The fate of the world (of Syrena) rests in the hands of a very special girl who has the unearthly ability to talk to fish. 
 Too bad that this girl happens to be a whiny, insecure, bad-tempered little swine. 
 OK, that was way over the top. If I've created any first impressions of Emma to would-be readers, I believe that they were a bit exaggerated. But to some extent, she was all of the above. For a person who holds the key to the entire mer-mankind, I have to say, the Syrenas drew a short straw. Because this girl needs to get her priorities straight. 
 For a person with huge responsibilities (I think she is smart enough to be aware of them), guess what's first on her priority list? Her love life, her relationship with Galen Gorgeous. For one, I am not a worshipper of Love at First Sight. But what Galen sees in Emma that transforms him from the prince of the seas to some love-drunk sea lion cub is beyond the depths of my comprehension. 
 That said, Emma is definitely an over-thinking and sensitive (she hides it with a huge temper and anger outbursts). In my opinion she treats everyone badly except the people who she sets her eyes on to be her next boyfriend (in other words, her victims). (view spoiler)[After convincing herself that she caused the death of her friend, she writes volumes of eulogies in her head. That's fine, but what troubles me is her lack of devotion to Chloe once Galen enters her field of vision or her brain! She literally forgets her pal! Best friend? What best friend? For crying out loud, show some loyalty here! And then there's the catfight between Emma and Rayna that puts the other catfights in history to shame. I mean, flinging a person out of the window? Drowning attempt? That's plain murder! Who cares what pissed Emma off, it's a miracle that Rayna isn't human, or this book would have become a thriller more than a YA novel. (hide spoiler)] 
 Once again, I am at awe at why some authors choose to downplay their female protagonists in the story (in terms of benevolence of character) in order to, um, emphasize the holiness and superiority of the male lead perhaps? It certainly feels like it. I mean, we don't need a pathetic mismatch to discern a true hottie like Galen, hopeless singles like myself could sniff one out miles away (or perhaps, chapters away). I am guessing that the objective here is to deceive female readers that any normal female is special enough to bring a ethereal guy to his knees. But Emma isn't exactly someone I can relate to. She comes from ordinary beginnings, but there is something about her that seems too ordinary. To the point that she's plain boring. She wasn't somebody I could relate to, as plain and ordinary as I am. Frankly I didn't really care about who she was and what was to become of her. Personally, I don't think that being ordinary entails a temperament as dull as cardboard. I think anybody and everybody is special, ordinary or not, and his or her story (and IQ and EQ) can be better than that of Emma's. 
 I didn't really like the writing style's constant switching between first and third narrative, and I feel that the author's constant substitution and representation of the word "dating" with "mating" is definitely creepy. That said, i have to admit, I did enjoy the dialogues in this book. The were really sarcastic and sometimes even hilarious. If there is something Emma could compete with Galen, it is definitely the ability to argue properly. Hmm. I must be valuing witty banter more than I thought. 
 I also liked the plot of this book very much, Banks's imagination is really vivid and amazing. The cliffhanger is really annoying, but that is the only reason why I will be reaching for the next book in this series. But those are the only aspects of what I enjoyed of this novel, I'm afraid. I feel that for a story that was born due a huge ocean-wide crisis, the focus of the entire book is definitely skewed. Every character had some conflict in one way or other and in the end, I felt that it was as if the author was the one not taking the whole thing seriously. No offence. 
 (view spoiler)[Afterthoughts: 
 There is one tiny, tiny section in this book that made my blood boil. It was a fragment of Galen's thoughts. Here it is: 
 "Is it worth it? To give up years of my life to be with her? Galen thinks of the curve of her hips, the fullness of her lips....(the rest is irrelevant for my point to be made here) 
 Oh, yes. Definitely worth it." 
 I mean, should physical attributes be the first to come to mind when thinking about your loved one? Is Emma's supposedly gorgeous physique (I'm sure the understanding of the term gorgeous varies accordingly) worthy of Galen's sacrifice? Hell, I would never wish to be remembered mainly by my appearance (well, technically, I have nothing worth a second glance anyway). What can I say? "Galen! You pervert!" (hide spoiler)]