September 27, 2012

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks {Review}


Publisher: Feiwel &Friends
Publish Date: May 22, 2012
Source: Library
Galen is the prince of Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen -- literally, ouch! -- both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now if he can only convince Emma that she holds the keys to his kingdom...

Of Poseidon was an interesting new take on the mermaid – excuse me, Syrena – myth. Although, I have to mention one thing that’s been bothering me: what do the women wear as tops in Syrena form? I’m fairly certain it’s never mentioned and it’s been driving me a little batty :P

Of Poseidon starts out in a majorly depressing way and yet, I felt like I wasn’t saddened enough by it. Grossed out, sure, but not sad. I appreciated that Emma had her own way of dealing with it and her own grieving process though. Some might think that she got over it too quickly, but I don’t really think that’s a judgment you can pass on anyone else since we all have different processes.

I loved all the Syrena lore and learning about their past and the way they run things now. I always love learning history about imaginary cultures.

I really liked Rayna and Toraf. They were fun side characters that I ended up caring for just as much as Galen and Emma in the end. Speaking of Galen and Emma…Emma was strong-willed, stubborn, clumsy, and completely hung up on Galen. I love a good “I don’t need a man” kick-a** female lead, but I also appreciate the ones who go all gooey over a guy since it reminds me of being that age. What I didn’t quite appreciate was the relationship itself. Galen was a nice guy and I liked him well enough, but it seems like the readers knew more about him than Emma did. It ended up making the relationship feel a little forced.

I’ve heard people complain about the Emma=First person/Galen=Third person thing, but it really didn’t bother me at all. I barely noticed it, actually. Maybe I’m just not quite as sensitive when it comes to those things, though :P 
The Nutshell: Of Poseidon is a fantastic start to the series. Sure, I had some problems with the relationship but it wasn’t enough to detract from the story itself. If you want a new mermaid story with a little scary and a lot of kissing (read: angst) then Of Poseidon is definitely for you.
 Pages: 336
Series: Of Posidon #1
Rating: Hit

1 comment:

  1. Um...they where sea shell bras, duh!

    I actually just read another book that alternated perspectives between one that was first person and one that was 3rd. I found I really liked the narrative style--at least it worked well for that book!

    I have a copy of this one and have been eyeing it for months. I'm really worried I'll hate this one (I just had a very bad experience with a mermaid book), but I will at least give it a go at some point.

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