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Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1)

by Anna Banks (Goodreads Author)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 8,442 ratings · 1,416 reviews

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 hol...more

Hardcover, 326 pages

Published May 22nd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

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2012 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

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Mar 18, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: I wouldn't

Recommended to Steph by: *sigh* Myself

Shelves: mermaids, ebook, netgalley, 2012-reads, alternating-povs, could-have-been-better, disappointment, fell-for-the-hype, forbidden-love, i-totally-saw-that-coming, le-sigh, lots-of-fail-going-on-here, not-for-me, original-and-creative, pretty-covers, serve-me-up-insta-love, that-cover-misled-me, what-kind-of-ending-was-that, why-the-hype, e-arc

It's official. Mermaids are the new "angels" of the Paranormal Romance genre. The is the second mermaid book I've read and I'm less than impressed with these sea creatures. Incidentally, Of Poseidon happens to be worse for me than Lies Beneath .

Of Poseidon tells the story of Emma, a girl who possesses a few Syrena (mermaid) traits, and Galen, a Syrena prince, who attempts to unravel the secrets of Emma. It's discovered that she has the Gift of Poseidon (think Dr. Dolittle at the aquarium) and th...more

149 likes · like · see review

Sep 07, 2011 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist added it

Shelves: macmillan, alamw12, own, arcs, mc-girl, paranormal

Sounds good, but I kind of wish (view spoiler)

44 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2012 Giselle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own, paranormal

With a beautiful cover like this it's hard to resist not checking out what Of Poseidon is all about. I haven't had the best of luck with mermaid books in the past, though I haven't read very many of them. Of Poseidon is, so far, one of the better ones I've had the experience of reading. It has an interesting premise with a beautiful underwater world, but I did have a few quirks with it that stopped me from truly loving it.

Almost immediately, I felt like something was off with the writing. It ha...more With a beautiful cover like this it's hard to resist not checking out what Of Poseidon is all about. I haven't had the best of luck with mermaid books in the past, though I haven't read very many of them. Of Poseidon is, so far, one of the better ones I've had the experience of reading. It has an interesting premise with a beautiful underwater world, but I did have a few quirks with it that stopped me from truly loving it.

Almost immediately, I felt like something was off with the writing. It has a great flow with entertaining dialogue and a good amount of humor, so what was the problem? Finally I realized that when we switched from one POV to the other, the grammatical person changed as well. We get Emma's chapters in first person, and Galen's in third. With fairly short chapters, the need to readjust every few pages made me feel a bit detached and disoriented. It didn't affect my enjoyment of the book per se, it was rather a feeling that something was amiss.

For a book with such a strong character orientation, I was disappointed that almost every one of them didn't sit well with me. We've got Emma; I could have easily liked her, she's feisty and funny, but besides letting herself get treated like a child by Galen, her personality is very inconsistent. For example, she thinks herself the sweetest girl in her class, then she throws Galen's sister through a window with murderous intentions. It was hard for me to get a read on her. As for her bizarre relationship with Galen: When she's not complaining about him using her, she's secretly wishing he would kiss her. I mean, Galen is great at first sight. He's gorgeous with a knack for being charming. But in truth he's controlling and lacks respect for her. He mentions wanting a girl who will do whatever he asks and never argue with him. Anyone? Plus his "serial killer eyes"… His ordering her around, never taking Emma seriously - it got on my nerves. To spite his demands, Emma reacts by doing the opposite of what he wants. In my opinion, this all came off as very juvenile. I simply couldn't root for them, nor did I feel the thrill I expected from young love. However, they do have a few moments in the book that are amusing and cute. I also especially enjoyed the scenes where Toraf was involved. He's the one character that I found sweet with a genuine personality.

The mermaid lore in the story is very thorough with impressive details. I loved learning about the Syrena: Poseidon and Triton houses, their abilities, their past, their culture. Though I'm not sure where I stand on specifics such as the fact that all they eat is seafood, or how it's possible that they have been in contact with humans but stay ignorant on basic human knowledge - and then they know how to drive a car? These are pretty minor, though, and I was able to let it pass. No matter, there's definite originality with a fun take on a well known mythology. We even go into some biology details that I was fascinated by. It's obviously well thought out. As far as the plot goes, we don't have a great deal of development. The book has the feel of a big introduction. We learn about the political situations, and we're left with an interesting twist, but it's overall a fairly slow paced story with no substantial breakthroughs.

I can't fail to mention the Underwater scenes. Aquatic life can be very beautiful; filled with sea creatures, mysteries, and treasures - the parts where they visit the underwater world are easily my favorites. Galen takes Emma to one particular spot by which I was simply mesmerized. It's all magnificently picturesque.

To be honest, even with all the problems I had with this novel, in this end I still found myself to have quite enjoyed it. The promising plot line and elaborate lore kept my attention throughout. I'm certainly interested in reading the sequel which I think may be more to my liking with, I assume, a more settled relationship and further plot advancements.

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For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

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Nov 12, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: covergasm, pretty-dress-on-the-cover, mermaids-and-sirens, coverlove-booksuck, horrifyingly-bad, hot-mess, my-eyes-are-bleeding, is-this-some-kind-of-joke, sorry-excuse-for-a-romance, what-the-actual-fuck, get-that-thing-away-from-me, cheese, dickhead-heroes, dont-understand-why-its-hyped, goodbye-brain-cells, i-am-disappoint, insta-love, too-painful-to-finish, unlikable-heroines, why-do-people-like-this-shit, where-art-thou-originality, you-arrogant-prick, pile-of-crap

This review is also available over at my blog.

______________________

I made it about 130-something pages before I decided that I could not stand to suffer through this book anymore.

What bothered me right off the bat was the writing style. It alternates between Emma's and Galen's POVs, but get this: Emma's chapters are first person, while Galen's are third. I mean... WHY? Just, WHY? Why do there have to be both styles? Why can't Galen's chapters be first person or Emma's be third? And it's not lik...more

29 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Nafiza rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: net-galley, debut-authors-12, 2012

This is going to be an incredibly difficult review to write for a multitude of reasons but especially because I hate giving a not so positive review to a debut author. However, I cannot, in good conscience, let these things pass me by so if you are reading this, keep in mind that the following are my opinions and ones you may not necessarily agree with but nevertheless, they are opinions I have a right to express.

Of Poseidon promises a lighthearted story dabbling in the mythology of mermaids and...more This is going to be an incredibly difficult review to write for a multitude of reasons but especially because I hate giving a not so positive review to a debut author. However, I cannot, in good conscience, let these things pass me by so if you are reading this, keep in mind that the following are my opinions and ones you may not necessarily agree with but nevertheless, they are opinions I have a right to express.

Of Poseidon promises a lighthearted story dabbling in the mythology of mermaids and some faint Greek myths that, superficially, has all the elements of an entertaining YA novel. The dialogue exchange is rapid and there is a lot of wit and humour in the construction of the novel that is, ultimately, very readable.

However, there are some troublesome issues in this novel that, try as I might, I cannot overlook. Emma's best friend, Chloe, is black and she (view spoiler). She's also a flirt and sabotages Emma's potential happiness before she (view spoiler). I don't see the purpose of the former as it has no consequence in the narrative and since I was left to draw my own conclusions on Chloe's actions, I drew them. However, Chloe being black by itself would not have mattered as much to me had it not been for the fact that Banks keeps on reiterating Emma's porcelain colour. Not once, not twice but many, many times. And I haven't been reading texts closely for the past few years without learning something about reading, ya know? Why the emphasis on colour? Why is Chloe black? If you think I'm being too sensitive to the issue, please. You should be aware that any time a non-African American writer writes an African American character, she or he has to be supremely aware that they are writing from a position of privilege and that yes, colonization, neo-colonization, years and years of history of slavery, everything is right there, observing their seemingly innocuous characters. The reiteration of colour may not have been intentional and in fact, I don't think it was but honestly? The emphasis of the porcelain skin tone on the main character who gets the happily ever after (I'm assuming) when juxtaposed with the (view spoiler) black best friend speaks a lot. To me, anyway.

Now that I have spoken at length about the issue of colour, let me talk about how Of Poseidon does what Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick does: that is, both novels bring up murky issues in contemporary courtship particularly where the actions of the male love interest is concerned. Galen's sister has no say in who she wants to marry. In fact, she is quite adamant about the fact that she doesn't want to marry anyone. Does anyone listen to her? No. In fact, she is "married" against her will and WITHOUT her knowledge to a guy who insists that "no" means "yes." Um. As another reviewer (Katya, read her review, it's kinda awesome) stated, Toraf's actions are justified by the assertion that Rayna is just playing hard to get. Am I complaining too much? Okay, fine, you can think that.

Let's move on to Galen. There are several instances in the story that I found the love interest to be a supreme douchebag. He wasn't redeemed in any satisfactory manner and in fact, by the end of the novel, I was questioning Emma's sanity. I used to read a lot of romance novels. Harlequin or rather the Australian version: Mills and Boons. In those books, there was this trope of the overpowering and supermasculine oil tycoons who were possessive, rich and took care of the hapless heroines who just melted to putty in the face of their physical looks and domineering manner. I believe I've just described the actual romance in this novel. Apart from the oil tycoon part. Emma's opinions and outrage "amuses" Galen suggesting that her being offended or angry with Galen is not so much concerning as entertaining. She stomps her foot so I guess I can't blame him for being amused. But the point is, I had the overwhelming feeling that Emma was treated more like a child to be mollified rather than an adult to be taken seriously and you guys, serious ire at these instances. Not that Emma was such a wonderful character. Once and again, she goes on an internal monologue, listing the problems with her actions and with Galen's actions - for instance, Galen shows up on a date Emma is with a perfectly nice boy and makes "serial killer eyes," I'm not even lying, that is the exact term used and threatens to bodily harm the guy amongst other things if he doesn't realize that Emma belongs to him. And Emma well realizes the stupidity of her actions even as she is going along with Galen but, again as the other reviewer (Katya) said, all it takes is for Galen to confess his love before she forgets everything she had been objecting to.

Excuse me while the feminist in me throws up.

I wanted to like this novel. A lot. But I didn't. Though this novel may, superficially, hit the right spot, reading it closely and paying attention to the subtext brings up uncomfortable questions. Do I recommend this to you? I can't say. As I said, the novel is readable but the lack of the plot, the characterizations and the other issues make me unable to tell you either way. You may not be offended by the same things I am. So. Make up your own mind.
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38 likes · like · see review

Mar 08, 2012 Katya rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, arc-galley, fairy-tales, dramarama, horrible-best-friends, katya-s-mouth-runs-away-again, myths-revised, oh-come-on, teen-lit, the-ya-project

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Note: A copy of this book was provided by the publishers via NetGalley. Now that this is out of the way, onto the review.

Okay, so here's the thing: I thought about not writing this review. It felt like a lot of unnecessary effort, given how much has already been said about this type of books. Also, I realized that my writing this review will make me come off as some cruel hater bitch, as there are almost no negative reviews of this book on GR, and none of them seem to be articulated.

But these da...more

58 likes · like · see review

Oct 13, 2012 Kara rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 out of 5

As seen on: Bookosaur

I picked upOf Poseidonfor one reason and one reason only: The Little Mermaid. I watched The Little Mermaid so much when I was little that every time I see adinglehopper, err.. a fork, I'm tempted tocomb my hair. Suffice it to say, whenOf Poseidonmade it onto my radar, I fell for the premise - hook, line and sinker.Of Poseidonis your average fish out of water story - literally. Galen, a Syrena prince, is sent to land in search of a girl who supposedly possesses th...more

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 Danny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: imm-march

Review posted at Bewitched Bookworms

Epic Awesomeness!!!!
You know one of the best things about writing reviews and featuring books on your blog is when you have a book that literally blew you away! Of Poseidon is such a book and beware of my fangirly excitement which will follow in the next paragraphs.

Like with many other books Of Poseidon drew me initially in because of this gorgeous cover! I simply adore this girl in the water, I loooove the white and the green, it’s incredible! I can’t wait...more

20 likes · like · see review

May 15, 2012 Merve Özcan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, from-a-ancient-culture, godish, king-queen, more-than-one-narrrator, mythology, siren, contemporary

Bu yorum ayrıca Kitab-ı Sevda da yayınlanmıştır.

Ne kitaptı ama!

Gerçekten hoşlandığım bir kaç saat oldu. Özellikle sirenleri okumak gerçekten beni tazeledi. Çiftimizin aşkı olmasada, yazarın duyguları aktarış tarzı beni büyüledi. İtiraf etmeliyim ki, kitapta gizem biraz abartılmıştı. Anlatım tarzı ve yaratıcılığa 5 yıldız vermek istesemde gönlüm razı olmadı, çünkü olaylar çoğu zaman sıkıcı bir hal aldı. Gereksiz yere geçen konuşmalar ve herşeyin ortaya çıkma anı çok uzatılmıştı.

Ana karakterimiz,...more Bu yorum ayrıca Kitab-ı Sevda da yayınlanmıştır.

Ne kitaptı ama!

Gerçekten hoşlandığım bir kaç saat oldu. Özellikle sirenleri okumak gerçekten beni tazeledi. Çiftimizin aşkı olmasada, yazarın duyguları aktarış tarzı beni büyüledi. İtiraf etmeliyim ki, kitapta gizem biraz abartılmıştı. Anlatım tarzı ve yaratıcılığa 5 yıldız vermek istesemde gönlüm razı olmadı, çünkü olaylar çoğu zaman sıkıcı bir hal aldı. Gereksiz yere geçen konuşmalar ve herşeyin ortaya çıkma anı çok uzatılmıştı.

Ana karakterimiz, Emma, tam sevilecek bir karakter. Ben aşık oldum deyip hayatını çocuğun ellerine bırakmayan, gayet mantıklı ve tutarlı ama yerine göre ağlamasını bilen cesur bir kızdı. Titanik sahneleri çok tahmin edilebilir geldi. Bu nedenle hoşlanmadım. Karakterlerde bir kaç dövüş sahnesi dışında beklenen şiddet eğilimi yoktu. Ben paranormal yaratık denilince sert olaylar bekliyordum.

Doktorumuzun, Emma'nın yarı siren olduğunu anlamasının bu kadar uzun sürmesi yapay gelirken, balıklarla ve genlerle olan açıklaması, etkileşimi bana gayet mantıklı geldi. Kardeş ve eş arası çatışmalar gerçekten hoştu.Kitap beklentilerimi karşıladı. Beni gülümsetti, biraz duygulandırdı, büyük bölümünde de hikayesine bağlamayı başardı.
Bu kitap bir seri olacak. Umarım en kısa zamanda çıkar, çünkü çok heyecanlı bir yerde kaldı.

Bu arada kitap kesinlikle Alacakaranlığın yüzgeçlere bürünmüş hali; kızın kızarmaları, ölesiye aşık olması, okul sahneleri, kızımızın aniden arzulanır olması, yeni bir okul, özel anlar... Ama kesinlikle Alacakanlıktan iyi, bunu söylemeliyim.

Emma, en iyi arkadaşının köpek balığı tarafından öldürülüşünü izledikten sonra Galen adlı dünya yakışıklısı bir genç erkek ile samimi olur. Kendi kimliği, güçlerini öğrenirken aynı zamanda yaşantısını, ailesini sorgular. Duyguları kendi mantığını aşarken, bilmediği şeyler vardır. Bu önemli olgular onun kalbini kıracak, hayattan şüphe etmesini sağlayacak ama asla onun hayata devam etme hissiyatını zedelemeyecektir.(less)

5 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2012 April rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, paranormal, ereader, netgalley, mermaids, own, signed

I will just come right out and say that Of Poseidon by Anna Banks did not work for me. I unfortunately had a rough time bringing myself to care about the book, which sucks because I want to get into this whole mermaid trend. Of Poseidon is about Emma and opens up with Emma and her best friend Chloe walking the beach in Florida. Emma runs smack into this guy with startling blue eyes then she goes swimming in the ocean. While swimming, Chloe is attacked by a shark and dies while Emma tries to stop...more

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2012 Kat Kennedy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-that-deserve-painful-death, just-plain-bad, kat-s-book-reviews, kat-s-rants, too-painful-to-finish, to-ya-or-not-to-ya, ya-pnr-maddness

I don’t read many books that I would rate 1 star these days. I seem to have mastered my preferences and hit a stride of excellent books – or at least mostly readable books.

Admittedly I only made it fifty-six pages into this book before I threw my hands up in disgust and tossed a pillow at the wall – so I suggest you take that into account when deciding whether to buy this book.

Why did I stop reading?
First reason:

The death of a token character

Token

We didn’t know her long enough, but I’m pre...more

86 likes · like · see review

Jun 03, 2012 Sarah (saz101) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-releases, young-adult, mermaids, paranormal

Sweet, flirty, and unashamedly fun, Of Poseidon is bringing back mermaids. Angst? Nope. These teenage supernaturals eat fish, not blood, and no-one here is sprouting hair and claws. Fins, though? Well that’s a different story...

The Story:
When Galen, a Syrena (read: merman) prince watches a human girl single-handedly fight off a shark, and win, he knows she’s not what she seems. Perhaps not human at all. After all, the Syrena themselves can pass as human—growing legs, breathing air, and walking o...more

12 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2012 Soumi(in love with Puck) Roy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-e-galley, sea-creatures, young-adult, books-i-reviewed

Syrena Prince Galen was searching for a girl in land, who has gift of speaking with fish. When Emma bumps into Galen, he felt a connection with her but he wasn’t sure Emma is the one. The more they were getting close, the more Galen was convinced Emma is Of Poseidon who holds the key to save his kingdom. If Emma is truly Of Poseidon she has to marry Galen’s older brother Grom. Will Galen sacrifice his love to save his kingdom?

In recent days, I have been reading a lot of mermaid books, and each o...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 Kari Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: completly-lost-within-the-book, fantasy, favourites, glad-i-gave-it-a-chance, love-love-love, romance, all-time-favourites, read-it-over-and-over-again

I LOVED the book. I don't think I've ever smiled and laughed out loud from a book this much before. The characters were so alive, they were just like teenages at that age. Emma; I fell in love with her from the first page. Her voice was so clear, natural and witty, and every reaction she had was just like I would've reacted in situations like that. The fact that she often got shy was one of her best qualities, and I really loved her temper. And then there's Galen. Galen, Galen, Galen. I LOVE HIM...more I LOVED the book. I don't think I've ever smiled and laughed out loud from a book this much before. The characters were so alive, they were just like teenages at that age. Emma; I fell in love with her from the first page. Her voice was so clear, natural and witty, and every reaction she had was just like I would've reacted in situations like that. The fact that she often got shy was one of her best qualities, and I really loved her temper. And then there's Galen. Galen, Galen, Galen. I LOVE HIM! He had this aura of strength and loyalty, that I just fell for, and I knew that he end Emma were perfect for each other right from the start.

Their love towards each other was a little to "classy" for me. Like: Bumping into each other and falling in love. But at the same time, I really liked their love, not only because I like "the classy"-sorta-thing a little too, but because of their reactions and thoughts, which made their love so real and so much more than just a teenage love.

I guessed quite early in the book what was going to happen, and who this 'stalker' was. I was a little unsure and had many doubts of course, but in the end my guess was right, and it left me a little dissapointed.

Another thing was that I missed a some more action. There were some in the beginning, but in the rest of the book it was kept to a minimal. The book ends very promising, and I long to get my hands on the sequel. I hope the sequel deliver more action than the first book did, it seems so at least.

Even though the book leaked a little action, I was still addicted to it. I read it everywhere, on the bus, in the car, in public and of course at home, where I drank tea and ate cookies and chocolate, curled up in the sofa.

I really recommend this book to everyone who loves fantasy, strong romance and a good laughter.

Thanks for reading my review, it encourages me to write more! (I know this might sound a little cocky, but I say it anyway..) If you want to have my opinion on a book, just comment or send me a message. I would love to get some feedback of what you think!

~Kari (less)

10 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2012 Donna {Book Passion for Life} rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, e-galley, for-review, from-publishers, kindle, ya-paranormal-romance

Tera Lynn Child was the first author to convince me that mermaid books were awesome and now Anna Banks has convinced me that there really should be more mermaid books because Of Poseidon was a fantastic read and it really didn’t disappoint!

Even though I adore YA Paranormal books, lately I’m finding them slightly predictable. Now Of Poseidon is a prime example of UNPREDICTABLE! Why? Because this story is told from both girl and boy’s point of view and you don’t find this often enough in YA Paran...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Sarah (YA Love) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-debut-author-challenge, mythology, read-in-2012, series, young-adult-lit

I went to the Fierce Reads author event in Lansing on Friday planning on buying only two of the books featured. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks was featured, and I didn’t plan on buying it because I didn’t know much about it and I’m not always sure about “mermaid books.” Once it was Anna Banks‘ turn to discuss her book, however, my plans changed. She started out saying that she wanted to write a Sasquatch love story but didn’t think the world was ready for that yet. I knew at that moment that I wanted...more I went to the Fierce Reads author event in Lansing on Friday planning on buying only two of the books featured. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks was featured, and I didn’t plan on buying it because I didn’t know much about it and I’m not always sure about “mermaid books.” Once it was Anna Banks‘ turn to discuss her book, however, my plans changed. She started out saying that she wanted to write a Sasquatch love story but didn’t think the world was ready for that yet. I knew at that moment that I wanted to read her book. Her sense of humor only continued to get better and by the end of the event my friend who came with me and I decided that we were reading Of Poseidon first.

When I began reading Of Poseidon I could easily hear Anna Banks’ voice and sense of humor coming through. This book isn’t a laugh riot or anything, but it’s extremely entertaining and full of moments that made me snort with laughter, as unattractive as that is. The blend of romance, mythology, mystery, and humor makes Of Poseidon a book that’s difficult to put down. Another appealing aspect to Banks’ debut is that the chapters alternate between Emma and Galen’s points of view, but Emma’s is told in first person and Galen’s is told in third person. It took me a second to realize that shift from first to third person point of view, but it never bothered me like third person will sometimes.

The characters in Of Poseidon are endearing and really come alive on the page. I love Emma’s witty sense of humor and how awkward and clumsy she can be, but also how smart she is too. Understanding her Gift isn’t easy at first, especially since her feelings for Galen keep distracting her. Galen is really protective of Emma because he’s drawn to her, but also because she and her Gift are so important to the Syrena (don’t call them mermaids). It’s refreshing that while Galen is protective of Emma, she isn’t completely submissive and he isn’t overbearing. The tension between these two characters is palpable and had me saying out loud, “Just kiss her already!” I even texted my friend that while I was reading because I knew she was ahead of me in the story. Galen’s sister Rayna and her “mate” Toraf are fun minor characters. They add that extra bit of humor and intrigue that made Of Poseidon so much fun to read.

I do need to warn you though. Anna Banks left her readers with a crazy cliffhanger! I’ve already written it down as an ARC to look for at NCTE this fall. I’ve made a number of predictions about the ending and what’s going to happen next, so hopefully I’ll be lucky and get to read an ARC.

If you’re looking for a light, engrossing book to read this summer, I highly recommend picking up Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Damali rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, audiobook

There's just something about young adult PR that rubs me the wrong way. The ideas are often stale, the writing is remedial, the dialogue is a bunch of cliches, the kids are all privileged, and the worst offense of them all is that they're marketed as dystopian or fantasy or a zombie tale, because that's what's "in" right now, and there is no work at all put into creating a unique world. In the case of this novel, it isn't a true mermaid story, but the story is a likeable one.

Emma is on vacation...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 02, 2013 Renae M. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Renae by: Christina (A Reader of Fictions)

Shelves: read-in-2013, debut-2012, mermaids, fantasy, nonfiction, published-2012, viewers-choice

As a general rule, I don’t read books I know I won’t like. Much as I’m tempted, sometimes, to give in to a bad case of morbid curiosity, I don’t. Reading books I don’t enjoy isn’t fun, and writing reviews for those books isn’t fun either. It’s a no-win situation. When the reviews for Of Poseidon started circulating, about six months ago, I promptly put this book off of my to-read list and didn’t give it a second thought. I don’t have the time or patience to suffer through reportedly sexist and i...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those deserving of cruel and unusual punishment

Recommended to Christina (A Reader of Fictions) by: no one. I brought this pain on myself.

Shelves: netgalley, dropped-series-graveyard

Originally posted here.

I really, really would like to find a mermaid book that I like a lot, but that search will be continuing. Of Poseidon is a book that most readers are probably going to love or be entirely annoyed by. Banks has a definite style, one that will either amuse and enchant you, or that will make you roll your eyes vigorously over and over again. For me, it was the latter.

Problem one is the host of YA tropes in the characters and their relationship to one another. Emma, a card-car...more Originally posted here.

I really, really would like to find a mermaid book that I like a lot, but that search will be continuing. Of Poseidon is a book that most readers are probably going to love or be entirely annoyed by. Banks has a definite style, one that will either amuse and enchant you, or that will make you roll your eyes vigorously over and over again. For me, it was the latter.

Problem one is the host of YA tropes in the characters and their relationship to one another. Emma, a card-carrying member of the Bella Swan school of heroines, is exceedingly clumsy: "I'm betting Cinderella didn't feel this foolish, but then again, Cinderella wasn't as clumsy as an intoxicated walrus" (2). Note, too, Banks' sense of humor. This pretty much captures it perfectly. Emma meets Galen, Syrena prince, by tripping and smashing her face into his chest. We are treated to these inner thoughts:

"Tripping is bad enough. Tripping into someone is much worse. But if that someone has a body that could make sculpted statues jealous—and thinks you've broken your nose on one of his pecs—well, that's when tripping runs a distant second to humane euthanasia." (5)

This girl seriously needs to sort out her priorities. Also, she spends way too long thinking about the awkwardness of the situation. While she's thinking, she remains plastered against him, because obviously that's less weird. Everyone trips sometimes. He would laugh and move on if it were the real world. It's not though, so no one's phased by how long she presses her face against his chest on first acquaintance. Here's one more quote to explain my distaste for Emma: "If stupid were a disease, I'd have died of it by now" (119). This attitude is so unhealthy. I encourage girls not to think of themselves this way, even as a joke.

Galen, of course, is drawn to her from first meeting, purportedly because his mermaid (sorry, Syrena) senses are tingling. Meant to be together, blah, blah, blah. They met while she was on vacation (during which time her best friend got eaten by a shark). She goes back to Jersey and he shows up in her school with an identical schedule. When she tries to avoid him after the first class let out, he grabbed her wrist and, when she tries to pull away, he grips harder (41). This is a primo sign of a controlling guy. I was not surprised to learn that he had 'serial-killer eyes' (290). Among his other charming qualities, he also bosses her around constantly and takes advantage of her memory loss to convince her to accompany him somewhere.

I would also like to point out that Emma completely forgets about Chloe's death and that she's supposed to be sad within a day of Galen's showing up at her school. Meanwhile, her mother hears that Emma tripped and hit her head, freaks out and accuses Emma of sleeping with Galen, her boyfriend. The two are not dating and she refuses to believe anything else. He was a transfer; it was his first damn day at that school. WHAT WHAT WHAT?

The other big problem I have is the inconsistency of what the Syrena know about humans. Galen is an ambassador to the humans, which basically means a spy. He is bewildered by: phone books, people having more than one name (first and last), lip gloss, and countries. At the same time, he is capable of using a phone (likely a fancy modern one) and driving a car (note: one with a manual transmission). He was also capable of passing all of the high school classes she was taking. Plausibility fail.

Of Poseidon had some seriously major flaws, as I've pointed out, but it was still a quick and enjoyable read. I suspect many people will enjoy it more than I did. (less)

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May 27, 2012 Shreya (CCReviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Alright then! Here's my review:

Goodreads Summary:
"Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk."

"O...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Noooo.........! The ending left me wanting for more....! Now I want the next book really really bad....~~~

Though I have to admit I almost stop reading because of the beginning which is kinda boring and I couldn't really grasp the concept of Syrena in beginning too. It might be because the other Mermaid/Merman stories I've read or watched before (*The Little Mermaid for instance*).

But as the story progresses, I get to know more of Emma's heritage. And her relationship with Galen is just soooo......more

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May 01, 2012 Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-dac, netgalley-grabs

Cute... but I’m brewing with tons of questions.

Of Poseidon takes us into the world of mermaids... no, wait Syrena – the term “mermaid” insults Galen and company, but come to think of it they actually mean the same. I’m from the Philippines and I’ll give you a small trivia or translation that Syrena actually means mermaid/siren in the Filipino language, only it’s spelled “sirena” and we call the males “sireno”.

Wikipedia says: In Philippine Mythology, Sirena is mythological aquatic creature with...more

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Apr 20, 2013 TayteH added it

Shelves: arc, have-a-copy, physical-copy, favorites

As a lover of the sea, I knew I'd love this book. I love mermaids, but these guys are better. They're called Syrena. Unique. Instead of the traditional goldfish tale, they have a shark tale. They can sense each other at certain distances. They are super fast. And some can talk to fish!

In the book Galen finds out that Emma can talk to fish, a gift only Syrena of Poseidon have. And if Emma is who Galen thinks she is, then she has to marry his brother. It really sucks when 1) she can't grow a fin,...more As a lover of the sea, I knew I'd love this book. I love mermaids, but these guys are better. They're called Syrena. Unique. Instead of the traditional goldfish tale, they have a shark tale. They can sense each other at certain distances. They are super fast. And some can talk to fish!

In the book Galen finds out that Emma can talk to fish, a gift only Syrena of Poseidon have. And if Emma is who Galen thinks she is, then she has to marry his brother. It really sucks when 1) she can't grow a fin, and 2) he's in love with her.

So the overall plot is Emma is trying to fin out what she is and how she has all this abilities while Galen tries to find out how she can exist and how he can be with her without giving her to his brother. Doesn't that sound awkward?

This book took me only a day to read. It had me hooked through the entire thing. I loved Emma's spunk and "I dont' take orders from you" attitude, and Galen's sweet but stubborn and protective personality towards her. Toraf's name is weird, but he's hilarious and always says something smart. And his plan to finally win over Rayna was brilliant! She deserved that after she was being a bitch to Emma.

There were only two character's I didn't like. One of them was Emma's mom who had a big secret that could impact everyone, and Paca, a stupid mermaid who is lying about having the gift of Poseidon.

There's a lot of history in this book. I liked that. It made understanding the book and the Syrena's customs a bit better too. And there was only one thing I didn't like about the book. It was that Galen couldnt' get Emma's hint on how she really liked him. He liked her for sure, he was just oblivious to what she felt. It doesn't hgave tha the was trying to NOT fall in love with her becaus eof the possibility that she might be forced to marry his brother. But instead of shifting (mating ) at 18, he wanted to learn about humans and fell in love with his soulmate-Emma. They kinda had that insta-love thing going on, but it was so sweet and Galen was so amazing that you had to love it. By the way, Galen is MINE! Book boyfriend #4 or #5. One of the two.

The ending---HOLY CRAP! I should habve seen it coming, Banks hinted it over and over, but I didn't see it. OMG! It can't freaking end like that! NO FREAKING WAY!
(less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Angel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-release, arc-for-review, feiwel-and-friends, mermaid-month, mermaids, ya, favorites

You can find this review and many more at Mermaid Vision Books!

Release Date:May 22, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 324
Format: Hardcover
Source: ARC received from publisher

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...]

Tell Me More:If you're at all familiar with this blog, then you know that my reactions to paranormal novels can go one of two ways: either I find many themes to criticize, or I love it unconditionally. Mermaids, not surprisingly, tend to be the co...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Luna rated it 4 of 5 stars

2 words: So. Cute.

To dispel any wandering curiosity out there - yes, this was a fairly stereotypical YA novel. But you know what? It was an enjoyable read. It was clichéd in all the right places. The male lead was physically perfect and intimidatingly possessive. The girl lead was ditzy and blushed at the movement of dust particles. In short, it was your typical, run-of-the-mill YA read, but the been-there-done-that components were not so annoying that they distracted me from liking the story. T...more

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May 11, 2012 Shanyn (Chick Loves Lit) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dac12

Mermaids are kind of a new fad, or at least a few books have been published recently featuring them. Of Poseidon was the first in this sub-genre that I read, and I think it's a fad I approve of!

Full Review: http://chickloveslit.com/2012/06/revi...

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Jul 11, 2012 Ashtyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, mermaid

Normally, I'm very hard to please when it comes to books where the main characters are ocean dwellers. There are a few I've read that were good enough to reread but the others have too many potholes and don't make sense.

I was torn after reading this one. I liked the idea and the characters. I liked the setting and the writing style. What I didn't like was when things didn't line up right.

For example, our heroine, Emma, who is actually very likable, couldn't breathe under water. In fact, she sp...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: awesome-covers, i-love-greek-mythology, oh-so-meh, take-your-insta-love-and-get-lost

Liked it

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Nov 21, 2012 Kimberly marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2012-bookshelf, netgalley

Thoughts immediately after finishing the book:
The dialogue killed me, phrases became repetitive, the story jumped around a lot when it switched POV's. When it switched POV from Emma to Galen the author would use the first person for Emma but when it came to switching to Galen she started writing in the third person which I found odd. The plot itself was okay but the characters irked me. I will continue the series but I hope the writing gets better. I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone...more Thoughts immediately after finishing the book:
The dialogue killed me, phrases became repetitive, the story jumped around a lot when it switched POV's. When it switched POV from Emma to Galen the author would use the first person for Emma but when it came to switching to Galen she started writing in the third person which I found odd. The plot itself was okay but the characters irked me. I will continue the series but I hope the writing gets better. I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone under the age of 14.

FULL REVIEW

I was so looking forward to this book so when I was granted an ARC copy of it from NetGalley I was so excited but like always it took me a while to get around to reading it and I didn't even get to read it until the beginning of August and it wasn't at all what I expected it to be like.

I went into the book with really high expectations because I had seen some very promising reviews of it on some blogs where the reviewers are known to be really tough and usually their reviews are pretty accurate in terms of how I'll enjoy it.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't anything like what I thought it would be like. Right off the bat I was put off by Emma and then one by one the other characters began to get on my nerves. I honestly didn't care so much for any of them because they were very one dimensional and fake especially Emma. OMG was probably said by here every third page or so and by the end of it I was cringing anytime I saw anyone on Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads use it for the longest time. There was also very little chemistry between any of the characters and it was as if their dialogue as well as their interactions were too forced almost as if the author was trying to hard to make her characters act like teenagers which made things very awkward.

I also had trouble with the plot. It seemed so basic and more like a plot outline than an actual fully thought out and organized plot in a novel. There were so many gaps in the story where it was as if the authors focus on the story was jumping all over the place which caused a lot of confusion sometimes.

I mean the book had the potential to be a really good read albeit not a unique one because mermaid novels are becoming more plentiful in the book world as of late but it could have been really good read. Sadly though, for me this one fell way short of my expectations I found very little to be redeemable about this novel except that it was a quick read for a vacation but was ultimately pretty forgettable. Despite all of this I will be reading the next book in the series just to see where the story goes.

Though I didn't care for the book all that much that should by no means stop you from checking it out. If you were to read it though I think you should probably be a fan of Young Adult Novels with mermaids.

* I received a free copy of this book from the published via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and I was not compensated in any way.(less)

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May 05, 2013 Carina Olsen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just re-read Of Poseidon. Below you will find my new book recommendation for it. <3

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I've been meaning to re-read Of Poseidon ever since I got an ARC of Of Triton in the mail at the end of January. But I've been worried. Because while I do remember liking this book a lot, I also remembered two things that I did not like, that broke my heart a bit. I still had issues with those two things. But. It was not as awful as I had imagined, so I should have re-read it long ago :) And...more

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About Anna Banks

Grew up in a town called Niceville. No, seriously. I graduated from Niceville High School. So did J Lo's second husband. And the guy that plays Aqua Man on Smallville dated my best friend.

Now I indulge my tendency to lie by writing the lies down and selling them to publishers. Well actually my agent does that. One of my lies is called OF POSEIDON. The sequel is called OF TRITON.

And um. I also wr...more

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Fierce Reads Chapter Sampler: Chapters from: Monument 14, Of Poseidon, Shadow and Bone, Struck

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Quotes from Of Poseidon

“Basically, everyone thinks--knows--how sweet I am.

Emma, you threw my sister through hurricane-proof glass.” — 135 people liked it

“Galen?”
“Hmm?”
“You can put me down now.”
“I’m not ready yet.” He tightens his hold.
“You don’t have to hold—“
“Emma? Can you hear me?”
“Uh, yes. I can hear fine. I just can’t see—“
“That’s a relief. Because for a minute there, I thought maybe you didn’t hear me when I said I’m not ready yet.”
“Jackass.” — 109 people liked it

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