Of Triton by Anna Banks

Series: The Syrena Legacy (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Fantasy

Subjects: mermaids, merfolk, supernatural, magic, mythology, New Jersey

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 246 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Macmillan: Feiwel and Friends

Summary/ product description: “In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death.
As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?”

My Review: I really wish this book was longer. Of course, I did read the prequel short stories, Legacy Lost and The Stranger, before this, so they kind of make up for the shortness. I really enjoy this series. I prefer Emma 1^st person point of view, but Galen’s 3^rd person POV is okay.

Emma is funny and quirky, and has her catch phrase, “Ohmysweetgoodness.” She’s a pretty awesome main character. I like Galen as her love interest, still. No love triangle in this book! And I love the side characters, Rayna and Rachel.

This book series has similarities to other mermaid books, but it still is very unique. Of Triton starts off with a bang. Emma is kidnapped by her own mother. They’re on the run, traveling west. Emma’s mom is Nalia, and she thinks that she killed Grom all those years ago. We know he’s alive, but she doesn’t and Emma’s not sure she can trust Galen not to arrest her mom. There’s action and a car chase. Something I really never saw in a mermaid book. I loved it.

Later on in the book, they’re trying to clear up Nalia’s identity because some Syrena can’t believe that she’s actually alive. There’s the matter of Grom having married/mated with Paca already and finding Nalia after all these years. He discovered that Paca doesn’t actually have the gift of Poseidon, because Emma does. There’s a lot of complicated laws that get in the way and a tribunal. The Syrena government is just so confusing. We can only hope things will work out in the end. Anna Bank makes for a crazy awesome plot.

And there’s awesome twists later on too. One about Rayna, and Galen. It was so cool! And a sad turn of events near the end that made me very unhappy. Read for yourself to find out.

This is the 4^th mermaid book I’ve read this summer. It’s a perfect summer beach read. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a good mermaid book.

Cover Art Review: Such a romantic image. I love the colors and bubbles. I love the title’s typeface (Caviar Dream, I think, with an added flourish). And the title’s silver.

The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

Genera: Survival Fiction/Contemporary/Realistic

Subjects: Survival, love, ocean, sharks

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 231 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $16.99

Publisher: MacMillan: Feiwel & Friends

Summary/ product description: “Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.
And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.”

My Rating: êêê

My Review: This book was a fast, short read. A few words to describe the book: realistic and educational. I think I learned a lot about albatrosses and tiger shark and or sea creatures in this book. It might have been an info dump, but I like learning cool facts about animals. And I learned a lot about surviving in the open ocean. I’ve never been to the ocean, so I probably will never need it. Most of the story seemed inconsequential, but there were some interesting part. The chapters were short, at least. This book reminded me of Survive by Alex Morel, only I liked the main character Robie a lot better. She’s funny and smart and not depressed or suicidal. Max seemed okay. This book is not for the wary travelers out there. I’ve never rode a plane before, and this story got me a bit freaked out, but it’s not like I’m going to be on a plane anytime soon. I wish there were more YA books set in interesting places like Hawaii or Midway. The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse was set on an island, and was a very exciting read. This book was realistic and not dystopian. It mentions The Hunger Games in here though. The book’s a quick read, so check it out at your library, but I don’t recommend buying it. Also check out The Compound and The Gardener, also by the same author. The Compound was very interesting.

Cover Art Review: The photo is pretty good. It shows what the book’s about. If only it had a guy on it too, because it looks very depressing without him.

 

~Haley G