“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.”
Another YA read that’s not my norm, but this one was on Amazon for 99p, and I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel about Sirens so I was curious and picked this one up. It’s the first Hocking novel I’ve read. Wake is a really fast read, I think it took me a little under 3 hours start to finish. It’s fluffy, light, completely daft and sort of embarrassingly entertaining.
It’s a typical first in a series, setting everything up for book 2 and leaving the only interesting bit right ’til the end to leave you gagging for the next installment. Well, not gagging if I’m honest, but despite the horrible grammar and frequent errors (“‘Who’s Blood?’ Gemma asked” – I kid you not) and general ridiculousness of the characters I would still like to know how they get Gemma out of her mess.
Gemma…my, what can I say about Gemma? I think Penn, despite all her hideousness, sums it up best when she says “You are so much dumber than I thought”. I suppose you need a moronic protagonist though for this to work. 80% in we learn that “She still didn’t understand completely what a Siren was”. Sweet Jesus girl, Google it! *headdesk*.
Harper and Daniel are the ones who made this bearable for me, and I thought the circumstances around Nathalie’s condition were interesting too. If it hadn’t been for them, I couldn’t have lasted long with just Gemma and the Sirens for company.
It’s YA fluff, there’s nothing to get your teeth into, but for 99p it’s a fairly fun way to spend an evening. Don’t spend your hard-earned on it at anywhere near full price though.
