Crown of Coral and Pearl

By: Mara Rutherford

Narrated by: Amanda Dolan

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.

©2019 Mara Rutherford (P)2019 Recorded Books

I need MORE!!!

I loved this book and the narrator is perfect.

I was searching and searching for another read as intriguing and riveting as the Lunar Chronicles. Which is hard to find.

This book isn’t the same genre of sci-fi. It is fantasy and period drama. And it is absolutely amazing!!! It’s characters are wonderful and fully developed. The sister’s close relationship is beautiful. The plot is gripping. The villain is sickeningly complex and I never knew whether to hate him and wish him dead or to see hope for change. The romance is present and not overdone. I really enjoyed that. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! The world that the author created is spellbinding. I loved everything about this book. But it isn’t a stand alone book. The ending left me with more questions than answers and I am praying that the author is writing this as a trilogy. I need to know more! What happened to the characters at the end? It feels like one mess got sorted out and now there are 3 more that need to be resolved. I’m more riveted than ever and now I have to wait with bated breath for news of a sequel. Please write more!!!

A Wholesome Cinderella story

The thing I loved most about this book was the love between the two sisters. Despite how far apart they were (physically), Nor always drew strength and courage from her sister and always remained true and loyal. Nor was also a kick-a** heroine - she wasn’t afraid to do what was right. I also really liked the plot twist at the end.

My only complaint is that it would have been nice to listen to Zandie’s point of view while living at home without Nor. While reading/listening, I always wondered how Zandie was being treated.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who’d like a less gruesome/bloody and sexual version of game of thrones with a Cinderella twist (I got major GOT vibes while reading/listening to this book) revolving around a strong female character that has a refreshing and wholesome relationship with her twin sister.

I can’t wait for the next book (if there is one!!!)!

A capturing new saga.

I was ensnared by the sisters dynamic right away. This book has some great characters and a the world within has depth to go along with it. Almost like the prequel has already been written. I look forward to more.

Enchanting

Beautiful Enchanting tale.  This book drew me in from the very first page.  It played with my emotions and just goes to show that you need to be very careful of what you wish for.

I fell in love with Nora/Zadie she is such a courageous, naive yet moral heroine  I loved this book it is so incredibly narrated it was a joy to listen to.  I will be adding it to my favourites collection.

Falls into the typical books I’ve enjoyed

I’ve listened to The Red Queen series, Red Rising, read Maze Runner and Divergent. This seems to fit in similarly. While I was waiting for a super mega plot twist it was entertaining and what I needed to binge listen and escape. Not great, but I really enjoyed it.

Stunning

This was perfect!! Please tell me there’s more coming because this was such an exquisite escape - thank you for your craft

Sisterhood, Politics, & Romance!

I loved it! Just enough drama, romance, and surprises! I fell in love with the sisters friendship and she’d a tears multiple times. Such a great read!

Easy to get into!

After reading this a second time, I wanted to leave a review saying how great this book really is. This is a beautifully written story that isn't overcomplicated which was a relief for me. I love stepping into new worlds with fantasy novels but sometimes, its too much to comprehend so I was very happy this author kept it simple yet rich. This book makes me wish I had a sister instead of a brother 😂. Main characters are developed well and I loved everyone I was supposed to love and hated the ones I was supposed to hate. The narration was top notch and I look forward to reading more from this author. I recommend this to those who liked Ash Princess or And I Darken. This is better than the former and less heavy than the latter. Perfect in between read. And if you're a fan of the sisterly love in Hunger Games, this beats that by a mile imo. Definitely worth a try!

Much better than anticipated!

When this book first started I was thinking how naive and ridiculous the character’s world was.. what they valued, how she saw her life and how the author wrote this it in such a childish style I thought I wouldn’t finish it. I thought maybe it was YA but really geared towards 12 year olds... I admit I’m 30 and still love YA, there was some moments at the beginning of the book I also found tortuously long, but it picked up and it really surprised me how much I couldn’t stop listening. The beauty of my actual annoyance with the main characters shallow and naive outlook was how much she grew throughout the plot. Probably one of the best character developments I’ve ever experienced. I’m super impressed with this book. I’m definitely longing for more and can’t wait for book 2. (Warning minor spoiler here)I definitely don’t believe it was that easy and it will be smooth sailing for them moving forward, so I’m excited to see how Mara crafts this upcoming story.

Notes of the narration- In the beginning I did find I had to adjust to her cadence because it felt clunky and awkward at times but as she read I grew to really like her! I will say this might be the most I’ve ever heard a narrator lick their lips and turn a page though. It didn’t bother me as it went on however, it made her human lol but it could be edited just a smidge better. I am desperately hoping they keep her on for the next book or that will really bum me out.

Great book and great narration. Thanks Mara!!

Extremely well written, fun, but verging on horror?

I really loved this story. The bond between the sisters is beautiful. The villain on the story however really is horrific. I couldn’t put the story down but at times i did feel a little queazy and wished for more moments of humor and joy to lighten the somber mood. Sometimes it just felt like the heroine was being suffocated one awful thing after another. That being said I’ve read many books in this genre and this one stood out. Its worth a read.