Written by Erin Francois
Mara Rutherford’s debut novel, Crown of Coral and Pearl, features a unique and intriguing world. So, let’s dive straight in. Dive in, get it? The tropical water world of Varenia is so inspiring you’ll want to pack your bags to the Bahamas. I loved the “home” aspect that Mara captures and by the end of the book, Varenia feels like your home too. A fantasy novel set in the sea and it’s not about pirates? A breath of fresh air! Okay, you’re going to have to excuse all the ocean puns for this review. I’m not even sorry.
I loved how beauty was this all-consuming thing in Varenia. Nor’s mother was bitter and twisted, trying to make up for her own failings. The world beyond Varenia was just as interesting with all the water-superstition and the dark, cave-castle that was making everyone sick. The meeting of Talin was so interesting and you feel Nor’s excitement upon seeing her first person who isn’t from Varenia.
This book, once you pick it up, you can’t put it back down! However, there were a couple of things that would shift this book from great to fantastic. Shell we begin?
The first thing that stood out to me was how similar it was to A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. A poor girl is forced into a strange land, locked away in a castle, there’s a strange curse on the inhabitants, has to fight a giant tunnelling creature, and makes a bargain with the evil prince in a dungeon. The love interest is called Talin and there’s also a race of people called the Galethians. Sound familiar? A few tweaks to these scenes and names would help the book really stand on its own so it doesn’t say “ACOTAR fan fiction”.
The relationship with Talin started out so promising, but there just wasn’t enough of him and he felt a little thrown in at the end. Readers will feel as though they don’t really know anything about him other than he has a Varenian mother. This was a relatively short book so adding more Talin scenes and a Talin side-plot wouldn’t hurt and it would deepen his character. I still want to know how Talin knew it was Nor from the beginning? Or was it because they were meant to be? That still doesn’t make sense. I know a few identical twins and I’m ashamed I still can’t tell them apart, so how was Talin able to?
The pacing in this novel began very nicely, there was enough depth without it dragging on, and being fast-paced without sacrificing character development. However, in the last few chapters, all of that is thrown out the window and we discover a different revelation each chapter.
In the end, there’s still much that isn’t explained and most of the revelations were told not shown at the end, which felt shallow. There’s a really interesting plot twist right at the end that Talin just explains and there’s not really any reason why he tells Nor then, other than it’s the end of the book.
The actual crown of coral and pearl is presented somewhat randomly at the very end in such a dismissive way. It doesn’t have the oh-my-god-it’s-the-crown moment, it’s just more like a the-book-is-ending-and-we-need-to-explain-the-title sort of thing. I felt like Nor’s blood-coral knife was more important than the crown anyway and should have been used more often in the book as it was related to her accident as a kid. It was carved from the very thing that took away her beauty, which is everything to a Varenian woman, but now she can use it to free Varenia. The knife is such a significant thing that isn’t really mentioned until the end. Maybe she could pick some door locks and do some more damage? The Blood Coral Knife sounds just as cool, hey!
Whale I would personally change a few things here and there, the story was stunningly unique and un-put-downable. The love story, in the end, was between Nor and Zady. A beautiful journey of siblings, home, self-reflection, and the greater good. It’s shrimply irresistible! Last one, I promise! Or so it a-piers…
Crown of Coral and Pearl is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of August 28th 2019.
Will you be picking up Crown of Coral and Pearl? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
