Fish Out of Water: Of Poseidon

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks (Of Poseidon #1)
Feiwel & Friends, 2012

Oh my sweet goodness, can you tell that Anna Banks had a fun time reimagining mermaids in her debut novel, Of Poseidon. And this was a treat for me too as it was my first positive experience listening to an audiobook!

Emma is on vacation in Florida when she runs into the incredibly handsome Galen. Literally. She smacks right into him. There's an instant physical and emotional connection, though neither of them can be sure why because Emma's just a girl from New Jersey and Galen, well, Galen is a prince of the Syrena (don't call them mermaids) and he's been sent to find a girl who can communicate with fish. Sure Emma has the violet Syrena eyes and can take on a shark, but it feels like not all the pieces are adding up. And would Emma believe it, anyway? In a story told from both points of view and filled with romance and laughs, Of Poseidon is a fun fish-out-of-water story for the summer.

While much of the paranormal genre is about taking fantastical creatures and putting a new spin on them, I was impressed with how much thought Banks clearly put into the Syrena, from how they're organized to their very bone structure. I actually really liked how she didn't necessarily make them better, such as with the mating traditions that are appropriately horrifying to Emma and even a few Syrena themselves. This was a light read in sense that while the stakes are certainly high, it's not like certain death was around every corner. A few things here and there were a bit too sweet to me, but this was a great story for a road trip and I'm very much looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the sequel, Of Triton.

Author Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14),
me, and Anna Banks

This wasn't my first time reading Anna's work - she also wrote the romance Degrees of Wrong under the name Anna Scarlett which I was part of the blog tour for and loved - and it won't be the last. Plus I can attest to the fact that she's super nice because I got to meet her last year during the Fierce Reads tour.

If you're in the mood for something fun with a few laughs and YA that has romance but no love triangles, then pick up Of Poseidon.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Anna Banks' Website
Anna Banks on Twitter