Wake

Author: Amanda Hocking

Publication Date: August 7th, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Paranormal

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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: I've been wanting to read this ever since I finished the Trylle Trilogy a while ago. Amanda Hocking has an addictive and persuasive writing style. She's really great at luring you in and making you crave for more.

So how suiting for her to write a book about girls who lure you in with their presence and voice. These girls show up in a small town and everyone is simultaneously attracted to them as well as terrified of them. They have a very commanding presence that makes you take notice and hang on their every word, especially those of the male variety. But at the same time, they are confusing everyone and freaking them out. But the former feeling definitely overwhelms the latter.

Introduce the main character Gemma. She's a really level headed, smart, determined and down to earth girl. Her biggest and only vice is water. She lives to swim, to be in the water, and just lives for all things aquatic. She's seriously addicted. She might as well be half fish, it's like she needs swimming to survive. She lives at home with her awkward but supportive dad, and her very controlling and protective older sister, Harper.  Harper is almost like a secondary main character in this story. She plays a really big roll in how everything unfolds, and there were quite a few chapters where we just got to learn about her own background and her own point of view. I really liked that and it was a fun added dynamic that kept the story fresh and the pace fast.

Everything seems pretty great with Gemma's swimming going swimmingly (hehe), and the boy she has a serious crush on just happens to like her back. But then the mysterious trio of girls, that used to be 4 girls, decide to focus in on Gemma. When they start hanging around and demanding her attention, everything gets messed up real fast.Those girls are bad news bears. It's a big old down hill slide from there on in, and it was great.

I guess that sounds weird. But I just really enjoy a book that never gets boring and keeps the energy and interest high. It's not easy to find fault in a book that keeps your turning the pages relentlessly. Amanda hocking and peaked my wonder yet again by taking on a brand new fantasy element. I think she pretty much mastered it and I really liked her take on these fantastical beings. I will definitely be reading more into the series!

Teaser Tuesday (64)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should Be Reading

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

This week's teaser comes from:

Wake

Author: Amanda Hocking

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Teaser:

"You're a truly beautiful girl," Lexi commented once she'd stopped laughing. She leaned in closer to her, resting her hand on Gemma's leg, and stared at her. "You know that right?"

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this start of a new series by Amanda Hocking! It was a great, quick and easy read and I will have a review posted for it this Thursday :). Can't wait for book #2.

Blog Tour Stop: Wake by Abria Mattina

Wake

Author: Abria Mattina

Publication Date: September 22nd, 2011

Publisher: Primrose Publications

Genre: YA/Contemporary/Romance

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Synopsis:

Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.

My Thoughts: I can honestly say I have never read a book like this before. This was a brand new experience for me, and one I am pretty sure is going to leave a mark.  I don't usually read books that are about real life problems or experiences, I'm usually lost in some fantasy land where the unimaginable becomes reality.  Stepping into this harsh reality was like jumping into a pool of freezing water. What a shock, what an intense read, what an incredible journey.

I think this book was also made more original to me, because it wasn't about what the fighting cancer, or the things people endure during such a traumatic event. While I suppose it had to be a little about that, it was definitely more about the road to recovery, what it's like to be in remission. And how even when you reach that light at the end of the tunnel, it can still be cripplingly blind. And the hard road definitely doesn't end once the cancer is gone, the battle just continues on a new playing field.

Jem is an 18 year old boy in remission. This of course has caused him to endure things no one at that young age should have to, and caused him to mature incredibly fast, while carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. I think  almost everyone has known someone with cancer, it's unfortunately far to common an illness. Which is another reason why this book really hits home, and hard. I fell in love with Jem immediately, and not just out of pity, because he would have despised that. He can't stand being pitied, or treated differently. He just wants to be the man he was before cancer came and mutilated his life and left him a shell of his former self. He definitely holds a lot of residual anger, which in turn results in the distancing and loss of all of his friends. Lucky for him he has the most amazingly supportive family ever.

Then in walks Willa. She is a one woman army. She answers to no one and fears no one or nothing either. And although I didn't like her rashness or boldness at first, she really did grow on me. I came to respect and love her, and even adore her straight forward and slight pushiness. Willa has also endured shockingly scary hardships in her youth and carries some really dark secrets. They share the anger and  general dislike of the world and the people in it. In the beginning these two are pure poison to each other, but I'm sure you've already guessed it doesn't stay that way. Watching their relationship struggle to evolve, to blossom and wilt a few times before achieving perfection was incredible. This is no, love at first sight, sweep you off your feet romance. This is a real, achingly deep love story about two damaged hearts trying to find a way to let someone in and learn to love themselves again as well as someone else.

This story is heartbreaking-ly real, disturbingly honest, and does not hold back. It's about so much more than battling a devastating illness. It's about the battle that no one else sees, the battle behind the curtains. The battle with one's self. How do you pick the pieces back up when it seems like nothing is left. How do you learn to accept yourself when it feels the sickness took everything you knew about yourself away from you. It had that alternating narrative that I love. We get to switch back and forth from Jem to Willa for days at a time. Everything is so much more personal, and their relationship becomes that much more dynamic when we can see how each of them are struggling and growing.  I am so glad I participated in this blog tour, because I loved this book and I want to share it with others. I was surprised by the length, but I am also glad I didn't have to say good bye too soon. I highly recommend this book, to any and all. Do be warned it's not easy on the heart, and it does carry just a few racy moments. But it's such a beautiful story and deserved to be enjoyed by everyone.

Now lucky for all of you,  and also for me, I really do get to share this story with one of you lucky people! Make sure you enter the giveaway to win an e-copy below, you won't regret it! Best of luck to all of you! Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour! For a list of the  blogs participating and their dates go HERE.

----->Enter Giveaway Here <-----

Teaser Tuesday (28)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should be Reading 

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

-Share the Title and Author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR if the like your  teaser :)

This week's teaser comes from:

Wake by Abria Mattina

"My left lung collapsed - yet another complication in a parade of total crap. The pain and shortness of breath made me lose consciousness, which I think was a good thing, cause when I woke up I had a chest tube hanging out of my side. And up till that point, I'd thought the hardware in my neck was gross. This was just plain creepy, and on top of that, it hurt like hell."

This book is shockingly real and in your face with details about what the healing process is like for someone in remission. It's incredibly captivating and scary, but great at the same time! I will be partipating in the blog tour and posting a review and giveaway tomorrow so make sure you come back!!

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!!

"Waiting On" Wednesday (10)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.

Wake

By Amanda Hocking

Expected Publication:  August 7th, 2012

Goodreads Summary: Lose yourself in the magic of Watersong, an unforgettable new series about two sisters who nearly lose their lives- and their loves- when they fall under the spell of three beautiful but deadly sirens.

That's a pretty short and sweet summary, but it's enough to have me interested. Especially since I recently read Switched, I know already that I like Amanda Hocking's writing :). There was an ad for this book at the end of Switched so I've been wanting to read it since then.

What are you "Waiting On"?