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.
Release date: April 12, 2011
Publisher: Harper
Order: Amazon
I must confess to start off with that I may have a slight obsession with Kelley Armstrong's books so this review could be a little biased. I loved her Darkest Powers series so I had an inkling that I may fall in love with this series as well. Boy, was I right. First off... can we talk about the cover?
It's so mysterious and alluring and pretty! Also, it completely describes the series! Although I'm not exactly sure how pretty describes a series, but oh well.
Maya (isn't that such a pretty name?) is so kick-ass. I loved her personality. She really cares for her friends and family. I love to see when a heroine tends to put others in front of themselves but not be submissive at the same time. I don't really go for the damsel in distress characters, and Maya certainly is not.
There's also a character named Rafe who is your not so typical bad boy with an agenda. But, there's also Daniel as well. Daniel is the sweetheart of the bunch and tends to be protective of Maya, which is completely adorable.
The plot is quick and suspenseful (and surprising) towards the end and it had the right mix of paranormal and romance in it for me. It also didn't have insta-love which is always a plus in my book. If you like to read YA paranormal books that don't have your typical vampire/werewolf characters then this is definitely the book for you. The Gathering has a new mix of paranormal that kept me on my toes. It's nice to have a refreshing new type of paranormal.
Overall I give it five owls, because how could I not?
Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/
