Poudelivre

Curious after reading Anna Banks’ Of Poseidon a few weeks ago I got a copy of the sequel Of Triton not really knowing what to expect but interested in the story and what would happen after the big cliffhanger in the first novel. I didn’t have the highest expectations but was still very, very much disappointed.

The first installment of this mermaid trilogy left us wondering, is Galen right and Emma’s mom, Natalie, is really the previously thought dead Poseidon princess Nalia? Turns out that yes, yes she is. After believing she killed her soon-to-be mate, and heir to the Triton throne, Grom, Nalia left the ocean to live out the rest of her life on land. She kept it secret from Emma, who now learns that her mother is a royal mermaid (Syrena). Nalia, afraid Galen will bring her back to the Syrena society for trial of the death of Grom, takes Emma on a road trip in a vain attempt to get Galen off her back. But he persistently follows them and after finally catching them learns the truth about why she had run away. He, along with a very much alive Grom, convinces her to come back and claim her place in the Syrena society again. Emma is left to wonder what her half-breed status will do for her – can she be with Galen or is she destined to stay on land for the rest of her life since Syrena law clearly states that every half-breed is to be executed? All the while Emma battles this on land, Galen, Nalia and Grom is back in the ocean but Nalia’s return isn’t welcomed with open arms. Uncertain days lie ahead of all the royals.

I thought the first novel was good, if not great. I think I said it was something to read when you don’t really care what you read, just something light to flip through. My initial thought was that I liked it, but the more I thought of it and the more comments I read about it, the more I questioned the book. I was a little uncertain if I would continue the series but my curiosity got the better of me, as it often does. After expecting Of Triton to be much the same as its predecessor I’ve got to say I was both surprised and slightly shocked at the downturn of the story. Banks writing wasn’t the best in Of Poseidon but it got notably worse here. The story itself took a turn for the worst. Where I expected a thrilling second novel I got a boring trial that went on and on forever, a whining protagonist and a completely meaningless death.

Emma learns that her mom is a princess, and thus Emma is as well. She also learns that her parent’s perfect marriage was loveless and that her dad knew who her mom was all along. She struggles to find footing in a world where her mother and father has lied to her, where she is just a one-time mistake and where her mom is in love with a fishman ruling a under-the-water society which her mom is supposed to join him for. It’s a lot to take in for Emma and she has every right to be confused and upset, but at times I felt like she focused on the wrong things. She also had a hard time telling her mom what she thought, which isn’t always the easiest but would’ve made life better for both of them if she’d at least try a little harder. It seemed Banks wanted the reader to view Emma as strong, brave and independent, but all I could see was a scared, whining eighteen year old who had one big moment which was cut of way too soon.

On the other hand, Galen is very strong and stubborn and he’s always fighting for what he wants and believes in. My problem with him is more a feeling than anything else. He just has some character trait that bothers me. Maybe it’s that he tries to shield Emma all the time and not really listen to what she wants. Sometimes I feel that he looks at her and sees a delicate little flower who needs his protection, which contradicts with the view Banks gives the readers of Emma as brave and strong. Or maybe I just haven’t quite gotten over how Galen chased after Emma when she was on a date in the first book and threatened to punch the guy she was with if Emma didn’t talk to Galen. He just seems odd, despite being so nice and caring.

Maybe my biggest problem doesn’t lie with him but with all of the Syrena. They’re described as a species with a very hot temperament. Emma, being a half-breed, is the same in that regard. This leads to a lot of fights. A lot, a lot. Fistfights and wrestling matches and people being thrown through glass windows… I didn’t like the violence in the novel. I don’t have a problem with violence per say, that comes with most books and it is part of the real world, so that’s not weird. What I disliked was how the Syrena seemed to believe that fighting would solve problems. Many times arguments lead to fights. When they’re angry they don’t discuss it, they punch the other guy. Some are very good to manipulate the start of a fight. What kind of message is that to send out? If someone doesn’t agree with you, punch them in the face? If someone says something provocative to you, throw them out the window? No, Anna Banks, I did not care for that.

The rest of the characters are mediocre, at that. Emma’s mom is crazy and most certainly not in a good way. She chloroformed her own daughter and kidnapped her, then later told her she was big enough to live by herself on land while she went down in the ocean to be with Grom and finally threatened to ground Emma for an incident were Emma saved the life of a young Syrena. In the first book she was overly controlling and little changed here (did I forget to mention that she almost killed Galen with a kitchen knife?). Grom doesn’t really do anything except swim around and say a few words here and there. Toraf is still fun and Rayna is still exhaustive to read but I can’t find any love for either of them after the first novel were Rayna said she never wanted to mate (marry) at all only to find out that Toraf went behind her back, talked to Grom and got them mated without anyone asking her (!) and then she changed her mind and turned sweet and lovely towards Toraf. The second book was the two of them fighting and being ‘cute’, which wasn’t cute at all.

The villain of this book was a Syrena called Jagen (a name I spent ten minutes trying to remember but I eventually had to look up. That’s hardly good advertisement for the book) who is in the middle of trying to change the way the Syrena society is ruled. He is, surprisingly diplomatic, attacking the royals and feeds the people lies to benefit his cost. Hardly something new, but it works. Especially with the very trusting Syrena. This is not a villain that I liked, for many reasons. As all the rest of the characters, he felt bleak and not really finished, like they’re all still in a developing process.

I read a while back that if you thought the main character was immature, then you were too old for the book. Maybe that’s right. In this case, though, I wonder how someone who’s eighteen can be so childish as Emma is. Then again, the entire book is childish. Nalia left the ocean because she thought she accidently had made a cave crash down and thus killed Grom. She blamed herself for this and lived on land for sixty-or-something years (the Syrena age more slowly than humans) instead of taking responsibility like a princess should. When Grom shows up and she realizes that he is alive she does a 180 and acts like a lovesick teenager, very much ready to go back to the ocean to take up her place as princess. There’s also no trust to be found anywhere. Nalia doesn’t trust Emma not to call Galen during their little road trip, Emma doesn’t trust Galen’s love for her and Galen, in turn, does not trust his lifelong friendship with Toraf. I might be too old for this story, but I do feel that these characters, all eighteen and older, acts remarkably like children.

The end was, perhaps, the weirdest thing. It was a short story, not even 250 pages, but it still manages to cover quite a lot of twists and turns, none of which was the least bit exciting. The last thrilling thing that happened involved the death of a major character which I felt was completely useless and only served to make the reader feel sorry for the characters. I felt the story would’ve benefitted more from letting the character live. I don’t see why so many authors love to kill of characters for no other reason than killing. Useless character deaths are among the worst things I know and it became painfully clear why in Of Triton.

As the second novel in a trilogy I was surprised that there was an epilog and even more surprised at how ‘wrapped up’ the story was when it finished. I had to double check to see if there really was a third book about Galen and Emma, at first I thought I was mistaken. But no, there is another one, which is strange since this fixed itself so nicely. Now I’m left to wonder what Banks can stir up from a story which seems to have nothing left to give. Is there really a point in pushing this forward and risk damaging it even further? I don’t know and after finishing Of Triton I was left with the feeling that I didn’t really care, either. Maybe my curiosity makes me read the third one or maybe I’ll stay away from everything Syrena, because this was not good.