By Amanda Hocking
St. Martin’s Press, $17.99, 305 pages
In a departure from her previous Trylle series, Amanda Hocking brings us to a small sea-side coastal town in Wake. Gemma is an avid swimmer with Olympic dreams. Mothered by her older sister Harper, Gemma is very much the typical teenager. Her life is filled with swim practice and her new-found appreciation for Harper’s best friend Alex. Mysterious stories of disappearances up and down the coast cast a shadow over Gemma’s love of swimming in the bay at night, and three mystifying girls begin spending time in town. The three girls – Penn, Lexi, and Thea – have been relentlessly pursuing Gemma, much to her chagrin. Gemma avoids the three and continues her nightly swims, until one night she is unable to resist meeting them in the cove. Harper worries for her sister, which turns in to full-blown panic when Gemma does not come home one night. After that night, everything begins to change. It turns out that Gemma has a lot to learn about who she has become.
Amanda Hocking again brings us a story rich in detail, bringing us in to the world that she has created. While she takes a more unique approach to the fantasy genre, Wake leaves a little bit to be desired for the more sophisticated reader. The plot and characters are a little on the predictable side, and the overt way in which the bad guys and conflicts are identified limits the amount of tension and surprise available throughout the story. However, as usual Hocking has given us an easy to read story with her quirky sense of humor.
Reviewed by Rachel J. Richards
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