Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 2012
Genre: YA Mythology
Pre-Order: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD
Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish.
What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.
Get ready to dive into the amazing story that Anna Banks has created. Of Poseidon has officially become my number one favorite mermaid YA novel. I was instantly drawn by the rich mythology of the Syrena, the characters that come alive in every single page, a romance that builds steadily against all odds, and the humor which is ever present. The chapters switch from Emma’s first person POV to Galen's third person POV, and while it took me a while to get a nice reading pace between each one I couldn't stop reading!
Emma's white blonde hair, white skin, and violet eyes, have always made her different, but she never imagined just how different. It takes an embarrassing collision with a hot guy who has her same eyes, and a close encounter with a shark, to turn her life is turned upside down. Returning to school after the tragedy at sea seems impossible to Emma, and when she does an unexpected surprise awaits her.
Galen is a prince, and self-appointed ambassador between the Syrena and humans. When he hears the news of a girl with violet eyes who can communicate with sea creatures, he knows she might just be the key to uniting the kingdoms of Triton and Poseidon. Galen needs real proof that Emma has the gift of Poseidon, and when he does then she will be mated with the Triton king, Grom, and unite the two nations. But all of Galen's plans become harder and harder to fulfill, as he slowly but surely falls in love with this stubborn headed half-Syrena.
Emma was a wonderful character to read. She goes through a really difficult ordeal and on top of that she has to deal with the discovery that she is part mythical creature. Though she's at a loss with the news, she decides it's much better to be proactive about it instead of running away screaming in denial. I liked that Emma was stubborn, snarky, and had a temper to rival any Syrena (they can be really violent!). She doesn't let herself be bossed around by Galen who, as a Syrena prince, is very bossy by nature. But sweet Galen is only trying to help her. He wants to understand who she really is and why she's so different from other Syrenas. He also tries his hardest to follow the rules, after all if Emma has the power of Poseidon she's already destined for the king. But what can Galen do when Emma's lips tease him so? The tension and banter between these two was one of my favorite things. It's one thing to fall of a hot guy, and quite another to fall for Galen who is not only hot, but caring and romantic.
Other characters like Rayna, Toraf, and even Chloe for the small amount of time she appears were pretty great. And in the scenes they all appear together, get ready for some serious laughing time. If I was to complain about anything, it was that the ending was a bit too fast. The big reveal wasn't such a shocker to me. I'd already figured it out, and was just waiting for that "OMG" moment for the characters. But then it never came, because it ended! So I'm pretty excited because there is going to be a second book, but bummed out because I'll have to wait oh so long ;)
*I received this book via Netgalley from the publisher*
Small Excerpt of the start of Chapter 1
I smack into him as if shoved from behind. He doesn’t budge, not an inch. Just holds my shoulders and waits. Maybe he’s waiting for me to find my balance. Maybe he’s waiting for me to gather my pride. I hope he’s got all day.
I hear people passing on the boardwalk and imagine them staring. Best-case scenario, they think I know this guy, that we’re hugging. Worst-case scenario, they saw me totter like an intoxicated walrus into this complete stranger because I was looking for a place to park our beach stuff. Either way, he knows what happened. He knows why my cheek is plastered to his bare chest. And there is definite humiliation waiting when I get around to looking up at him.
Options skin through my head like a flip book.
Option One: Run away as fast as my dollar-store flip-flops can take me. Thing is, tripping over them is partly responsible for my current dilemma. In fact, one of them is missing, probably caught in a crack of the boardwalk. I’m betting Cinderella didn’t feel this foolish, but then again, Cinderella wasn’t as clumsy as an intoxicated walrus.
Option Two: Pretend I’ve fainted. Go limp and everything. Drool, even. But I know this won’t work because my eyes flutter too much to fake it, and besides, people don’t blush while unconscious.
Option Three: Pray for a lightning bold. A deadly one that you feel in advance because the air gets all atingle and your skin crawls—or so the science books say. It might kill us both, but really, he should have been paying more attention to me when he saw that I wasn’t paying attention at all.
For a shaved second, I think my prayers are answered because I do get tingly all over; goose bumps sprout everywhere, and my pulse feels like electricity. Then I realize, it’s coming from my shoulders. From his hands.
