Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2) by Anna Banks - Paul's Review

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Title: Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2)
Author: Anna Banks
Year Published: 2013

My PRE READING
My REVIEW of Of Poseidon 
Ashley's REVIEW of Of Poseidon

Synopsis: In this sequel to Of Poseidon, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half-Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?


Review: I really enjoyed this sequel. I'm glad we got to learn more about the Syrena. We also got to meet a lot more of them. I enjoyed seeing them all especially Grom and the Archives.

Just like the first book, I was surprised by how sad certain chapters were. Although, the book is mostly a light fun read. I had to leave my degree in marine biology behind yet again and just accept the world Banks created.

There are a lot of parallels to current civil rights issues. The same arguments used in the book could be used today. Or during the Civil Rights Movement. All people should be accepted as people, no matter their differences.

I am very excited for the sequel. Mountains? I give this book a 4/5. If you read Of Poseidon, you should definitely pick this up.

-PAUL

Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2) by Anna Banks - Paul's Pre-Reading

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Title: Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2)
Author: Anna Banks
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: In this sequel to Of Poseidon, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half-Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

Why?:  I enjoyed Of Poseidon. It was a light and fun read and it left me craving more. I want to learn more about Emma's mother. I am also intrigued by the half breeds. And I want more of the Syrena.

Expectations: I expect another light fun read. I'm hoping the world will be expanded more and we will learn new things. Since this book is called Of Triton, maybe we will see the Gift of Triton.   

Judging a book by its cover:  The cover has a similar feel to the first book. They aren't anything special to me. I think there are many similar covers out there.

-PAUL

Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Year Published: 2012

My PRE READING
Ashley's PRE READING
Ashley's REVIEW
Ashley's REVIEW of Legacy Lost (#0.5)
Ashley's REVIEW of The Stranger (#0.6)

Synopsis: 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: Ohmysweetgoodness. That's what the protagonist Emma would say and I think it accurately represents my feelings. It's such an innocent expletive. And that's what this book is, a lot of fun. It has a similar feel to the Paranormalcy series by Kiersten White. They are fun supernatural YA with young female protagonists whose lives completely change.

This book was light and fun. Although, the beginning was a lot darker than I expected it to be. There's romance. There's humor. But there's none of that annoying constant angst you find in some YA.

I liked the world building, however light it was. The mermaids...or rather Syrena as they prefer to be called...were interesting. Some things I had to leave my marine biology degree behind and just accept the world Banks created.

The book is written in two POVs and I just could not get into it. Emma's chapters are in first person and Galen's are in third. It confused me, especially when I would first pick up the book and not realize whose chapter it was.

Overall I did enjoy it. Easy read. Fun. Ocean adventures. Royalty. Nothing hard to follow. Slight twists, but nothing too far fetched. I give this book a 3.5/5 and I will be reading its sequel soon!


-PAUL

Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks - Paul's PRE READING

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Year Published: 2012

Ashley's PRE READING
Ashley's REVIEW
Ashley's REVIEW of Legacy Lost (#0.5)
Ashley's REVIEW of The Stranger (#0.6)

Synopsis: 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.

Why?: I recently got a signed copy of Of Triton from Fierce Reads. I had Of Poseidon on my TBR list, so that prompted me to finally buy the kindle version of it. Mermaids have been popular in YA recently, but I haven't read many of them so I'm excited to see how the mermaid mythology will go.

Expectations:  I'm expecting a fun romance with mermaids and adventure. The story is from two points of view so I am expecting the girl protagonist's chapters to be more romance and angst while the male protagonist's chapters will really develop the world building. Mermaids! 

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is ethereal and simple, but it looks like a lot of other books that are out there right now. 

-PAUL

Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Year Published: 2012

My Pre-Reading
My review of The Stranger
My review of Legacy Lost

Synopsis: 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: The last mermaid book I read was Jackson Pearce's Fathomless, and it was one of my favorites. I've been looking for another great take on mermaids since then (even if it isn't at all related to The Little Mermaid), so I finally decided to give Of Poseidon a shot. And I am so upset with myself that I didn't read it sooner! Complete with incredible world-building, a decades-old mystery, pop culture references, humor, and romance, this book is definitely one you don't want to pass over!

Although this book takes place in our world, the supernatural touch that Banks put on it is very well done. Beneath the sea is a whole world that humans know nothing about, although the Syrena are well aware of the humans. I really enjoyed learning about the Syrena from Galen as he tries to figure out how to tell Emma about his people, and also as he travels between the two worlds. I found there to be quite a bit of world-building that is more subtle than in-your-face, which I really enjoyed. Plus, all of it is a great mix of mythical and realistic, and I could totally believe that the Syrena are real. 

I absolutely adored all of the characters. Even the minor characters are so well developed, and I love that there are so many subplots running alongside Emma and Galen's story. There's the Grom and Nalia story, Toraf and Rayna, Rachel, the cold war between the Poseidon and Triton camps, and so much more. I didn't know so many plots could all coexist in one book and be done well, but Banks does it perfectly! It never seems like there's too much going on, and all of the stories fit so well together. It's like a gorgeous puzzle that you just keep finding more pieces to. 


I think one of my favorite things about this book was how the alternating perspectives were done. While Emma's chapters are first person, Galen's chapters are third person. Although it took me by surprise the first time it happened, it becomes very natural after that. The pacing doesn't slow down at all because of it, and I think it adds more to the story than if the whole book had been first person. I also really enjoyed watching Emma and Galen change from each others' perspective (as well as their own), because it makes for some pretty hilarious commentary. Both of the characters have pretty great senses of humor, and I actually laughed out loud several times! Actually, Rayna can also deal out the snarky comments too, and had me giggling most of the time. 

The romance is well done too. Galen follows Emma because he thinks she might have an important gift, and intends to bring her home for his brother to mate with. He never expects to fall in love with her, so the romance is very slow and believable. The two fall for each other because of their flaws, not in spite of them, and I'm always a big fan of that. Toraf and Rayna's relationship is well-done too, and the character dynamic between all four of them is so easy and well done. I found myself really wanting to be a part of their little group. 

Everything about this book is just wonderful. The mix of romance with Greek mythology and mystery and adventure is a perfect blend. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a supernatural romance with more of a story. Also, to any fans of Fathomless, and to anyone who wants a fun summer read. I honestly think there's something in this book for everyone. A 5/5, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series! 


--Ashley

Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: 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.

Why?: I think mermaids are absolutely fascinating. I love the different takes on The Little Mermaid, and I really love seeing how authors take such a popular mythical creature and turn it into something new and different. I'm really looking forward to a YA series solely about mermaids, with a little bit of fantasy and mythology and romance thrown in. I can't wait to see how all of these things are twisted into one story! 

Expectations: I've heard such good things about this book that I have pretty high expectations for it. Definitely a swoon-worthy prince, complete with romance. I'm also pretty excited that it's told from two perspectives, so I'm expecting there to be confusion and mystery and all of that jazz from both sides. And the description says that there's humor... so I also expect to laugh quite a bit. 

Judging a book by its cover: I think this cover is actually pretty fantastic. It's not flashy or showy, but it's definitely very elegant. I love that you can totally guess this is a mermaid book, but it's not obnoxious about it. And the girl still looks human - there's no big fin or seashell bra or anything. If I saw this on a shelf in a bookstore or a library, I'd totally pick it up. Bravo, cover artist. Bravo.


--Ashley