In Crown of Coral and Pearl, our narrator Nor wasn’t unlikeable, per se, but I also didn’t feel like I could relate to her or that I wanted to root for her. If the character/voice isn’t relatable, it almost always ruins the book. Unfortunately, I think first-person narration is a slippery slope for writers to walk.

I’m a huge fan of first-person narration and tend to gravitate toward books that are written this way.

There were a lot of issues that kept me from liking the book, which I’ll go into below. I know it was sold as a standalone and had duology/series potential (as I write this I believe its sequel, Kingdom of Sea and Stone, is out) but to be honest, it didn’t feel like it needed a sequel to me. I really thought I was going to fall in love with this book and its world, but I didn’t.įrom my perspective, one of the book’s biggest downfalls was its awkward straddle of standalone/duology. I’ve realized after the last few reviews I’m making the age-old mistake of judging a book by its cover (or more accurately, back blurb). But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie. In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. 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. 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. Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. 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. 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 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… 3/5 stars Book Blurbįor generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. I’m thrilled to bring my third review to you today, this time for Crown of Coral and Pearls by Mara Rutherford.

Crown of pearl and coral