The best thing about Of Poseidon, the first in Anna Banks new mermaid (oops, sorry Syrena) series, has to be the snappy dialogue. Some of my favorite lines of dialogue since the Cassandra Clare mortal instruments series were in this book. Although not technically dialogue, I loved: "If stupid were a disease, I'd have died of it by now." The lines are witty and snarky and fun, particularly after our heroine (Emma) discovers that the boy she has befriended comes from one of the royal lines of the Syrena. Lots of royal-man-fish jokes ensue. The characters are also a breath of fresh air. They're lighthearted and fun for the most part even though they're dealing with some serious situations.
If I would criticize anything, it's perhaps that the story is too light-hearted and while we know what's at stake for the characters, there never really seems to be a sense of doom or danger. We know that they'll all be alright in the end. That's not a major problem because the fun and action keep the pace moving and the reader turning pages. But I'm curious to see if the sequels go any deeper (no pun intended ... well, maybe) into the seriousness of what's at stake for the Syrena royal lines. There's a big reveal at the end of book 1 which was kind of predictable but will lead in nicely to the next installment. It was also nice that the paranormal characters were not immediately comfortable in the human world and tended to make lots of mistakes with human words and concepts. I particularly liked one of the characters referring to a "convertible" as a "combustible". Good fun summer read here overall.
If I would criticize anything, it's perhaps that the story is too light-hearted and while we know what's at stake for the characters, there never really seems to be a sense of doom or danger. We know that they'll all be alright in the end. That's not a major problem because the fun and action keep the pace moving and the reader turning pages. But I'm curious to see if the sequels go any deeper (no pun intended ... well, maybe) into the seriousness of what's at stake for the Syrena royal lines. There's a big reveal at the end of book 1 which was kind of predictable but will lead in nicely to the next installment. It was also nice that the paranormal characters were not immediately comfortable in the human world and tended to make lots of mistakes with human words and concepts. I particularly liked one of the characters referring to a "convertible" as a "combustible". Good fun summer read here overall.
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