12 June 2012

YA Book Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Release Date: 22 May 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & friends
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:
Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk.
My Thoughts...
Mermaids have been popping up on my radar a lot lately, and I have to give a lot of credit to the authors I've read lately--the stories have each been unique enough to capture and hold my attention without begging comparison to other stories. Of Poseidon was no exception.It was a fun read with a great mermaid Syrena mythology woven in.

The mythology that Ms. Banks crafted for this story was probably my favorite part of this novel.  The lore that surrounds the mermaids, from their special abilities to the rift between two "factions," created a world that made me curious--made me want to dive below the surface to experience it for myself. The back-story that it created for the characters made them more complex and added that extra layer of intrigue to their personalities.

In terms of the characters, I have to say that my absolute favorite was Toraf.  He's genuinely fun to experience in every moment we're with him.  I loved his undying devotion to Rayna and scheming with Emma to get her to pay him attention was so cute! If I could hang out with one character from this book, it would totally be him.  As for the rest of the characters, I liked them quite a bit, but they all had a lot of moments where I was like "No. That's so not you. Stop that."  You know? Those moments that seem really out of character and seem to come from nowhere?  But overall, Emma won me over with her feisty personality, even if she came across as a bit juvenile at times. Galen's alpha-male personality is hard to resist, even if he's more than a little overbearing at times.

Of Poseidon is a fun, quick read--perfect for reading on vacation this summer if you haven't picked it up already.  The quirky characters and well-crafted mermaid lore will pull in all fans of mermaid stories.But be prepared, the cliffhanger ending will leave you wondering if you're missing something and then begging for the next book--which you'll have to wait until 2013 to read!

7 comments:

Stephanie O'Neil said...

I've been wanting to read a mermaid book for a while and this one looks really good!

Danny Bookworm said...

Soo happy to hear you liked it!! I adoooore this book so so much! I love the characters - yes Toraf is awesome indeed! But I loved most Emma and Galen! Their conversations made me laugh and smile :) 

audris jimenez said...

This book sounds awesome. I have been wanting to read this one for a really long time. Glad you liked it, I really need a fun, quick read :)

AMY FOURNIER said...

Great review!! I am definitely interested to know where the story is going to go. I enjoyed this book, but I didn't really feel the characters. 

Addie R. said...

Great review! I loved this book and loved all of the characters! They were all so hillarious! And I agree with Toraf scheming with Emma to get Rayna's attention was cute. I'm really excited for the second book!

Molli @ Once Upon a Prologue said...

Awesome review, Jessi!  I like that you pointed out a few things about this book that other reviewers aren't highlighting.  It's definitely on my TBR, and your review has reminded me that I REALLY REALLY want to read this one.  It just seems so awesome, and hopefully different!

Bhecca73 said...

Great review! Very interesting
article that you’ve posted. Found the views to be quite informative and
intriguing. Thanks for sharing.

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