Heart of Atlantis is the latest book in the Warriors of Poseidon series. Though I think I might have a few of the other books in this series on my bookshelf, Heart of Atlantis is the first one I have actually read. Fortunately for me, it was not too difficult to catch on to the series and enter the world that Alyssa Day has created.
Alaric is the High Priest of Atlantis. Apparently this means that he is responsible not only for guarding Atlantis, but he is also supposed to be celibate. It is obvious that I missed (from a previous book) his meeting with Quinn, a rebel leader who is fighting to protect humankind from vampires and other scary beasties. While Quinn and Alaric are not supposed to fall in love, it is clear that they are soul mates.
The novel begins with Jack, Quinn’s best friend, stuck in his tiger form (he’s a shifter). He is unable to shift back and it seems as if the human part of him has died. Alaric, despite being a bit jealous of the close friendship between Jack and Quinn, agrees to help as much as he can.
Meanwhile, a man named Ptolemy appears on television, claiming to be the true King of Atlantis. He pledges to kill humans if he is not installed as the king, and he outs Quinn as a rebel leader on television. He also steals a jewel from Poseidon’s trident, needed to make Atlantis rise. When Quinn goes to see Ptolemy, wanting to confront him and possibly get the jewel back, Ptolemy tells her that she is to be his bride and the mother to his children. Not surprisingly, this makes Quinn and Alaric angry.
When Ptolemy takes Quinn to various locations against her will, Alaric is on the hunt for her. Through the incredible mind-meld he has with Quinn, he is able to transform into various states of water and rescue his woman.
The second half of the book is primarily concerned with the rising of Atlantis, and also of reuniting the reader with the couples from the earlier books of the series. The vampire queen, Anubisa, who has caused much trouble for Atlantis in the past, shows up to work with Ptolemy to supplant Conlan as the ruler of Atlantis.
Alaric, finally exasperated with the frequently unreachable god who he serves (Poseidon) finally gives in to his feelings for Quinn, and it is their connection that saves Atlantis. Well, that connection and the help of the other Warriors of Poseidon.
Fortunately for me, Day did a good job of catching me up with the plotlines of previous books, so I did not feel like I was too lost. I was interested in the romance between Alaric and Quinn, but I was not invested. I really did not understand why Alaric just gave up his celibacy one day (after spending the first half of the book resisting his feelings) and went for it with Quinn. I didn’t fully believe the relationship between the two of them. Perhaps the foundation of their relationship was better laid in one of the previous books in the series.
I found glimpses of humor and fun in Heart of Atlantis, and had I read all of the books, I am sure I would have found the reunion of all the warriors and their mates to be like a meeting with old friends. I did enjoy the characters of Quinn and Alaric, and I thought their strong wills were entertaining to read. The “portal”, who is a character rather than an inanimate object, was just confusing. I never did fully understand the significance of the portal changing from a woman to a surfer dude in the middle of the book. And while on the subject of characters that irked me, Poseidon is a jerk. What good is a god who does not act like a god? He does not show up half the time he is called, and when he does, he is decidedly unhelpful. Poseidon annoyed me even more than the evil vampire queen and her screeching.
This book was interesting and fun enough that I feel as though I might read the other books in the series as well. I think that is a testament to Day’s writing. It was entertaining and a good escape from reality, but not a must-read series for me.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Regina
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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.
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