Review and Giveaway : Wake by Amanda Hocking

Posted by Kay on July 30, 2012 2:00 am in 3.5 stars reads | 21 comments

Wake by Amada Hocking
Pages : 309
Genre : YA, Supernatural
Series : Watersong, Book 1
My rating : 3,5/5

What it’s about :

Gemma and her sister Harper both agree that the town’s three newcomers, Penn, Lexi and Thea, are as pretty as they are creepy. Yet one morning after partying with the girls, Gemma wakes up from a night on the cove with a killer hangover.

As she soon finds out, a hangover is the least of her worries; the three beauties have done something to Gemma that night, and she is forever changed. Under the constant scrutiny of her older sister, Gemma soon must face decisions that could change both of their lives.

(scroll down for the giveaway!)

Let me preface by saying this : Amanda Hocking is a great storyteller. Wake wasn’t without faults, and it took me a few tries to really get into it, but once I did, I really enjoyed the time I spent with sisters Gemma and Harper!

Let’s just get the less positive points out of the way first : the writing was a bit awkward. Not because it was in third person, which I liked, but because the narration would sometimes skip from one train of thought to the next, with no subtle transition. The good news is; this is easily something that can be corrected or improved with time. And the other good news; the fact that the writing bothered me, but that I kept reading and enjoying the story rather than putting it asides, demonstrates Hocking’s ability to create a captivating story.

Interestingly, the publisher’s summary of the book seems to imply that Wake is Gemma’s story. While she is certainly central to it, her older sister Harper takes almost, if not as much place in the story. The two have a great connection, the kind of love-hate relationship only sisters can have, and though I know a lot of readers have been/will be annoyed by Harper, I really felt for her. Both sisters had qualities and flaws, but for me it was easier to relate to Harper and her worries (what can I say, I am a bit of a worrier too!) Their father also has a great presence, and their mother adds a touch more humanity to it all, in a way I really hadn’t expected.

The book also has a touch of romance : for Gemma, it is Harper’s best friend Alex, the boy next door who’s about to leave for college. For Harper it is Daniel, a guy living on his boat whom she really underestimated at first. Two really cute romances that developed in different ways, although Gemma and Alex’s relationship is affected by Gemma’s changes early enough that their love suffers a bit from it. I’m curious to see where the story will take them.

Tying it all together is the mystery of the disappearing teenagers. While it was slightly predictable to see where this was going, it didn’t make it any less creepy. If you have a small knowledge of mythology, you’ll probably have an even better guess at what is going on, but said knowledge is not at all necessary to understand the twists and tricks of the novel!

In the end, I really liked Wake. Despite the somber parts, it felt a lot lighter than most of the dystopias and other dark supernatural stories I have read in the past few months. Maybe it’s the sea, or the characters, of Hocking’s way of putting it all together, but I had a great time reading it. It felt like a great pick to be entertained on a hot summer day! There is no doubt in my mind I’ll be reading Lullaby  when November comes around!

Meanwhile, if you are interested in reading the book, you might also want to be trying the audio version. Click on the audio clip button to give it a try!

Series Reading Order : 

1. Wake
2. Lullaby (coming November 2012)
3. Tidal (coming 2013)
4. Elegy (coming 2013)

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Amanda Hocking’s bio : I live in Minnesota with my dog, two cats, two fish, and my roommate/assistant/platonic lifemate, Eric.

I do many things, most of them lame and boring, but the thing I get paid to do is write young adult books. All three books in my Trylle Trilogy – Switched,Torn, and Ascend – were originally self-published, but were re-released with St. Martin’s and Pan Macmillan internationally with new bonus content in early 2012. The trilogy has also made the USA Today Bestseller list, the New York Times Bestseller list, and was recently optioned for a film by Media Rights Capital with District 9 screenwriter Terri Tatchell adapting the books for screen. St. Martin’s and Pan Macmillan recently acquired my new young adult four-book series Watersong, with the first book Wake coming out in August 2012. My zombie series, The Hollows, is being adapted into a graphic novel by Dynamite.

I also enjoy Red Bull, Jim Henson, Batman, Jane Austen, Star Wars legos, and I absolutely hate long walks on the beach out of my intense fear/hatred of wet sand.

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* Giveaway now closed *

Here is your chance to win an arc copy of Wake!

Rules :

• US only
• +1 entry if you tweet about this giveaway!
• +1 entry if you comment on this post!
• Maximum of 3 entries for the time of the giveaway (1 for filling form, 1 for comment, 1 for one twitter comment!)
• Giveaway opened from now up to August 10th, 2012
• One copy available
• Winner announced on August 11th or 12th
• Fill the following form to enter :