Wake (Watersong #1)

Guess what? I’m a total Amanda Hocking newbie. That’s right—I have not yet delved into her Trylle series, but their wide acclaim definitely upped the excitement for me as I began her newest book, Wake. The first in her new Watersong series, Wake centers around two sisters, Gemma and Harper, a pair who instantly grabbed at my heart with their sisterly affection and woes.

I’ve gotta say—this story connected with me more than I expected due to the fact that the MC, Gemma, is a competitive swimmer with Olympic dreams, who has felt a lifelong pull to the water. Um, yeah—that was the story of my teenage years. Although Hocking doesn’t quite get the swimmer lingo down (I had to laugh at her phrasing at some points), she accurately describes what it is like to be the kind of person who just can’t get enough of the water. She and her sister live in Capri, a seaside town, and their story begins in the summer before Harper goes to college, with Gemma at a point in her life where she is entering a relationship with the now-hot neighbor, Alex (her sister’s best friend!) and finds herself blossoming in looks and talent. Harper is the over-protective older sister, who, though she has some good reasons for it, has an inner struggle that I TOTALLY relate to. Oh my GOSH, seriously, this was the OTHER story of my teenage years—looking out for my budding little sister who got into too much trouble. I completely connected with every feeling, even though Harper is a lot better of a person on the inside than I was. She loves her sister and has her best interests at heart, and I was almost teary-eyed remembering those strong emotions. I have no idea if Hocking is an older or younger sister, or if she even HAS a sister, but let me tell you, she NAILED this relationship. Talk about tugging my heartstrings. So, in a huge way, their relationship and love for each other really is the driving force behind the book.

The catalyst is when Gemma begins to attract the attention of three powerful, beautiful, and strange girls who have descended upon the town for the summer months. We get to see a little bit of what is going on behind-the-scenes with them, but overall, the story unfolds as Gemma gets pulled further and further into their nasty web of manipulation and cunning. At times, these villains seemed not scary, but rather reminiscent of the way Goosebumps (R.L. Stine)villains could end up being—just gruesome and gross. But, in spite of the almost-silliness, I still totally HATE all of them. As I read I just was screaming at Gemma to GET AWAY. In the end it becomes evident that there’s a lot more than meets the eye with these three (Transformers reference=intentional).

Add to the mix some great chemistry between not only Gemma and Alex, but Harper and a new boy she is not sure she likes, plus a family history that just makes your heart ache, and you’ve definitely got a recipe for a fantastic new series. It only took me a couple of days to read this, and I am attached enough to this bunch that I am anxious for the next book to come out next year. Get your hands on this now!

Okay, I admit it. I'm totally a Hocking fan. I loved her Trylee series and couldn't wait to read more of her work. I'm also not much of a fan of mermaid stories but her new series doesn't follow the others out there. This is not a Disney like fantasy but rather one with a darker twist.

WAKE is book one of THE WATERSONG series. Sixteen-year-old Gemma loves the water. Whenever she's in the ocean, she feels calm and at home. She's pretty, carefree, and has a huge crush on Alex, the boy next door. Then three extremely beautiful girls show up and express interest in having her be part of their group. Gemma at first is leery but can't deny the appeal of being around them. But there is a price to being beautiful and alluring.

I really loved this story! Gemma is the good girl who tries to do the right things. Her only rebellion is her late night ocean swims. Hocking does a great job showing us Gemma's hunger to be in the water and also her struggle to not fall under the influence of the beautiful, model-like girls who show up.

The romance between her and Alex starts off slow. You're not sure if his increased interest of Gemma is due to her or her sudden change. This change is at times fascinating and other times borderline creepy.

The relationship I really loved was between Gemma's older sister Harper and the bad-boy Daniel. I could relate with Harper as I'm also the oldest in my family and felt responsible for my sisters. Harper is torn between living her own life and taking care of her family. Daniel is hot and I feel misunderstood. I can't wait to see where this relationship goes. I'm hoping it will continue in the second book in the series which will come out in Winter 2013.

Also there's hints of a family secret too. Why is Gemma and Harper's mother put away? What exactly does she know?

And the sirens, Penn, Lexie, and Thea would put the Mean girls to shame. They are hauntingly beautiful and also deadly. Greek mythology has it's own unique take on the truth behind the girl's allure.

This twist on modern day sirens sinks it's teeth in you and doesn't let you go. Can't wait for the next book!

I was thrilled when I received 'Wake' by Amanda Hocking. I enjoyed her "Trylle" series and was looking forward to this new series. From the very first paragraph of the prologue I was hooked. Terrified and grossed out, but hooked. The whole concept of sirens is horribly frightening and Ms. Hocking does a wonderful job of showing the reader just how terrible the sirens are.

The characters are memorable and I enjoyed reading about them. From the very beginning I was rooting for Gemma and Harper. I knew the sirens were after one of them, and I was so scared for whomever it was! I actually haven't been this 'frightened' of what was happening in a book for a long time. It was a nice change to be literally on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I really enjoyed Alex's character. He is the literally the boy next door and he's an all around good guy. I loved the relationship he had with Gemma and I was rooting for them the entire book. I also enjoyed Harper and Daniel's relationship. I thought it was very good for Daniel to help Harper "loosen up" a bit and not take everything so seriously. I hope in further books of the series that we get more Harper and Daniel. Just saying. Penn, Thea & Lexi are the sirens and they absolutely terrifying. Every time they were in a scene I got very tense and was so worried about the other characters. These girls were nuts! They are like Mean Girls on steroids. I would definitely not want to meet them anywhere!

I had a bit of an issue with the writing style, just like I did with the "Trylle" series. It's just my personal preference though. I just felt like the book skipped around a bit, it even skips from point of view in the middle of a page sometimes without warning and that threw me off. However, I was able to pick right back up and continue reading. I also felt that in a few scenes, Ms. Hocking could have gone into further detail, but she didn't. Again, that's my personal preference, but I just wanted to include that in my review.

Overall, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this book. I would definitely recommend to any Amanda Hocking fans!