Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately it’s not the book for me. DNF @ 12%.

Felt like the author went to quickly into the world without building it up any thing. Was thrust into the world way too quickly.

I have always been fascinated with mermaids. There's just some haunting yet adorable quality about them. I can't count how many times I have watched Disney's "Little Mermaid". And lately, books about mermaids seem to end up in my arms. This is the second book of three about mermaids that I read this year. I got this one from Netgalley.

So, this is a story of a 16-year old princess. An heir to the throne and is next in line to take over the rule of the kingdom of mermaids. They're in an invisible island protected by Neptunes's power from humans. This princess is Jet. She's homeschooled and is very much protected from the life of ordinary teenagers in their kingdom. Then, out of a suggestion from one of the members of the council, Jet is to join the high school and mingle with the people. This is also a way for the royal family to reach out and appease the people's increasing unease and distrust of the ruling family. To Jet, it's really a challenge because she doesn't know how ordinary teenagers act or what they do for fun. Add to that an assignment his father, the king had entrusted to her. She had to succeed in it or a lot because a lot is at stake.

This is like mythology meets the modern world. It's a fusion of those two things. The story obviously talks about the descendants of Neptune, God of the sea. They're sheltered from humans and yet they also have their own technology which to humans could be compared to the internet and mobile phones. Just because they're from the old world, doesn't mean they have to remain in old era.

It's amusing to watch Jet blunder through high school and learn things all on her own. She has a lot of things to learn and it doesn't help that there's a teacher that's out to make sure that she doesn't succeed. It's more than she bargained for. Like a normal high school, she gets to meet the most popular girl and of course, crushing on the cutest and kindest guy in the campus. Jet has to prove that she's not just a fragile princess and that she too can hold her own even out of her comfort zone or more appropriately a fish out of water.

What I really like about the story is the fact that Jet can talk to animals and she has this really cute pet sable named Peppercorn. The name is even too cute. I can just imagine Peppercorn being cute and cuddly. Jet has the ability to talk to animals and her conversations with Sable are just so hilarious. Listening to their conversations, it would sound like Sable is the older of the two. It seemed like sarcasm is Peppercorn's forte and Jet is not exempted from that. Often Jet is the target and recipient but it's also evident that these two have a very close and special bond that cannot be questioned. Peppercorn is first and foremost loyal to Jet and she knows how Jet thinks and often, she's like Jet's conscience and her number one motivator. I really like the the relationship of these two.

With regard to the background story and how Jet's people came to be, the author did provide enough background and history for the readers to understand how the kingdom sprang out and how humans didn't even know they exist. And as the story progresses, more information about families, other characters, rivalries and hidden agendas were unveiled. Apparently, envy and the thirst for power is not only a weakness for humans but for Neptune's children as well.

The Quidrivium. A lot of the things and events in this book happened or is centered in this place. This is their high school The council has a meetings chamber within the campus. A lot of whispered conversations and plans are plotted and conspired within its walls. It's halls and rooms are privy to a lot of secrets.

This story also reminds me of Nancy Drew. Jet being given a special assignment by no less than the king and also because she has a personal stake in the success of the mission. So, like Nancy Drew, Jet has a tendency to stick her nose in places and things bigger than her. Like the young spy, Jet has a very strong instinct and often her gut feel would lead to interesting places and stumble into very unexpected discoveries.

All in all, this is an interesting story with a lot things thrown into the mix. There's mystery and conspiracy. There's myth and then some elements of modern technology also thrown in. It also talks about relationship between parents and children. How some parents wanted to carve a path for their children and these kids have no choice but to strictly follow that path. To stray from it would be tantamount to disloyalty and a disgrace to the name and family. There are also children who try to protect their parents instead of the other way around. So, different parent-child relationships are explored here which is what makes this story relevant to the modern YA readers. I appreciate that even if there are a lot of things happening in this story, the significance of the message about that vital yet fragile relationship between father-daugther or father-son or mother-daughter is not lost in the colorful mythical background and the host of varied and complicated characters. It actually stands out without really giving obvious emphasis to it.

I give the book 4/5 cute sables. I think there are two things that I love the most about this story. One is Jet's character having to be a princess, a Nancy Drew wanna be and a female version of Dr. Doolittle. So, the clueless princess actually turned out to be something very incredible and not because it's inherent in her. She had to work through most of the things and even had the scratches and bruises to prove them. She's not afraid to earn her place and get her hands dirty, which is actually admirable in a princess. The second thing that shines out of this story is as I have said, the subtle exploration of a parent and a child's relationship. Again, it's not the focus of the story but somehow it finds it's way in the center of things and in the thick of things. It floats out to the surface. It's the common element among the characters. How that relationship plays into the formation of that certain character in this story and how it also contributes to how those characters end up in the last pages of this first book.


Our futures may be mapped out for us, but there's always more than one route to a destination.
- Makenna Snow, Children of Neptune -


Thank you again, Netgalley and Makenna Snow for the copy.

This is a really good teen fantasy.
Great characters and world building.

I received an eARC from the publishers via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

* just not the book for me
* a bit too childish
* incredibly confusing
* i couldn't get the plot
* i was confused by the world building
* my brain turned off every time i started to read
* i thought i'd like it because i adore middle grade, but this was too young for me
* will be recommending and giving to my cousins
* no full review to come because i have no idea what happened

This reminds me of Percy Jackson and Peter pan in a really weird way.... give it a try!

I didn’t make it through this book. I think I will try again but 30% through and it’s slow burning and very mild. Very descriptive about little things and nothing really going on... the writing is good though

This story was pretty disappointing because 1) it had a really slow start, 2) the protagonist and friends were 16 year olds who for the most part acted like 12 year olds (this read more like a middle grade than a young adult book), 3) being named Children of Neptune, I expected something mimicking the Percy Jackson series, but this book lacked in the mythology, humor and action, and 4) it was pretty obvious for the majority of the book who the "bad guy" was. I'm giving it 3 stars because I like animals and enjoyed the telepathy between the human-mer hybrids and animals. Once that plot threat picked up, I was a bit more immersed into the story.

Leaving review on Goodreads.

NetGalley Review
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting concept, strange plot.

I’m not one to pass on a book revolving around mythology. However, I a very particular when it comes to executing the myths.

My biggest issue with this book is that one of the many challenges a mythical princess must face is high school. Just the idea of someone unordinary experiencing ordinary things was lost on me. I understand the desire and irony of the character being out of her element. However, I just wish it wasn’t as basic or predictable as it had been. Yes, I was completely aware of this when I requested the book. But the concept of a powerful princess with the ability to communicate with animals clouded my judgment.

One thing that I was not aware of before I began reading was the reading level. In all honesty, this did not feel like a young adult book, let alone one for teenagers. The writing was too juvenile for my taste.

I finished the book feeling indifferent.

Great book for people who enjoyed the Percy Jackson series. No one is overpowered, and the book was fun and easy to read.

This is the story of what happens hundreds of year after Percy Jackson’s generation as documented by Rick Riordan.

Just kidding but it does seem like ever since Riordan splashed over the scene with his Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology based books we’ve seen a marked increase in novels using those themes. Sometimes “eyerollingly” bad other times you finish the last page feeling like there needs to be more.

Thankfully this one falls in the latter category.

Teens will appreciate having a story that showcases the struggles of growing up, the pressure they face, the adults who don’t seem to remember being that age, family drama and trying to find your place in a complicated world. Of course in this case the complication is that this teen is doing her teen rebellion/angst years knowing it’s directing her towards being the Queen someday.

You get the minor level of suspense as Jet as to figure out what’s going on with the animal population all the while dealing with people who question her ability to have the job she’s being groomed for – like any teenager needs the reminder that adults think they suck right now.

You get plenty of twists, adventures and great characters particularly in Jet.

Snow really makes it easy for you to dig into this highly detailed and unique world by opening her book with a thorough construct outlining her world building. You are treated to a breakdown of characters and their roles, places and their importance to the story, animals and their descriptions along with a variety of other events and categories that essentially translates her language.

the cover is cute and as a fantasy lover I was intrigued. it doesn't disappoint, though I wish it'd been shorter

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. At first, things were a bit confusing but that worked itself out quickly. I really liked the twists the story took (though some at the end were a bit out of the blue, might have been better if the writer had taken a bit more time there). I'm glad the ending was satisfying enough, but still left enough room for a sequel.

In Children of Neptune Jet is the princess of a kingdom that was once created by Neptune himself. He gave his people the task to keep the waters and the animals living in it save. As time went by Jets people are now half human and the war that has been going on two thousand years ago with the humans still diverses her people. While some think that humans would only want to wipe them out others believe that there are humans out there with good intentions. Destined to be the future queen and being watched closely by the council Jet has to proove her worthiness of being queen one day. Since Jet happens to be insecure and clumsy the council has little faith in her. In order to proove herself she is sent to a high school her people attend. Meanwhile there are strange animal disappearances. So while facing high school with nice and strict teachers, good and false friends and a romance surfacing Jet is to find out why the animals disappeared and achieve the best marks in order to proove her worthiness and secure her legacy.

What I liked very much about this story is that Jet can communicate with animals via enComm. All of her people posess this telepathical skill but not everyone is good at it since it depends on talent as well as hard work. I found it weird that the only way to proove her worthiness at the age of sixteen was to attend high school and achieve optimum grades. But I liked how the insecure Jet was facing the problems at high school involving teachers who have a special hatred for someone, friends who turn out to be betrayers, loyal friendship and romance. It was very obvious to me though who the villains were. To me the story was lacking surprise. I found it to be rather predictable. In addition the story is well written and I was able to pitcure evrything clearly in my mind but it lacked what many call "show don't tell".

All in all it was a nice read but way too preditable and the writing style did not appeal to me. I liked the story and think that book two (if there is a book two since there is a cliffhanger) has some potential for improvement.