Wake

Author: Amanda Hocking
Goodreads Rating: 3.68
My Rating: 3.75 Stars 
Pages: 309
Reviewed by: Nicole

I got this book when I was at BEA because I am a big fan of mermaids. When I was growing up, Ariel was my favorite disney princess, so I like to read all the different mermaid books out there.

Goodreads Synopses:

Fall under the spell of Wake—the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking—and lose yourself to the Watersong.

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 read this book in about a day, while (ironically) in my pool. I've noticed a recent increase in mermaid books, but what I loved about Wake was that it wasn't necessarily about mermaids, but rather about sirens, which a lot of the books seem to be more about. This book doesn't even disguise how awful the sirens are either.

What I love most about taking a pre-existing myth or idea is that there are so many ways to twist it into your own. The sirens in Wake are different from the mermaids in Lies Beneath or the sirens in Fathomless. There are so many different twists. In this particular case, these sirens are just pretty, and mean, brutal killers. What we did learn about Penn, Lexie, and Thea isn't much but its enough to know that they aren't good news. Very clearly they were psycho from the way that they seemed to stalk Gemma as they decided that they wanted her.

I felt bad for Gemma as she struggled with trying to be as normal as she could while also trying to navigate what she was. I really liked that Hocking gave us a look at what Gemma's life was like before her change. We came to know what her life was like and how her relationships were such as with her older sister Harper. I felt bad as her relationships suffered because of what happened to her.

Wake did a lot of things right in this book, and I really can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next book, due out in November.