Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: May 22nd, 2012
Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge
Synopsis (from Goodreads)-
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.
My Thoughts
This book was certainly not what I expected, but in a good way. Here's what I thought it would be about, based on the cover and synopsis. Shark attack, friend dies, ooh I'm a mermaid now. *Ohmysweetgoodness... wrong.
Of Poseidon is different than most paranormals you see these days. For starters, it's told from two perspectives. Except sort of not. Emma's chapters are in first person and Galen's chapters are in 3rd person, which I was interesting. Another thing that sets Of Poseidon apart from other paranormals- it's really funny. In that sense, I think the cover is kind of misleading. (also, why does it only have one of the main characters on the cover?)
On a completely different note- Emma and Galen were both great characters. Emma was very independent and very much her own gal. She was confused, but she also stood up for herself and was certainly not a passive character. Likewise, Galen was also a very sweet and confused character He's learning to navigate the "human world" and is unaccustomed to a lot of aspects of "the human way of life." Galen's sister and best friend were also very entertaining.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not too fond of this cover (minus the font which I love!) because I feel like it doesn't really represent the whole feeling of the book. The cover makes it look like a really dark book, and it's not really that dark. Additionally, I think Emma and Galen should both be on the cover instead of just Emma by herself.
Overall, of Poseidon was a book that kept me turning the pages and longing for more. Fans of Tera Lynn Child's mermaid series, will enjoy the awesome Anna Banks' mermaid tribute. And yay for a 2012 debut author! :)
*ohmysweetgoodness is Emma's "lingo."
tnx 4 the review
ReplyDeletehoping to read it soon
"Shark attack, friend dies, ooh I'm a mermaid now"
ReplyDeleteBahahaha. I totally laughed at that.
I really can't wait to read this one, especially after how Erika's been raving about it and now you're talking about it's awesomeness! I need this book in my life STAT :P
Emma was a wonderful character to read. She goes through a really difficult ordeal and on top of that she has to deal with the discovery that she is part mythical creature. Though she's at a loss with the news, she decides it's much better to be proactive about it instead of running away screaming in denial. I liked that Emma was stubborn, snarky, and had a temper to rival any Syrena (they can be really violent!). She doesn't let herself be bossed around by Galen who, as a Syrena prince, is very bossy by nature. But sweet Galen is only trying to help her. He wants to understand who she really is and why she's so different from other Syrenas. He also tries his hardest to follow the rules, after all if Emma has the power of Poseidon she's already destined for the king. But what can Galen do when Emma's lips tease him so? The tension and banter between these two was one of my favorite things. It's one thing to fall of a hot guy, and quite another to fall for Galen who is not only hot, but caring and romantic.
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