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merin

Read and Reviewed

Merin is a teacher, a book blogger, a baseball addict (Go Cardinals!), lover of music, movies and TV crime dramas, and YA/MG connoisseur. Follow me on my blog at http://ahandfulofconfetti.wordpress.com!

Currently reading

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Susan Higginbotham
Progress: 23/323 pages
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Ruben Toledo, Charlotte Brontë
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The School for Good and Evil
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Of Triton

Of Triton - Anna Banks

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, 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!

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