Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford - ADVISABLE

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford, 432 pages. Inkyard Press, 2019. $14.

Language: PG (7 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Nor and Zadie have been prepared their entire lives for one of them to be chosen as the most beautiful girl in Varenia and the future queen of Ilara. As the day of the choosing ceremony gets closer, Nor tries to ignore her desire to leave, knowing that she will never be chosen, and Zadie has to accept everything that leaving her world behind will mean, knowing that she will probably be chosen. But, after the ceremony, when their fates are sealed, these two stubborn sisters find a way to take hold of their own fates despite being raised to be biddable beauties.

While I think the story got a little slow in the middle, the rest of Nor’s story was exciting to follow. I was eager to see how her future unraveled, especially when she and her sister, Zadie, made decisions to change everything that was expected of them -- something I wish I was brave enough to do more often in my own life. However, the resolutions near the end included enemies being taken care of too easily, so I’m both curious and wary as to where the sequel will take this story.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen