#toraf

Summary: (from Goodreads)

Emma and Galen’s kingdom and their love is threatened by long-lost Syrena in the brilliant conclusion to Anna Banks bestselling trilogy. Emma, half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune. Neptune is home to both Syrena and Half-Breeds alike. But Emma and Galen didn’t sign up to be peacemakers between the ocean and the land-dwelling, freshwater Syrena. They didn’t bargain for meeting a charming Half-Breed named Reed, who can barely disguise his feelings for Emma. And they especially didn’t expect to find themselves in the middle of a power struggle that threatens not only their love but their ocean kingdoms. In this stunning conclusion to her bestselling Syrena Legacy, Anna Banks thrills fans with more action and romance than ever.

Review: 

Note:  This is book three in the Syrena Legacy Trilogy.  Before you read Of Neptune you should read Of Poseidon and Of Triton.  Although I try to eliminate spoilers from my reviews this one may contain spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

Let me begin by saying I adore Anna Banks and her writing.  With that said I was just… meh on this book.

First, I’m aware there were always selfish, immature personality quirks present in both Emma and Galen.  From the first time we meet E and run into G it is as plain as day.  Banks doesn’t gloss it over, but by the end of the second book it seems to have been pushed to the back.  There’s a significant death at the end of Of Triton, which I anticipated would inspire growth and change.  Oh how wrong I was.  E & G pick up where we left them in Of Poseidon, and it is a distracting mess!

Then, as if adding insult to injury, AB tosses in a love triangle.  I understand triangles can work for and even propel a story arc, but to be brutally honest this read like a last minute addition.  I’ve invested serious reading time to this material and I expected well-thought out plot points, what I ended up with was soggy bread wrapped in glittery packaging. 

It seems to me there has to be a better way to prove characters are truly in love and can withstand the odds stacked against them without tossing in other potential love interests, especially since readers are already invested in E & G’s story and are swooning over “the pull”.

All of that is a small annoyance in comparison with my next highlight—character shifting.  Characters we’ve fallen in love with over the course of two novels (and a handful of short stories) exit stage left on this one.  That means at the close of a trilogy we get to meet an entire set of new characters.  Not just one or two.  A.  Whole.  New.  Cast.  By this point the others are established, developed—why are we getting rid of them?  To spice up the plot?  Puh-lease.

I suppose, in a lot of ways, Of Neptune and Of Triton should switch places.  It would have been a devastating end, but in my honest opinion OT rounded out the story a lot more than this addition.

The overall pace of the novel was… nail bitingly slow.  I know, oxymoron.  I was anxiety-ridden throughout much of the story.  The dangers were scary and a real threat to the Syrena life, and after book two’s ending it was a real chance to explore and develop.  But the book is written from dual perspectives and while one character is being tortured the other is just going through the motions none-the-wiser.  And then, when we’ve FINALLY hit the climax, the resolution is rushed and sloppy.  I’m not sure if AB didn’t tie up specific loose ends for a reason (i.e., more Syrena books in the future) or if she didn’t think to, but I seriously hate when authors don’t answer questions.  Leaving room for interpretation, fine—I get it and encourage it, but at least round out your story.

What did I like? 

The reunion of the original cast of characters.  Rayna and Toraf are a kickass combo.  I enjoy how they interact with each other and with the other characters in the story.  They are the comic relief without being over the top and I feel they lend a great deal of balance to the story.

I enjoyed the layer of complexity ON added.  Emma has felt out of place her entire life and then she finally finds a place where she is not only accepted but celebrated.  The theme of inequality and prejudice is well-balanced with tolerance and acceptance.  It isn’t thrown in your face either, it’s subtle, and inspires thought.

Overall I really like this series; it’s an original take on the mermaid myth.  But honestly… this book…  It’s not something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life, which is unfortunate because Galen alone holds so much promise.