Review - Of Poseidon

by Anna Banks
publisher: Feiwel & Friends
date of publication: May 22, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 324
source: from the publisher as part of the Fierce Reads campaign
read it in: 2 days

From Goodreads:

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.

Emma doesn't know what hit her (or rather, what she just hit) when she stumbles into a gorgeous boy on the beach.  Little does she know, Galen's not just any boy: he's a Syrena prince, and he's searching for a girl with a very rare power.  When tragedy strikes and a startling talent is revealed, Emma's world begins to change in ways she could never have expected.  As the two begin to develop feelings for each other, both will have to come to terms with what all that they thought they knew.  Will things work out in end... or will it all be for nothing?

Emma is such a fun character to read about.  Much of her dialog is just plain funny and I found myself laughing at her quips from the very first page.  She's also stubborn and far more temperamental than she initially gives herself credit for, which gives you the sense of knowing her more than she knows herself, sometimes.  She is very much a firecracker and she can definitely keep you on your toes just as much as she keeps Galen on his!  As for Galen, he does have some irritating, macho qualities, but he does seem to be learning ever so slowly by the end of the book.  Keep it up, Galen!

I really enjoyed the way in which Of Poseidon was written.  The dialog was witty and fast-paced, which made for a smooth ride through the story.  I know some have been thrown off by the transition from first person narration to third person omniscient, but I didn't have any issues with it and think I may even see where Ms. Banks is coming from with it.  The first person narration, in this case depicting Emma's point of view, works as a means of telling the story from the main character's perspective, whereas the third person omniscient narration shows us what Galen is thinking and feeling without adding a second distinctive voice.  It made for an interesting change from what you usually see with dual perspective novels, one which I rather liked.  The only problem I encountered was a minor one in that I kept waiting for a huge threat to be revealed, since there were some allusions made to such an event.  What was revealed was shocking, but not quite what I expected.  If this is the only problem, however, I think it's safe to say that this is an amazing book and I very happy when all was said and done.

Of Poseidon is a delightfully fun read with great banter and an awesome premise.  The characters were easy to get into and the mystery element is imaginative and well laid out.  There's nothing quite like a good story and I can definitely say that Anna Banks has delivered with her oceanic offering.  The cliff-hanger ending left me wanting to keep right on reading and I can't wait to read the second installment.  Of Poseidon is one of my favorite "merpeople-centric" books, so far.  This will be a series to keep an eye on.

Buy Of Poseidon at the Following Locations

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This ARC was provided to me free of charge by the publisher as part of the Fierce Reads campaign. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.