Published: April 2010
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 359
Copy: From Library
Summary: Goodreads
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.
The Gathering was an amazing start to Kelley Armstrong's new trilogy. Set in the same world as her Women of the Otherworld series and the Darkest Powers trilogy, the background will be familiar to anyone who has read these amazing books. This time around the main characters live in a small community on Vancouver Island. While on the one hand it is completely different from what most of us are accustomed to, on the other, it was very real and believable. I felt very comfortable within the setting.
Characters this time around are Maya, Daniel and Rafe. Oh yes, and don't forget the cougars Fitz and Marv. I just loved those cats! One of the things I noticed was that Maya seems very comfortable in her own skin. Yes, there are some questions about her birth mother, but Maya seems well grounded. Daniel is her best friend and he has some interesting 'feelings' about people - an ability to sense danger. Is there a hint of something going on between the two of them? Maybe, but maybe not. Not enough in this volume that I would class things as a triangle when Rafe enters the picture. Oohh, Rafe - I really liked him. Bad boy? Well perhaps, but there's just something about him, that hint of strangeness that makes you want to dig deeper and find out everything you can about him.
There's a wonderful thread of mystery throughout the story that is only partially solved by the end of the book. Also, we never completely find out what Maya's 'secret' is - we can make an extremely good guess, but we don't find out for sure. The ending is not quite a cliff-hanger, but it does leave you ready for more, which is unfortunate since there won't be any more for a good few months, more's the pity - The Calling is not due out until some time in 2012. Thank you Ms Armstrong for another great read.
Ooh, glad you enjoyed it! I think I'm the only one that didn't love this :P. Though I agree about the cougars - I loved those cats too! I'm looking forward to The Calling as well - thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed it too!! I have been hearing a lot about this one and just really need to get my hands on it! Thanks for the review
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing a lot about this one. Mostly good! I am glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed The Gathering! I know there isn't a love triangle right now but I can definitely see it as a possibility later on and when the time comes, I'm going to have difficulty choosing between Daniel and Rafe... :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it's going to be incredibly difficult to chose between Daniel and Rafe, they were both such lovely characters.
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