Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking

From Back Cover: 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 Rating: 3.5 hearts

Thoughts on the Novel: After seeing all the positive reviews for Amanda Hocking’s Trylle trilogy, I really wanted to give her writing a try. Thankfully, Wake came out at the right time because rather than trying to catch up on another series, I could start fresh with a brand new one.

Although the synopsis of Wake makes it seem like there’s only one protagonist, it actually has two – Gemma and her older sister Harper. The sibling relationship was probably my favourite aspect of the book because even though the girls argue with each other, it’s obvious that they love one another too. In terms of them as individuals, I found Harper the easier one to relate to because she was a lot more like me in personality whereas Gemma was the more impulsive one. I also thought Gemma was stubborn and selfish for going swimming in the bay at night in spite of Harper’s and their dad’s concerns about it being dangerous.

Another thing that I liked was that both girls got their own romances that were free of instant love. However, I also thought that the love interests were sort of unremarkable – despite feeling like that there’s still more to Daniel than meets the eye – and that the romances were kind of bland.  

Overall, while I wasn’t blown by Wake, I did like it enough that I will be reading the sequel, Lullaby. I felt like the story had just started to pick up steam when it abruptly ended!

Wake was released on August 7, 2012 by St. Martin’s Press.

Comments About the Cover: Compared to all the gorgeous covers out there, I feel like Wake’s is rather ordinary. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Raincoast Books) for free.