Emma, who is 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-living Syrena and the land-dwelling, freshwater counterparts. 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.
*My Thoughts*
Of Neptune (The Syrena Legacy #3) sends the now Nineteen year old Emma McIntosh, and her Syrena boyfriend Galen, on a road trip to Neptune, Tennessee. This after her grandfather, Poseidon King Antonis, makes a subtle suggestion that Emma might go on a "weird scavenger hunt" for him to a place he once discovered while his daughter Nalia was missing.
I am sure that if you have read the first two books in this trilogy, Of Poseidon and Of Triton, you are aware that Emma and Galen are in definite need of some vacation and alone time. What better way of finding out if you were really meant to be together forever, than by taking a road trip without the interference of your brother (Triton King Grom), or your mother (Poseidon Princess Nalia), while also discovering a whole new world that isn't supposed to exist?
Of Neptune is yet another story that has its fair share of twisted villains that test Emma & Galen's strengths, resolve, & weaknesses. Unfortunately, it also throws in a Half-Breed named Reed to the story as part of a twisted 3-way love triangle which I abhor.
Each chapter flips from Emma's POV to Galen's.
After being separated from Galen, Emma wonders what her future would be like if she stayed in Neptune. Neptune was built on the concept that anyone, Syrena, Half-Breeds, or Humans, are welcomed. Even though there's some sadness and angst due to her separation from Galen, you can feel how happy Emma was to actually have a place away from the Archives, and the Syrena who have treated her unkindly and unfairly. Emma wonders if Galen, or even her own mother would be happier in the sea rather than on land. Would either of them be happier if she wasn't in the picture?
Emma's dalliance with Reed may be the least favorite part of this story for me, and not because I was seriously considering Reed as an alternative to Galen. But, it did leave me asking questions: If I was Emma, why would I want to return to a world that truly doesn't care about me? Why wouldn't I want to discover different choices before being bogged down by commitment for the rest of my life? If that meant moving ahead in my life without my family, and friends, would it really be so bad?
No matter how you twist it, Galen's POV just plain frustrated me. Even though he is severely pushed to his limits by the villains, his refusal to accept that he is in mourning, while demanding that Emma go along with his choices, was pigheaded. The one thing I can understand is loss. Rachel's loss was a tough pill to swallow, and its hard for Galen not to blame himself for what happened. Inevitability happens when you push away your grief and act out of turn. It tends to push the woman you claim to love into the arms of another man who just happens to be there when you're not.
I can't say that I am truly satisfied or dissatisfied with Of Neptune's ending. I am some where right in the middle after reading that last chapter. Yes, it brought together all of the series characters for one last scene including Toraf and Rayna. Yes, it was sweet and adorable and everyone presumably lives. But, it didn't answer the one question that caused Emma and Galen's disagreement in the first place, nor the fate of Neptune and its people. Perhaps one day Banks can write a novella written in the not too distance future that ties up these loose ends once and for-all.
Author - Anna Banks
Title - Of Neptune (The Syrena Legacy # 3)
Released by Feiwell and Friends
Published: May 13, 2014
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Format: Paperback 330 pages
Nice review! I admit now I am a bit scared to read this one! Plus I am having horrible memory cognition or whatever in trying to recall what happened in the last two books! Other mermaid tales are interfering and mixing things up for me! But still, I am excited--albeit a bit nervous now--to see how this series wraps up. Hopefully Anna would write a novella as there seems to be a few too many questions at the end! I tend to dislike that with a series ender. Oh well! Great review!
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