Monday, September 22, 2014

Wake by Amanda Hocking

Title: Wake (Watersong #1)
Author: Amanda Hocking
Published: August 2012
Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.
- Summary from Goodreads

            A fun summer read to finish off the season with. Wake is a mixture of cuteness, creepiness, and drama. I picked this book up at a flea market because of the awesome cover, but I bought it because of the sirens. I’ve never read a book with such a heavy presence of sirens before, and while it had a bit more of a contemporary feel than I like to read, it was an enjoyable read. 


            You would never guess it from the summary, but this book actually follows two main characters, Gemma and her sister Harper (sister book!) who takes the role as “overprotective big sister” very seriously. They both are struggling with change as Harper is about to go off to college in the fall and Gemma is falling for Harper’s best friend Alex, who will be leaving soon as well. There's also tension as Harper's mother hen-ing get's more intense and Gemma is sick of it. However, the real trouble comes when three mysterious girls start to show some interest in Gemma and not in a good way.


            I thought the sirens were interesting and well done, but we didn’t actually get a lot of them besides the surface “pretty yet dangerous” vibe. There was one section in the book that focused on their mythology which was interest, but it’d be nice to see more depth to them later.


            While I thought the writing style lacked a bit in the beginning, the story caught my interest enough that I didn’t notice it as much after a while. This definitely felt like an introduction to the rest of the series, but is had some high-stake, intense parts as well and I thought that the relationships (or sometimes lack thereof) were really cute. Gemma and Alex were cute, but I love the Harper/Daniel chemistry. It’s probably because he seems like a heart-of-gold/scoundrel and she is not impressed. But there is something about him as well that is a mystery and I can’t wait to find out what the explanation is.


            Overall, I wouldn’t say that this was a great book, but it has an interesting premise. I am definitely hooked on the series and ready to read on.
 
            -Sarah

1 comment:

  1. I get so confused with her series', The Trylle series is hers too, right? Ugh though, I really am starting to dislike ones that are more contemporary (and have that contemporary feel) than the mythological/paranormal it should be focusing on. Seems like that aspects only included to make it different. So lets hope that it does focus more on that later on (like it should). But glad you enjoyed it anyway. :)

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