Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking - Juhina

Title: Wake (Watersong, #1)

Author: Amanda Hocking

Publication date: August 7th, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (Raincoast)

Genre(s): Young Adult (Paranormal)

Source: Publisher
Format: ARC

Pages: 307

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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.

Wake has had so much hype surrounding it because it is another series by Amanda Hocking. While I have not read her Tryll trilogy, I was very excited to read Wake. After reading the epilogue, I was so creeped out and excited to dive right into the story! However Wake did not live up to the hype and also its epilogue. While it was an enjoyable novel, it was yet another paranormal novel that kept me mildly interested while reading it and forgotten once I finished it. 

The story revolves around Gemma, who loves swimming and the ocean with a passion. She always goes for late night swims in the bay even though her older sister always disapproves. At the beginning of the novel a romance line developed quickly between Gemma and her neighbor Alex and everything seems to be dandy. However the three new tourists, who were rumored to be vacationing celebrities, want Gemma to join their group, and not in the typical 'friends' kind, but a paranormal curse that would bind Gemma to them forever. Now here is what I didn't enjoy that much, everything was supposed to be some big mystery, especially to Gemma, but the readers knew everything a mile away. I didn't feel any suspense, or the need to keep flipping the pages. I was distracted easily but insisted on reading in the hopes of something exciting to happen. I personally enjoyed Gemma's sister's storyline and voice more than Gemma herself! As for the secondary characters, they all felt kind of flat to me. We don't know much about anyone, nothing deep. I wished we had more pages and time for the backstory of the characters and even the paranormals. 

Wake was one of those books where the readers KNOW the protagonist is paranormal but it takes here three quarters of the book to discover that she is one! Honestly the only thing I liked about Gemma is the romance with Alex, even if it was a bit fast paced. We don't know why Gemma is the only paranormal, and not her sister. We don't know much about the story behind the three girls. I am hoping the second book would unveil more about the characters, the purpose, and increases the excitement level in comparison to Wake. 

 

Check out the audio sample below from Macmillan Audio