Book Review :: CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL

Book: CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL by Mara Rutherford
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Crown of Coral and Pearl #1
Publisher: Inkyard Press / Harlequin
Source: ARC via NetGalley!

Where to Buy: Shop local! Find your local independent bookstore at IndieBound!

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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...

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Goodreads Summary:


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.

My Review: ⭐⭐
Check out my full review after the jump! Click "Read More" below to continue!

I received a copy of CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I'm going to start this review out by saying that this book definitely wasn't for me, which was incredibly disappointing because I'm an avid Fantasy reader so this book is completely up my alley. I will say that the story line is awesome, the plot itself is engaging and was 100% of the reason I trudged on even though I wanted to quit after the first half of the book.

I could NOT get past the writing. I really hate to say this about someone's work, but I felt like the writing was simplistic, non-engaging, fake, and at some points, laughable. There were extremely awkward and unnatural chapter breaks that for some reason really bothered me. Like they would be in the middle of a conversation between two characters, CHAPTER BREAK, then the other person would respond. This happened multiple times where the chapter could have continued without a random break.

There were many times throughout my read of this book that had me:

This one in particular: "Her eyes were like honey" Sami once said, though neither of us had ever seen it. He described it as something insects make". 

like... o__O All insects make honey? 

There are many more instances that I highlighted on my kindle, but this would be a really long post if I listed them all. 

I will say that the reason this didn't get 1 star from me is that I was completely invested in the story itself. Many times I went to DNF this book, but really wanted to find out what happened. The settings are intriguing, the story is actually very good, it could use some help with character development, but as I mentioned earlier- I just could not get past the writing. I think that a few more months on copy edits or something would have enhanced the quality of the writing, but this left me incredibly disappointed. 

If you love Fantasy with intriguing story lines and a plot that really sucks you in, this book is definitely up your alley. I would maybe stay away from this one if the quality of writing is an important factor in what you read. 

Thanks again to Inkyard Press & Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for my honesty!