The Cruel Prince meets Ash Princess in this thrilling fantasy, the much-anticipated sequel to Crown of Coral and Pearl.
KINGDOM OF SEA AND STONE by MARA RUTHERFORD
Series: Crown of Coral and Pearl #2
Publication date: October 6, 2020
Published by: Inkyard Press
Genre: YA fantasy
SYNOPSIS
Ever since Nor was forced to go to a nearby kingdom in her sister’s place, she’s wanted nothing more than to return to the place and people she loves. But when her wish comes true, she soon finds herself cast out from both worlds, with a war on the horizon.
As an old enemy resurfaces more powerful than ever, Nor will have to keep the kingdom from falling apart with the help of Prince Talin and Nor’s twin sister, Zadie. There are forces within the world more mysterious than any of them ever guessed—and they’ll need to stay alive long enough to conquer them…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. Originally from California, Mara has since lived all over the world, from Russia to Peru, along with her Marine-turned-diplomat husband and two sons. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara holds a Master's degree in Cultural Studies from the University of London and would rather study the folklore of her next post than the language (which she has found is a lot more fun but not nearly as useful). She is a former Pitch Wars mentee and three-time mentor. Her debut YA fantasy, CORAL AND PEARL, will release from Harlequin Teen in Fall 2019.
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Kingdom of Sea and Stone by Mara RutherfordBefore, when I would have given anything to see the worldbeyond my floating village in the sea.Before I understood just how much I had to lose.
When Crown of Coral and Pearl came out last year, I was completely and utterly obsessed. Not to mention hurting painfully from the cliffhanger at the end. I was desperate to get my hands on the follow up to find out what would become of Nor. Where would she find a home, how would she and Talin be able to have a future together, what in the world happened to Sami, and would the Woman King ultimately rule Ilara? There were so many strings left dangling that needed to be tied together. One big thing I was really curious to find an answer for was why Nor had her unusual healing ability that no one seemed to have an explanation for. The good news is: all of my questions were answered leaving no plot holes that lead into the deep dark abyss of doubt. Hurray!
First off, I want to say that it's been a minute since I read book one, but despite that, the opening pages seamlessly refreshed my memory. There was virtually no confusion or fog, and yet I didn't feel as if I was reading a summary of pertinent facts. Also, if you're like me and found book one to be instantly engrossing, expect the same in book two. There's something about this author's writing that effortlessly engages you. I'm not sure what magical knowledge she possesses to achieve this, but that's pretty impressive if you ask me. I'm having a harder time than ever finding books that I can easily escape into during this time. If you're feeling the same way, I highly recommend trying out this series. I think you'll be so pleasantly surprised at the ease and excitement to be found in Ms. Rutherford's words.
Now to the plot! (If you haven't read book one yet, please don't read any further. There are unavoidable spoilers about Crown of Coral and Pearl.) We take off exactly where things left off. Nor is returning home to Varenia out at sea. Her old life was a simple one consisting of: diving for pearls to feed her family, trying and failing at pleasing her perpetually disappointed mother, and spending time with her best friend Sami and twin sister. There's an expression that fits her situation: you can't go home again. Essentially it means that once you leave home and spend time out in the world, the home you grew up in will never be the same again. This couldn't be more true for Nor. She's been accused of treachery by Varenians, dealt with court machinations, imprisonment by her fiancé, her blood was drained, and she was forced to defend her own life with deadly force. Returning home, she wanted to lick her wounds and find comfort in the familiar. But her old life was irrevocably gone.
We were too young to have such burdens hanging over us.But perhaps Father was right:some of us were not meant to have easy journeys.
Nor is no longer safe anywhere. Not only does everyone in Varenia think that she betrayed them, she's now a fugitive for what occurred with Ceren. Whereas book one was more about Nor's "adventure" in leaving home to explore the world, and surviving the nightmare that she walked into, book two takes a different route. Nor and Talin have a fresh and very fragile romantic understanding. They developed feelings amidst a dangerous situation, and now they must figure out where they go from that point. Nor is suddenly questioning if a marriage and home with him are in the cards for her. Would it make her happy or would it stifle her adventurous heart? As she shuffles through her emotions on this, she works on her hero complex. Always feeling as if she needs to save the day all by herself isn't exactly necessary when you have a group of people around you who love you and want to do their fair share. We see Nor let go of some of the control she feels she needs as she learns to trust those around her to help.
There were new characters introduced that were really intriguing. We have Roan, who is the commander of Fort Crag in Galeth. He has a strong moral code that he lives by which isn't influenced by greed for power, accolades, or money. He wants what's best for his people and isn't apologetic about it. I really liked the fact that he was an empath which you don't see all that often in fantasy (or at least that's been my experience.) Roan is very blunt with Nor in showing his attraction to her, so naturally this causes some snags here and there. I wouldn't go so far as to say that a love triangle develops, but his attention does make things interesting. Another new character was a medicinal witch named Adriel. She quickly formed a bond with Nor and helped to guide her in her quest to learn more about bloodstones and how they work with blood bonds. I think Nor was able to see some of herself in Adriel. They're both very independent women who want to be loved and accepted for who they really are. They're smart, gifted, and perhaps want more than a traditional life that most find.
The action and suspense snowballed in intensity at the end, and I was flying through the story at breakneck speed. There were ambiguous motives, a deeply layered villain, and a kingdom that was hanging on the edge of a deadly power struggle. Talin was a little blind when it came to his mother, Nor was independent to a fault, and those things weren't without their frustrations. But in the grand scheme of things, my reading experience was a positive one. I highly recommend the series to anyone looking for an escape into an original fantasy world with complex characters that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.
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