BEA Book Review--Wake, by Amanda Hocking

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.

Find it on Goodreads, Amazon, and B&N.

While walking around at the Javitz in NYC for BEA, my eyes caught sight of this GORGEOUS cover--a book I absolutely had to have. So I picked it up and added it to my overflowing bags of gloriousness.

I was really excited about reading it, too, once I realized it had been written by Amanda Hocking. I'd purchased a few of her self-published books, but just never connected. I really couldn't wait to change that.

However, I'm afraid I have to admit I couldn't finish this book. 

And here's the thing: I've heard lots of highly intelligent, compelling arguments concerning published authors not giving bad reviews. But I don't agree with them. I think it's possible to give your honest opinion without breaking someone (or their work) down.

Some of my favorite reviews (given by other people) have been bad. In fact, I've purchased at least a dozen books because of particularly inflamed negative opinions.

I'm not going to give you one of those (the highly inflamed kind), though, because despite how much I may have liked bad reviews, some of the comments I've seen concerning them really bothered me. This one especially: "Thanks for this review! I'm definitely not buying this book now."

Ugh. Just ugh.

Reviews should never be meant to discourage readers from purchasing books. They're only opinions. And despite how well thought out they may be, they really only give you definitive proof of the reviewer's tastes.

I didn't like Wake, it's true. But this is just a matter of the reader and author not clicking. It happens. Reading is like a relationship. You're letting someone else into your head to work with your imagination. I gave this book away on this blog a while ago fully confident that the winner would love it. 

I couldn't connect with Amanda Hocking's characters and I've never been able to connect with her writing style. This makes me sad, but I'm glad she's reached out to so many others.

I do suggest you check this one out! The author has gathered quite a following and there's usually a good reason for that.

Enjoy!