Of Poseidon by Anna Banks REVIEW

Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: Feiwel And Friends
Publication Date: 2012



    A series of books I began not too long ago was the "Tempest" series by Tracy Deebs (Tempest Rising, Tempest Unleashed, and the soon-to-come Tempest Revealed), and when I finished the second book of that series, I decided to continue on with the mermaid theme. So, of course I went on to Barnes & Noble's website and decided to see what books were listed as comparable to the "Tempest" books and among those listed was Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.

     Now, let's of course start by judging the book by it's cover. I will admit that the cover contributed to what sold me on purchasing this book. Not only is the font charming (and metallic in person, so it catches the eye) but you can't help but think that the image of the woman floating up through the water is remarkable - the contrast is just too cool. When I was younger I used to play in the swimming pool and pretend I was a mermaid, swimming to the surface with my back arched and hair flowing majestically behind me, and although I know now that I certainly didn't, when I was little I pictured myself looking just like the girl on the cover of the book (minus the long gown and plus a brightly colored tail). The back cover is pretty cool too, continuing with the ocean background and complete with a bunch of bubbles and a quote from the book:
                       "And then I feel it. It saturates the water around me, thrumming without rhythm.
                        The pulse. Someone is close. Someone I don't recognize. Slowly, I tiptoe 
                        backward, careful not to splash or slosh. After a few seconds, Tiptoeing doesn't 
                        make a whole lot of sense. If I can sense them, they can sense me. The pulse is 
                        getting stronger. They're heading straight toward me. Fast."

The actual hard cover of the book is just a dark teal, reminiscent of the color of the ocean, of course, and then the spine has the title, author, and publisher in a metallic silver font. Since I know that not all readers look for aesthetic pleasure like me, I'll move on to content finally.

      I read through this book pretty quickly, which was half due to me having nothing to due over winter break and half due to my interest in the book. I read the first few chapters of the book back at school and then finals crept closer and I didn't have enough time to dedicate to reading for pleasure so I just dreamt about reading the rest of the book until I was back home. I was really glad to be able to pick it up again, and the first half or two thirds of the book really got me going. But, I have to say towards the end of the book I wasn't enjoying it as much. I was under the impression that this book was not part of a series or going to have a sequel or anything, so as we got towards the last 100 pages and there wasn't anything developing forward to the point where I felt like the plot could end soon. But as I neared the very end of the book, I realized that there has to be at least one other book to complete this story because Anna Banks purposely left us with a complete mystery and a cliff hanger leading to a whole other section of the plot. It was a pretty quick read so let me go ahead and summarize for you the plot that I keep referring to.
   
      Of Poseidon is a story about a teenager named Emma who, through heart-breaking loss and a ton of embarrassment/blushing discovers the world of the Syrena (not mermaids, they don't like the word mermaids). She finds that she, too, has secrets of her own and that everyone around her may not really be what they seem. She learns to love, overcome fears, how to become a woman, and how to grow into herself (even when she's not quite who she always thought she was). It's a cute story and if you are looking for part adventure, part romance, part history, & part humor, then this will be a satisfying book for you. There isn't a lot of action, not a lot of suspense, and only a teeny bit of mystery. But if you like "short and sweet" with all of the components I mentioned before, then you would probably enjoy this book. If you enjoyed reading the "Tempest" series you really would most likely enjoy this book too - Barnes & Noble knows what it's talking about! It wasn't one of my favorites, but I don't regret reading it at all, and since my curiosity can't handle not knowing the ending to the plot I will probably be on the lookout for the sequel.

      If you have any specific questions or a question about an aspect I didn't cover, feel free to ask, but my bottom line is: I give it a thumbs up! If you've been wondering about this book or searching for a new book, I hope this helped!



                               Sincerely,

              Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit