Book Review: Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon, #1) 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 . . . *

Review:

While perhaps not the most well-explained mermaid world in existence, Banks's Syrena in Of Poseidon most definitely had me hooked! Every once in a while, the avid reader may have a craving for something in particular, be it vampires, fairies, mundane high school life, or, be it as it may, mermaids. In this case, Of Poseidon surely satisfied my hunger. 

The novel is told through both  Galen's and Emma's perspectives, although I for some reason did feel as if Galen was much more understandable at times than Emma was, or maybe I just didn't relate as much with Emma.The romance wasn't steamy, but it was sweet and certainly a tad "forbidden," which always makes for an enjoyable read. 

The writing was enjoyable, although I did sometimes struggle with what I've deemed to be "false teen syndrome," which can either be defined as the middle aged mother you see at the mall wearing short shorts and a Justin Beiber t-shirt, or as the author who isn't exactly sure what the thoughts of a teen in the twenty-first century should be like. This syndrome, thank goodness, only makes itself known sporatically throughout the novel, which leaves me feeling slightly less frustrated about it. Overall, aside from a few lapses into OMG-land, I had a pleasant time with Banks's nicely written novel. 

I would most certainly recommend it. 

Grade: A-

*Summary from Goodreads.com

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Book Review: Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) by Kami Garcia

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.*

Review:

So I understand that I am a tad behind the times when it comes to this novel; Beautiful Creatures has been out on the scene since 2009 and it's on-screen counterpart (also entitled Beautiful Creatures) was in theaters months ago. I figured I'd give it a shot, mostly because my younger sister has been asking me to, but partly because I'd like to rent the movie. 

Anyway, let's cut to the chase: I couldn't even finish it. 

I know, I know. That's incredibly rare. It's likely I'll try and pick it up again sometime in the future and try to prove myself wrong, but I just do not like anything about this book. 

I feel terrible about bad reviews, but I also feel somewhat obligated to share my thoughts; I'm sure there are others out there who would not agree with even the 3.78 star average that Goodreads boasts for this novel. 

I don't have much to say (I got merely halfway through) other than the fact that I genuinely did not like it. Maybe it was a bit too childish, but the main character is only a year or two younger than me so I doubt that's the reason. 

I'll update this review if I decide to go back to it, but in response to all of the negative reviews for this novel: I feel your pain. In response to positive reviews: I'm glad you liked it, and maybe I'll give it another chance, but just not quite yet (at 563 pages, it's a long one to suffer through). To anybody thinking about reading it: You may as well try it out, but there's probably a 50/50 chance that you'll either love it or find that it's not quite your cup of tea. 

Grade: I**

*Summary from Goodreads.com
**Check the about page for updated grading system

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