Coralys is fiercely devoted to her people. As the queen of the Coral Islands, she’s used to sparring with other rulers, negotiating cunning trade deals, and keeping her people safe, fed, and prosperous. When a devastating storm threatens to drown the islands and takes her husband from her, Coralys makes her biggest gamble yet: she bargains with the god of the sea to save her subjects. Sarah K.L. Wilson’s The Trident and the Pearl is the story of what happens next.
Our protagonist doesn’t really believe in the gods, but desperation drives her to the temple of Okeanos. She tells the god that she will give anything for him to stop the storm. Everyone is very surprised when Okeanos responds. He will stop the storm in exchange for Coralys’s future. She must give up her crown and marry the first man who washes up on her island’s shore. Everyone is even more surprised when a humble, uncouth fisherman is the first person to step out of the sea. There’s no way to break a promise to a god, especially one who could wipe out all of the Coral Islanders with a storm or a tsunami. A scant day after making her bargain with the god of the sea, Coralys is sailing away with her new husband, leaving everything behind.
The plot slows down once Coralys reaches her new husband, Oke’s, island. He’s courteous enough, but he’s also very secretive. He hints at plans and revenge and unknown enemies. It’s frustrating for Coralys—and also a bit for me. I am not fond of plots that are partially fueled by one or more characters who just refuse to talk to their ostensible partners for no good reason. Maybe it’s because I’m a librarian, or maybe it’s just my personality, I would always rather get all the facts as soon as possible. It’s frustrating to read multiple almost identical conversations in which Oke hints, Coralys questions, and Oke goes mum.
The Trident and the Pearl is a mixed bag. I was delighted by the way the gods operate and very much want to know more about it. (There is a planned sequel.) The settings are outstanding. Wilson also does excellent work developing Coralys’s character, from desperate queen to grieving widow to potential player on an entirely different scale as Oke’s fight is revealed. Other characters are less well developed, however. Oke mostly reads as a pain in the ass who wants to martyr himself. We never learn enough about Oke’s enemies to really understand their motivations. I’m not sure if I’m interested enough to pick up the next book in the hope that I’ll finally have enough information to figure out what the hell is going on.