Wake by Amanda Hocking Review

Wake

Written by: Amanda Hocking
# of pages: 320

Average Rating: 3.71/5
My Rating: 3.5/5

Read in June 2014

Summary according to goodreads

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.

My Thoughts

This is one of the first books that I have contemplated giving a half a star on the rating. The more I think about it, I feel that it was more than okay, but it won't be on my favourites shelf. I enjoyed the pacing once you get into the story, and I read it in about a 24-hour period. 

For this first 100 pages, I found that the story seemed to drag and that is was almost unnecessary. There was some background given on most of the characters, but most of the content could have been shortened or removed. 

Mermaids aren't usually my point of interest, and I would not recommend someone who hasn't read this genre before to start with this series. I mean nothing against the novel or the series, it just showed a darker side to the "sirens", and it was not what I had been expecting from the novel. 

There is a book trailer for this novel which I will link (click here), and I recommend checking that out if you are skeptical and want more information. The trailer did I good job of representing the story and isn't too misleading. 

I already own the rest of the series and eventually plan on continuing the series, but I was not immediately drawn to picking up the sequel. After the ending of the first novel I am curious as to how it will continue on. I have heard that the series gets better as you go along, so I have high hopes that I will not be disappointed.