Review Detail

Okay, I admit it. I'm totally a Hocking fan. I loved her Trylee series and couldn't wait to read more of her work. I'm also not much of a fan of mermaid stories but her new series doesn't follow the others out there. This is not a Disney like fantasy but rather one with a darker twist.

WAKE is book one of THE WATERSONG series. Sixteen-year-old Gemma loves the water. Whenever she's in the ocean, she feels calm and at home. She's pretty, carefree, and has a huge crush on Alex, the boy next door. Then three extremely beautiful girls show up and express interest in having her be part of their group. Gemma at first is leery but can't deny the appeal of being around them. But there is a price to being beautiful and alluring.

I really loved this story! Gemma is the good girl who tries to do the right things. Her only rebellion is her late night ocean swims. Hocking does a great job showing us Gemma's hunger to be in the water and also her struggle to not fall under the influence of the beautiful, model-like girls who show up.

The romance between her and Alex starts off slow. You're not sure if his increased interest of Gemma is due to her or her sudden change. This change is at times fascinating and other times borderline creepy.

The relationship I really loved was between Gemma's older sister Harper and the bad-boy Daniel. I could relate with Harper as I'm also the oldest in my family and felt responsible for my sisters. Harper is torn between living her own life and taking care of her family. Daniel is hot and I feel misunderstood. I can't wait to see where this relationship goes. I'm hoping it will continue in the second book in the series which will come out in Winter 2013.

Also there's hints of a family secret too. Why is Gemma and Harper's mother put away? What exactly does she know?

And the sirens, Penn, Lexie, and Thea would put the Mean girls to shame. They are hauntingly beautiful and also deadly. Greek mythology has it's own unique take on the truth behind the girl's allure.

This twist on modern day sirens sinks it's teeth in you and doesn't let you go. Can't wait for the next book!