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Being half-Syrena is a troublesome place. Emma feels out of place in both worlds, but in Anna Banks' Of Triton, she gets to know just how much of an outsider the Syrena really think she is.
Emma barely adjusted to the idea that she was half-Syrena (mermaid) before finding out her mother was a Syrena princess. In fact, she was THE Syrena princess who was thought to be dead and was the cause of the war between the two kingdoms. When Galen recognizes her, he immediately brings his brother Grom, to the surface to reunite with Nalia, his mate who he thought died in a mine explosion. This could have been a beautiful reunion if Nalia hadn't kidnapped Emma to escape the Syrena she was convinced would imprison her and murder her daughter.
When Nalia finally sees Grom with her own eyes and realizes she didn't cause his death all those decades ago, she can barely control her love for him. What she didn't expect was that Grom had already been bonded to Paca, the commoner claiming to have the Gift of Poseidon, the ability to communicate with all marine life. With Grom bonded, the next in line to marry Nalia, according to Syrena law, is Galen. Faced with the fact that her mother is supposed to marry Emma's boyfriend, she is desperate to find a way around the law. Unfortunately, that means Nalia and the other royals returning to the water to challenge Grom's bonding and reinstate Nalia as his queen. But the kingdom they return to isn't exactly the one they left, and no one is in more danger than Emma, the abomination in the eyes of all Syrena.
The first book in this series was seriously funny. I mean laugh out-loud like a fool kind of funny. That was part of the reason I loved it. While I really liked this story as well, it just wasn't as funny as the first book. I missed that. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the back story into the Syrena and the action of everything, but I really missed the spunky, sassy characters and the silliness that made Of Poseidon so very funny.
Still, this was a good story and a great continuation of the series. This series would be great for low-skilled older students, but it is fairly clean and would be appropriate for younger, stronger readers. The books are pretty brief, so the stories fly by pretty quickly. I am looking forward to the third book, but I hope Anna Banks puts more of that snark I loved so much into this upcoming installment!
In Anna Banks' Of Poseidon, we were so wrapped up in Galen and Emma's lives we barely got to see Galen's brother Grom, the prince who shall inherit the throne and carries all the burden of such a post. Grom is the brother whose marriage and mating has been decided on for generations before their own existence. He is the brother with the least ability to make decisions for his own life.
But Grom's story is one of young love and tragedy. In Of Poseidon, we know he lost his first mate, Nalia, but you never learn how. In Legacy Lost, you not only find out about the tragedy Grom was victim to, but also how he really loved Nalia. One would think an arranged marriage is awful and loveless, but Nalia's dangerous side and impulsiveness draws the series Grom to her. And finally, even his mother can't hide the knowledge that Grom's love for Nalia is written all over his face. But Nalia's desire for more and more danger will be her undoing... and Grom's.
Sometimes these short stories are pointless, but I was really happy to read Grom's story. I always thought he was a little cold or too devoted to the throne, but it was nice to see him young and in love. Even though this is a prequel, I think the addition of this story will lead very nicely into Of Triton where Grom's position will take on an even larger purpose than in the first story. Nice addition to the series!
Have you ever felt like there was something different about you? Something that can't easily be explained? In Anna Banks' Of Poseidon, Emma finds out there is more to that feeling than she ever thought possible.
Emma is enjoying her final summer with her best friend, Chloe, on the beach in Florida, but when she crashes into a haunting stranger with the same strange purple eye color as Emma, she can't help but be intrigued. When a freak accident finds Emma fighting with a shark to save Chloe, she doesn't realize the stranger, Galen, witnesses her ability to talk to fish... because as a Syrena (mermaid), Galen has the ability to cloak himself underwater.
Galen suspects Emma is a Syrena from the Poseidon clan, but some things don't add up. She can hold her breath for an inhuman amount of time, she has tough Syrena skin, but she can't shift into a fin. And the worst part of it all is that if she truly is Syrena, she must marrying Galen's brother Grom, the royal heir, to prevent an all out war between the two clans. Galen knows he owes this to his people and his brother, but he can't help but be distraught about the idea of Emma marrying another man. But before anything can be settled, they have to first get to the bottom of Emma's origins... Is she really Syrena?
You know that feeling you get when a book surpasses your expectations? Well I totally experienced that with this book! Not only was it a fun, intriguing story, but it was also hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire story! Not only were the main characters good fun, but the supporting characters, Torif and Rayna have such a great story line. They are officially married, but Rayna doesn't want to be married. Torif loves her, but can't get her to admit she really wants him. despite her constant rejections, Torif just cheerily plods on with his affections, even when she splits his lip and threatens to kill him! I loved Torif! He was hilarious and endearing. The characters really do drive this story.
I also really appreciated that the love story between Emma and Galen isn't as "I met you two seconds ago but I know we are soul mates and I would end my life for you" like many YA novels these days. They certainly were intrigued by each other at first, and they grew on each other over time, but Emma wasn't afraid to tell him where to go when he deserved it. I loved that about her. This is a good story for any middle school through high school student. It's fairly clean and appropriate for a wide range of ages. This was a really fun story, but I warn you, there isn't much of an ending. You will find yourself flipping that last page back and forth looking for more chapters that just aren't there! But there has to be another story... there just HAS to be!
