ŷ������

I haven't read this one yet.

I have that on my to read list! Hope to read it soon. I'm just throwing in another mermaid book to suggest it's amazing Based on the original fairy tale, great book.

Thanks for the suggestion Becky!

Okay so it's November-Of Poseidon it is!

Ok I'm starting, wish me luck :)

Anyone else reading this? I need some encouragement to keep going..I'm really struggling here

I read it a while ago and to be honest I only have it three stars and left no review, which isn't a good sign. I think the switching POV and going from first person to third person threw me off. I honestly can't remember much of the books, but I liked it enough to read the second (which I also don't remember) :(

Jen wrote: "Anyone else reading this? I need some encouragement to keep going..I'm really struggling here"

S.K.'s a former cheerleader. Maybe she can do a few rah-rah's for you. ;-)

I am reading will eventually read it but want to finish the Fallen series. What's making you struggle is it the way it's written?

Yeah the pov switch is one of the things putting me off but I'm also not feeling a connection with the characters and the story is just dragging along at a snails pace. The girl is annoying too with the "ohmysweetgoodness" all the time! the language barrier for the main guy is entertaining though. see I can't even remember their names and it's only been a few hours since I was last reading

Jen wrote: "Yeah the pov switch is one of the things putting me off but I'm also not feeling a connection with the characters and the story is just dragging along at a snails pace. The girl is annoying too wit..."

I have so many too read books that if I am struggling through one, I ditch it. I want to enjoy my reading time, thank you.

I don't mind if there is more than one pov as long I get the shift from one to another that can be annoying.

I've often contemplated writing a “Mermaid Plot Generator��; a Perl script that would ask you basic questions & give you a list of options. The result would be the plot outline for any story about mermaids or mermen. In other words, a lot of the stories seem to be products of the plot generator; they're formulaic. We have works from two authors here that are striking exceptions to that assertion but I digress..

Of Poseidon seems formulaic but it has some unusual twists that make it a distinct deviation from the norm. On the one hand, I enjoyed it. On the other hand, it seemed too much like standard YA fare. I found the oaths “Triton's Trident�� & “Ohmysweetgoodness�� a bit overused . . . OK, a LOT overused. For one thing, what 18-year old says Ohmysweetgoodness? It sounds like something a female over 50 might say. As for “Triton's Trident��, it seems clumsy and . . . well, dumb. I admit I should not throw stones as Penelope will utter “Sweet Neptune�� two or three times.

I feel like the pacing could be a bit better and that some aspects of the story should hew closer to reality. I mean, Emma seems to be out of school more than she is in. There's no mention of notes or phone calls to the Principal or her mother. The central characters bunk off school with greater ease than I ever did.

At the same time, I'm looking at this from an adult angle & it's a YA book. If I look at it from a YA perspective, it's a fairly good week-end read. Overall, I'd give it a grade of 'B'.

FWIW, I'm 25% into Of Triton and so far it seems to be a pretty good story . . . even to an auld phart like me.

Ladies, your opinions please!

Howard, it's like you have plucked the thoughts from my head a put them down on paper (or screen in this instance) in your usual clever style. I think I remember commenting on the over use of the words " ohmysweetgoodness". One more time and I may not have finished this one at all! I didn't mind Tritons trident as much although it was overused also I can imagine it being used well in the underwater world whereas I can honestly say I have never heard a teen use the words "omsg"! I found the language barrier for the male amusing at times. In particular when he recalls the female school staff giving him "mating signals"

I agree this was a YA but other authors seem to be able to use dialog that does not contain curse words but still reflects that of an actual teenager.

Another thing that didn't sit well with me was how easily she gave up on her stance towards the arranged mating of the sister to the friend ( sorry it's been a while and I can't remember the names). I am proud to see her voice get opinion on this but suddenly she turns around and involves herself in the pathetic fiasco to bring the two together.

I think I will skip on the next instalment and just wait for Howard's recapping instead :)

Okay are we all talking about Of Posiedon? I can't quite follow with all the books being referenced, lol. I'm really loving Merminia but only have little bits of time in which to read it and my ipad keeps flattening. Maybe I'll try and finish OP in the next two days, keeping it within the group read, and then get back to M on (Ha ha 'M') on Sunday when I can take a breather from these shows?

Ohhhh OP is giving me a headache...they don't just switch pov but tense! What is that?!

I read the sequel to Of Posiedon and because of that I’m going to revise my rating downward to a “C�� (Average). Of Triton is a better story though it perpetuates many of the sins from the first book. For one thing, the POV switch remains annoying. There are also numerous instances where the author develops a thread in the story and then suddenly drops it without any explanation or resolution. There are also inconsistences. For example, the reader gets the impression throughout both books that Emma is a lame swimmer because she does not have a fin. Suddenly, she is swimming home from way out in the ocean. What’s more, in one of the last chapters of the sequel, she is swimming around an island as part of a rescue mission; no mean feat for someone who can otherwise only dog-paddle.

Then there are threads started in Of Posiedon that are dropped or down right M.I.A. in Of Triton. For example, in book 1, Emma is discovering how long she can hold her breath and is approaching 2 hours in duration. In book 2, there is little or no mention of how long she is good for and one is left with the impression that she can stay under almost indefinitely. Another example is the question of her fin or lack thereof. While book # 1 raises the spectre of a fin-less mermaid, there is only a single mention of that in book # 2 and no final resolution either. I can understand leaving some threads hanging in one book to be resolved by the end of the series. Book 2 by all appearances is the end of the series and there is no resolution to a number of things.

LATE BREAKING NEWS: I have just discovered that there is a third book as well as a prequel available. Other readers have been caught off guard as I have because book 2 seemed of wrap things up. I’ll sneak Of Neptune on to my January schedule and report back after I’m done

And then there are some things that leave you scratching your head. One example is the author killing off one of the main secondary characters in the last pages of the book for no apparent reason. None! Was she trying to deliver a minimum number of words/pages and this was the best she could do? Book 2 is well over 100 pages shorter than book 1 and yet the former costs more than the latter.

One thing that influences my opinion of books is the B.F. (Believe-ability Factor) If a story is set in the here and now, I enjoy it more if it has a high B.F. That’s one reason why �� for me -- The Fairy Tail Saga works so well. You can believe that it did happen. OTOH, books set in other-where �� like Keeping Merminia -- don’t have to rely on believe-ability as much or at all to be enjoyable. Again, this is just me and I willingly admit exceptions and contradictions but having someone swim across the Atlantic & back over the course of a relatively few hours just does not cut it for me.

All in all, the target audience may not care for these things as much as we do. They are more looking for an exciting read than being concerned about a story which falls short in its execution. I will admit that it can be a compelling story and I do not consider the time I spent reading both books to be wasted. I can go on & on about things like the B.F. but instead, I will focus on a plaudit. At the end of the story, Emma is still bound and determined to go to college. I’ve seen too many YA stories where the heroine says something to the effect of “I’m a mermaid now so I don’t have to finish high school/go to college.�� I believe that sends the wrong message to YA’s and therefore Of Posiedon earns a “B�� where it was only worth a “B –��.

Nicely said-I was careful not to read spoilers then. Will recommence when I've finished.
But I am itching to get back to M

The feasibility of this story should warrant it middle grade not ya but there's too much sexual tension between the main characters to be either really. That Titanic thing did my head in. I grew up obsessed with that ship. I'd be a hell of a lot moved then 'ohmysweetgodness'.

S.K. wrote: "The feasibility of this story should warrant it middle grade not ya but there's too much sexual tension between the main characters to be either really. That Titanic thing did my head in. I grew up..."
S.K.,
I think that you've hit the nail on the head. I remember Guitar Chick say that it was written with a juvenile voice. I think she's right. The author seems a bit confused as to whom she's writing for or doesn't know how to write for her target audience. (Something that I need to keep in mind.)

HP