Review: Lullaby by Amanda Hocking

Lullaby by Amanda Hocking (Watersong #2)
Publication: November 27, 2012 (St Martin's Press)
Source: Finished copy from the publisher
Rating: Beam-worthy
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Harper only wanted a safe, normal life. But when her younger sister Gemma runs off with a dangerous clique of beautiful girls, Penn, Thea, and Lexi, everything changes. Vowing to get her sister back no matter what the cost, Harper must face dangers unlike any she's ever experienced. Fortunately, she has Daniel by her side, a gorgeous guy who's devoted to helping her find her sister—and who's immune to the girls' dark powers.

While Harper searches for her sister, Gemma struggles to adjust to her new life.  Gemma's powers are growing by the day, and the longer she lives with her new "sisters," the harder it is to resist entering their magical world.  It's a realm both dark and beautiful, and where she's plagued by strange hungers and unspeakable needs.  Just as she's drifting far away from her old life,  Harper and Daniel find her...but no one can deny how much she's changed.  All she wants is to return to her family and the mortal world, but how can she do that when she's become something else entirely—and will they still love her once they learn the truth?

Prepare to fall under the spell of Lullaby, the second book in the Watersong series from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking.

Memorable Quote

"But I don't want her to take care of me," Daniel said.  "If anything,  I want to take care of her."

My Review

I approached Lullaby with some trepidation; I didn't overly care for Wake - it had potential, but left me wanting something more.  I hoped that Lullaby would build on the mythology foundation laid in Wake, but instead, I closed the second novel in the Watersong series feeling almost cheated.  The lack of action or character development disappointed me, enough that I decided not to continue with the series. 

While I liked the idea behind the lovely, sinister Penn, Thea, and Lexi - deceptively beautiful sirens - I couldn't buy into Gemma's shaky transitions.  One moment she was struggling to retain her humanity, while the next she was seducing an en-spelled guy, or worse.  She went back and forth so many times on where she stood that I felt dizzy.  There was some growth on Thea's part, which was encouraging, but even Harper - my favorite character from Wake - could barely carry this lackluster sequel.  I felt like Harper regressed as a character.  With Gemma missing, Amanda Hocking stripped away Harper's personality, until Harper felt more like a plot device than a character. 

I did like a few aspects of Lullaby, specifically the small progression of Harper and Daniel's relationship.  For me, they are the best thing about this series.  I continued to struggle to even care about Gemma, Alex, or many of the other characters, and apathy bothers me.  Normally feel SOMETHING for a book character, but frankly, I could care less what happens to Gemma.  *SIGHS* And that's a huge problem for me.  Also, the writing really got on my nerves.  Everything was written so as to happen to the characters in the past, instead of them being actively involved in the story. 

Combine the fact that basically very little happens for the first 150 pages of Lullaby, with an unlikeable (for me) narrator, bland writing, and a plot that feels too loose for me to enjoy, I won't be continuing this series.  However, if YOU enjoyed Wake, then Lullaby is a book you'll want to check out, if only because the action finally picks up and sets up interestingly for Tidal. 



Other books by this author:

Switched (Trylle #1)
Wake (Watersong #1)

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About Amanda

I live in Minnesota, and I write young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy mostly. The My Blood Approves series is about vampires in Minneapolis, and its available now. I also wrote the Trylle Trilogy, which is a paranormal romance without vampires, shifters, mermaids, fae, angels, dragons, ghosts, or ninjas.

Visit Amanda at: her website | her blog | her twitter

Shop for Lullaby at: Amazon | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Wake by Amanda Hocking
Pages: 309
Expected publication: August 7, 2012 (St Martin's)
Source: ATW ARC Tours
Rating: Beam-worthy
Add it/Purchase: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Connect with the author: Twitter | Blog


Beautiful. 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, Thea, and Lexi have caught everyone's attention, including the eye of practical Harper. But it's her sister, Gemma, they've chosen to be part of their group.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma seems to have it all - carefree, pretty, and falling in love with the boy next door. But her greatest passion has always been the water. She craves late night swims under the stars, where she can be alone yet belong to the sea. Lately she's had company. Penn, Thea, and Lexi spend their nights dancing, singing, and partying on the cove--and one night Gemma joins them. When she wakes up groggy on the beach the next morning, she knows something has changed.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. As she uncovers the truth about her new mythical powers, Gemma is forced to choose between staying with those she loves or entering a dark world brimming with unimaginable secrets.

My Review

After finishing Wake, the first book in sucessful author Amanda Hocking's new Watersong series, despite extremely high hopes, I have incredibly mixed feelings about this novel.  While I liked it enough to want to read the next book in the series, I also had some problems connecting with the characters, or really delving beneath the surface layer of this story about three beautiful, dangerous girls.  This one also felt entirely TOO rushed, like Hocking wrote it without taking a breath to pause.  I feel as if I had barely met the characters when the action started, and never stopped.  I closed Wake feeling as if perhaps I was not the target audience.  

I found the main character, Gemma, to be very flat; in fact, I found myself wishing that Wake had been told from her sister, Harper's point of view.  Harper was a fascinating character, and she was the one I clicked with immediately.  Gemma seemed TOO perfect, and honestly, a bit spoiled.  Harper took over the role of Mom after an accident left their mother incapacitated, and it was her I wanted to know more about.  Yes, Gemma had it hard, too, but I felt like she had everything handed to her - the awesome boy next door (more on him in a minute), being the star of the swim team, etc - and I felt like she didn't really appreciate any of it.  

Luckily for Wake, there were several minor characters who saved the story for me - including Alex (the boy next door) who was so sweet and amazingly supportive, and Daniel, who lives and works at the marina where Harper and Gemma's father works.  Daniel was mysterious and fascinating - the type of layered, complex character I adore.  I really loved watching his interactions with Harper.  She's very dedicated and practical, and he's very NOT practical, and they just absolutely were oil and water in the most delightful way.  Their chemistry was one of my favorite parts of Wake.  

Normally I love Amanda Hocking's books but this one fell flat; instead of being drawn to Penn, Lexi, and Thea, I was repulsed by them.  Their actions were incredibly selfish, and they never took into consideration what Gemma wanted or didn't want.   I did enjoy the glimpses into their pasts, and the mythology that Hocking spun into Wake, but again, the pacing felt incredibly like going 0 - 60 in about a minute. There was, however, a cliffhanger ending, which left me on the edge of my seat to know where the series goes next.

Overall, with the shaky, jumpy pacing, and the fact that I didn't connect with the main character, and didn't get enough time with the characters I DID like, I can't rate Wake as high as I would like to, but I do encourage you to read it for yourself and see what you think!