Wake (Watersong #1) http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/7f/79/78/_10586539-1338142966.jpg Featured

I really couldn't get into this book until the very end. I don't know why, it just didn't capture my attention. The plot sounded amazing but it didn't turn out to be anything like I expected. It sounded so original, but it could have been executed better.

I couldn't stand the main character, Gemma. I found her to be insufferable. She was self-centered, whiny and towards the end treated the people who wanted to help her like garbage. She was just awful. She was impossible to relate to or even like.

Her sister Harper on the other hand, I loved. The story should have been told from her point of view, she cared more about what was going on around her than her own issues. She was kind, unafraid to ask for help and she tried to take care of everybody. And the relationship that begins to build between her and Daniel was just adorable.

Alex was another great character, he was attractive but didn't realise it so the whole book wasn't like "oh my boyfriend is so hot and he knows it so he flaunts it constantly" (If that were the case I would have thrown the book -.-). He actually cared about Gemma even though it seemed like all she cared about was what was going on in her own world.

Penn, Thea and Lexi are the bad girls in this story and they come off as evil and vicious and all around unlikeable which is fine since they are supposed to be that way. It's not a good thing when the main character comes off in this manner as well.

Harper, Daniel and Alex were my favorites. Mainly because they were the only ones who weren't obnoxious or annoying or downright evil.

The story did flow well but like I said it didn't grab my attention as well as it should have. I guessed what the three girls were pretty early on and the crimes that were committed were no suprise for me when it was revealed who was doing it.

If you want to read this book go for it, I in no way think it's a terrible book. It's just not as great as it could have been. You may love it but it really just wasn't for me

Background: Gemma is a normal girl, except that she is obsessed with swimming, but how else is she going to make it to the Olympics? This summer Gemma is thrown a loop when three girls appear in her small town, making her and others uncomfortable. They invite Gemma to hang out with then and she begins to uncover their darkest secrets.

Review: I really enjoyed this book, it was an easy Audiobook to listen to and it was great to listen to now because it is summer and I have been watching some of the Olympic swimming. So everything just kind of fell into place.
I was surprised at how well Hocking pulled me in, I was immediately drawn to both Gemma and her sister Harper, even though they are two completely different types of people. The suspense was masterful! I had some idea of what was happening and then I was completely thrown off guard by details.

At first I thought I was reading another love story with supernaturals in it, but in reality this was so different, yes there is a love story and yes there are supernaturals, BUT this was far closer to a horror movie than a frilly, make you swoon supernatural love tale....

The characters are great. Harper, Gemma's sister, is the protector. Gemma is the fearless jock, and Penn, Lexi, and Thea are hot and just plain creepy. It was a good mix to have.

I think that if you like focus on the supernatural in a creepy way, this is for you. If you are looking for a love tale, there is a little of that but...not really. Either way, great summer read.

I just love mermaid stories. Make it a story about killer mermaids and I'm even more entranced. I had a lot of fun reading Wake by Amanda Hocking.

While the plot didn't amaze me, I was intrigued. I hate to say this, but there is only so much you can do with a story about sirens. It was everything I expected it to be, and very little more. Now, don't take that the wrong way. I did enjoy it; it just didn't break the mold.

Gemma was a decent character. She was strong and beautiful-- perfect bait for a gang of deadly sirens. I know the majority of the story focused on Gemma and her plight, but I was really more interested in Daniel. He was mysterious and fun. He had this aura of bad-boy swirling around him that had me hooked from the beginning. Alex was that "boy next door" kind of character, which worked well with being Gemma's love interest. Gemma's sister was also decent as far as foils go. Overall, the characters were all balanced out and did a nice job of supporting one another-- but I'm still team Daniel.

What review of a book about mermaids would be complete without mentioning the main characters? These sirens were not all singing crabs and sunshine. These girls were hard-core. Penn is certainly the most vicious of the three. Talia came across as aloof and uninterested. I'm sure there will be more to that in future books. What I did enjoy about this book is that the focus really wasn't on sparkling mermaid tails. Yes, it was mentioned a few times, but not as much as you would think. There was certainly an underlying mystery that was more prevalent to the plot. The mythology that was subtly introduced was also used in a very clever way. I am curious to see how Gemma and the other unravel that mystery in future books.

Overall, Wake was a fun read. It was quick and had enough romance to make it a page turner. (Very clean romance by the way.) I feel like this was a nice introduction to the upcoming books, which will probably have more plot twists in store.

This is an interesting take on the siren and leans more toward the classical version. The characters have real problems and still Hockings blends fantasy and real life smoothly.

Sirens are something I haven't read much of recently -- well, I don't think I've ever read a book about them. I was unabashedly excited to read this after I heard about it, and when I received an ARC in the mail, I was overjoyed. (Thank you, Jessica!) WAKE lived up to the hype, for the most part. It is much stronger than the other three Hocking books I read, the Trylle trilogy.

In the beginning of the book, we are introduced to a situation involving the main character, Gemma, with the following line, from page 3 of the ARC: "The engine made a bizarre chugging sound, like a dying robot llama . . ." O.o Immediately, from the first line of the first chapter, I was interested. Hocking's writing isn't the best. The woman needs a "show vs. tell" poster on her wall and she needs to learn how to distinguish between the two. But her writing didn't distract from the story, even though it was bland.

Gemma isn't the strongest female protagonist in the books; it took her quite a while to fight for what she believed in instead of being pushed around. The strongest aspect of Hocking's characterization, however, which is still quite great, is the sisterly bond between Gemma and Harper. Hocking knows what character traits clash, and she put them into the sisters. At first, I had a hard time believing they had as much of a connection as Hocking told us they did. However, as the novel progressed, I got a better taste of how they clashed and argued but also loved and cared, which is how the real thing works. Characterization is one of Hocking's strong points. I also enjoyed the little romances on the side, between Gemma and Alex, and Harper and Daniel. Gemma's and Alex's relationship was a bit unbelievable as well in the beginning, because Hocking told us about their backstory, and it was like we'd missed the entire foundation of their relationship. It took some warming up to get used to it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.

Harper's and Daniel's relationship was more enjoyable for me than Gemma's and Alex's, because we got to watch it grow from the beginning. Early on, Harper, ever-so-practical, wasn't looking for romance and was therefore blinded to all moves made by men. Her relationship with Daniel was one that blossomed from there. At first, I didn't even realize they were going to have a romance. It seemed like Harper wasn't going to be able to break free of her chains and realize that love was possible for her, even with her sister, school, jobs, etc.

Reading the first hundred pages was strange: the thing that I was waiting to happen, the one that was written on the back of the book, didn't happen until nearly the end of this section. I thought it was going to happen right away. I felt like Hocking included too long of an exposition to the novel. The first hundred pages were a bit dragged out, but there was a lot to introduce, so I guess that justifies a little bit of it. The ending was intense. The organization of Wake was also better than Hocking's Trylle trilogy. The tension was barely there in the beginning, but it built and slowly crescendoed up to the finale, which was explosive and interesting. I only wish I had the next book right here next to me so I could read it as well!

I am very excited to read the next book in the Watersong quartet. Wake was a nice, smooth siren story with unique mythology and lovable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.