Of Poseidon

Book Review Title: Of Poseidon Author: Anna Banks Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance Rating: ***** Review: The opening chapters to this novel were divine, we are introduced to Emma our protagonist staying with her best friend Chloe in Florida before heading back to school. It is here she meet Galan by accident, Galen is a Syrena or mermaid/merman and he believes that Emma is one of them she just doesn't know it. Galen gets the first glimpse he is right when Emma takes on a shark and wins using some veru unconventional methods. From the offset I loved both Emma and Galan as characters but it is a slightly depressing start to a series. As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel Emma and Galen have developed a sort of love/hate relationship with Galen trying to figure out if Emma knows what she is and even if she is one of them. We also begin to learn about mermaid culture and how they socialize, mate and survive out of human sight. We learn there are two type of mermaid; Poseidon & Triton and each type can be sensed by the other, we also learn a little of their past and laws. My favourite part was learning exactly how Emma would fit into their society if she is what they think she is. Galen and Emma begin to get closer, the spark between them growing especially after Galen reveals what he is and by extension what Emma is. Emma doesn't really seem to react at first as her brain is trying to work out whether her parents are actually her parents or whether she was adopted. I have a feeling that Emma and Rayna won' get along at all especially after their little performance on the beach which was very entertaining to read. As we approach the half way mark in the novel Galen and Emma continue to work on their faux-relationship and even Rayna makes a show of being kind towards Emma and she continue to learn about the Syrena. I liked the internal struggle Galen is facing because he is attracted to Emma but knows if she truly becmes one of them she will be mated to his older brother Grom as their law states. As we cross into the second half of the novel, everything begins to get better until Paca is mentioned, she is supposed to have the gift of Poseidon and Toraf has been enlisted to find her, and this is made even more important when Toraf senses someone following Emma even leaving the water to do so. As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel Emma learns that she has some key difference between herself and other Syrena like Galen for one her heartbeat is a lot faster than Galen's but slower than the average humans. Now she is begin to understand what she is and how special she is compared to others like Galen, Toraf and Rayna and I am wondering what is going to happen to Emma when other Syrena learn of her existance especially the royals. As Emma begins to ask about her hertiage and parentage, Galen seems to believe that her father was a half-breed like her meaning they were half human and half syrena; the descendents of Poseidon. This does have a down side as no other Syrena will accept Emma as one of their own and it is likely she will never find her Syrena form and live as Galen does. Galen then considers the fact that Grom would never mate with a half-breed leaving it clear for him to mate with Emma but in order to do so he would have to sacrifice his long life, his position and his home in the sea. As we enter the final section of the novel Toraf finds Paca and it is proven that she has the Gift of Poseidon meaning that at last Galen is free to mate with Emma but after she found out what he was hiding from her they aren't talking which was really sad to read. I love the fact that up until this point Emma and Galen's romance has been hinted at but it has been a slow burn which I love especially in YA. When Galen begins to make things right between him and Emma I was so overcome with joy that I literally was jumping up and down seqeuling in the middle of my living room. One thing I have to say about the ending of this novel was it was amazing and I wasn't expecting the twist. I can honestly say I can't wait to pick up the second installment Of Triton as soon as I can. Overall I absolutely loved this novel, it was a quick read I read the whole thing in two days, and the characters are just divine especially Emma and Galen. The twist in this novel was so thought out and there was so much misdirection through out the novel that when we saw the twist it was a mind blowing, heart shattering experience. I highly recommend all fantasy lovers read this series and for anyone looking to read a mermaid fantasy novel.

Anna Banks really surprised and totally floored me with Of Poseidon. The Syrena mythology she weaves into the story is utterly fascinating and coupled with her clever writing, it makes up one brilliant and highly entertaining novel. The overall storyline is complex, but still simple and easily understandable. It piques interest and is definitely well developed as a whole.' My favorite part of this book is the alternating point of views of Emma and Galen. Anna Banks is brilliant for doing this because I believe it brought more depth to the story. She made Emma and Galen's voice clearly distinguishable so I knew who exactly was narrating. It allowed the reader to connect more with Emma and Galen as individuals and when they were together. The split POVs definitely gave the book more character. I loved getting to know Emma this way, getting to Galen in another way and seeing how they each made one another feel. I also loved the fact that this helped me see the story in full circle. Emma is one heck of a narrator. Her strong and gripping voice really grabbed me. She was hilariously funny almost every moment. The inner workings of her mind were immensely amusing. I connected with her effortlessly. I loved her energetic personality, her stubbornness and even her wild tempers. I especially enjoyed her kind-heartedness. Her overall good nature left me admiring Emma all the way. I really loved that she stood her ground and that she didn't let anyone step all over her. She was spunky and snarky and all kinds of awesome. I adored Galen so much. At first I thought he would be a snob considering his title and superiority as a Royal, but he was nothing of the sort. Sure, he was regal and poised and had this air of power around him, but he was immensely enchanting, super charming to bits and definitely seductive in more ways than one. I loved his sense of humor and even some of his innocence towards human life. I enjoyed watching him squirm around Emma and I liked that I got to see his internal struggle of choosing between love and duty. For me, Galen was otherworldly and beautiful. He's all kinds of romantic and he's sweet to the bone. He's loyal and he really cares for the people he holds dear to his heart. If I could have him for myself, I would keep him forever. I loved how Galen could push Emma's buttons and I loved that Emma could take Galen's breath away. The tension between the two was mounting up to that one moment and it was worth the wait.' I really loved the setting of the book and getting to know the Syrena world bit by bit. I was extremely captivated by the Syrena. I loved knowing about the Royals, learning their customs and ways of life. I enjoyed being introduced to sifting and mating rituals and learning about the two powerful houses: Poseidon and Triton. I liked that Anna Banks added some background story, giving enough information to make everything clear, but still keeping readers in the dark by hiding essential details that will be revealed in the future books to come. Overall, Of Poseidon was a fun and very quick read! It definitely met my high expectations. With a fantastic storyline full of frustrating and teasing romance and engrossing adventures, Of Poseidon will not only please you, it will enrapture you. And with the ending that could kill, you'll begging for more Emma and Galen and the rest of the Syrena!

Très bonne envoie du livre. Article très intéressant comme ça le montre. C'est une bon moyen de s'entraîner a lire l'anglais

Great story. It's not the typical mermaid story. I've read it 3 times since I bought it. I would recommend the saga.

Tellement contente !!! d'avoir recu dans les délais comme prévu.... magnifique livre en bonne condition... merci!!!