Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Wake
(Watersong #1)

Author: Amanda Hocking

Publication Date: August 7th, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre: Paranormal / Mythology

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Synopsis:

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.

My Thoughts: >When I first started reading Wake I thought I was about to start my second ever mermaid book. Note to everyone, there are NO mermaids. I also had no idea that there was going to be a mythological background story. I was so EXCITED for that!! I love mythology!! Needless to say, I throughly enjoyed reading Wake, it took me less than a day to read it and was a fairly easy and quick read. I actually hadn't read anything by Amanda Hocking before (although the Trylle series sits on my shelf, so I will get to it!!), so this was a very nice introducing into her writing style. I will be eagerly awaiting Lullaby, the next book in the Watersong series. I've very happy to see that there are 4 books planned in the series.

So I just have to say it, I love the cover of Wake!! It's so pretty. I'm really a fan of the underwater covers that have been coming out lately. Maybe because I like the blue that comes with it. The font that is used is also one that I'm a fan of. I find the cover fairly simple overall and it doesn't really give anything away in the book. So really enjoying the covers of this series, the one for Lullaby is on Goodreads and is equally as nice, they will look very nice on my shelf.

Wake follows Gemma and Harper, two sisters that are very different. Gemma is a star swimmer, she is hoping to get to the Olympics someday. She's carefree, pretty and has a thing for Alex, the bor next door. Harper has given up her childhood to look after Gemma after their mom was in an accident. She is smart and reserved and Alex is her oldest friend. It's all she can do to try and keep Gemma out of trouble. Suddenly boys are going missing, but Gemma is fearless and still continues her nightly swims in the bay. One thing the two sisters can agree on it the new girsl in town, Penn, Lexi and Thea are bad news. Gemma tries to avoid them, but they won't leave her alone. 

I enjoyed both Gemma and Harper as characters. I would say that Harper is a lot like me, so I was really able to relate to her. Gemma was a bit harder for me to relate with, but she was still a character that I enjoyed getting to know. Both girls are great characters who try to do what is right and they are both falling for guys that they least expected to fall for.

Overall this book really surprised me in that it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, in a good way. It was really enjoyable with great characters that I was able to relate with. The story was well written and had small surprises in it. If you like mythology, you should definitely add this one to your TBR. Amanda Hocking is a great  author and I will be reading more by her soon! With a bit of paranormal, mythology and romance, Wake has made it's way to one of my favorite reads. It's a book that I will be highly recommending. Definitely check out this series!

  

Thank you to Raincoast Books for the review copy!!