Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

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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.
(Goodreads.com)
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Review 
The first thing I noticed was the striking cover of this book. I haven't read many stories about mermaids so wasn't sure what to expect. This was an easy summer read and I was pleasantly surprised. There was  humor, romance, mystery and action that started from the first pages. I think I would have enjoyed discovering this one as a teenager myself.
 
The story was told in alternating points of view from teen Emma (first person) and Prince Galen of Syrena (third person). I did like these characters but found them a bit wishy washy at times. The snarky sense of humor was very appealing to me, as was the sarcasm and some of the witty dialogue. I also liked the light romance instead of the intense love triangle that is so common. This seemed age appropriate. I found some of the secondary characters more interesting at times. Rayna, Galen's sister, and Rachel, his mother-figure, grew on me with their strong, feisty personalities.

 For the most part the writing flowed and it was easy to read. It was a bit awkward to transition from first person to third person with each chapter but I got used to it. I thought the mythology of the Serena (mermaids) and the world building were very interesting. I want to learn even more about the houses of Serena and Triton. I did have some problems with actions of different characters. For example, it seemed with the traumas Emma had in her life she would be more cautious, especially around strangers and definitely around the water. Emma's mom was also way too trusting of strangers and displayed other strange behaviors. Although it was under false pretenses, she let her only daughter, a teenager, spend so much time with Galen's family unchecked. There was also some stalker-like behavior displayed that seemed extreme. Attraction is good but jealous, obsessive behavior is not. That is just my opinion and may be the parent in me, it just seemed too easily accepted.

The end of this debut had an intriguing twist that I did see coming, but I liked it. There was also a good cliffhanger that left me wanting to read the next book in the series. I'm very curious to see what this author will be writing in the future.
Of Triton (book #2) spring 2013

Thank you to Macmillan (Fierce Reads) for an arc in exchange of my honest review.

Author
Publisher 
Fierce Reads

Release date: 5/22/12
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 336 (hardcover)
Type: YA fiction