Wake (A Watersong Novel) [Kindle Edition]

Amanda Hocking (Author)

Book Description

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Narrator Nicola Barber delivers a strong performance, giving each character a distinct voice. Teens will become invested in these characters, the developing relationships, and the supernatural, seductive sirens.” – School Library Journal

 

-----------------------------------

Praise for Amanda Hocking and the Watersong Series:

“[Wake] will please fans and likely win new ones…the well-structured story and strong characters carry readers.” –Publishers Weekly

“Filled with mysteries, realistic characters and lots of action…Wake is the next great book. A worthwhile read.” – RT BOOKREVIEWS

“Hocking’s novel effectively melds myth and contemporary teen life. High school, family, young love, and mythology all combine to create an easy-to-read paranormal suspense story that will have fans eagerly awaiting new installments.” – Booklist

“Explosive and interesting… a nice, smooth story with unique mythology and lovable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” – The Teen Bookworm

“Pure imaginative brilliance! Wake is full of thrills, eerie suspense and mystery… incredibly difficult to put down.” –The Book Faery

“…real and vibrant. A brand new series that reawakens everything we love in underwater mythology, Wake by Amanda Hocking will certainly leave you with the desire to pick up more of her titles.” – A Cupcake and a Latte

“An amazing story. . . ravishing yet explosive . I am enthralled with the amazing characters and fast-pace plotline. The thrill of the water, the history that propels the reader deeper, Wake is awesome!” – Books with Bite

“Entertaining and surprisingly dark. Amanda Hocking once again had me enjoying her writing and the world she created before my eyes.” – Millie D’s Words

“A wonderfully adventurous and dynamic series, full of high intrigue, mythology, paranormal lore, romance, and suspense. I, for one, can't wait to be swept away in the new world of the Watersong.”—Fallen Angel Reviews

“Amanda Hocking once again delves into the fantasies of many young minds and the results are something new and different.” –The Reading Cafe

“Wake is an exciting new beginning to a much anticipated series.” –Boekie’s Book Reviews

“Amanda Hocking has such an easy and elegant way with her language - her stories just seem to flow well and her words dance. This is going to be another series that I'll fall for. I absolutely cannot wait to see where she takes us with the next book.” – Into the Hall of Books

“Great chemistry … plus a family history that just makes your heart ache and you’ve definitely got a recipe for a fantastic new series. It only took me a couple of days to read this, and I am … anxious for the next book to come out next year. Get your hands on this now!”—YA Book Central

“A great start to the series and I definitely want to read more, and soon!” –A Book in Hand

“There is no denying that Amanda Hocking knows how to tell a good story and keep readers coming back for more.  More is exactly what they will be looking for once they’ve turned the last page.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Hocking hits all the commercial high notes… She knows how to keep readers turning the pages.” –New York Times Book Review

“Amanda Hocking has a gift for storytelling that will grip readers and keep them wanting more…Entrancing.” –Library Thing

“A breath of fresh air in the young adult paranormal market.” –That Bookish Girl Blog

“Amanda Hocking is an author whose storytelling skills keep getting better and better." –Bewitched Bookworms

“Amanda Hocking surpasses all expectations...” –Smart Bookworms

Review

Praise for Amanda Hocking:

“There is no denying that Amanda Hocking knows how to tell a good story and keep readers coming back for more.  More is exactly what they will be looking for once they’ve turned the last page.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Hocking hits all the commercial high notes… She knows how to keep readers turning the pages.” –New York Times Book Review

“Amanda Hocking has a gift for storytelling that will grip readers and keep them wanting more…Entrancing.” –Library Thing

“A breath of fresh air in the young adult paranormal market.” –That Bookish Girl Blog

“Amanda Hocking is an author whose storytelling skills keep getting better and better." –Bewitched Bookworms

“Amanda Hocking surpasses all expectations...” –Smart Bookworms

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 480 KB
• Print Length: 319 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1250008123
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 7, 2012)
• Sold by: Macmillan
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00779MO7E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,264 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Beauty is only skin deep. And so is this book. September 5, 2012

By Fynley'sMommy

Format:Hardcover

I'll start by saying that the cover is quite appealing to the eye, as it's cleverly formatted beams of holographic texture glisten beautifully under direct light, and whimsically mimic water. The synopsis on the dust jacket also sounded very promising and intriguing. But you know that cliche phrase "beauty is only skin deep"? Well, that's exactly how I'd describe this book.

The dialogue was painfully robotic, or better yet, the characters basically responded like parrots. Every conversation consists of one of the characters repeating the other. For instance, I lost track of how many times this particular sequence occurred:

Gemma: I was with Alex.
Harper: You were with Alex?
Gemma: We were out swimming.
Harper: You were out swimming?
Gemma: I really like Alex.
Harper: You really like Alex?

As you can see, there is no reflection, interesting reaction, or even emotion expressed here. To make matters worse, every character does this at least once. Gemma and Harper (the two main characters) did this MANY times. In fact, one of their conversations consisted entirely of Harper repeating Gemma. I understand that Hocking was most likely just trying to portray concern, worry, maternal traits from Harper, etc. - but this was an AWFUL way to do it. Also, the dialogue was just very bland, and not believable for the age group.

The tension in certain areas was just all wrong as well. How many times does Alex have to say "sorry" for brushing up against Gemma's hand? It doesn't have to be a whole page's worth of text. Seriously.

I gave this book a fair chance, I really did. Despite a lack of any real character development, and the fact that I was unable to connect with either of them, I kept reading.... I was hopeful that the book would get better, especially after reading a very promising, suspenseful prologue. Sadly, I discontinued my investment into this book at about page 161. Nothing really exciting happens throughout the book, and since it's too predictable anyways, when I finally reached any mildly entertaining topics, the wait, or rather time it took me to read to that point, just didn't match with the stakes.

I ended up skimping through all of the boring crap and read the last chapter. I left the book feeling... absolutely... nothing. I'm giving it two stars only because of the cover - the actual story development, or lack there of, would receive one star. It's too bad because the story had tons of potential.

Basically, my theory is that Hocking just got lazy due to her over night success. Better pick up the slack there, missy. I know you can do way better than this! You are a talented writer, but this was just a flop.

I wouldn't pay for this book. If you must read it, try to borrow it from a friend or grab a copy from the library. All I can say is that 18 bucks at Barnes & Noble could have bought me a latte and a few goodies from their cafe. At least that would have left me feeling satisfied. Read more ›

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read for the beach this summer! July 9, 2012

By Wendy L. Hines VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Gemma Fisher is sixteen and loves swimming. She practices every morning and swims for fun in the bay every evening. Her mom is in an assisted living home due to an accident years ago. Her dad works hard everyday and her older sister Harper is about to leave for college.

When a group of girls come to town, Gemma gets the creep factor. Although the girls are beautiful, there's just something about them that seems off. Then there are the teenage boys who have been discovered missing lately. Is there a serial killer on the loose or did the boys just runaway?

When Gemma begins a romance with nerdy next door neighbor Alex, she is happy. She has her family, her boyfriend and her swimming. But something beckons to Gemma and she can't escape the lure of the water. The girls are determined that Gemma will join them, or die. However, she is convinced that there is another way and she's willing to die trying.

I expected a mermaid story but was delightfully surprised with the turn of events. This is no mermaid novel but it is fast-paced and set in today's world. Cliffhanger ending? Definitely, as so many young adult novels seem to be these days. However, I did enjoy the characters and the unique storyline twist and will definitely be looking for the next book in this new series. Great read for the beach this summer!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Watersong July 2, 2012

By Lindsey VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

What did I like about Wake? Well, it wasn't the same old vampire or angel story that we've all read 20 times by now. It was something new and different. It wasn't super obvious in its story development, so it kept a few surprises in there. Good character development, although a bit unbelievable in parts (more on that below).

What I didn't like about Wake? Well, the name, for one. The title of the book has been used. Wake (Wake Series, Book 1) The character development was a bit unreal. The prettiest girl in a beach town has only had 1 boyfriend and is a down to earth driven type? Umm... okay- sure. A sister that is only 2 years older takes on a mothering role before her tweens of her barely younger sister? And she learns girl stuff from where? The older sister should have been much older if that is the role she was to play. There were also a few plot twists that were just not fully in the story before the twist, so it felt forced.

All in all, it was a good read. Entertaining. Different. I'll be waiting for the rest of the series to come out.

Parental blurb: Very, very little cursing. (I seriously remember maybe one word.) Kissing only. Yes, violence. Yes, gore. But neither are overly done.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth my time! September 23, 2012

By Krazzyme

Format:Hardcover

Let me be blunt I'm not a huge fan of this novel.

I'm going to write a different review for this one because I feel like it ...

The Positives

Harper : I loved Harper! She's Gemma's sister and some chapters are from her point of view. She's a practical and responsible character that I could connect to easily.My main problem is the fact that she wasn't the main character! Harper had so much more spark than Gemma that I was waiting to read her point of view (POV)

Harper and Daniel's relationship: I loved their friendship or should I call it a flirtation? Gemma and Alex's relationship was awkward but Harper and Daniel's relationship had spark and I wanted more!

Mythology: In my opinion the mythology was interesting and engaging. I wanted to know more about the history and the mythology.

Keeps you interested:There were a lot of times that I was seriously considering just abandoning this book and marking it as DNF(Did Not Finish) but the author managed to maintain my interest somehow.I'm still surprised I managed to finish this book.

The Negatives

Gemma: I did not like the main character. Gemma irritated me.The fact that she figured out a lot of stuff so quickly really surprised me because I thought she was too dumb .One thing I couldn't get over is the fact that Gemma took a LIFE CHANGING decision after taking advice from her MENTALLY unstable mother.

Gemma and Alex's relationship: Their relationship was just plain WEIRD. I can think of no better explanation.I felt no spark.The romance was so flat.
They had a conversation which went like this:

Boy:You're pretty
Girl:Did you just call me pretty?
Boy:It kind of slipped out
Girl:...I think you're pretty too!...
(*Excuse me for not swooning in delight over the romance *)

At first I thought that maybe the author is not able to write a proper romance but she is very capable of it. Harper and Daniel barely had a relationship but their friendship/flirtation had spark.I wanted Harper and Daniel to be the main characters and not Gemma and Alex.

Pace/Story is so slow....: It felt as if for almost 75% of the novel NOTHING was happening and if anything did happen it didn't hold my interest for more than 10 pages..Half the time I was thinking to myself "When will the good part start??" By the time the good part started I was just glad that there was a good part (I hope I'm making sense!)

Voice:I had a little bit of difficulty in understanding whose point of view the story was told from for the first few chapters.I thought it was from Gemma's POV and then there would be two paragraphs from Alex's point of view. Then the next chapter was from Harper's POV and so on. This really confused me.

Overall,I don't think I will be picking up the sequel but if I do pick it up it will be for Harper and Daniel.If you're dying to read this my advice would be to borrow it from the library or a friend.

My Rating:

2/5 Read more ›

More About the Author

Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Her New York Times best-selling series the Trylle Trilogy has been optioned for films. She has nine other young adult books now, including Wake, the first book in her brand new series, Watersong, and the second book in the series, Lullaby, will be out November 27, 2012.

To learn more you can follow her on Twitter - http://twitter.com/amanda_hocking or visit her blog: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/ or find out news at her Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/amandahockingfans, and her Website http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#79 in Books > Teens

#79 in Books > Teens