Amanda Hocking

Wake

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.

Annika Arguemore

Absolutely loved the concept! Cannibalistic mermaids + Greek mythology!

The writing was a little juvenile, though. This novel didn't feel at all real to me. I mean, sure, the conversations and the people seemed realistic but there was this supernatural atmosphere that told you this couldn't possibly happen in real life. Even though the atmosphere wasn't that realistic, I still liked it. There were some parts where you just wanted to put the book down, though. And Gemma's pretty annoying. This novel was mostly predictable, to be honest. I guess that contributed a little to me wanting to put the book down.

I don't think I'll be subscribing to this series even though I really wanna know how it all pans out.

Hannah Yang

Wake by Amanda Hocking is a wonderful book. The storyline, neatly woven and written, is far from disappointing. I was kind of expecting a ditsy protagonist but noooope, Gemma was a sweet girl who was willing to sacrifice everything she holds dear just to save her family, friends (especially Alex), and not die.

The sirens - perfect characters. I loved them. Penn is a more seductive, bossy, cruel and selfish siren. She's the leader of the gang and whatever she wants, she'll get it. Lexi is actually probably my favorite character. Sweet, charming, and playful, yet she's still just as monstrous as Penn. Thea is more grouchy and cranky, and she sticks with Penn a lot. I love how different their characters are, and yet, they're still terrible cannibalistic monsters. 

I adored hearing the sirens' backstory, and knowing that they chose Gemma not to ruin her life, but to save their own. The fact that even the villains weren't acting out of purely malicious intent (they killed those people because they needed to survive, after all!) made me love the story even more.

The way Hocking writes will pull you in, suck you up, and make a sandwich out of you. (No kidding, Penn and her crew will get to you.) I would definitely recommend Wake to middle school girls!

Nessa Luna

I read the Trylle books by Amanda Hocking a while ago, and decided that I wanted to read more books written by her. I had seen Wake in my local bookshop for a while now, and decided to just buy it in July. A little investigating on Goodreads told me that this book was about mermaids, or sirens as they call themselves in the story. The first mermaid/siren book I would read; a bit nice since most of the books that I had wanted to read were about vampires, zombies, werewolves or angels.

This book is about Harper (eighteen) and Gemma (sixteen), two sisters who live in Capri with their father. Harper works at the library and reads a lot of books, Gemma loves to swim, and I mean she LOVES it. She takes every chance to be in the water.

Harper cares a lot for her younger sister, sometimes perhaps even too much. She acts like a mother because they don’t really have one themselves. And though that is okay, I sometimes thought Harper was taking it too far.

Then, there were the two love-interests; Daniel (for Harper) and Alex (for Gemma). Honestly, I didn’t feel anything when they got together (not that Harper and Daniel actually got together, because the first half of the book Harper was grossed out by him or something). I didn’t cry out with joy when Alex and Gemma first kissed; like the people of Tumblr would say: I don’t ship it.

And of course there are Penn, Lexi and Thea. The three pretty, mysterious tourists who seem all too interested with Gemma. I thought it was a bit of a shame that we already knew that they were the bad guys from the beginning, because I would have liked a bit more mystery actually. But anyway, they were bitches, absolute bitches. I wanted to smack each of them in the face, ugh.

There wasn’t much action in this book, which I thought was a bit of a shame, because I really liked all the action in the Trylle books, so I had hoped that her other books would have had as much awesome action (I am an action person). I do hope there will be more action and fighting going on in the rest of the series, which I will definitely read!

Amanda Hocking’s writing is good, simple and I really enjoyed reading it. If you’re sick of all those books about vampires, and other overrated supernatural creatures, I recommend you read Wake! And I just have to say, the cover is amazing, wow!

Siena Grace

The watersong series is one of the first books that I read and actually enjoyed. A friend recommended them to me and I can bring myself to give them away or sell them no matter how cramped my bookshelf is. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a simple and fast read.

Kaley Catron

Even for the second time I enjoyed this book! I remember the first time I read it I was going crazy not knowing what in the world was going on but thus time it was more like refreshing the memories and wow I can't wait to continue rereading the rest of the series! 
Personally, I think Harper's chapters are more enjoyable than Gemma's and I don't know why that is but I do. Also while I love Alex he's not my favorite. HOWEVER, CAN WE HAVE A MOMENT FOR DANIEL?!? Mmm. I love him a lot.

Jessica Williamson

3.5

Ooookay. This one was ... interesting. 

I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. 

I fell like this is definitely a product of its time. This would have rated higher if I'd have read it earlier in my reading years. Also, Amanda Hocking is one of my auto-buy authors, so there's that.

My enjoyment level was high, so I think that's the most important part =)

The characters were decent, I really enjoyed Harper and Daniel the best.

Some of the writing, especially when the other characters were talking about "those creepy pretty girls" was super cringe. But I didn't hate it. 

Honestly, I just enjoy the ride while reading Amanda's books. I excited to continue on with the series and see what the heck happens next! 

Cover 3; Characters 3; Plot 3; Pace 4; Writing 4; Enjoyment 4.

Jacklyn O’Brien 

For a YA book, this was really enjoyable! Mermaids being shown as dangerous, love it! Docked points because I found Gemma to be annoying and oblivious. But the concept was great and am eager to see where the second book takes us.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Amanda Hocking, this story follows two sisters Gemma and Harper, as Gemma goes through a transformation while boys are disappearing from town.

Here is a book I enjoyed, which is ironic because I found Hockings other series, about trolls, to be rather dull. But, I found this interesting in a good light-hearted, easy summer read way. The reader was chosen well, with a light high voice, for this novel and kept me engaged.

I enjoyed the mysteries that Hocking brought to this story, and while I didn’t know when I started this novel, I saw from the beginning that this was the start of a series. I do think this story could have been wrapped up in a single book, but I also don’t mind that it is being stretched out.

This novel is about Sirens, with a capital S. Now, I haven’t done the research, but I think the “mythical” story this is based on isn’t a traditional myth. It is still interesting, and the fact that not everyone in the group is affected by their powers is what made me immediately check out the second book (another audio book, what ever is happening to me?!).

Of course, this will follow the Stupid But Loveable Teenage Girl motif. It IS young adult. My favorite character was Daniel, whom I still can not figure out. He seems to be a very three dimensional character, but we really don’t get to know him well in this book. I hope there will be more with him!

With murder and fantastical creatures and monsters, this is a good read for any fan of urban fantasy, young adult, and light romance. This book is sweet and a little bit of a sickly twist.

Wake

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