Of Poseidon

¿RESEÑA?


Ug, esta fue una pérdida de tiempo total. Deberían darme un premio por simplemente haberlo terminado, porque las ganas de dejarlo fueron tan terribles. Solo lo acabé por... por... porque quise desquitarme. Pero a la final me dejó tan pocas ganas para hacer una reseña medianamente decente que ni eso.

Hasta olvidé la razón por la que lo leí.
-Personajes insípidos.
-Narración pésima.
-No pasa nada ni remotamente interesante.
-La pareja de una ostra y un calamar se me hace más interesante que la de los principales. En verdad, no me importaba hasta si se besaban o no.

Y lo peor, LO PEOR:

-La mamá de la protagonista. Dios santísimo, que mujer tan metiche, tan rídicula y tan insoportable. Nunca había visto en un libro a una madre tan pésima, PÉSIMA, siendo madre. Pelea por estúpideces, no se da cuenta de cómo su actitud ha afectado el autoestima de su hija, y no se preocupa ni siquiera por fomentar una sana relación de CONFIANZA con ella.

Y bueno, de la trama ni se diga. Mi primer libro con sirenas, y fue una jodida decepción.

This was my first mermaid book and I loved it. I was worried that it was going to be hard to visualize but it really wasn't. I can't wait to read the other 2 books in the trilogy and then read more mermaid books by different authors.

I wouldn't say this is a bad book by any means. I guess it just lacked the oomph (sorry, but I think this word best describes what I'm looking for) I'm used to. I don't get many feels from this book. Maybe it's just because the book is so short. We, or at least I, didn't really get to bond with the characters all that much. When a certain someone was feeling sad, I just didn't feel my heart jerk. And all these characters the author keeps throwing out...well, they just don't have a very noticeable impact on me. It was sort of like, “Enter So-and-So's-Name,” which led to, “And then So-and-So cracked the Earth with his bare fist.” I'm not saying this happened, of course, and I'm not saying that things were as exaggerated as this example, but still, that was the kind of impression I got. I hope the next book will be better. Mind you, Miss Author, this does not mean I want a tragic ending where I end up crying and doubting the world and the entire human/mermaid (pardon to you Syrena) population.

This book went from hilariously intriguing to guilty pleasure to completely lacking in anything for me to care about. I finished it more out of my own issues with quitting a book once I'm more than half way than actually enjoying it. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read. It was just...okay.
I did enjoy the mermaid story. In a world full of vampires and werewolves (in novels of course I mean), it was kind of nice to see another mythic creature taking the lead. The only problem was, the mermaid world was...genuinely boring.
The characters were pretty well rounded and distinct to begin with, but they gradually dissolved into one-note characters as the romance progressed. All of the twists were predictable.
I would genuinely say, there are better things out there to read. Other bookish fish in the sea.

Overall the story was interesting. The way it was told was not. I did not really likes this book. There were more things in this book that bothered me than things I enjoyed.

Things I enjoyed:
-Mermaids.

Things I did not enjoy:
-I hated how Banks wrote the thoughts of Galen and Emma. There was never any clear transition between the two when you were reading what was in their heads. I was constantly having to check to see who was actually talking to find out who was thinking those thoughts.
-It was very predictable, almost to the extinct that it was not worth reading because of how predictable it was.
-The book at the beginning talked about Chole as a friend of Emma's but throughout the rest of the book Chole was talked about as though she was Emma's sisters for some reason. That never made sense to me.

Overall
-This story could have been a great story but it just wasn't. There were too many things wrong with the book that I do not think I will continue on with the series.

INCRÍIVEEEL!!
Sinceramente :D
Não é o melhor livro já escrito na face da terra, mas... AMEI! super DUPER divertido, sarcástico, envolvente e muito fofo.
E monogâmico, vamos frisar esse momento épico na historia da literatura infanto-juvenil/juvenil/romances que não deixa de presentearmos com um ZILHÃO de triângulos amorosos, levando todas as menininhas que leem acreditarem piamente que estão arrasando o coração da moçada, sendo que, na grande verdade, namorado que é bom está preso em páginas pólen dos livros.

Mesmo Emma sendo um pouco irritante as vezes, os clichês de sempre, e as muitas coisas óbvias - do tipo, “é claro que o espião E Nalia é a mãe”, achei o livro muito bom! E explicativo, repleto de lendas histórias e tudo o que o leitor tem direito.

Muito bom, sinceramente. Não marquei as páginas de passagens que gostei do liro, porque, gostei dele por inteiro.

Wow. Didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. And that ending!!!

(Review originally posted here at The Book Barbies.)

When I started Of Poseidon, I completely expected something super serious with lots of watery brooding. I guess it was the cover, combined with the fact that it was a paranormal. But whatever the reason, my expectations were along certain lines that the book did not end up following. But in this case, I am so glad! It absolutely skyrocketed past my expectations! The book was serious, hilarious, romantic, and captivating, all at once.

I really liked Galen's name, as well as his personality. He was totally cute and awkward. And when he had his paranormal-boy moments of obsessive behavior? Yeah, Emma actually CALLED him on it. WHAT. That's right. You go, Emma! I love that she actually felt comfortable enough with him to do that. And I love that he respected her enough to listen. While they both definitely had their faults, I liked them overall.

Galen's friends and family (who were all basically one unit; even the non-related ones were like family) were such great characters! The interactions between Galen's best friend and his sister were absolutely hilarious, and I loved trying to figure them out.

Banks did some great world-building with the whole story of the Syrena, how being a mermaid works, and all the incredible details. I also liked that the book was told from both Galen and Emma's points of view. However, it was also odd, because Emma narrated in first person while Galen's sections were told in third. I didn't like that at all; it was jarring.

And then we have The Ending. I was pacing back and forth on the sidewalk in front of my house while I read it, and when I reached the end, I slammed to a halt and literally shouted, “WHAT?!” Because it was the end. I had thought it was a standalone. But it was all over. Finished. And I was left dangling off a cliff of epic proportions, and when I raced inside to Goodreads, I discovered how long it was going to be until the next one. May 28th? YEAH, MAY AS WELL BE NEXT CENTURY. (I'm nothing if not invested in my books.)

But massive cliffhanger nonwithstanding, I loved Of Poseidon! This was my first mermaid book, and I could not have imagined a better introduction into the subgenre. There was a little bit too much cheese at times, but not overwhelming amounts. While Of Poseidon definitely had its serious moments, it did a tremendous job of showing that paranormal books don't have to be angst-ridden to be great.

I breezed through this book, only took me 2 days–mind you, I have school to contend with as well. There's so much jammed pack information about the Triton and Poseidon territories to start this series off, but for me it still wasn't enough.

Plot: We've got Emma whose violet eyes connect her to the Syrena, both Triton and Poseidon house, but her white hair and skin are anomalies since Syrena have olive skin and dark hair. Her ability says she's of Poseidon, more connected to the sea world and its creatures than any known Poseidon Syrena. One fatal tragedy in the deep oceans on the Florida coast brings out her astonishing capability in the ocean, but too late to stop the shark before it bites. She didn't know that earlier, the strange boy and girl she'd crashed–literally, she's quite the klutz–into were twin royals of the human-loathing Triton house who, after seeing her violet eyes and sensing her through touch, could . Galen may be a prince of Triton but he's also their human ambassador. He knows that if Emma is a descendant of Poseidon himself then she should be the Syrena that mates with the next in line for the Triton throne, his brother Grom. It would be the only way to stop the current bloodless war between the two Syrena from escalating to violent methods. In order to protect the people he loves he has to follow Emma back to New Jersey where he can make her understand. He doesn't anticipate, however, how difficult that might be, for her and him.

Writing: I know that the tragedy spin is supposed to give the book a somewhat darker spin–or at least, that's what I surmised from the Goodreads synopsis–but Of Poseidon was more humorous than daunting. I didn't anticipate my love for this book to grow with every page but I'd spend a long time zoned out and thinking about the dynamics Ms. Banks presents in the mythology and mythological creatures that make up this book. I've become a little wary on the topic of first books in a series since I know it's the introduction into a fantastical world that's going to unfurl as the books release. It's almost always the execution that rubs me the wrong way because some authors have all this information and creativity in their minds but the structure of their novels don't always match the level of originality. This, however, is far from spetactular execution of Ms. Banks debut novel, for something couldn't me more intriguing to read than a book from an author that knows the voices of young adults so well and can communicate that in her writing. Bravo, Ms. Banks, Bravo.

The pacing kept me flipping the pages at break-neck speed, and the use of dialogue between characters was funny and entertaining, but sad and disheartening when called for. Is it ironic that teared up a bit in English class in a particularly discouraging scene, or just sad?

Characters: Emma and Galen have so much sexual tension writhing between them that it's plain as day to everyone but them. They got to know each other better before deeper feelings made it into the picture. The fight and resistance that their relationship creates between them produces a tantalizing romance that made me want to see develop into something more. Rayna, Galen's twin, was also a bit of obstacle when she saw Galen getting friendly with Emma before she could even develop into a full-blown Syrena and meet their brother Grom. I suppose that's what made me like Toraf so much for putting up with her and taking her away every so often. While being able to meet all these new people becomes special to her, Emma questions her past and parents, faces the decision of what to do in the future and how to come to terms that she is part fish.

Originality: More and more sea-related stories are being written and published in the YA genre, but Of Poseidon has taken the cake in creativity and imaginative disposition.

Now, the one thing I would caution potential readers about and feel I have to mention becomes it seemed fatal was...the cliffhanger ending almost damned me. I said so many OMGs and was pacing around my house before I could fully calm down to get a well-deserved rest. WHY?! Why do authors do such cruel things to their readers? Sigh. Sadly (or fortunately), this in no ways stops me from dragging everyone by the hair to buy this book when it hits store near you.

Grade: A