The Stranger (Of Poseidon #0.6) by Anna Banks - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Tor.com

Title: The Stranger
Author: Anna Banks
Year Published: 2013

My Of Poseidon Pre-Reading
My Legacy Lost Review

Synopsis: The Syrena don’t trust many humans. Rachel is one of them. The story of how Galen met her – and how they bonded -- is both exciting and heartbreaking.

------------------------------------------

Review: I really hope Anna Banks keeps this short stories coming because she does an excellent job taking a little back story and telling it in such a way that it makes you feel like you really get to know these minor characters. Legacy Lost was an intriguing and heartbreaking look into Nalia and Grom's past, and this story about Rachel will tug on your heartstrings just as much. 

This story takes place somewhere in between Legacy Lost and Of Poseidon, and gives us a glimpse into how Galen and Rachel forged their partnership. From reading Of Poseidon, we get an idea of what happens, but I really enjoyed seeing what actually went down on the island and watching Galen, Rayna, and Toraf start to trust a human. Although Rachel and Galen are the main focus of this story, I think it really helps give more depth to all four characters and helps strengthen some of the relationships. 

We already know quite a bit about the world, so there's not really as much world building as before, but we do learn a little bit more about how Grom and the other Syrena view humans, and we get to see more of why Galen wants to be the ambassador between the humans and the Syrena. He makes friends easily regardless of species, and I feel like there's definitely a moral in there somewhere. We still don't know a lot about Rachel, but I still enjoyed learning more about her past and how she ends up working with Galen after he saves her.

I definitely recommend this story to anyone who has read any of the other books or stories in the Of Poseidon series! It will give you warm fuzzies and all of the feels, and I think it really helps get to know some of the characters. And it's also available to read for free on Tor's website (at the link above)! So really, you've got nothing to lose ;). A 4/5 on this little novellette! 

--Ashley