Review: Tragic, dark, and beautiful. New favorite!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 11, 2013
"Welcome to the wake."When I read that I got chills and had to know what this was about. I'm so glad I picked this book up, I only wish I would have read it slower because I'm still sad it's over. Abria Mattina had me on an emotional roller coaster while reading Wake. I was sad one moment, angry the next, and sometimes happy. I'm sure I'm leaving out a handful of other emotions but needless to say I was an overemotional mess reading this book but that's okay because it made me love this book. I can honestly say I had a feeling I'd like this book but after reading it I can say it's one of my all time favorite books. Before I got on I'd like to tackle something that might scare some readers off, this book is 727 pages and that's a lot of book. Sometimes with long books they feel like they drag on and it just gets annoying but I can assure you that Wake doesn't do that. It flys by and I even wished it was longer after finishing it because I miss Jem and Willa. The book is dual narrative throughout the entire book and I think there's one chapter/segment each for Elise (Jem's younger sister), Eric (Jem's older brother), and Frank (Willa's older brother). It seems like it could get confusing but it really doesn't. In a few chapters time overlapped so we could see how both Jem and Willa were feeling in that moment and I really liked that it was there with the right moments but not overdone throughout the book.Mentally sighing, oh the characters you guys. They were so perfectly imperfect. I want to know Jem and Willa and be their bff because I care so much about these characters. Is that weird? That's weird but whatever. SO MANY FEELS FOR THEM! Jem sucked me into his world and once I was there I didn't want to leave. Now when you think about a cancer book you probably think of death but this book was so much more. We get to watch Jem and Willa evolve and become new people together, we get to watch them hold each others hand (most of the time) and help each other out of the dark hole they both had fallen into, whether it was by choice or bad luck. Jem was awesome, he made me laugh in almost every single on of his chapters. I don't think I've ever laughed so much reading a book and I really loved that. Although the humor could be dark and twisted at times it worked. Jem was a really strong guy even if he didn't realize it and I was like a proud momma bear by the end of this book. Willa has been through so much more than she should have experienced. She's still a freaking teenager and I can bet most people twice her age haven't seen what she has yet she was so strong, even if she couldn't see it. I loved how Willa was so willing to accept Jem for who he was and help him through the side effects of his disease. I loved how this book didn't have insta love, they slowly peeled the walls down and showed each other who they were. Only after did they figure out the rest. All of the supporting characters are worth a mention because they were just as awesome as Jem and Willa. Elise, Eric, Frank, and Jem's parents were all so easy to love too. They all had their flaws but it all just worked so well together. Abria Mattina did such a phenomenal job tying their stories together.I'm almost positive my review doesn't do this book justice but after discovering what exactly the Wake is I highly suggest you go read this book as soon as possible. Wake was tragic, dark, and beautiful with enough humor to get you through it without going insane. Just be sure to have tissues close by because if you're anything like me you'll need them at some point.I also have an interview with the author on my blog if you want to check it out. (:[...]