Thursday, August 2, 2012

Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Title: Wake
Author: Amanda Hocking
Series: Watersong #1
Publication: August 7th 2012 by St. Martin's Press
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy
Format: Arc, 309 pages
Source: Won from Sara McClung
Cover Rating: 5/5
Content Rating: 3/5
First Sentence: Even over the sea, Thea could smell the blood on her.

~Synopsis~
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.


My thoughts: 
I recently won this ARC in a giveaway on Sara McClung's site. I was thrilled to have won this since I was planning on buying it anyway when it would come out. Wake is the first book in Amanda Hocking's Watersong series. The cover is gorgeous and the story is very original. So fast paced since I read it in barely 2 days. I was sad to have finished it so soon but I just couldn't stop reading this fantastic book.

I'm a big fan of Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy (Haven't read the last book yet though) so I had kinda of high hopes for this one. I've never read anything involving any mythical sea creatures like mermaids or in this case, sirens. I love Greek mythology so I was definitely intruiged and wanted to read more about them. So yes the siren part of the book is what kept me hooked throughout it. I loved how 2 of the 3 strange girls were the actual sirens of the greek myth. And they were damn scary sometimes! Especially their "real" siren forms. I do not want to mess with them, especially not Penn.

One of my favorite things in this book was the sister relationship between Gemma and Harper. I loved how Harper sort of stepped up as a mother for Gemma when there mother couldn't look after them anymore. I also liked their father. Even though he has his flaws he seemed like a great father who would do a lot for his daughters.

At first I had a hard time getting into this book and its writing. And that's most of the reason why it didn't get more than 3 stars. (3 isn't bad! Like some people think!) Mostly because the POVs looked a little weird to me or I just wasn't used to it. Also because I didn't instantly connected with Gemma, the girl who the story revolves around. Towards the end of the middle I started liking her more. The book had POVs with Gemma and also her sister Harper. So it's not just about Gemma alone. Also sometimes the dialogue seemed a little forced to me. 

I loved the romance in this book. Especially the not quite there yet romance of Harper and Daniel. They were my favorite characters. I loved Daniel. He lives on a boat and helped Harper out everytime she asked. Just perfect! I guess Gemma and Alex are a good fit too but not my favorites. I do love how geeky Alex is. So cute!

I hope I don't scare any people off with my 3 stars. Again, it doesn't mean it's bad it just means that I liked it but that it wasn't the best book I've ever read. It is a nice read and really fast in my case so I could encourage everyone who's planning to read it to just go ahead and do it. I'll definitely plan to read the next book in this series called Lullaby which comes out in November. Because the end of Wake left me craving so much more!





~Favorite Quote~
“Every man would fall in love with their voice, their lovely appearance, but no man would ever get past that. They'd never really know the girls for who they actually were, never really love them. It would be impossible for any of the four girls to ever really fall in love and be genuinely loved in return.”




About the author:
Amanda HockingI live in Minnesota, and I write young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy mostly. The My Blood Approves series is about vampires in Minneapolis, and its available now. I also wrote the Trylle Trilogy, which is a paranormal romance without vampires, shifters, mermaids, fae, angels, dragons, ghosts, or ninjas.

My latest book is Hollowland - a zombie urban fantasy set in the dystopian near future. It's a bit more violent and gritter than my other books, but there is still romance. Mostly though, Remy kicks a lot of butt.

I also enjoy Red Bull, Jim Henson, Batman, Jane Austen, Star Wars legos, and I absolutely hate long walks on the beach out of my intense fear/hatred of wet sand.

My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Alan Moore, and J. D. Salinger, but I don't write anything like them. I have an obsession with River Phoenix, and I've seen Silence of the Lambs more than any other movie, even The Dark Knight. If I were trapped on a deserted island, the one thing I'd take with me would be a boat capable for taking me home.

I'm also the guitarist in a band called the Fraggin Aardvarks, and even though its even twice as cool as it sounds, we haven't had a practice in like two years, so I'm not sure that technically we are still a band. But we never broke up, and it's an awesome thing to tell people, so I'm sticking with it. (We even had a synethesizer!)

Here are some ways you can talk to me:
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Blog
Email: hocking_amanda@hotmail.com


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