Review - The Gathering

by Kelley Armstrong
publisher: HarperTeen
date of publication: April 5, 2011
format: ebook
pages: 243
source: purchased
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. 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.

After sitting in my Nook for almost a year, I finally sat down to read The Gathering.  Having enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy, I was glad to finally have carved out the time to read this, the first book in the Darkness Rising trilogy.  Upon finishing, I was left feeling unsure as to whether I was mad at myself for waiting so long, or glad that I had waited until the second book came out.  I simply couldn't stop reading and was reminded exactly why I loved the Darkest Powers series so very much.

I adored Maya from the very start.  Her banter with her dad cracked me up more than once and the way she was when with her animal rehabilitation patients was inspiring.  She doesn't put up with much nonsense and she's a very self-sufficient character.  Daniel is a great friend to her and Rafe has a certain knack for keeping everyone guessing.  I thoroughly enjoyed the ways in which the various characters were written and couldn't get enough once I became fully immersed in their story.

While the bulk of the action didn't occur until a few chapters from the end, I found that I didn't mind at all.  There was more than enough going on with Maya's discoveries, as well as the development of a relationship between Maya and Rafe.  The plot flowed very well and did a great job at holding my interest.  The setting, however, really did it for me.  I loved reading all about the forest in which Maya lives and spends her time.  I have no complaints whatsoever in regard to the way the story was constructed.  It was simply too engaging!

Though I waited a year to read The Gathering, the same can't be said of The Calling.  When I finished reading The Gathering, I did not want to stop reading.  In fact, I connected my Nook to a Wi-fi signal right then and there and started reading The Calling immediately.  This book should be enjoyed with the understanding that you are likely going to want to read it all in one setting, so prepare yourself.  If you enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy, you'll definitely want to read The Gathering straight away.