Monday, April 16, 2012

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

“I SMACK into him as is shoved from behind. He doesn’t budge, not an inch. Just holds my shoulders and waits. Maybe he’s waiting for me to find my balance. Maybe he’s waiting for me to gather my pride. I hope he’s got all day.”
Emma McIntosh chooses option four when she peels he cheek fro Galen Forza’s chest and attempts to apologize. Emma is spending the last days of summer in Florida with her best friend Chloe. Chloe thoroughly embarrasses the clumsy Emma in front of the gorgeous Galen. His sister Rayna shows up and Chloe remarks how the three of them share the same unusual eye color, violet, but it ends there. Emma is pasty white with blonde hair, whereas Galen and Rayna have dark hair and olive skin. Galen notices that they are carrying a surfboard and that the Florida waves are woefully inadequate. Emma agrees by telling him that they are from Jersey and are just going to float in the water.

Emma and Chloe are splashing in the water and chatting about Galen and how he keeps staring at Emma. Emma thinks Chloe is joking around but soon realizes that she is being attacked by a bull shark when she goes underwater and doesn’t resurface. Galen notices but thinks Emma will have the situation under control. He eventually shifts to help with the rescue but he is too late. When Emma isn’t drowning and orders the shark to leave, Galen realizes that he is right about Emma even if she doesn’t know what she is.

After the rescue, Galen and Rayna argue over whether Emma is truly a Syrena. He knows what he saw during the shark attack but wonders if he just isn’t attracted to her. Deep down, Galen knows what he felt when they touched. He calls Rachel, his human assistant, to make plans to move to New Jersey and start high school. Rayna decides to tag along.

Just over two weeks later, Emma starts her senior year at Middle Point High School. Her first period class, World History, is with Mr. Pinned. While listening to the class rules, Emma hears someone whisper “gorgeous” and looks up to see that Galen has entered the classroom, the same Galen who has haunted her nightmares about Chloe every night since her death. He takes the desk besides of hers. She notices that she gets all tinglely around Galen until it feels like her body is on fire. Emma notices that he is staring at her and she blushes.

It turns out that they have duplicate schedules when Galen asks Emma for help finding his next class. The two begin a conversation that eventually turns to the day of Chloe’s death. Galen says that if Emma cooperates, he could get her some leniency. She insists bumping into him was an accident. Realizing that they are talking about two different things, Galen tries to get her attention again. Unfortunately, Emma begins screaming that Chloe is dead and runs down the hallway, knocking herself out on the cafeteria door.

In talking with Rayna and their friend, Toraf, Galen believes that Emma may actually be Nalia, the sole heir of the Poseidon king who was believed to be killed during a human war. Nalia had argued with her future mate, Grom the Triton heir and Galen’s older brother. Grom was badly injured in the incident. If Emma is actually Nalia of Poseidon, then with Grom now king if the Triton, by laws, the first born of the third generation, must become mates. What Galen cannot figure out is why Emma is living as and with humans? When he tells Toraf, a Syrena tracker, of his attraction to Emma, Toraf believes it is really a signal that she is Galen’s special mate. He tells Galen it seems as if he is chasing Emma when she still needs time to mourn Chloe. If he takes things slow, maybe she will open up to him.

If Emma really is a Syrena, why is she living as a human? Who would have kept the secret from her and why? Is she really Nalia and Grom’s intended mate or is she destined for Galen?

Ohmysweetgoodness! (This is a favorite phrase of Emma’s) What a book! It sucked me in and wouldn’t let go until the end. I just loved all of the banter between Emma and Galen. And the ending! I saw it coming but the way it played out caught me off guard. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Visit Anna Banks website.

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