January 19, 2012

Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Hardcover; 324 pages
Expected Publication: May 22, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends
Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish.
What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.


I don’t have the greatest track record with mermaid books. In fact, I’ve never liked a single one that I’ve read (or attempted). Of Poseidon is definitely the exception.

The first chapter didn’t convince me. Basically we learned that she was clumsy and that Galen was gorgeous. (She reminds us at least three times just how gorgeous he is.) So I’m sure you can guess where my mind was going with comparisons. Luckily, the pattern doesn’t continue, and Of Poseidon takes a path all its own.

I loved the characters. Emma is very stubborn and stands her ground. Galen is so adorably naïve, it had me laughing out loud from time to time, as did his sister Rayna and friend Toraf. Their lack of knowledge about the human world was very well played. I ate it up. I love that the main characters weren’t all I cared about. I enjoyed reading about the secondary characters as well, and found myself wishing we could see more of Emma’s mother.

The way the story was told is definitely a plus for me. It alternates between Emma—first person, and Galen—third person. This allowed us to get to know Galen, and it also let us into the Syrena world. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this as much if we hadn’t been able to see that side of the story.

I got lost in this book, refusing to go to bed until I finished. There was a bit of a revelation that I definitely saw coming, and I don’t see how they couldn’t see what was right in front of their eyes. But eventually they catch on. The book does end a cliffhanger which is a bit frustrating. I’m personally getting tired of books ending in the middle of a climax. Nevertheless,  I’m definitely anticipating the next installment in this series.

4/5 Stars!




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9 comments:

  1. I've never liked mermaid books either. Although I have only read a few - maybe 2. But I really didn't like them. (One was a DNF.) But I've seen maybe 2-3 reviews on this one and they're really getting me curious enough to want to give this one a go. The alternate POV switch is great and Galen sounds like a fun characters I guess I'll add it to my wishlist! ;)

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    1. Hope you enjoy it! It's definitely the first mermaid book I've enjoyed even the slightest bit. :)

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  2. Ohh, you've definitely brought the hype up for me for this one! I've always been a fan of mermaid novels, but haven't really come across many great ones. Only one that I can remember, The Mermaid's Knight by Jill Myles. I really liked that one. It's a retelling of The Little Mermaid but in a time where there were Lords and such.

    I've seen Of Poseidon quite a while ago. I love its cover, title, and it sounds SO interesting! I want to read it even more now that I know that the male lead's so yum.:D Haha. This is definitely on my wishlist now!

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    1. Hope you like it! I've never heard of The Mermaid's Knight but I think I'll have to look it up!

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  3. I am intrigued by a mermaid story as I haven't read any yet. This sounds pretty good.

    Thanks for the review!

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  4. This book is going to be the type of book that people will love or hate. The fence here is rather narrow, and for good reason. But mysteriously, I fell on it. Galen is not my type of hero that I fall in love with, and the situation wasn't 100%. In fact, I rooting for some twists to happen that never came, and the final twist didn't really please me - especially since it ended on something of a stiff cliffhanger. Maybe the story just didn't satisfy me as much as it could have, but the presentation of girls as objects to be controlled by men - unable to choose their own partners, their own destinies, their own lives, and with girls who do this the object of scorn by their family and people - just was a big no-no for me.

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  5. Of Poseidon sounds like my kind of book. I'm always on the lookout for mermaid stories. I can't wait to read this one!

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