Of Triton

Of Triton was not totally what I expected.  I expected more of what was happening in the beginning with Emma and her mother. I expected Nalia to be involved in something more nefarious. Instead, I think something nefarious happened to Nalia and Grom, but we don't know what. I'm also saddened by what Emma learned about her parents. I thought this whole drama was going to be a larger part of the book, but it was set-up, I think. Not in a bad way. We learn through this adventure at the start of the novel, more about Nalia, Grom and their relationship. We see Emma have doubts and what she does with them. She loves her mother, though she wants to believe in Galen. Anna Banks definitely surprised me with where the story went after the car ride.

The meat of the story, that was an adventure. Life under the ocean is more complicated than the Royals even thought. I liked that there was less moody romance and more active adventure; there were things the characters had to figure out. Though Emma and Rayna got left behind for a while, we got to spend more time in the water and learn about the Syrena people. The display of the gifts at the end though, that was nice. It's not just about Emma. I also thought I'd get to see a little more ass-kicking from Nalia. Galen did supply her with something she could have used, though maybe she didn't want to hurt one of her subjects. I'm wondering what the future holds not just for Galen and Emma, but for the undersea kingdoms. I also feel like there's more to the mystery of what happened in the mine field with Nalia and Grom. Though Of Triton felt like a complete story, I'm eager to find out what happens in Of Neptune.

Hard To Get, by Anna Banks

I’ve been feeling the urge to read Of Triton, the second book in Anna Banks’ Syrena Legacy, when I realized I hadn’t yet read Hard To Get. Hard to Get is one of the several short stories Anna Banks has written as companion pieces to her Syrena novels.  I’ve read Legacy Lost, which is tragic and the reason I started with the series. Hard To Get tells the story of what happened between Toraf and Rayna, after Toraf used a kiss with the series’ protagonist, Emma, to make Rayna jealous.

When I read Of Poseidon back in September, I was not sold on this storyline. Though I liked Toraf, I could not reconcile what he did. He was forcing Rayna to be with him.  Then he hurt her for rejecting him. The two sides of him weren’t sitting well with me.  Reading this story makes me understand his actions, though they were impulsive.  It also makes me like Grom a little less, even though I was sympathetic with him previously.  Maybe he is actually an ass and it makes perfect sense why his mate did what she did.  I’m sure to read about it soon in Of Triton. Hard To Get was a quick, fun story, with insight into some of the Syrena characters.

Of Poseidon

I totally predicted the ending.  Not quite everything, of course....and in the middle of the book, I had a bit of a question about the parentage.  But the big reveal.  I knew it.  There were some things thrown out there to make me doubt myself, but I knew it.

I really enjoyed Of Poseidon.  It was fast-paced with a good story. What really hooked me was the beginning. Anna Banks wrote a scene that I did not expect.  It was so sad and violent and changed the way you thought the story was going to go.  It was traumatic for Emma and coloured the way she thought of her first meeting with Galen.

I liked Emma.  She talked about being "that girl". The girl who gives up everything for a boy, who moons over him and changes all her life plans.  She wants to go to college and have the future she has been planning.  Then she calls herself on it when she does become "that girl".  I like Galen too.  He had a struggle, but he was also able to leave Emma when necessary, he didn't feel the need to drag her around everywhere because he had to be with her all the time.

Toraf and Rayna are fun, but I don't know if I liked what Toraf did.  In the end, it was okay, but what if it wasn't.  Would Rayna have been freed, could she have made her own decision?  I don't know, so I'm not totally sold on this storyline.

I also don't know if I like the ending.  It was too cliffhanger-y.  I like novels, including first ones in a series, to feel finished.  I'd rather the cliffhanger be left for book two. There are so many questions left, even though I knew what was going to happen. The questions all have to do with the future of the characters. I want to know what will happen to everyone, where are they going to go, what will the fate of the kingdoms be? I feel unsatisfied with the ending, though I'm not sure what the author could have done differently.  Continue the story?  End it sooner?  It is not going to stop me from reading Of Triton and Of Neptune. 

One of the reasons I read Of Poseidon was because I had already read Anna Banks' short story, Legacy Lost, which I re-read after finishing Of Poseidon.  I really enjoyed it, so I felt like I would enjoy the novel too. I've always liked reading a short story to try out a new author, before committing time and money to a full novel. I am looking forward to Of Triton and reading more of Banks' work.

First Books In A Series

I think I might make fall First Books Season. I look at my shelves, as I so often do, and I see all these books that are "the first", the first in a series. Often I see the second and third books for sale and I wonder, should I buy the next book? I haven't read the first book yet, what if I don't like it? I don't want to waste my money on buying more books in a series if I don't like the first book. When the books are on for a discount, that makes them so much more tempting.  I know I'm two steps from being a total book hoarder, but I'm resisting those steps.  I'm trying to make smarter choices with my limited space. So, I need to read these first books.  I need to decide if these series are for me.  I need to know which books to spend my money on.

Some firsts I might read this fall:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor

Enclave, by Ann Aguirre

Bloodsucking Fiends, by Christopher Moore

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

The Diviners, by Libba Bray

A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

Of Poseidon, by Anna Banks

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

Omens, by Kelley Armstrong

Partials, by Dan Wells

I think I'll stop here.  I could go on, but it's not like I could even read these 10 in 3 months unless I took some time from my job and family life (I could stop sleeping).  Which one should I start with? They all sound so good!

The Fierce Reads Anthology

The Fierce Reads Anthology is a free ebook from Tor books.  It contains five short stories and the first chapter or two of the authors’ respective novels.  Do these free short stories entice readers to buy the novels?  For the most part, I think so.  I’m going to say a bit on each story (which I'm going to write before starting then next story).  It’s going to be longer than my last few short story reviews because, there are only five stories/authors.  Plus, there are more than just five short stories in this anthology.

Legacy Lost, by Anna Banks

I reviewed Legacy Lost a few weeks ago as part of Short Story Monday.  See review here.  In sum, I liked it and the sample of Banks' novel, Of Poseidon

The Witch of Duva, by Leigh Bardugo

Poor Karina. She was trying so hard to save the girls.  I wonder if Nadya's mother knew... Or her brother. I wonder if he’ll turn out like his father... Because there are supernatural elements to the story, you think it's about a monster, when the monster of the story is more real than we like to think.  It was a fantastic story.  I already wanted to read Shadow And Bone, but now I want to read it even more.

Prophet, by Jennifer Bosworth

Maybe it’s because I don’t like overly religious stories, or people who proclaim themselves to be a prophet (cult leader), but Prophet didn’t appeal to me.  It also felt entirely too short*, like a set up or a flashback in a novel, instead of a story on its own.  The writing itself wasn’t bad, but the story didn’t grab me the way the first two did.  I’m sure Bosworth’s fans would enjoy it, but it’s not for me.  I also don’t really have an interest in reading Struck, Bosworth’s novel.  Prophet seems more like a prologue to the novel.  I suppose all the stories in this collection are, but at least the others had more defined beginnings middles and end.

Dress Your Marines In White, by Emmy Laybourne

Crazy!  Do people not know they’re creating the end of the world when they’re creating the end of the world?  I guess not.  Otherwise, we would have so many post-apocalyptic stories.  Dress Your Marines In White kept me tense all the way through to the end.  I knew the ending was going be bad.  The narrator, one of the lab assistants, is drinking and clearly traumatized by the events that are the subject of the report he has to write.  I want it to work out, but the looks on his bosses face make sure you know it won’t.  Emmy Layborne is the author of Monument 14, which I’ve heard lots of good things about.  Before reading the story and the excerpt from the beginning of the book, I had already decided that I didn’t want to read it.  Not because I thought it would be bad, but because of the subject matter.  The idea of those kids trapped in the grocery store had me thinking about Under the Dome and Lord of the Flies.  I haven’t even read Lord of the Flies, but I’ve heard so much about it, that the idea of the children trapped together gave me way too many creeps.  Now, I’m on the fence about Monument 14  The beginning seems really good and I thoroughly enjoyed the short story, but I don’t know if I could handle the novel.  They’re children.  If it was just teens, maybe, but there are little kids there too….**

Glitches, by Marissa Meyer

I want to give Cinder a hug!  Glitches is Marissa Meyer’s prequel short story to Cinder.  I already wanted to read Cinder.  I enjoyed the story, but I don’t know if it stands well enough on its own.  I felt that in order to appreciate the story fully, I would have to read the novel.  The story felt like part of a series.  Also, Meyer was the only author not to have the first chapter or two of her novel available to read.  That was disappointing.  I was confused when I reached the end of the ebook, that there was no more book (if it was a physical book, I might have noticed this sooner and maybe been less disappointed).  It seemed odd or maybe because Cinder is already popular Tor didn’t feel the need to include a bit of Meyer’s novel.

In Conclusion:

I think the Fierce Reads Anthology was very enjoyable.  It’s nice to get fun, entertaining short stories for free!  If you’re a fan of short stories, fantasy, sci-fi and young adult, I’d definitely download the Fierce Reads Anthology or read it online on the publisher’s website, Tor.com.  There’s a second installment of Fierce Reads that I’ve already downloaded, (though I’ve read a lot of short stories lately and I’m in the mood for something else.)  If you’re a fan of Anna Banks, Leigh Bardugo, Jennifer Bosworth, Emmy Laybourne or Marissa Meyer, I would definitely get this ebook.

*Odd to say for a story I didn’t really like, I know.

**Definitely longer than I intended.

Legacy Lost, by Anna Banks

What just happened?  That was not the ending I expected….  I downloaded Legacy Lost as part of the The Fierce Reads Anthology (available to read online here).  It is a collection of free short stories from “up and coming” Young Adult authors.  The short story collection is likely designed to lure in new readers by giving us a sample of the authors’ work.  So far, it’s worked.  I now find myself really wanting to read Of Poseidon.  The first story in the anthology is Legacy Lost, by Anna Banks.  The story takes place in the world of Banks’ novel Of Poseidon.  Legacy Lost began to build a world of mermaids (the Syrena).  It weaves in the details of their underwater life, while creating a tragic love story.  Even in a short story, Banks let me see the underwater world where the Syrena live.  She built a mythology and a history for these people.  Legacy Lost is a short adventure tale.  It has love, loss, tension and violence.  I look forward to reading more by Banks.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John Mutford at The Book Mine Set.