Ashley Stoyanoff's Review: Wake (Watersong #1)

★ Ashley Stoyanoff's Review ★

Wake (Watersong #1) by Amanda Hocking.

Title:  Wake (Watersong #1)

Author: Amanda Hocking

Number of Pages: 320

Publication Information: St. Martin’s Griffin (Aug 2012)

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

Shelf: Books I Bought

Rating: ★★★★

Summary from Goodreads

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

An awesome start to a series that I definitely want to read more of!

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Amanda Hocking fan.  One of the things that I love about her writing is her characters.  Hocking has a wonderfully creative mind and she never fails to dream up unique and memorable cast members.  Wake was no exception.  Gemma, Alex, Harper and Daniel were all magnificently developed and easy to love.  

Wake was not your typical Mermaid story.  "Sirens exist, Mermaids don't." – Penn.  When I read this one line I thought, wow, really?  I guess since the only Mermaid story I’ve ever really known was The Little Mermaid, I kind of expected beautiful and kind creatures from the sea.  I don’t want to give too much away, but I will tell you that Wake is surprisingly dark and really keeps you guessing.
This book touched very close to home for me.  The mothers accident, the dynamic between the sisters, although this was not the only reason that I was hooked, it did keep the story close to my heart.  Hocking managed to show the inner workings of a family after a horrible accident, and her depiction of how it inevitability changed the family was very accurate.

And of course, there’s the cover.  Gorgeous!  The blues are stunning, the font perfect.  Even if it hadn’t been Amanda who wrote the book, I would have bought it based on the cover alone.

So here’s the thing…the reason for the 4 stars is solely based on my own personal preference and does not by any means reflect upon the quality of the story or the writing.  My issue was that there was just not enough romance.  There were sparks, and I’m sure with the way it was left we’ll get some of that awesome fluttery stomach romance in the next book, but when I finished this one, I was honestly annoyed.  As a YA book I really expected romance.  

But, I will admit that the lack of romance also has me counting down the days for the next book.  I’m dying to see how those little sparks develop.

Amanda Hocking has exceeded expectation again with this wonderful book.  I would recommend Wake to anyone and everyone who enjoys YA.

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