Wake (Watersong, #1)

by Amanda Hocking

The first in the thrilling Watersong series, Wake is a dramatic story of family, love and the devastating power of the sea, by the bestselling author of the Trylle trilogy, Amanda Hocking.

Beautiful. 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, Thea, and Lexi have caught everyone's attention, including the eye of practical Harper. But it's her sister, Gemma, they've chosen to be part of their group. Sixteen-year-old Gemma seems to have it all - carefree, pretty, and falling in love with the boy next door. But her greatest passion has always been the water. She craves late night swims under the stars, where she can be alone yet belong to the sea. Lately she's had company. Penn, Thea, and Lexi spend their nights dancing, singing, and partying on the cove - and one night Gemma joins them. When she wakes up groggy on the beach the next morning, she knows something has changed.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. As she uncovers the truth about her new mythical powers, Gemma is forced to choose between staying with those she loves or entering a dark world brimming with unimaginable secrets.

• ISBN10: 1447205723
• ISBN13: 9781447205722
• Publish Date: 16 August 2012 (first published 7 August 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 22 November 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Tor
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[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!

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Wake is a breath taking vividly imaginative magical tale of mystery and intrigue. The sweet serene world that Amanda Hocking creates, is delightful to explore filled with memorable characters who possess interesting quirks, sinister sirens who won't take no for an answer, and danger filled excitement. She has penned a wonderful blend of underwater mythology with just the right tinge of paranormal, weaving a beautiful balance of realistic contemporary issues between the two main characters. The plot is chalk full of intense drama and interesting situations that Gemma and Harper both find themselves in. There's wonderful romance and humor sprinkled throughout the novel that make it even more enjoyable and engaging.

Amanda Hocking's wonderfully crafted world building skills are strong, stunning, and will keep readers entranced. She's mixed a beautiful captivating, suspenseful feel to her story by giving an imaginative enthralling nod to Greek mythology, introducing her own original spin giving it a modern edge. It's a world that's rich and dark, full of compelling mystery, and unimaginable secrets. The mysterious girls of summer are fearless, deceptive, and dangerous. Their beauty is the kind most envy, yet they harbor a darker seductive secret of their own that affects the lives of a few of the locals gone missing. They are predators of their own disguise, sirens, that have chosen Gemma to be part of their group whether she wants to or not.

I enjoyed the atmosphere that Amanda Hocking crafted so beautifully, her sparkling descriptions reflecting Gemma's love of water. It made it easier to sink into the world and really enjoy it. Gemma is beautiful and carefree, so full of vibrant life, and tenderly falling in love with the boy next door. So full of sweet earnest vulnerability, she's such a delightful character to get to know. It was a joy to witness the honest relationship that she shares with her sister, Harper.

Harper is more practical than her sister, wonderfully strong and independent caring a great deal about her family. She tackles the role of caretaker, putting them before herself and her own needs, and being incredibly unafraid to stand up for them and unyieldingly loyal. She's made sacrifices for their benefit more than her own and even though she has her moments, she really does have her family's best interests at heart. She wants the best for them and she will stop at nothing to keep them all together and from falling apart. Though it's slow building, it is sweet to watch her start living her life, letting herself have a summer romance with a handsome swoon worthy guy on the docks that usually annoys her, and trying to save her sister's life.

Wake is full of breathless heart pounding action, mystery, and intrigue. It's intensely gripping and will keep readers on the edge of their cliffs, ending with a cliff-hanger that will have them screaming in anticipation for more. It's an epic adventure of love and survival, family loyalty, intermingled with a sprinkling of vibrant Greek mythology, and the ultimate choice of sacrifice. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of mythical under-water-adventures, dark compelling fantasy, and wonderful author's like Elizabeth Fama, Anna Banks, and Anne Greenwood Brown.