Began reading: 27.1.2017
Completed reading: 30.1.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
Emma is a half-mermaid: a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. But she’s in love with Galen – a gorgeous Syrena from the House of Triton, god of the sea. If Emma’s secret is discovered by the Syrena, she risks being put to death as a Half-Breed.
Emma’s heritage comes from her mother – a princess from the House of Poseidon who escaped the sea to live as a human. Aware of the danger her daughter faces, she is determined to keep Emma away from the Syrena. But her reappearance after so many years turns the underwater kingdoms, Poseidon and Triton, against one another.
How can Emma and Galen stay together when their two rival kingdoms, and two different worlds, just want to tear them apart?
Of Triton by Anna Banks is a young adult fiction novel that contains fantasy and romance. My local Dymocks store was always running out of this book, but luckily they had it in stock during their 20% off sale. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to read through it, despite being overwhelmed by final uni assessments.
Again, we are given the story in two perspectives – Emma and Galen. After learning that her mother is the missing Poseidon princess, Emma is kidnapped and dragged around towns by her mother for her safety. Once the pair is reunited with Galen and his brother Grom, Emma’s mother realises that she is in no danger, but needs to return to the underwater kingdom to prove that she is not dead. With her mother and Grom underwater together, Emma must search herself and figure out who she really is and where she belongs. The biggest obstacle she will face is whether she and Galen can be together, or will the assembly of Syrena decide she is an abomination and be put to death?
The book was well-written, and properly structured. Furthermore, Banks continued to employ literary techniques to create detail and depth to the narrative. For example, the use of similes, dialogue and humour were incorporated to make the story more enjoyable and realistic. Another feature that I thought was important was the use of notable quotes, including:
Options, options, options. Sometimes options are a luxury. Sometimes there is only one option, and usually that one option sucks (p. 44).
My dad always told me that holding a grudge is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die (p. 75).
…safe isn’t always better than sorry. Sometimes you need sorry to appreciate the safe. And sometimes safe is just plain boring (p. 125).
Better to ask to forgiveness than permission (p. 205).
He will fall into a spiral of remorse, into a self-made pit of regret.
And I silently promise him to catch him when he does (p. 239).
I wonder how many tears the ocean has swallowed, how much of the ocean is actually made of tears (p. 241).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
I really liked the idea behind the plot – how it picks up right after Galen accuses Emma’s mum of being Nalia, then having her verify her identity with the Archives and other authorities underwater. Banks successfully infused the plot with drama and suspense, especially after Emma’s existence is revealed to the Syrena. I also enjoyed reading about the negotiations that happened after the tribunal, as waiting for the authorities to decide on Nalia’s and Emma’s fate was very tense. I was expecting to encounter a plot twist where they refused Nalia’s existence or sentence Emma to death. Nevertheless, I thought that the plot was interesting and suspenseful. Banks did a great job!
The plot twists kept the narrative interesting, and emotional towards the end. Firstly, I wasn’t expecting Emma’s mother to use chloroform on Emma and tie Rayna up. I also wasn’t expecting Grom to have such an effect on Nalia. Don’t get me started on the death towards the end, and the apparent betrayal by a significant character. In contrast, some twists were predictable. Although tense, I knew that Nalia would be accepted back into the Syrena community. I really liked hearing her perspective of how she disappeared, which was also unexpected. Unlike Of Poseidon, this novel did not employ a plot twist as a cliff-hanger, but I can accept that. I’ll go into more detail a bit later.
As in the previous book, Banks emphasised the importance of the secondary characters to the plot. I liked being introduced to more Syrena characters, such as Tandel, Jasa and her mother, Kana. We also got to read more about Paca and her alleged gift, which was interesting. My favourite was when Emma rescued Jasa, then her mother assisting Emma with rescuing Jagen and Musa. I thought that the communication between the main characters and the secondary characters stood out. The way in which the characters interact demonstrates how important every last one is for the narrative, which is great!
Now, let’s discuss the epilogue. In Emma’s words: Ohmysweetgoodness! It was very sweet and a perfect tribute to Chloe. I thought it was a great way to end the book, and I’m grateful that it added a bit of variety – the last book finished with a cliff-hanger, while this one did not. I felt that it was a quick add-in, as Emma only touched on wanting to go to prom once in the book, but it was still an impressive way to close the story.
The only issue I had was the lack of romance throughout the book. I’ve said it countless times, but I’ll say it again: I’m not a fan of fluff, but if I’m reading a book with romantic content, I expect a decent or tolerable amount of romance. In this series, one of the primary focuses is on the relationship between Galen and Emma. Because of this, I expect a bit more romance between these two. I understand that the focus shifted to Nalia in this book, but I still expected a bit more romance.
My favourite character is still Rayna, as she was feisty, curious, badass, loyal and honest. I loved when she tried to use the harpoon on Galen and Toraf, as she had no idea how to handle it. I can’t wait to read more about her in the next book! Toraf is a notable character. Rayna didn’t play such a big role, but Toraf definitely appeared more in this book than the last. I want to see these two together in the next book!
Let’s get one thing straight: Nalia is batsh*t crazy. Why the hell was no one freaking out that she had kidnapped Emma and tied Rayna to a chair? I understand that she was worried for her and Emma’s safety, but was that really necessary? Also, Emma continues to be whiney and immature, so she really got on my nerves. I’m over the whole Ohmysweetgoodness, and I’m done with her complaining about how little time she spends with Galen.
My favourite part of the book was Emma’s entry at the tribunal. It was dramatic with all of the sea life, and demonstrated that she had the true gift. It proved that Paca was a fraud, which made it more interesting. I just wonder what happened to Paca after this, as well as what happened to his father after being rescued.
Recommendation time! If you like the Waterfire saga by Jennifer Donnelly, the Submerged Sun trilogy by Vanessa Garden, and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes The Little Mermaid, the Twilight series, Once Upon A Time TV series, Aquamarine, and Splash.
I will also be reviewing the rest of the Syrena Legacy series: Of Neptune. Keep an eye out for that!
My review for Of Poseidon can be found by clicking on the title.
Happy reading!
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