Review: Of Poseidon

Of Poseidon (Syrena Legacy, book one)
By Anna Banks, read by Rebecca Gibel
Published 2012 by AudioGO

Emma thought her klutziness on land was just normal teenage stuff. But when she meets cute stranger Galen and he senses a secret power in her, she discovers that it might be because she's not really meant for land. In fact, she might be better suited to the water...

I downloaded the audio version of this on a whim, when it was offered for free on SYNC this past summer. I didn't know too much about it and, therefore, wasn't expecting much when I started listening. Surprisingly, I rather enjoyed it. This is surprising because I don't typically go for mermaid stuff (though they are called by the much more sophisticated name of "syrena" in this one) and, unless I'm particularly craving it, I also don't read a lot of stuff that's heavy on the romance.

However, as I said, I enjoyed this one. I liked the exchanges between Emma and Galen, and, actually, I thought Emma was a fun character to read. Yes, she can be a bit much at times, but, honestly, when I was expecting so little from this, she didn't seem that bad. I liked the idea of Emma's heritage though I'm sure the science is beyond ridiculous - then again, I don't often go to fiction books expecting science lessons, so maybe it's just me.

Is this the best book I've ever read? No, definitely not. The writing is very basic and a lot of the action feels forced and silly. Similarly, the romance is really stilted and Banks doesn't really take any chances here. As a matter of fact, if I think about it too long, particularly in light of the truly stunning mermaid story I've read (Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama), my enjoyment of this book will be greatly diminished. But as pure escape and froth, I can get behind Of Poseidon.