Of Triton

4.5/5 stars.

Can we all just take a minute to swoon over that cover? I mean, SERIOUSLY. These books have the best covers. ♥

Right. ANYWAY. Of Triton picks up right where Of Poseidon left off, which is good for those of us who didn't like the cliffhanger-ish ending. NOTE: I am going to attempt to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible for the series. Hopefully you avoided the summary for this book, because it basically renders reading Of Poseidon obsolete if you didn't!

I am the first to admit that I had some pretty significant issues with Of Poseidon. I felt like it was just too typical YA paranormal for my taste, complete with a love interest who likes to tell Emma what to do and enjoys making her blush in embarrassment. However, show more Of Triton was pretty much the complete opposite of the first book. I really felt like the author matured in her writing - which continues to be witty and funny, with some laugh-out-loud moments - and got away from the checklist that so many YA paranormal writers seem to use. Emma really grew as a character, relying on her own judgement to make her decisions instead of just allowing Galen to decide what she should and shouldn't do. The set-up for Of Triton meant that Galen and Emma spent quite a lot of time away from each other, and I really loved the fact that Emma didn't just sit around moping. She used the time away to really think about her situation and what she wanted, and I give her major props for that.

The reader also gets fully immersed in the world of the Syrena, which - while I had some issues with aspects of their lives in the first book - is a really well-designed and thought-out world. This book allows us an inside look at the proceedings and laws that govern this underwater world, and I personally found it all quite fascinating. There was a lot of underhanded political maneuvering going on which put Galen and his family in quite a lot of danger, and I just really loved watching the twists and turns and grasps for power. This book had a very "edge of your seat" feel to it, even when it was just Emma going to school. There was an underlying tension and sense of danger that was written into the story in such a way that I, personally, found it very difficult to put the book down. I read it in nearly one go.

All in all, Of Triton was a massive step up in every single category from Of Poseidon. I really felt like the book was its own unique concept, and loved the fact that Emma was allowed some space for personal growth. The romance was made even more swoon-worthy because of Emma's decisions, and I found myself liking both her and Galen much more than I had previously. I am curious as to why there's a third book in this series, though, as things seemed wrapped up quite nicely. Considering how much more I liked this book than its predecessor, though, I will definitely be checking it out! show less

I enjoyed this book as much as the first though I did read this one faster. The beginning was confusing for me though some of that could have been from taking a reading gap between the two books.
A lot more is revealed in this book particularly about Neria and her decisions. I enjoyed seeing a different side of her and how she is when reunited with her true love.

I'm not fond of Paca because she is such a lier and instead of telling her Father to stop dragging her into perpetuating the lie, she goes along with it.

I adore Antonis who turns out to be Emma's Grandpa and has a wicked sense of humor. From the moment he learns of her existence and that his daughter is alive, he welcomes them with open arms.

This unruly bunch of Syrena and with show more Rachel there to be of help, they are able to find a way to coexist in both worlds.

There is a death though that was hard for me to read and was one of my favorite characters but I know that happens and am looking forward to the third book.

I can't wait to read the twists and turns of this fascinating series! Plus there's the swoon worthy chemistry between Emma and Galen!! show less

I usually hate sequels to some extent but this one followed up really well. I’m really proud of this one.

Book #2 follows the aftermath of finding out that Emma’s mother is the long lost Poseidon heir. A scuffle begins the story which is wrapped up nice and neatly within the first few chapters. Does that neatness last? NOPe otherwise there’d be no story.
Friends are gained, some are lost, will Galen and Emma’s love survive the next trial to come?
I really liked this one. Anna Banks really upped her game and added some new world building that I terribly missed in the first book…actually I never noticed I missed it after I wrote my first review. It still deserves the perfect score I gave it.
Our favorite new OTP Rayna and Toren are show more still going strong and even their relationship is developing into a believable one.
Emma is not as one dimensional as I first thought and is holding her own weight as we move along in the series. I fear for the final book because she’s been on a steady development with few omysweetgoodness remarks *gag* and the summary I read on the sleeve did not look promising for her character….but we shall see. show less

Of Triton was such a light, fun read. After the events that occurred in Of Poseidon, I was desperate to know what happened. This book kicked right off where its predecessor ended, and once again we’re in the world of the Syrena.

At first Emma was really annoying and childish . I didn’t really like her at first, so the story seemed to drag on a bit. Once she got over this, I flew through the book!

In this book, we get to see more of the Syrena and their laws and politics; something we hadn’t seen in the first book. It added more to the “genuine” experience of the book.

I love that in this book Galen’s point of view didn’t seem as forced as it seemed in the previous book. In this book, Galen’s thoughts and actions don’t show more seem quite as robotic, and I just really enjoyed reading his POV’s more this time around.

Here, Emma & Galen’s romance takes a backseat to everything else that is happening all around them, and yet I didn’t mind it at all! They still had tons of cute and gushy moments together and overall their romance was really well developed.

We get to see a bigger cast of characters this time around, and we realize that not everything revolves around Galen & Emma. We discover new truths about characters we loved, and feel more sympathetic towards characters we hated. Here, we formed bonds (good or bad) with each and every one of the characters in the story. I really loved meeting each and every one of them.

The usual sass that first drew me to the series was here as well, and I really enjoyed every minute of it.

Overall, this book succeeds Of Poseidon because it goes deeper into the Syrena world, explores more characters, and overall is a really fun thrill ride. show less

This book made me so nervous to read. A few times, I had to put the book down just to calm down!
The plot is the best part of the book. Moving and adventurous, the plot steers the reader to a vivid world colored by madness. Emma is taking chances to save the ones she loves. Not all goes well. There are betrayals, secrets and yes, somebody dies!!! It all comes down to a very intense, very emotional read that I enjoyed very much.

The love interest moves in a good direction. It seems though, in the beginning they are slowing down. So much is going on a round them, that they have no time for each or for themselves. Towards the middle, the finally began to come together again, releasing so much love and sacrifice. Their love alone, gave the show more reader hope in the end. Despite the rage and the outcome of certain circumstances, they managed to hold on to each other tight, setting their love on fire.

The ending is so sweet and right on point. I like that it gave an insight on how they are doing. I love that yes, it is a HEA and yes, it made me giddy.

Of Triton is a solid story that with excellent visuals and emotions. The impressive story line with the awesome growth in characters, sets the reader for a great adventure under the sea. Delivering an energetic yet amazing read, Of Triton rocked! show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Fun read full of action, devotion, and interesting mythology. I didn’t quite like it as much as the first book, but it was still a really great story!

Opening Sentence: My eyes won’t open.

The Review:

I want to start by saying that while I try to make my reviews as spoiler free as possible this is the second book in this series. This picks up right where the first book ended so it is impossible to make this review spoiler free. If you don’t care about that then go ahead and drive right in, but I would suggest that you read the first book before reading this review.

Emma’s life has just turned upside down. She recently learned that her mother is Natlia, the long lost Poseidon show more Princess. Years ago her mother left the sea because she thought that she had killed her betrothal, Grom, the king of the sea. She ran away fearing that her life was in danger and has never returned. Now that her and Grom are reunited Natlia decides to go back home, but it causes the Syrena Kingdoms to turn against each other. Emma’s gift might be the only thing that can stop them from killing everyone she loves. But she is a half-breed and the Syrena law is that all half-breeds are to be put to death instantly.

Emma doesn’t know what to do or who she can trust. Her mother has spent her whole life lying to her and the boy she loves would have to give up everything to be with her. Can she stay on land with the humans where she is an abomination, but she can stay hidden? Or should she turn to the Syrena and hope that they will be willing to change tradition and accept her?

Emma is a funny girl full of spirit and spunk. At the beginning of the story she does feel sorry for herself quite a lot but she owns up to it. She knows that she is being ridiculous at times but she can’t help how she feels. There were moments where she started to bug me a little bit, but overall, I found her to be a very likable character. I love that she doesn’t take crap from anyone and she will always speak her mind. She is an admirable person and I enjoyed being inside her head once again.

Galen was very different in this book. Instead of fighting his feelings for Emma he has fully embraced how he feels for her. Instead of letting tradition dictate how he should feel, he decides to follow his heart and it belongs completely to Emma. I loved seeing this more serious side to Galen, it made me respect him more. He still has the adventurous flirty side as well so he felt like a very well rounded dream boy to me. I loved watching him and Emma together and I am interested to see where their relationship goes in the next book.

Of Triton was a great read full of action, romance, and wonderful characters. The one thing that I felt was missing was the humor. Of Poseidon was so funny and quirky that it made the book just fly by. This one was a lot more serious and I missed that lighter tone. But I still enjoyed learning more about the Syrena world and watching the characters develop more fully. The pacing was spot on and I never felt that the story never lagged, it kept me interested the whole way through. The ending of this book was very satisfying and I was actually really surprised that there was a third book coming out. I felt that everything was resolved and all of my questions were answered. I am still going to read the next book, but it will be interesting to see where Bank’s decides to take the story. Overall, this was a great read and I would highly recommend this series to anyone that enjoys young adult paranormal books.

Notable Scene:

But what she’s really saying is she belongs with Grom. What she’s really saying is that she should have never left. And if she should have never left, then I should have never been born. Is that what she means to say? Or am I seriously freaking out? “What about me?” I whisper. “Where do I belong?”

“With me,” my mother and Galen say in unison. They exchange hard glares. Galen locks his jaw.

“I’m her mother,” she tells Galen, her voice sharp. “Her place is with me.”

“I want her for my mate,” Galen says. The admission warms up the space between us with impossible heat and I want to melt into him. His words, his declaration, cannot be unspoken. And now he’s declared it to everyone who matters. It’s out there in the open, hanging in the air. He wants me for his mate. Me. Him. Forever. And I’m not sure how I feel about that. How I should feel about that.

FTC Advisory: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan provided me with a copy of Of Triton. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

Romance abounds and the action almost never stops!
Reviewed at My Shelf Confessions

In OF TRITON Anna Banks picks up with Emma and Galen right where OF POSEIDON left off, and oy nelly, what a cliff hanger I thought that was!

Immediately, we have action and a chase because Emma’s mother doesn’t trust the Syrena and she is dragging Emma along in the hopes of protecting her. I loved the fast pace in the beginning and how we still get to see moments of explanation from Emma’s mother. We find out about her past and the events that led to her living on land and having Emma.

For you love junkies out there, here be plenty of that to give you the gooey heart. I mean quite literally there are three different couples in this one and each has show more enough screen time that you will either go “ahhh” or “ughh enough already.” It really just depends on how you feel about it I suppose. Normally, I’m not one for a lot of romance in my fiction – I like it to take the backburner but lucky for me it didn’t feel like the driving force behind Of Triton. it just happened to be the circumstances of the story. Realistically couples happen, hey they are all over the place, so I didn’t mind. You’ll have to judge for yourself.

Things happened so fast but I felt the flow of the story was well done. Now this also probably depends on how you like your books. I prefer mine with a lot of action and movement to keep me peaked. So suffice to say there wasn’t much down time where I felt bored or anxious for things to hurry along. There were a few times where I got tired of Emma telling herself to grow up, but hey at least she realized she was being childish and was trying to talk herself out of that sort of behavior. I Emma did a good job controlling her temperament and I absolutely love her personality and grit.

Considering the page count was almost but not quite 250 pages for the ARC, I was surprised I wasn’t left feeling that I needed more to complete this installment. All of the events included were exactly enough and still left me with enough of an “ending” that I didn’t feel like it was all just leading to the next book. Yes, you would still need to have read Of Poseidon to understand and enjoy Of Triton fully but I still had a sense of completion for this chapter in their lives.

*A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own. show less