Review: The Gathering

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 359
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Library
Other Books in Companion Series: The Summoning, The Awakening, The Reckoning
Challenge: Ultimate Reviewers' Challenge Book 7
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.


Until now.


Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.


In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy.

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I love Kelley Armstrong's world. She blends mythology with action, and romance beautifully and her books are always a delight to read. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan.

The Gathering was really good! I was really growing attached to the characters from The Darkest Powers trilogy but I enjoyed reading about these new characters too. Maya's character blew me away. She acted like a rational, normal teen who had problems and made big mistakes but was good in the end. Sometimes I can't help but think when I'm reading why the characters can't be more rational. Like all the stories about the new guy who moves into town and the girl that falls in love the second he pays attention to her or the popular guy who has been with many girls suddenly interested in this plain girl... I got tired of that. What's special about these girls, I'd wonder. I'm so glad Maya was a smart enough character that she'd rationally question Rafe's intentions.

I love that the Gathering isn't all stereotypical- it's a fresh story filled with memorable characters. The characters all have history to them and the history is important.

The plot itself was a huge question mark. There are so many questions and not very many answers. This story was a true introductory novel- teaching readers about the characters and setting up the plot but not advancing it too much. Near the end, things started to pick up. I'm left right now waiting for the next book.

Last but not least, the mythology. I love how Kelley Armstrong used not so common myths and that I was honestly left guessing to what Maya could be. There are little hints and pieces everywhere but it's not enough to know for certain. I was glad the series started more about the characters than their powers. Not to say I can not wait to see the experiments revealed.

Random other stuff I enjoyed was Maya's Native heritage. I loved that she was Native, Aboriginals don't get enough attention though they have a rich culture. The small town actually felt like a small town (not that I'd know though, since I live in a decently big city) and it was in Canada! *waves the Canadian flag* Since Kelley Armstrong is a Canadian author, she understands what being Canadian is like so I appreciated the realistic jokes or should I say digs she put in there.

Overall, a promising start to an exciting new series. I can't wait to see what happens next! 4 stars,

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