Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Series: Of Poseidon #1
Source: Bought!

Description from Goodreads:
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.

Of Poseidon was an amazing book. Honestly, it amazed me. I was expecting it to be a really good book. I'd read countless reviews saying that this book was extraordinary and the description really caught my interest, but this book still surprised me. Mostly because I was expecting Of Poseidon to be just another one of THOSE stories. You know, boy meets girl, they fall in love, and then a bunch of other things happen that no one REALLY cares about, but it amuses us anyway. But that was SO not this story!

This book was incredibly unique. Essentially, it's a mermaid story, but they DO NOT like to be called mermaids. They're Syrena. Along with being Syrena, there's a tie-in to Poseidon, which attaches this book to mythology which fascinates me. Goodness knows that I'm one to get lost in the characters of most stories, but in Of Poseidon, the story in itself was more than enough to hold my attention. I really found this whole book interesing through and through.

The plot. Another aspect of this book that baffled me in the most amazing way. Some things I expected, but others threw me for a loop. Just as goodness knows about my character addiction, it also knows about my love for being surprised within the pages of books. I mean, who doesn't love that, right?

Character Rundown: Emma. The pretty girl who seems to be more than human. Completely stubborn and positively determined in everything she chooses to do. A very respectable character that I LOVED reading about from Galen's point of view. Now Galen. OH, GALEN. I have a thing for the name 'Galen.' Ever since reading Witchlight by L.J. Smith. If you can tell me the Latin root for the name 'Galen,' you will have my never-ending respect. Anyway, THIS Galen was incredibly awesome. I adore him, of course. Protective and every bit as stubborn as our girl Emma. Protectiveness (a healthy protectiveness, not an abusive one) always scores points in my book. He's caring and kind. Plus, his family and friends mean a lot to him--another thing that earns big points for me.

Sweetness. There is a love story within the Syrena story. It is incredibly sweet, but not an instant thing. No, there is no insta-LOVE. There is, however, an insta-connection. But that is different in my eyes. We actually watch Emma and Galen grow closer throughout the book and I truly enjoyed it. Emma and her stubbroness paired with Galen and his decisiveness just brings a smile to my face.

Something worth mentioning--this book does switch points of view, but it is only first person in Emma's POV. When we're looking through Galen's eyes, it's third person. I love this because I always like to see through more than one character's perspective, and the changing of POVs in this book is done in a way that is very easy to differentiate. It's not hard to turn the page and see that we're in Galen's head right now, or Emma's. Easy to follow.

The ending. I positively adored this marvelous book, but the ending killed me. Another cliff-hanger. I understand why it's there, but it is really torturous! We have to wait--and wait and wait and wait--to find out how it's going to continue. Grrrr.

Overall, this book is something you shoudl certainly read. Cliff-hanger ending and all, it's a wonderful story worth reading and a magnificent debu from Anna. I am highly anticipating reading more from this lovely author.

That's all for today, Friends! Have a wonderful Monday!

♥Jessica(: