Book Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Wake by Amanda Hocking

Series: Watersong Book #1

Published: August 7th, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

309 pages (hardcover)

Genre: Young adult paranormal/urban fantasy/mythology

Acquired this book: From the library

Warning: May contain spoilers

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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.

I’ll be honest - the beautiful cover of Wake is what initially drew me to the book. I didn’t know much about the book before I read it, but I’d seen dozens of other bloggers talking about it, so I was curious.

Unfortunately - and I really do hate to say this - the cover was one of the only things I liked about Wake.

I didn’t really like Gemma or Harper, nor was I able to connect with them. I didn’t feel like there was much depth to them, and neither of them really developed as characters. Gemma’s love of the water was pretty much the only thing that defined her, and Harper’s domineering personality was a bit much to take at times. At one point Gemma called her sister ‘a bossy, know-it-all control freak’ and that pretty much sums it up.

Daniel was pretty much the only character I liked, and that was really only because he had more personality than any of the others. Alex was okay, but I got tired of hearing about how he’d gone from a geek to a total hottie practically overnight without anyone noticing, as if he wasn’t worth noticing until he became hot.

The pacing of the book was really slow, and I thought Hocking probably could have written one really good book instead of breaking this into a trilogy. Not much happened in Wake - in fact, it felt like the book was mostly made up of dialogue, and I found myself skimming a lot. What little there was about siren mythology was interesting, but I wish it had been expanded upon.

Overall, Wake just didn’t do it for me. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters or the story, and I felt like I waited most of the book for something - anything - to happen. If you enjoy stories about mermaids/sirens or mythology, this book might be for you. 

2.5 stars

Have you read Wake? What did you think? Do you enjoy books that weave in elements of mythology?

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