The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

I would like to begin this review by saying I am a huge Kelley Armstrong fan. The Darkest Powers Trilogy (set in the same world of this Darkness Rising series) is an amazing read, as is her Nadia Stafford series. But that said, my opinion of The Gathering is not a good one.

Summary: Maya has always felt a home in the Canadian forest where her ranger father's house resides, tending to sick animals and "hanging out" with cougars. But when she starts falling for the mysterious bad boy at school and discovers they have a lot more in common than she thought, her life begins to change in strange and frightening ways.

Reality Check: I devoured the previous Darkest Powers Trilogy, set in the same world of shapeshifters and magic. When The Gathering appeared, I was excited and expectant for a good read. This was not the case.

It read like a prologue - a very long prologue. It was all backstory and relationships, with little revelation and mystery. Truly it felt like ALL relationship, namely Maya and Rafe's, which never felt right. And I disliked Rafe - whenever he was around I was wishing he'd leave. Maya's "reactions" to him were inconsistent and very confusing - when she was apart from him she was wary of him, but seconds later when she was alone with him she was all smiles and throwing herself at him (literally). I did not believe the relationship, and kept praying for it to crash and burn and for her to end up with Daniel already.

I will say that it was very well written - Ms. Armstrong has a clear and intelligent voice. But Maya's emotions were too confusing and I did not like Rafe as a pair for her - which was all the book was about. Maybe I've just read too many on this strain, with more original plots (like her Darkest Powers Trilogy).

Conclusion: I have no intention of reading the second Darkness Rising book. But I'm definitely going to re-read Darkest Powers.

"The heliocopter wobbled once, then lifted off."

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy

 out of 4 Paws Up