Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
To be published May 22nd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends
Source: ARC received from the publisher for review
Goodreads summary:
Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .
Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.
Review:
There are exceptions to every rule, and Of Poseidon by Anna Banks was a shining example of that fact for me. Though it has many of the paranormal romance traits that I’m not ordinarily fond of, Anna Banks managed to set her novel apart from the the rest.
Banks employs dual perspectives and I enjoyed Galen’s point of view just as much as I liked Emma’s. I often dislike a dual perspective– they’re not always pulled off well and can sometimes be jarring. Banks did it in my favorite way though– alternating 3rd and 1st person depending on whose perspective we saw from.
It’s also truly interesting that through the use of the dual perspective we get to see the mermaid– sorry, I of course meant Syrena– world as a newcomer with Emma and with someone who understands how the whole thing works.
Galen’s sister Rayna is essentially married, without her consent, to Toraf and though I found the notion disturbing, it seemed to fit the way that Banks constructed Syrena society. The monarchy calls to mind historical monarchies and the patriarchal societies that usually went hand-in-hand with them. The faults of their society are occasionally made up for by the characters. Toraf is extremely entertaing and Galen is a pretty swoony male lead.
Syrena society is a fascinating take on mermaid and watching Emma learn about her Syrena power and unravel the mystery of her heritage is a fascinating ride… that doesn’t end with the end of Of Poseidon. Anna Banks leaves you with a cliffhanger that will have you hungering for more.
Overall rating: 4/5. A fun take on mermaids and paranormal romance, Of Poseidon will have you swooning and laughing through its pages.
