 | Title: The Gathering
 Sexual Content: Mention of sexual relationships and a steamy make-out scene. My Rating:
Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. |
Description
Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.
It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.
Review
THE GATHERING begins with the most unlikely of settings for a paranormal YA, a classic “company town” set in a remote area of Canada. Like the famed company campuses of Silicon Valley, the families of Salmon Creek receive world-class perks. Despite the small town feel, the few residents can look forward to top notch schools and fabulous medical care for their children. When ominous events begin to cast a shadow over this idyllic Mayberry, Armstrong makes it difficult to identify the true threat to Maya and her friends, and just who in their sleepy little town they can trust.
The most unique aspect of this book was the teenagers’ reactions to the mystery unfolding around them. Neither preternaturally paranoid nor willfully obtuse, the teens of Salmon Creek follow their natural curiosity where it leads. And as this process takes them closer and closer to danger, the story folds in a phenomenal amount of character development. Even the bullies and the bad guys in THE GATHERING are human and well-drawn, a critical detail that makes Armstrong’s writing so satisfying (and makes it that much harder to spot the true threat). The villains of the story range from high school pettiness to sorcerous crime families, and I can honestly say that I only have inklings of who will be implicated in later books.
As for the main characters, while at times Maya seems just too witty and sassy to be true, these characteristics made her all the more entertaining to read (and made it all the more striking when she acknowledges personal shortcomings). The men in Maya’s life were particularly interesting as well, as Armstrong makes both Daniel and Rafe very attractive in different ways. Whether the well-liked best friend or the flirtatious bad boy, both guys reveal hidden depths before the books end. I have my own theory about which way this love triangle will tip, but Armstrong doesn’t leave too many hints laying around.
As much as I adored THE GATHERING in it’s own right, I can’t express how excited I was to catch hints of the Darkest Powers series as well, I can only hope Armstrong will bring characters from both series together in the long run. THE GATHERING is also a great gateway for someone who has yet to try Kelley Armstrong’s books. So many parts of the story are grounded and realistic, it makes it all the more striking when that “Thing That Goes Bump in the Night” steps out of the shadows. As I’ve already pre-ordered a copy of this book to pass on to a friend, this book has one of the most heartfelt five bat ratings I’ve offered yet.
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I am SO looking forward to being able to get a copy of this book. Ever since finishing the Darkest Powers trilogy, I've wanted to read The Gathering!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to read this! I really enjoyed The Darkest Powers trilogy but didn't find the last book a very satisfying ending as a whole so I can't wait to see what Armstrong does with new characters and how she will bring things together.
ReplyDeleteI think that Maya's being too witty and sassy to be true was part of her characterization. When Rafe points out how much influence Maya has on her friends, it's a wake-up call for her, and it's the first time she really takes a look at her own actions and behavior. What I'm trying to say is that I think her excess of wit and sass have positive and negatives on her personality.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm dying to know what you're guess is, regarding the love triangle. If you don't want to share it here, will you email me--Rubysreads@gmail.com--because I've been sitting on my thoughts about this for over a month. I got The Gathering as part of a book tour in February. I need to talk about it!
Biblio - I know how you feel, I'm dying for book 2. Hope you get your hands on a copy a.s.a.p.!
ReplyDeleteAngela - Gah, yes! THE RECKONING did not feel like the end of a trilogy at all. I've got my fingers crossed for another trio focused directly on Chloe and company, but I'll take a cross-over with the Darkness Rising kids in the meantime...
Rubita - My relationship guesses are on their way in a sealed envelope...er, e-mail. Can't wait to hear which way you're leaning!
I loved reading Maya's wit, and I loved it even more that Armstrong gave her room to grow. I registered her being sassy with her parents more than her friends, but that's probably because her relationship with them is much more open and teasing than any I'm familiar with. By any account, Armstrong did a great job making Maya awesome without being unbelievable.
I loved this book too! Armstrong has really come into her own with the YA genre, 'The Gathering' is more brilliance.
ReplyDelete"teenagers’ reactions to the mystery unfolding around them" - I totally agree! In the 'Darkest Powers' series, those teens were very paranoid and 'on the run'. In 'The Gathering' the kids are somewhat oblivious to how close to danger they really are... as a reader, it made the entire novel all the creepier that we knew more about the danger than the characters did!
I'd love some cross-over action with 'Darkest Powers', but I don't think it's absolutely necessary for this new series.
Great review!
Great review! Love all the Detail!
ReplyDeleteDanielle - I agree (regarding a cross-over). I'm curious to get reactions from someone who hadn't read the Darkest Powers, I think their assumptions regarding what's going on could be very different (as they wouldn't necessarily be expecting the same things we are).
ReplyDeleteThe Gathering - Glad you liked it, hope we didn't "spoil" anything.