**REVIEW** Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen — literally, ouch! — both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . . 

  Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

Release Date:  May 22, 2012

Published By:  Feiwel & Friends

Review Copy: Hardback, 326 pages

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Review

  What an addictive and wonderful read.  Anna has constructed a world that yo really want to be a part of and characters that have you both laughing and feeling for.  It was not hard to dive into this one head first and  stay submerged.  The writing and the story itself was quite simply magical and magnificent and without a doubt I feel that this one lived up to its hype and popularity.  Though the Mer's in this story dislike the term Mermaid/Merman and prefer the term Syrena, they are without a doubt the wondrous creatures many of us love or dream of.

  Emma is such a charismatic and refreshing character.  Best thing about her is that she is real.  I mean this girl is clumsy, hard headed, funny and when the time was right snarky.  Did I mention that she has some seriously wild mood swings and her temper was not something to be taken lightly.  She was however fiercely loyal to the ones she loved and most of the time it took messing with them to mess with her, well that or Galen because he got to her.  I will not tell you that I felt an instant connection with her but by the end there was an undeniable connection.  She didn't take any crap and despite kind of falling for Galen a little fast, she didn't let that rule her.  She didn't let him rule her.  Overall she ended up being a girl after my own heart.

  The alternate POV was told by Galen.  While Emma stands out in her own way, among us normal folk Galen shone.  He attracted all kinds of unwanted attention and despite his fascination with humans, that didn't mean he liked them.  That is until Emma falls into his life and even then he is positive that she's not the human she pretends to be.  The thing that always made my heart a little lighter with him was when he let him feelings for Emma slip out.  Though he came off at times that he didn't care it was hard not to see that when he cares about you that he is unbreakable in his loyalty.  Galen is the guy that honestly had to struggle to decide between love and the duty to his people.  Basically I ended up loving Galen and all of his faults because heck even in his stupidity he was sweet.  

  Rather than these guys we spend a short time with Chloe, who I instantly liked and felt a hole myself once she wasn't there.  Though I really feel that Rayna and her attitude filled some of that.  She is really the character that people don't want to like but you can't help it.  Her anti-human ways and princess behavior kept me on the edge at times but really she was essential in a nonessential way.  Same as Emma's mom, she was there but I had so many questions about her.  She could be a friend or a mom but there was always something more and the fact that she could just brush off things that seemed so important to Emma irked me.  These characters all held their own place and though I had my ups and downs with them, I know they are the glue in the tiny cracks you just can't miss to hold it all together.

  In the end I think that this is what I would call a light and addictive read.  You know the kind that you pick up and before you know it you are done.  The cliffhanger ending that many did not see coming, I have to say: I did.  There was a long list of things that pointed to it and when it came time to pull it to the surface there was only minor shock that my suspicion had been right.  Days after reading this I am still shocked at just how fun, easy and quick this read is because 326 pages felt like half of that number and I must attribute this to Anna's writing. If you are looking for a light, fun and quick paced novel that features Mer's I would recommend this 100%. 

Quotes

  "It's personal to me, Emma.  It's true, I don't know you well.  But there are some things I do know about you.  And I'd like to know more."   A glass full of ice water wouldn't cool my cheeks.  "The only thing you know about me is that I'm life threatening in flip-flops."

  He's thought about this moment for days, trying to anticipate how Emma will react, how he should handle it.  The possibility that she'll be disgusted is very real to him now and more painful than he could ever imagine.  She said she wouldn't reject him anymore, but that was before he grew a fin.

  Even if he weren't worthy of his own billboard underwear ad, he's just too likable.  Except for his habit of almost-kissing me.  But his obsession with trying to order me around is too cute.  Especially the way his mouth gets all pouty when I don't listen.

The temptation divides me like a cleaver.  I'm one part hissy fit and one part swoon.  I have a right to be mad, to press charges, to cut Rachel's hair while she's sleeping.  But do I really want to risk the chance that she keeps a gun under her pillow?

  She gets out, walks to the front door, lets herself in.  After a few seconds, her front porch lights shut off.  Galen backs out of the driveway.  When he turns onto the main road, his feeling of emptiness has nothing to do with losing the game of Upchuck.

  By the time we reach a less-embarrassing speed, I've abandoned my hurt for rage-o-plenty, struck by the realization that I've turned into "that girl."  Not the one who exchanges her doctorate for some kids and a three-bedroom two bath, but the other kind.