Of Triton (Goodreads)
Okay, let me begin by saying that while the book was hardly Shakespeare, I did enjoy Of Poseidon, the first in this series. Review here. It had lots of sexism, was as shallow as a teaspoon, but it was also fun. And it was my first foray into the murky waters of the merfolk - know as Syrenas in this series. So I was looking forward to a similar swim with Of Triton.
Umph . . . I wish I could say the book delivered, but somehow it fell short.
The first part, where Emma and her mom are on the run from Galen and the other Syrenas was exciting enough, but once discovered, the book quickly spiralled down into two star read for me. I found Emma whiny and childish. (She freely admits to this, but that doesn't make her any more endearing) Galen lacked his usual sexist charm. (If you can call it charm) And the story very soon became bogged down with an under-water tribunal at which the two royal houses are on trial. Instead of keeping me hanging onto the edge of my coral with courtroom drama, I found it quite boring.
Added to that, we have a wonderful cliche thrown into the mix . . . a special gift, lost for eons to the house of Poseidon, miraculously appears in two of the characters - just in time to save the day. Also the ending, which should have been really exciting, just felt forced and flat - as if Anna Banks was trying to tie up loose ends.
The only surprise in this book - a very unexpected one - was the death of a major character. I'll give Anna Banks her due, I didn't see it coming. That twist lifted the book from awful to okay. What does it say about me that it takes a death to change my mind? I think that will have to be the subject of a another post on another day. . .
I see on Goodreads that there is supposed to be a third book in this series: Of Neptune expected in 2014. I cannot for the life of me imagine what more Anna Banks can bleed from this story. (As previously pointed out, the plot was already as shallow as a teaspoon) I, for one, will not be reading it.
Now I know I'm in the minority here given that Of Triton is enjoying a stunning 4.8 worth of stars on Goodreads, but for me it remains a wishy-washy two star book. Have you read it? What did you think? Leave a comment and let's chat.
Cheers
Gwynn
