Book Review: Wake (Watersong, #1) by Amanda Hocking

Wake (Watersong #1) by Amanda Hocking

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance; Mythological Fiction)

Date Published: August 7, 2012
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

The Blurb:

Fall under the spell of Wake—the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking—and lose yourself to the Watersong.

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 Review:

Wake is the first book in the Watersong Series by Amanda Hocking. It's also the first book by this author that I've read so far, and I've been wanting to get started on her books for a while. I'm glad I finally did. You're given the point of view of multiple characters through out the book, which I found interesting. It gave me a bigger picture into their lives. There are the beginnings of romances blooming and while they were both cute in their own way, I enjoyed reading the interactions between Harper and Daniel the most. Daniel has a little something that makes me wonder about him.. hmm.. maybe he doesn't even know it yet. He has me intrigued. Gemma and Harper are sisters. Gemma is the younger, more immature sister of the two. However, I feel like she will have to grow up pretty quickly in the next books. Harper is protective and quite a bit overbearing, and while this annoyed me at first, I think these traits will come in handy. This book isn't all warm and fuzzy romances and sisterly quarrels though. That is just two pieces of this story. Wake gives you bloody murders, mysterious mean girls, and mythological creatures to spice things up. The first half was a little slow at times, but you'll want to hang around for the second half. Things are about to get serious. I think there are big things in store for this series. Overall, the reading of my first Amanda Hocking book was very enjoyable and entertaining, and I'm excited about reading the rest of this series and her other books as well.

The Book Trailer:

About the Author:
I 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!)

To learn more about Amanda Hocking and her books, visit her blog.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.