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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Book Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Series: Book #1 in the Trylle Trilogy

Published: January 3rd, 2012 (originally self-published July 12th, 2010)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

293 pages (paperback)

Genre: Young adult urban fantasy

Acquired this book: From the library

Warning: May contain spoilers

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Synopsis: When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for a really long time. Like many other indie authors, Amanda Hocking’s success was a huge deciding factor in my very long and difficult decision to self-publish. I knew the chances of reaching her success were slim, but knowing it was possible was a huge motivator for me. I’m happy that I can now say I’ve read a book by Amanda Hocking, although I really do wish I’d been able to read one before she was traditionally published.

I thought the concept of Switched was really cool. I’ve always been interested in the idea of changelings, because I’ve always been obsessed with faeries, and I liked that this was a different species of creatures switching out human babies for trylle (troll) babies, and the reasons behind the switch. I thought it was quite original.

Wendy is a very likeable character. She almost shouldn’t be because she’s got such a difficult, contrary personality, but she tries so hard to redeem herself, and she’s not a bad person. She had a horrific, traumatic childhood, and eventually she realizes how lucky she was to have her brother and aunt in her life, because they loved and accepted her unconditionally. There was this innocence about her that I found really endearing.

I enjoyed the secondary characters, too, especially Matt, Finn, and Rhys. Willa ended up being a good character too, despite how she seemed at first. I have to admit, I definitely did develop a crush on Finn, and I loved how protective he was of Wendy, and how he wanted to keep her safe, no matter what - even if it meant hurting them both emotionally. Elora was very believable as the cold, calculating, disapproving mother, and I found myself wanting to punch her a number of times - but I always enjoy characters that you love to hate!

I can’t really say that there was anything I didn’t like about this book. So why only 3.5 stars? It was good, but it didn’t really grab me. The pacing was decent, the characters were good, the world-building was pretty good. It definitely had its moments, but it wasn’t incredible. That being said, I’m anxious to find out what happens in the next book. I’m hoping it’s a little more past-paced and exciting now that the main characters have been introduced and the reader understands what’s going on.

Have you read Switched? What did you think? Have you read anything else of Amanda Hocking's? What do you think of her going from an indie author to a traditionally published author?

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Book Haul - September 16th, 2012

Hi guys! I hope you've all had a fantastic week. I haven't had a chance to post a book haul for awhile so this is the last three or so weeks' worth of books.

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WON/GIFTS

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick {GoodReads}

In Honor by Jessi Kirby {GoodReads}

Kobo cover from my friend Laura

Signed Defiance bookmark from CJ Redwine

BOUGHT

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (ebook) {GoodReads}

Defiance by CJ Redwine {GoodReads}

LIBRARY

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio {GoodReads}

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine {GoodReads}

Wake by Amanda Hocking {GoodReads}

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti {GoodReads}

Chocolat by Joann Harris {GoodReads}

NETGALLEY

Dante’s Girl by Courtney Cole {GoodReads}

Splintered by AG Howard {GoodReads}

Huge thank you to Amy from Book Goonie, Elemillia from Gone Bookserk, Laura, CJ Redwine, Lakehouse Press, Abrams, and NetGalley. 

What books did you get this week? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Book Haul/In My Mailbox, Showcase Sunday, Stacking the Shelves, etc. 

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Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

 

Just now when I searched 'top 10 Tuesday' on my blog to copy my template, the first post that popped up was last fall's top 10 TBR - how weird! A year and a handful of days later, there are still some books from that list that I haven't read - oops! Here's what I hope to read this fall:

1. In Honor by Jessi Kirby - I was supposed to get an ARC of this one but it never came, so I was thrilled when I won a book of my choice last week, and finally picked this book. It should be here this week, and I can't wait to start it. I loved Jessi's Moonglass.

 

2. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout - this is another book I won, and it should be here next week. I've heard nothing but good things about all of Jennifer's books, so I'm excited to finally see for myself what all the fuss is about.

 

3. Wake by Amanda Hocking - I've heard mixed things about this one; in fact, I don't think any of my blog friends have enjoyed it so far, but I like to make up my own mind about books.

 

4. Endlessly by Kiersten White - I read Paranormalcy and Supernaturally and loved them, so I can't wait to see how the trilogy ends, even though I'm sad this is the last book. 

 

5. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally - this is one I've been wanting to read for a really long time, and it was the first book I bought for my new ereader week before last. 

 

6. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - this one is long overdue. I've owned it since just after it came out, and I loved Anna and the French Kiss, so I have no idea why I haven't read this one yet.  

7. Changeling by Philippa Gregory - I've never read any of Phillipa's books, although I'd like to, so I was curious when I saw that she'd written a YA book. It hasn't had good reviews on GoodReads, but, again, I like to see for myself. 

8. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel - I won this one in July, and I keep hearing great things about it, and its sequel, Such Wicked Intent, which was just released last month.

 

9. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith - I bought this one with a gift certificate early this summer, and still haven't read it. I've heard amazing things, and since YA contemp is my favourite genre, I'm eager to read it.

10. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine - I signed up for a Morganville Vampire reading challenge at the beginning of the year, and still haven't read any of the series - oops again! I'm hoping to read several paranormal books in October for my Spooktacular Paranormal Reading Challenge, and this will be one of them.

 

Have you read any of these? What do you think I should start with? What books are on your fall tbr? Let me know in the comments, or leave a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post and I'll come visit you!

 

I survived the Blue Sky Days launch!

Well, I survived the Blue Sky Days launch party. I spent weeks planning it out, and I think it went well. Not as many people participated as I had hoped, but I'm incredibly grateful for the people who did come out to celebrate and show their support. It meant so much to me!


My baby is now out there in the world. Well, it has been for awhile, through reviewers and the earlier-than-planned release, but now it's official. I'm a published author. That still leaves me flabbergasted.

The blog tour is underway, and there are other features happening in the blog world. Be sure to check the tour schedule for the full line-up of incredible bloggers taking part in the tour. There are three e-book giveaways for Blue Sky Days going on right now, so if you'd like to win a copy of the book, be sure to check those out.

 

Here's a run-down of what's happened so far with the tour and a few other features:

BLOG TOUR:

Review by Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning

Excerpt and giveaway by Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning

Review and giveaway by Michelle at Much Loved Books

OTHER FEATURES:

Michelle from Much Loved Books also cross-posted her review to The Carousel, along with some fun facts about me

Author showcase/interview at Amanda Leigh Cowley's blog

Review and giveaway from Tami at Krazy Book Lady

Indie Frenzy from Ashely at The Bookish Brunette

 

This is random, but related, so I thought I'd include it: I watched Amanda Hocking on Anderson Cooper's talk show today (it was yesterday's episode, but we're a day behind here for some reason). For those of you who don't know who Amanda Hocking is - what rock have you been living under?? Seriously though, she's this insanely popular, best-selling indie author who has sold over 1 million copies of her e-book and now has a publishing deal with St. Martin's Press. When I first started researching indie publishing, it didn't take me long to come across her blog and articles about her, and her story was part of what pushed me into self-publishing. She's such an inspiration. I hope I can have even a fraction of her success. 


Thank you again to everyone who has shown so much support over the last few weeks and months. You guys have kept me going and kept me sane when I've felt like I'm on a never-ending merry-go-round. I'll be starting my next writing project this week - something unexpected that popped into my head the other night. I had planned to work on a story I thought up several years ago, but the characters from this new book want their story told and won't leave me alone!

In My Mailbox Week 20 - January 15th

In My Mailbox is weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.  The idea is to share books you've acquired during the week, whether you've won them, bought them, picked them up at the library, received them for review, whatever.  It's a great way to bring attention to books and authors and share the love!

Books mentioned: 

Won:
Shut Out by Kody Keplinger {GoodReads}

Thank you very much to Kathy from I Write, I Read, I Review ♥

Library:

10 Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski {GoodReads}

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison {GoodReads}
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey {GoodReads}

Illuminated by Erica Orloff {GoodReads}

Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston {GoodReads}

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake {GoodReads}

Ebooks for review:

Near Death by MB Mulhall {GoodReads}

Hope's Daughter by Melanie Cusick-Jones {GoodReads}

Ebooks I bought:

The Man Code: Exposed by Rachel Thompson {GoodReads}

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside by Beth Fantaskey {GoodReads}

Hollowland by Amanda Hocking {GoodReads}

A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers {GoodReads}

DVDs mentioned:
U2: From the Sky Down {Amazon} ♥♥♥♥♥
Crazy Stupid Love {Amazon} 

Be sure to check out the information and prizes for the Blue Sky Days launch party!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

~Marie

A to Z Challenge Day 19: Self-publishing

About 2 years ago, I co-wrote a book with a friend.  We spent months querying agents, looking for publishers, and had no success.  We did a bit of research on e-publishing but decided against it because there was such a taboo attached to it and because the royalties sucked.

Today, there's still somewhat of a taboo attached to self-publishing, but things are changing, and it's becoming not only more popular, but more acceptable.  I think a lot of the stigma that still remains is based in ignorance - people thinking all self-published books are low quality or that only writers who can't get published traditionally turn to self-publishing.  It's true that there are some really poor quality self-published books out there, but quite frankly, I've seen some really poor quality books coming out of major publishing houses, too.

I think self-publishing has the potential to be great and I know there are quite a few successful indie authors out there right now, selling books by the thousands and making really good money.  I also think there's a lot of crap out there, but that doesn't mean there's not a lot of crap in the bookstores either.  I've been thinking more and more lately about e-publishing, not because it's the easy route and not because I don't think I could be traditionally published if I tried, but because I want my work read and it doesn't matter to me how that happens.  Yes, I want to make a living, but being traditionally published doesn't guarantee that anymore than being self-published means I won't be able to make a living.

I think that with social media and the number of book bloggers out there (I'm just now realizing the insane number of book bloggers there are), it's possible for really good self-published authors to make a name for themselves.  I have a couple of people willing to look my work over and proofread and edit, but I wish I had a critique partner, someone who is a writer and knows the things to look for when proofreading/editing.  I need feedback and constructive criticism, not just someone to read it and tell me whether it's good or not.  I think that if every self-published author had multiple people read and edit their work (well really, every author in general), maybe we could eliminate a lot of the crap out there and people would realize self-publishing is a viable option.  People can't say that only self-published books have spelling or grammatical errors because published books do too - even high-powered editors miss things.  In the last book I read, there were so many mistakes I couldn't believe it.

I read a blog a few weeks ago and the (unpublished) writer said she would never consider self-publishing because 'anyone could do it' and she didn't want to do something that anyone could do because it took away from it.  That may be true, anyone can do it, but not everyone can be successful.  I think there are enough discerning readers out there to sift through the junk and let the good books rise to the top, and then help spread the word about them.

Look at the success Amanda Hocking's having right now.  Selling thousands and thousands of her e-books, and most of them are priced at $0.99.  I haven't read her books, so I can't say anything about the quality, but obviously there are hundreds of thousands of people out there with no complaints.  I've heard people say she's only having success because she chose a genre that's popular right now, but who really cares how she's having success.  Success is success, why do people have to be so damn critical?

I've been making a mental pros and cons list about traditional and self-publishing and the pro list for self-pub is definitely winning.  Like I said before, I just want to have my work read.  I could spend a year querying agents, find one, and then it takes about another 2 years to actually get your book published and out there.  Or, once I'm finished my novel and have it polished, I can have it out there literally overnight on Kindle (and the royalties are amazing).  Not only that, but there are places where you can have your book printed on demand for a low cost and people have the option of buying a paper copy of your book as well.  That's another appealing thing for me because my grama, who's 99, is one of my biggest supporters and I desperately want her to have a copy of my book before she's gone.  

I figure, if you're realistic, it's a crap shoot either way.  You could be traditionally published and no one might buy your book.  You could be self-published and no one might buy your book.  You have to do what works for you and what feels right and not care what other people think.  We're all writers, we need to support each other and not look down on each other for whatever route we choose to becoming published authors.  Do I believe I could be the next Amanda Hocking?  Not any more than I believe I could be the next Nora Roberts if I had my books traditionally published.  I don't need to be a millionaire, I just want to make a living from my writing, have people read my work and enjoy it.

***For more information, be sure to check out Amanda Hocking's blog, where she talks about her journey and her success, and also check out published author Nathan Bransford's blog - he has several entries about self-publishing, including this one which I really enjoyed.  I also found two really great articles here and here about self-publishing for anyone who's interested in learning more.

********

Today's S singer is Sinéad O'Connor.  She's one of my favorite Irish singers.  I have a few favorite songs by her, but this song is always the first that comes to mind.  Enjoy! 

What do you think about self-publishing?  Is it something you would consider?  Why or why not?

Thinking that e-book publishing is in my future

In yesterday's blog, I talked about how I was getting discouraged and frustrated with...well, not writing, but I guess the results of my writing.  I've been very blessed to have some success with my article writing - I don't get tons of page views, but I get fairly consistent numbers, I'm not making a ton of money but it's trickling in and building slowly.  I just hear these success stories and I want so badly for that to be me.  I know it takes time and a lot of patience, perseverance, determination and hard work, but at times it feels like I've been doing all that and then the rest is out of my hands because I can't make people read my articles or like them and I have no control over how much money I make.

I also mentioned yesterday how I found a little glimmer of hope.  On the weekend, I was checking my stats on Suite101 and I saw a forum topic about ebooks.  Out of curiosity, I clicked on it and this guy was saying how he had started writing an article and it hard turned into something more and ended up being a short ebook that he published through Kindle.  He said that for the first few months, there were no sales and he had pretty much forgotten about it then went to check and had sold quite a few and made some money.  There were links to different articles and sites within the forum and I started browsing and the idea began to appeal to me more and more.  Then I came across Amanda Hocking's blog and was astounded.  She's my age, has a bunch of ebooks published, sells them like mad and has made a ton of money.  This isn't the norm, but I now know it's a possibility.

I'm sure that anyone who's ever written or thought of writing a book, and has done some research on publishing has heard tales about how independently published authors are screwed for life if they ever want a contract with a traditional publisher, or that ebooks are poorly written because anyone can do it and it gives the whole industry a bad name, etc etc.  But people like Amanda Hocking and many others are helping to change those perceptions and giving people like me hope.

I've written three novels so far.  One was just for me, something I have no intention of pursuing (at this point anyway).  The second was one that I wrote when I was 19 that I'm really quite proud of and would like to get out there.  At the time, I knew it needed work, I knew it needed fleshing out but I couldn't figure out what else to add to make it longer.  Last year I went back and read it for the first time in years and saw all kinds of changes I could make and things I could add.  It's amazing how much your perspective changes in just a few years.  The third one I wrote was a collaboration with my ex and we spent months querying agents and getting rejections.  We talked about going the route of e-publishing but at the time, the negatives seemed to outweigh the positives.  I currently have three ideas for novels, one that's started but that I don't feel I can continue until I've had more traveling experience.  The second I have almost completely outlined and the third is an idea that I've had for a few years and decided a couple of nights ago that I wanted to pursue so I've been working on a tentative outline which I'm about to send to a writer friend of mine to get his feedback and thoughts.

Now I want to set some goals.  I know the basics but haven't actually decided on dates or set time limits.  The only thing I know for sure is that I'm going to get working on it right away and have at least one novel or novella e-published by the end of the year.  Since that's still a long way off, once I actually get writing and get a feel for how it goes, I'll set goals with actual dates to work toward.

The idea of it makes me nervous - that fear of failure that held me back from trying to get published for a long time.  But at this point I guess I figure what have I got to lose?  I could spend months or even years querying agents and publishers, or I could publish it myself and possibly - hopefully - be making sales, making money and reaching the audience that I've always dreamed of.  Even if no one buys the books or reads them, at least I've tried - I've made the effort instead of just sitting around and whining about how hard it is to make it in this business.  I don't like the possibility of failure - no one does - but it's better than just waiting, wondering and hoping isn't it?

I'd love to walk into a book store someday and see my books sitting on a shelf.  Or walk into the library and see someone sitting reading my book.  But what if that never happens?  Or what if to make that happen, I need to get my writing out there now and the only way to do that is self publishing?  I think it's worth a shot.  I don't want to be rich and famous, I just want to make a living doing what I love best. 

The day I read that forum thread and ended up finding Amanda Hocking's blog and spending hours reading her posts and getting really excited about it, my Facebook fortune cookie said something like 'pray for the things you want, but work for the things you need'.  I both want and need to be a writer, so I'll do both, but since hard work is what's really going to make it happen, I'm going to continue to work hard, not give up, and yes, send out a few prayers in the process.