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. (Goodreads summary)
When I picked up Wake, I have to admit that from the blurb I expected the story to be Gemma’s, for her to be the narrator/main protagonist of this story; however, in my opinion, the blurb is somewhat misleading. It’s not Gemma’s story. Not really. It’s about Gemma and the things that happen to her (like Twin Peaks is all about what happens to Laura Palmer) but in my opinion, the main character of this particular tale is actually Harper, Gemma’s older sister.
Being familiar with most of Amanda’s previous books, I was surprised to find how wooden a character Gemma is. She is a bit stand-offish and lacks any real depth. I could never establish a bond with her, even though half the story is from her point of view. Gemma endures some pretty crazy things in Wake and even begins a fledgling romance with her longtime friend Alex, but for some reason I just couldn’t bring myself to be more than mildly interested in her or the romance. (Me not interested in a romance? Unheard of. I know.) I found myself just trying to get on through Gemma’s sections so I could get back to Harper’s part of the story. For me, Gemma holds no spark, no depth, nothing that makes her endearing or special – she is just kinda… there… providing a reason for the existence of the plot.
Harper is moderately better. I found her to be much more interesting than her younger sister. Uptight and über-responsible, Harper has endeavored for years to fill the maternal void left in their mother’s absence. And in doing so, she has increasingly alienated Gemma. Harper wars between wanting to connect with her sister as a sister, but can’t quite let go of that mothering concern that smothers Gemma. I found this complicated dynamic between the sisters to be particularly interesting. Harper’s tough, more abrasive, harder to love, which ironically made me like her more. She’s so worried about everyone else and being strong for her family, that I was pulling for her to find some happiness for herself.
As far as the story goes, I had a few more issues…
Showing vs. telling. The biggest example of this is with Penn, Lexi & Thea. The reader is told many times that Penn & Co. are dangerous and bad news, but I never felt that the reader is given a valid, credible reason to support this. Sure, the girls definitely have a predatory, “Mean Girls” vibe going on, but without proof, I’d be more inclined to think they’d be more of a danger to destroying a frenemy’s social life than an actual, physical threat.
Pacing, plot and oomph. Wake is just over 300 pages long, but it’s one of those books, where I’m reading and reading and reading… and upon reflection, it feels like not much has happened in the story. Do you know what I mean? Not that it was boring, there was enough in there to keep me going (re: possible romance between Harper & sexy boat boy Daniel). I actually zipped through this book rather quickly, but it was missing something – that extra oomph. As with Gemma’s character development, the story just lacked a sense of depth. From the characters, to the plot, to the world, to the mythology, and even the relationships (with the exception of Harper & Daniel) Wake came off as a bit surfacey and generic.
So what did I like about Wake? Well, the coastal town setting, the scenes with the girls and their mom, Daniel (← Swoon. Definitely wish we’d seen more of him), Harper’s hilarious friend Marcy, the basic mythology behind the story (I just wish there’d been a little more to it, and that it didn’t feel so… tagged on.). These are all elements in Wake that I enjoyed.
Overall, though parts of this book are definitely interesting, I keep coming back to my issues with Gemma’s character and the general lack of depth and development. Wake is an “okay” book, but out of all Amanda’s novels, it’s not her best. At this point I’m undecided if I’ll continue on in the Watersong series.
Author: Amanda Hocking Title: Wake Published: August 7th 2012 by St. Martin’s Press Series: Watersong (Book #1) Format: Hardcover, 309 pages; Kindle; Nook Website: www.amandahocking.blogspot.com Source: ARC provided via publisher My rating: 
Happy Reading!
OoOoo that is really too bad! I am really sorry to hear that, and now I’m a little scared picking it up now. I just got a copy in the mail and was planning to read it next.
But, I am curious to meet Daniel!
Yeah, Daniel was fun. 😉 And this is just my opinion, after all. You may really like it
Too bad this didn’t knock your socks off, Dani. I’ve yet to read an Amanda Hocking book but hope to one day. Intelligent, thoughtful review as always1
lol… Thanks Jennifer! My favorite of hers is probably Hollowland, but if zombies aren’t quite your thing, the Trylle Trilogy is pretty good too
or…always!
I didn’t have much interest in reading Wake but I’m curious about Harper and Daniel now. Harper seems like the character I’d be drawn to, it’s a shame you didn’t really enjoy this book. Thanks for the great review.
Yeah, I think if the plot had been a little more… something, and the story had been about Daniel & Harper exclusively, I’d have liked it a lot more. And who knows you may love this one, it just didn’t do it for me. Thanks for dropping in, Isa!
Interesting review – I just got this in the mail from a giveaway, so I’ll have to see what I think once I read it
Well, I hope you end up enjoying it more than I.
Thanks for stopping by, Kitty!
Too bad you didn’t really like this one! I liked Amanda’s other books – both her worlds and characters. What I like is how her mythology seems unique
Yes, I too really enjoyed some of Amanda’s other books, like Trylle and Hollowland, but this one just… didn’t quite live up to those, in my opinion.
But don’t take my word for it, totally give it a try. You may love it!
I haven’t read any of Amanda’s books, but I’ve been curious about picking one up since it seems like everyone I know has now read a book from her. Since I’ve been seeing Wake everywhere recently~ I thought it might be the one I tried out but after reading your review I think I’ll try one of her other novels. Any suggestions?
Hmm… recommendations. Well, I really liked Hollowland, which is about zombies. Haven’t read the sequel to that one, but the first was pretty good. Also, the Trylle series is a good one too. Thanks for stopping by, Misha!
I’ve been on the fence about this one. I guess I could start reading it and if I don’t care for it just stop…but I have a hard time not finishing a book.
It’s true. You could! I hope you get the chance to try it out
Ugh! Wake was my first Hocking novel. I have heard over and over what an awesome author she is, so when I ran across Wake at the library, I said “what the heck” and brought it home with me. I don’t have the best of relationships with mermaid/syren stories as it is, and this one did nothing to rectify that situation. It was very dry, flat almost. I literally felt nothing while I was reading the book, and that doesn’t cut it for me. Sigh. I really don’t like it when I really don’t like a book. Thanks for your review! Quick question: Would you recommend that I try the Trylle trilogy by Amanda, or just leave it be?
Yeah. It didn’t quite live up to her other novels. If you want to try another Amanda Hocking book, I’d try Hollowland. It’s my favorite of hers. It’s about zombies. At the time I wasn’t all that into zombies, but for some reason, I really liked it. But if zombies just REALLY aren’t your thing, I’d try Trylle
Zombies are TOTALLY my thing. I can’t get enough of them. So Hollowland it is. Thank you much!
Yay!
Well, I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for the review. It’s a pity the book isn’t that great because the cover is GORGEOUS! Would have been nice to have it on my bookshelf just to look good 😉
Well, give it a shot, you may like it! And yes, the cover is very cool
Thank you for the review! I saw this book and almost bought it then I read your review the other day, you are totally a life saver!
Well, I hate knowing I turned someone away from a book, but I’m glad it helped!
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this one much. I am currently listening to it on audiobook, and it is ok, nothing spectacular, and yeah I don’t feel like a whole lot has happened yet. I am not crazy about audiobook Harper because the narrator has made her sound so whiny. Great honest review!
Thanks Vyki! I’m sorry you’re not enjoying it more. Really a good narrator can make all the difference sometimes. Thanks for commenting
This is my first Amanda Hocking book from the series and I loved it even though I think its should have been more detailed about the relationship betwwn Emma and Alex.. Cant wait to get into her other books. 😀
So glad you liked it
And yes, that relationship could’ve used a bit more development. Another good Amanda Hocking series is the Hollowland series, if you’re looking for recommendations. 😉
i absolutly love amanda. i loved her trylle series and saw this one and thought it would be the best one yet. kinda bumed that you said it wasnt the best now i dont know if i wanna read it…. :/
Well, give it a shot! Just because it wasn’t my particular cup of tea, doesn’t mean it won’t be yours!