KINGDOM OF SEA AND STONE By Mara Rutherford

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Kingdom of Sea and Stone by Mara Rutherford
Series: Crown of Coral and Pearl #2
Published by Inkyard Press on 10/6/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Source: Publisher
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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…

Short and Sweet

Kingdom of Sea and Stone takes place right where Crown of Coral and Pearl left off. After being in Ilara, Nor wanted nothing more than to go back home to Varenia, but after returning she learns that her people have turned her back on her. She’s also looked down upon by the people of Ilara. Nor knows that there’s trouble ahead and she’ll do anything to keep her people safe even if they don’t believe in her.

Characters

Nor: Nor is back as our main character and she’s gone through a lot, she suffered while at Ilara having to give her blood to Ceren, and now they’re connected in a way where he can see her dreams and memories and she can see his. Nor also has to accept the fact that even though she would risk her life to save the Varenians they wouldn’t do the same for her. Nor loves hard and that’s one thing I really like about her, even though others might call her weak for it its actually what makes her strong.

Romance

Nor and Talin: I honestly feel like their relationship fell flat in this book. You can tell that they cared about each other but there was no chemistry. I feel like the relationship they had in the first book compared to what was going on in this book was very different, and not in a good way. I felt like Nor would have been better off with someone else.

Quotes

~ “Because even if love was my greatest weakness, it was also the thing that made me strong.”

My Thoughts

~ We see a lot more of Zadie in this book and I’m glad that she decided to go with Nor on her journey, I liked seeing the bond between these two. I will say that after Zadie is reunited with Sami we don’t really see that much of her.

~ Nor and Talin know that Ceren is coming after them so they seek help from Galeth. Galeth is one of those places that tries to be neutral, so our group doesn’t outright tell them that they want the Galethians to help them fight on the side of Talin’s mom.

~ In Galeth we meet a few allies, Roan and Adriel. Roan is a commander at one of the forts in Galeth and he’s pretty funny he’s also very opinionated and doesn’t hold back. Adriel is a healer and that sort of made her an outcast. Adriel and Nor hit it off and I think Adriel helped Nor to accept herself for who she is and not for what everyone wants her to be.

~ In the beginning of the book we don’t see much of Ceren unless Nor is having a dream, it’s not until we’re 65% in that his presence is more prominent.

~ We also see Talin’s mom Talia. Nor doesn’t entirely agree with Talia’s plans and that kind of puts a rift between Nor and Talin.

Overall

I thought this book was better than the first in terms of the plot. I liked that we see everything that the characters were worried about come into fruition in this book. It was also interesting to see how the blood bond between Nor and Ceren worked. Nor becomes more sure of herself in this book which is something I liked seeing. This series is worth the read and Kingdom of Sea and Stone was a good ending to this duology!