt off and not consistent. I hope the second novel will correct this.

Overall, political ties and battles, cruel royalty, families who are mean and selfish but still love one another, and a story that is different enough to be unique in a saturated genre, makes for a good read, but not quite great. I will still give the second installment a go and look forward to seeing where the story goes and what the author does with the communities and royals who are both looking to further their positions.

Loved, Loved, Loved, this book!! I was sucked in from page one and I couldn't put it down! Varenia was such an amazing setting and I hope we get more of the ocean city in book 2i loved Nor and Zadie I do hope we get more from Zadie's perspective in book 2.. I am really looking forward Kingdom Of Sea And Stone!!

You took two daughters who loved you and turned them into weapons to exact your revenge, never realizing that there was no enemy


Crown of Coral and Pearl was an emotionally charged, fast paced story about the things you do for love (though with less pushing a child out of a window ... but not by much). Nor and Zadie are Coral and Pearl personified, twin sisters raised to be beautiful in order to become a Varenian princess to marry the crown prince of Ilara. Beauty is what the Varenian's covet, so when Nor becomes scarred from a childhood incident all attention is focussed on Zadie, leaving Nor the chance to become strong and learn other skills she may have been prevented from learning if she were protecting her beauty from unnecessary damage.

Nor would do anything for Zadie and her people, even impersonating Zadie when she becomes gravely injured and take her place as the chosen Varenian princess set to wed the cruel crown prince Ceren. Embroiled in court secrets and determined to uncover the truth about what is going on sets Nor down a path of self-discovery and fighting for those that she loves. Nor is a kind and compassionate individual who will do anything to save a life, even risk her own. Whilst prone to taking risks, she has the skills and the strength to back herself.

Nor and Zadie are such loving sisters and I really enjoyed reading the love they had for each other, how it tied them together across land and sea. The strength of this relationship and the fact that it was always a supportive relationship was a massive selling point of this book and was developed extremely well. I was concerned that this was going to turn into a love triangle with Nor, Crown Prince Ceren and Prince Talin as I really dislike love triangles, however the interactions between the three were most definitely not that of a love triangle and the budding romance between Talin and Nor was quite sweet. A protective male who also respects their LI's decisions and doesn't try to stop them from going into dangerous situations, but instead arms and steps back is the direction that I want from LI's in all future books.

I'm definitely intrigued as to where this story is going to go in book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA for a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was such a refreshing read when i was stuck in a huge readers slump. This novel is full of beautiful world building, relatable characters and a story line that has you dying to see what comes next.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Nor and Zadie are twins, born in the floating town of Varenia, whose inhabitants are not allowed to step on land. Every generation when the heir to the throne needs a bride, the village elders of Varenia choose the most beautiful girl to be sent to Ilara. Zadie has been chosen but she is desperately unhappy and prepared to do anything to be allowed to stay in Varenia and marry Sami - who is actually Nor’s betrothed!

The first part of the book introducing Nor, Zadie, Sami and the world of Varenia is beautifully written, with ideas focusing on what ‘true beauty’ actually is; is true beauty how a person looks, or how they act?
In the second part of the story Talin and Ceren the Princes of Ilara are introduced. When Talin travels to Valencia as an emissary, he meets Nor and Zadie and is intrigued by Nor, this continues when she makes the trip to Ilara and the ‘New Castle’ to meet his brother, Ceres, her fiancé.

Unfortunately, I agree with other reviewers that the instant attraction between Nor and Talin feels contrived, particularly since Nor finds Ceren to be vile and repulsive... Which he is, due to his actions, however, the reader can’t help but feel sorry for Ceren, the child whose father remarried almost immediately and whose stepmother, while doting on her own son, did not seem to care for Ceren. Unlikeable and flawed as Ceres is, he is a truly worthy ‘adversary’.

While I guessed at some plot points, the well written story was enjoyable and the world building was excellent. I look forward to reading the second title in the duology.

Thrilling story, great plot and characters that keep you guessing right til the end. Great for fans of this genre. Really enjoyable.

So I will admit I wanted this book for the pretty cover and because there was a hint that people would be going to war and scheming. And i am all for going to war and scheming. Turns out it was so not what I thought it would be but still pretty amazing anyway.

This will be a short and sweet one. The main female lead is amazing, her sis is just whingy enough that I want to slap her repeatedly. The villain is mean but I'm pretty sure its not all character flaws, there's definitely got to be some environmental influence there.

The love interests are for the most part squish and fun - I definitely shipped a certain couple and just wanted to do that thing where kids take their pets, smush their faces together and yell 'kiss' until either someone gets bitten or there is slobber everywhere.

Here is a small warning though. There is a lot of content in a small number of pages, prepare to have to take breaks.

Overall it's a pretty good book that I will definitely be buying the sequel to.

I was so lucky to receive a review copy of this book through Netgallery for an honest review. Thank you Harlequin Australia.

I really enjoyed this book. I went in with high hopes and this book really delivered. The twins Nor and Zadie were brilliant. I loved their relationship.

Putting down for now as I'm not really feeling it or am in the mood for fantasy at the moment. I will pick it back up again in a month or two. Thank you for the review copy!

For this weeks review I’m talking about A Crown of Coral and Pearl. In a society where beauty determines worth two girls who refuse to let the world tell them who they are and what they can do.

This book is a young adult novel for fans of strong female leads.

Special thank you to Harlequin Australia Publishing for giving me an advance review copy of this book!

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT?
Nor and Zadie were raised to believe their primary purpose in life was to be chosen to honour their families by being the next Ilarian princess.

For many generations the princes of Ilaria have married beautiful young women from the ocean village of Varenia. But becoming royalty can carry a cost higher than any of the maidens could possibly imagine…

Nor dreamed of seeing the world, a dream that only being chosen could realise. But a permanent scar on her face means that it is her sister Zadie that will have that honour.

When an unfortunate accident occurs Nor must take her sisters place as princess of Ilara. Sent to marry a prince whose coldness could only be matched by his palace, carved into the face of a mountain. Nor is distraught, even more so by her feelings for her fiancés brother.

However, Nor’s unique position allows her to learn things she would never have dreamed possible from her ocean home.

She soon uncovers A plot of a murdered queen, a failing bloodline and a plan to decimate her people back home. In order to navigate this new world, and save her people, Nor must act. But how?


WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK:
This book had great family dynamics. The relationship between Nor and her sister Zadie was beautiful. The sisters were real with one another, sharing their strengths and weaknesses with understanding.

With the fixation on beauty I thought this book did a good job on commenting about the objectifying of women and negativity. A fixation on physical appearance can be destructive to relationships. In particular I appreciated Nor and Zadie’s dislike of being compared to one another for physical attractiveness.

This book has strong female characters who fight for what they believe in. Primary and secondary characters do this in different ways.

I really liked the world building in this novel. Varenia captured my imagination, as did the rest of the world. The author’s descriptions of the world were entrancing. There seems to be a lot more of the world to explore, as well as the different people groups in the world. I’m intrigued and want to know more about this land and the unfolding politics within it.

The author of A Crown of Coral and Pearl, Mara Rutherford, has said on Goodreads that this book is currently only a one book deal. There is however a strong possibility of a sequel.

I’m certainly hoping there is, as I want to know more about this world and it’s characters!

WHAT I LIKED LEAST ABOUT THIS BOOK?
As I mentioned above, it was really good to have the book make a stance against beauty not being all people are about.

However, I did find it undercut that point a little when all of the good characters were attractive. Those that were bad were primarily described as repulsive. Whether that’s physically or in personality or actions. Villains are often described across literature in this way.

I thought the villain in A Crown of Coral and Pearl was really interesting and chilling!

Side note… Who are your favourite literary villains? Comment below to let me know!

While this book might’ve fallen into the trope of having all the characters be beautiful people with very minimal flaws. There was also a bit of the ‘Love at first sight’ cliché. Overall it was fine and the author did attempt to minimise these tropes.

This was a really enjoyable read and I don’t have much really to comment about for this section!

RECOMMENDATION?
For fans of strong young adult female characters, this book is for you. The beauty pagant element of the story is very strong and reminded me somewhat of the biblical story of Queen Esther. Elements of this book reminded me of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Selection series by Kiara Cass.

If you’re not a fan of young adult or YA books involving politics and romance this may not be the book for you.

Where can I get a copy?A Crown of Coral and Pearl comes out in a few days on 19th of August 2019! You can pick up a copy in stores from then. Pre-order your copy from Book Depository here.

Who is your favourite female book character? Why? Comment below to let me know! Mine would probably be Hadassah from The Voice in the Wind series by Francine Rivers. I found her strength in the face of persecution, and temptations of all kinds inspiring.

If you enjoyed todays review please consider subscribing, commenting or liking this post. Thank you! If you have instagram I can be found @stephhuddlestonwriting.

First of all, that cover us absolutely stunning!
Secondly, I loved every second of this book. It reads like a fairy tale and I enjoyed s strong female lead and the kinship between the twin sisters as a main focus. Of course romance is also a big part of it, however it's more simmering in the background.
I despised Nor's and Zadie's mother and was a bit shocked that their father was just standing by not doing anything to help them.
One tiny thing that could be improved is the world building of Varenia. I'm still not sure if they live on a houseboat kind of thing or a floating city and how the inside of the houses really look like.
Otherwise I can recommend this to anybody who likes YA fantasy fairytales.
I've been quite hard on YA books lately with my ratings and I'm so happy that this one exceeded my expectations.
I can't wait to hear more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me with an eARC.

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford is the first instalment in a new young adult fantasy series. Taking place on top of the ocean and on land, it shows the lengths that those will go to for their family and others, for almighty power. It is fast paced and action packed and despite this, the characters are also extremely well developed. Before I go too much further, I will add the synopsis below:

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 has 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… When she arrives in Ilara, Nor is confronted with a cruel prince and a castle that is carved into a mountain which is difficult to leave. She discovers that the prince has sinister plans for her homeland and that she needs to uncover them before it’s too late.

Crown of Coral and Pearl is a unique take on young adult fantasy. It incorporates settings which I have never read about before and a fascinating plot. The idea of having an ocean village was interesting from the get go. It was intriguing how this race of people lived out in the sea, on top of the ocean in floating houses and were unable to step foot on land without getting into trouble by the kingdom that ruled them. Once we get further into the story, I really liked the idea of the New Castle and Old Castle. Having a castle built into a mountain, with all these interesting caverns underneath and other features made for a change from the normal ‘royal castles’ which feature in every young adult fantasy book. The castle appeared to have a personality of its own which really added to the plot.

The plot was a wonderful aspect of this book and really made it shine. I liked how the author focused on so many themes including the strength of a sisterly bond, the concept of beauty, hidden love, the struggle of ultimate power and the strength of determination to name a few. I admire the author and how she didn’t rush into the main plot of the story. She allowed adequate time to set up the main setting (ocean village), the relationships between the main characters who were living there, provided an opportunity for the reader to understand their situation within the kingdom, what they did for an occupation and an insight into how the most beautiful girl was sent away to be queen. By setting the book up like this, the reader was able to have a strong grasp about what was occurring before the plot moved along and a deep understanding of the characters and their motives. Throughout the rest of the book, the plot was well paced and the reader was not left bored at any point. There was constantly something happening to Nor or something that she was trying to find out, to assist her overall motive to stop the prince.

The characters were extremely well rounded and developed. They made the book so enjoyable and were very realistic in their descriptions and actions. While there were little physical descriptions, the characters were easily able to distinguish from their emotions and their actions that they made throughout the book. When the characters were happy, as a reader you could feel that through them and the same when they were sad or distressed. The author used a substantial amount of emotive language to get this across to the reader. I loved the relationship between Zadie and Nor and how they would do anything for each other. Despite the hardships that they faced, they were both willing to make sacrifices for each other to ensure that they were where they were meant to be. I also enjoyed seeing the relationship between Nor and Talin develop over time, as they came to help each other in their plight for the same thing, to protect the people of Varenia. The author can also write a villain extremely well. From his introduction, it was clear that Ceren was a character to be aware of as he appeared suspicious from the beginning from his intentions. One character I really struggled to like and did not feel sorry for was Nor and Zadie’s mother. She was so concerned about maintaining her twin daughter’s beauty, no matter the expense it had on her relationship with them. She was cold and even when her daughter was sent away to be married, she did not even have the heart to say goodbye. While she did not appear in the book for long, her impact on Nor was felt throughout the course of the book.

I extremely enjoyed reading Crown of Coral and Pearl. It was a wonderful book which delved into a new land and featured so many interesting and deep characters with calculating motives. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a new young adult fantasy read.
I rated this book: 5 Stars
Thank you to Harlequin Publishers Australia for providing me with an advanced copy to provide an honest review.
Crown of Coral and Pearl will be released on the 19th of August in Australia.

It was always going to be one of the identical twin sisters, Zadie or Nor, that was going to be chosen in the ceremony to become the next princess, but an accident that left Nor scarred took her out of the running. Or so she thought. Events unfold in unexpected ways, and Nor is soon standing in for her sister, and sent away from her beloved ocean town of Varenia to marry Prince Ceren, whom she quickly learns is cruel, and has anything but her, or Varenia's best interests at heart.

While I found the story predictable, with little in the way of surprises, I still enjoyed it all the same. The world building, including the maps at the start was fantastic, and I immediately found myself drawn into the world that Mara Rutherford has woven between the pages. I enjoyed the sisterly bond between Nor and Zadie, even if I also found myself strongly disliking Zadie. Instead I preferred the bold, courageous and honour bound Nor. With enough of the story left open at the end, I'm very much looking forward to a sequel. It will be high on my list to read.

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Writing
Okay we are going to get my negative out of the road first. This was also the reason this book got 4.5 instead of 5 stars! INSTA LOVE!! Just no! There is not a single book with insta love that I’m like YES BITCH! Just nope..

Moving on! I adore the writing of this book! I DEVOURED it honestly, I read it late into the night until I literally fell asleep because I didn’t want to put it down! This world that is described in this book is so vivid an atmospheric! I loved it! I could picture the whole thing and I love the idea of village on the ocean. Houses just sticking out of the ocean and little boats to travel between it. I love the world!

Plot
I also really enjoyed the plot. It was full of interesting plot points and many twists I wasn’t expecting at all! It was super unpredictable and it kept me hooked the entire time! As I said before, I literally couldn’t put it down half the time!

Characters
I’ve already spoken on the Insta Love, so I won’t mention that again to do with the character. But I really enjoyed all the. characters, even the ones that are not likeable people, I enjoyed how they were written. All the characters felt very fleshed out and I loved seeing how they developed through the book!

Overall
I really enjoyed this book, obviously except the romance… Hopefully that is better in book 2, Kingdom of Sea and Stone. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series and I also love that this looks like it’s going to be a duology!

I liked the writing and I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Nor, Zadie and Sami, but that's where my enjoyment ended.
The characters were bland (Ceren became a bit more interesting towards the end, though), the world was bland and the plot was slow-moving for me. The action and plot did start to pick up towards the end- and it became a quite riveting plot, actually- however, it couldn't salvage my opinion of the book. This also meant that sometimes they just chucked everything at you all at once. As for the romance, it was the definition of insta-love and Nor and Talin had no chemistry whatsoever.
I think one of the things this book was lacking for me was a strong support group for Nor during her stay at the palace. I need secondary characters to love and I need a sense of connection. There was definitely potential in Ebb, Grig and Talin but it just...didn't get there, unfortunately.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fabulous read. An excellent Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA book. Twin sisters, one as beautiful as the other, one outgoing, the other reserved, one with one small flaw and both with the knowledge that one will be chosen to leave their wonderful life and marry Prince Ceren of Illara.

The sisters couldn't fathom a life without each other, they were two halves of a whole, and so they devised a plan so that another would be chosen and they could remain together in Varenia and marry whomever they chose themselves.

Unfortunately even the best laid plans go awry and when they do, no one could predict what would happen when their deceit was uncovered.

I loved this book from the first page and am hopeful there will be a sequel in the neat future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction YA) and MIRA for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book had me hooked from the get go - I couldn’t put it down.

Nor & Pearl have a bond that is beautiful & heartbreaking. What they do for each other, and yet have the strength to do for themselves is admirable.

As I started reading this book, I noticed that there was a rich atmosphere present, and this was rather interesting!

The plot was gripping right to the end. I was also a fan of the worldbuilding and characters, and I found myself rooting for the protagonists way more than I thought I would've! The villain was also such an enthralling character on their own, and I often wanted to scream/punch them, whilst reading.

This book is great for those who enjoyed The Selection (Kiera Cass).

Rating: 5/5

(This book will feature on my blog on August 5!)

I was enchanted by this story - Rutherford paints vivid pictures of two worlds bound together by old traditions. One, a community living on the ocean under a bright sun and another under a mountain cold and dark. At first I thought that we spent too much time in Varenia but after spending a third of the novel there I was fully invested in its people and their future. Our heroine Nor is plucky and brave and of course beautiful, but very likeable. Her fish-out-of-water journey to New Castle and determination to help her people were an enjoyable tale, made all the better by the underlying love story. If I could have asked for one thing, it would have been a more conclusive ending. With two deaths not-quite confirmed and no happily-ever-after for our heroine it was clear that the author is leaving events open for a sequel. Which I will probably read! I really enjoyed this book.