The Gathering {early ARC review} * * * *

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

April 12, 2011

- YA, paranormal -

reviewed by Tara SG

received for review via Around the World Tours

Book Order (Darkness Rising)

1. The Gathering (Apr 12, 2011) * * * *
2. Untitled
3. Untitled

Links

Author’s Website : www.kelleyarmstrong.com

Author’s Twitter : @kelleyarmstrong

Amazon : pre-order hardcover / pre-order eBook

Add To Your GoodReads TBR List (143 ratings : 4.38 avg)

In Six Words

laugh out loud fun missing conclusion

Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?

I came across this via the tour site and having only read books from the author’s adult series, I wanted to give this a try. This was exactly what I needed. I’ve been in a little bit of a reading slump. This book had be laughing out loud so hard that I didn’t even care that people were staring at me. I’m not sure if I would have known more about the magic in this world if I had read the books from the Darkest Powers series (I’m going to go back and read them soon), but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything here. I was disappointed in the end of the book. It didn’t really have a conclusion, we’ll just continue on in the next book like this is a commercial break. I also wanted to learn more about the paranormal aspects. Overall, I loved the characters and the book was extremely well-paced.

I’m picking up her other YA books and definitely continuing this series.

Brief Summary

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.

-via GoodReads.com

Plot/Pacing/Writing Style

The book starts out with a bang. The summary on the back of the book was different than GoodReads and I was not expecting something so tragic that quickly. It actually gave me chills. The town was a little eerie in some aspects while small-town comforting in others. The author paints the town and surrounding forests with beautiful details without being overwhelming or taking away from the characters and action. I’m still confused on what is going on with the main magic/mystery. I felt like the biggest reveal was almost known before starting the book. I really wanted to learn more, but there are two more books so I’m not super upset.

I read this all in one day without feeling rushed or bored.

Characters

I really loved Maya. She completely cracked me up. Her interactions with her dad are just plain hilarious. She is grieving the loss of her best friend and trying to learn how to move on respectfully. She is learning how to adjust her friendship with Daniel now that they’re older and being best friends with a guy isn’t as easy as it once was. She is curious about her biological family, while still loving and appreciating the parents that raised her. I found her to be smart and brave. We see a little character growth near the end with how she treats others, but I think we’ll see much more later.

Daniel is the perfect best friend. Maybe a little overprotective, but caring, funny, and understanding. Rafe is perfectly mysterious. We just can’t figure him out and when we think we do, we’re thrown for a little loop. He goes from bad boy, to cute passing notes, to not being at all what he seemed.

I loved that Maya’s parents are included in the story. So often parents are non-existent . This was more real and added another depth to the story.

Favorite Quotes

*I tried to narrow these down and this is the best I could do

“Hey,” Mom said. “I’m the one who had to persuade him it wasn’t going to turn his little girl into a streetwalker.”

“I never said that,” Dad said.

“No?” I said. “Cool. Cause I decided to skip the paw print. I’m thinking tramp stamp with flames that says ‘Hot in Here’. No, wait. Arrows. For directionally challenged guys.”

He sipped his coffee, debating, then said, “They say he’s something of a Romeo.”

“Romeo?” I sputtered a laugh. “Seriously?”

“You know what I mean, Maya. He likes girls.”

“Which, all things considered, is good.”

He gave me a look, and I sighed. “Okay. You mean he’s a player. I’d point out that doesn’t make him a Romeo – which would imply he sets his sights on one and sticks to her, till an early death do them part. But I get it. And you’re right. He likes girls.”

“I like Daniel. He takes care of you.”

I blinked. “Oh my God. Did you really just say that? He takes care of me?”

Dad flushed. “I didn’t mean it like –”

“Takes care of me? Did I go to sleep and wake up in the nineteenth century?” I looked down at my jeans and T-shirt. “Ack! I can’t go to school like this. Where’s my corset? My bonnet?”

Recommendations

If you like YA paranormal with mystery with a touch of action and romance, then I highly recommend this book.

Going Deeper – NO spoilers!!

I really loved how Maya’s adoption was handled in this book. She is curious about her birth mother and wants to know about her family (she also mentions wanting to know for medical reasons). However, she loves and acknowledges how lucky she is to have her parents. Her parents seem to freak a little excessively that she’ll be upset each time her abandonment is brought up, but I can see how they would want to make sure she knows that it was not her fault. As a baby, it wasn’t personal.