Elegy (Watersong #4) by Amanda Hockiing

First, let me thank both Edelweiss and especially St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to read an e-galley of this book.  Now, can I start telling you how much I loved this book?!  I have to say what an awesome way to end a series!  There was action, there was still romance, there were twists and turns, there was more details about the background of the sirens, and I even found the re-telling of the story of Persephone to be very unique.  As I've said in the reviews for both Lullaby and Tidal, this series, just got better,and better, and the end didn't disappoint!  Now, before I go on with my summary of the story, realize again that there will be spoilers if you haven't read the books before yet.  I try to keep them to a minimum, but will have to have some.
Okay, so as the cover kind of gave away in the last book, Penn has developed a bit of an obsession with Daniel, Harper's boyfriend, and has convinced him that the only way to keep Harper and Gemma and the rest of his friends and family safe is to sleep with her, and give in to what she wants.  So he has agreed, and even though he wanted to talk to Harper about it, and came really close, he decided he would not tell her.  But when Harper makes plans to come home and surprise Daniel on his birthday, the same day Penn has planned to get what she wants from Daniel, it all comes to a head.  And now Harper is unsure if she can trust Daniel, even though she does understand what he's done.  They've made Liv the new siren to replace Lexi, but she is psychotic, killing just because she can, and not being worried about getting caught.  Both Thea and Gemma keep bugging Penn to do something about Liv, but she doesn't.  In the mean time they are still trying to work on figuring out the scroll with the curse that Thea gave them.  Even involving one of Harper's professors.  And Marcy's friend Lydia also thinks she may have a way to find Diana, who may actually be Demeter, and who may be able to help with the curse.  Gemma gets to the point where she is just done with it all.  Liv kills the mayor's son Aiden, who had attacked Gemma in the last book, but had his life saved when Alex pulled him off of Gemma.  So Gemma decides to go after Penn.  She soon learns that there is no way she will ever be able to take Penn on by herself, because she doesn't feed regularly like Penn does, not to mention the difference in age.  Penn again gets more angry, and now tells Daniel that she wants him to become a siren and be with her forever, or in Penn's mind until she gets tired of him.  Of course she must kill one of the other sirens to do that, and while she wants to get rid of Thea because of how she'd become a downer, she knows it can't be Gemma, because that is who Daniel is trying to protect, so Daniel asks her to get rid of Liv, and she agrees.  When Diana/Demeter is found, she isn't quite as helpful as is hoped.  While she gives some clues in her very unhelpful comments, she is too intent on letting Penn continue to suffer forever, even as Gemma and Harper try to convince her that Penn isn't really suffering and is only making other innocent families suffer.  
The ending, perfect, well, where all the action comes to a head and the real problem is solved.  There is probably one main issue that I had with the book though, which is why on Goodreads I only gave it a 4, (4.5 if I could have).  I feel like there were some parts that were a little bit long.  Like the very end after the problem is solved.  We do get to know a lot about what happens after things come to a head.  And I know that often we do want to know those things.  But in this case, it went on for so long, that I only kept reading because I thought it must be something else important happening.  But it didn't.  It wasn't that bad or boring, it just made me think there must be some other big happening, that there wasn't.  So that's my only complaint.  If you had trouble with the first book, as I've seen some people say, but you still were interested in the idea, you might go ahead and pick up the 2nd book.  Because, really, this ended up so good, almost in my opinion, a perfect story.

Tidal (Watersong #3) by Amanda Hocking

Another book I checked out from the library, although it was kind of a fiasco getting it actually in my hands!  I got an email saying it had arrived.  I went to the library the next day, and it wasn't there.  So, the librarian said one of two things happened, either someone else saw it and took it without checking it out, or else, when they send the books from one library to another, sometimes they might hit the wrong button that says it is already there when they have actually just shipped it from one to the other.  So, I waited a week, then went back in, and it still wasn't there.  I was sooooo disappointed.  But they suggested I call the next time, and I did the next day, and it was there!  Perfect timing because I was ready to read it this week!  First I must say I love the cover, and since I had the book while I was reading the second book, Lullaby, I had a bit of a clue about the third, but it wasn't exactly what I'd thought it was.  And I have to say that this series is just getting better and better as it goes, so I'm really pumped up for the last book, Elegy, which I'll be reading next!  And, as I said with the last review, there have to be spoilers in order for me to tell what is happening, so don't read on!  I won't spoil the story, but there will be things that might spoil the book before.

At the end of Lullaby, Gemma had convinced Penn and the others to stay there, on Capri, her home for awhile.  And sadly, Gemma felt she had to protect Alex, so she sang him out of love with her.  Only that may not have worked quite as she planned it.  Gemma is trying really hard to find a way to break the curse, one way may be finding the scroll with the curse written on it and figuring out how to destroy it.  Harper's friend Marcy has a friend who is really into the supernatural stuff, and may be able to help them.  While they're there, Thea has joined a play with Gemma, and she seems to really enjoy it.  Penn and Lexi are just as horrible as ever, although Penn seems to be a bit intrigued by Harper's boyfriend Daniel.  And hey, knowing that is him on the cover of the book, who can blame her!  Part of the reason they decided to stay is that it seems strange that Alex was able to fall in love with Gemma even though she is a Siren, because that doesn't seem to be able to happen thanks to the curse.  Plus, why is Daniel able to kind of ignore the siren songs?  Penn wants to know what is going on, so that helps to convince her to stay.  Now, at the same time, Penn has decided to look for a new girl to replace Gemma, and she finds one, a girl named Liv, who seems to be perfect, as she is the exact opposite of Gemma, she wants approval and agrees with anything Penn and Liv wants.  But Thea wants them to wait.  She kind of likes Gemma, and wants to give her a chance to stay around, and maybe become part of the sirens for good.  Everyone convinces Harper to go away to college, that she'll only be 50 miles away, which is not far, and an hour's drive if they need her to come home.  Gemma has given in and told Daniel everything, if he promises to keep things from Harper that might keep her from going to college.  Gemma doesn't want everyone else's lives to be messed up in case she must leave to stay with the sirens, or if she ends up dying.  But Daniel soon has secrets of his own, dealing with Penn.  And Alex is having a lot of problems thanks to Gemma's song.  And we also get some glimpses into the sirens' past.  Particularly Penn and Thea, and a man named Bastion, who Penn once loved.  These background flashes are so good, they make the story that much deeper.  Almost make me wish the author would go and write a prequel series, following all the sirens before this started.  Hint, hint.
Like I said, the series just keeps getting better.  Once I picked this book up, it was so hard to put it down to do anything else.  And I'm sure the next one will be the same way.  I loved the Trylle trilogy by this author, it is what got me reading her, and now, I think I'm hooked.  I hope I can get ahold of more of her series.

Lullaby (Watersong #2) by Amanda Hocking

Lullaby by Amanda Hocking
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I had to check this book out from the library so that I could continue in the series and be ready to read the e-galley of the 4th one that I have. Now, I only gave the first book in the series a 3 out of 5 stars, but I liked this one even better than the first, and gave it a 4 out of 5. If you haven't read the first one, you might want to stop here, as there will be spoilers.

So we're back with Gemma, who had to leave with the other sirens at the end of the last book, because they'd threatened to kill her sister, and her boyfriend Alex, if she didn't. So her sister, Harper, must go home and tell their dad that she ran away. But after all she'd seen, the terrifying bird creatures that the sirens could turn into, and the dead body of their island friend, Bernie. So now Alex and Harper are trying to do what they can to find Gemma, as well as figure out what was going on. They know there is something to do with mermaids, but what about the horrible bird creature? So they begin to do research, specifically at the library where Harper works. And that is when they find information about sirens. And they get a somewhat unlikely helper, Marcy, the unique girl that works with Harper at the library. Daniel is still trying to get through to Harper, it is so obvious to both of them that there is a spark, but Harper doesn't want to have to worry about Daniel. So, she tells him they need to stay apart. Meanwhile Gemma is trying to fight the curse, refusing to swim in the ocean or feed. But she gets sick, to the point where her hair is even falling out. While Thea seems to be more helpful now, Lizzie and of course Penn are still as evil as they seemed before. Finally Penn orders Gemma to swim. And soon Gemma begins to feel better. So her thought is to swim in the ocean and continue to try to eat regular food. Until a mishap occurs, where Gemma loses control. Around the same time, Harper and Alex, with some help from Daniel, figure out where Gemma probably is, and they go to try to bring her home.
I won't go on, I'll leave the rest for you to read and find out.
As my issues with the first book, Wake, had to do with not knowing some things, we do now begin to learn some of the background of the sirens, and how they live. But we also get some new questions, questions that even Penn and Thea don't know the answers to, but feel the need to find out. I must say I'm glad I'm going to be able to go on to the next book as soon as I'm done with this review, because I need to know what is going on. Also, the cover of the third book? It is really good! And from that cover, I had some ideas of things that happened in this book, or an inkling of some things, so maybe seeing the 3rd cover was a bit of a spoiler or hint.

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Wake (Watersong #1) by Amanda Hocking

As always I'd like to thank the people who made it possible for me to read an advanced copy of this.  I was fortunate enough to walk into work at Barnes and Noble and see this sitting on the break room table.  As I had fallen in love with the Trylle series by Amanda Hocking, I immediately grabbed it and stuffed it into my locker to take home.  Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending a copy to my store for me to get!
Okay, first I have to say that this is my first foray into the "mermaid" genre.  Although, technically, they aren't mermaids per se, but sirens.  I do have to say that I was not disappointed in the story though.  Again I can see that Hocking has really built her own mythological story with all the details to make the story work.  And even though we don't know quite everything, I mean, if we did, why would we read on, you can see that there is thought behind what all is happening, and a reason for it.
The main character is Gemma, she's 16 years old, and loves swimming, in fact she's so good, that she's working towards the next Olympics.  And she's starting to notice the boy next door.  And he's noticing her right back.  She lives with her father and her older sister Harper.  Their mother was in a car accident a while back, and hasn't quite been right since then.  So she had to go live in a  home where there would be people to keep an eye on her.  It doesn't sound like a nursing home type of place, though, so not bad.  So since that, Harper has felt that she must fill in for Gemma as her mother.  Something that Gemma sometimes feels is a bit annoying, as any teenager would for an older sister acting that way.  Recently there have been 4 new girls in town, although one has not been around as much.  These girls are Penn, Thea, and Lexi.  Harper gets an uneasy feeling around them.  They're beautiful and popular, but there is something dangerous or menacing about them.  Gemma likes to go each night to the sea and swim when no one is around, even though she notices the 3 girls in one of the coves each night, but she stays away, because she wants to swim in solitude.  One night, the girls call to her, and it's like she can't resist, even though she wants to, and so she goes up and hangs out with them in the cove.  They give her a drink, after which she gets really out of it, and wakes up on the beach the next morning, unable to remember what happened the night before.  But now she's grounded for staying out all night when her father and sister wake up to find her missing.  The truth is that Gemma can now really swim, and she feels even more beautiful.  In fact she seems to have a bit more of a mesmerizing effect on the boy next door, Alex.  But as you would assume, there is a price to her new powers.  And the mysterious girls are the reason, and hold all the answers.
As I said before, the story did not disappoint.  My only issues, first, I don't like that the parents are called by their first names.  It confuses me.  I don't remember what other book I read that in recently, but it just is weird to me.  Second, when I first talked about how much I liked the Trylle books, someone commented that they'd heard Hocking's e-books had lots of grammar mistakes.  I didn't notice any in the Trylle books, but I do have to say that I did in this one.  Yes, it is an ARC, so I'm sure they'll all be fixed before it is published.  I hope.  And when I say grammar mistakes, just really things that probably came from writing quickly to get the story out, thinking ahead of the line she was one, etc.  I do that too sometimes.  Thank goodness for editors and friends who check things!
To wrap up, I am eager to read on in the story.  One funny thing, as I was reading this, I watched the Animal Planet's show about "real" mermaids.  It was funny to me that I just happened to watch that as I was reading a book about the topic.  And this gives me a bit of a nudge to go ahead and maybe dive into some other mermaid types of stories.