Book Review- The Gathering

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. 

I'm just going to say it here. As much as I love the color blue, I don't like book covers with just one color scheme. It's...kinda boring. While I do like the cover its just kinda...not so interesting. A note to publishers, be a little more creative and using more than one/two colors and a girl's face. 

This is another Kelly Armstrong book and I'll say I enjoyed this book much much better than I did with the Darkest Power series. I enjoyed the characters better, the mystery, and the plot. 

For the characters, I thought that Maya was a great character, Daniel was a little too perfect, but Rafe was a good character too. He and Maya both had their faults and their strong points. They were well rounded although at times I thought that Maya could be a little bit too uncaring. 

The plot was very good and I was excited to see that this book had something to do with shape shifters. Although I noticed that in this series and in the Darkest power series, they both have something to do with experiments, mad scientists, parents leaving children either by choice or not by choice, and a guy named Samuel Lyle was both mentioned in both books. I've always wanted to do that- mention something from another book series into a different one. I've thought that was cool. 

And while we're on that topic, I wondered if Chloe and Maya are living at the same time period as when Chloe is running away from the mad scientists and if her path and Maya's will ever cross? 

Anyways, there was another character, Annie, I liked her. She was sweet. She's Rafe's sister and who happens to be older than him and has mental issues. And well, I'd say why (yes she wasn't born that way) but I think its a major plot point that I don't want to give away. 

Throughout the book, I'm happy to say that I finally liked the characters in one of Kelly Armstrong's books. In the Darkest Power series I don't really like any of the characters, but in this one I liked them. I think she got Maya's grief for her best friend good. I can't remember her name at the moment. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book. There wasn't much I didn't like about it although I was kinda disappointed to see that the same themes (experiements, mad scientists, etc) in it as with the Darkest Powers. I was hoping for something different when it came to those lines. While it is different, its still there and bugs me. 

Goodreads: The Gathering

Website: Kelley Armstrong

Sincerely,

Sareh