The Gathering
Darkness Rising, Book #1
By Kelley Armstrong
Review brought to you by OBS staff member Annabell
Synopsis:
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.
Review:
I recently became a fan of author Kelley Armstrong through her Darkest Powers Trilogy. The novels, much like The Gathering, were filled with great characterization and intriguing mysterious. I became a fan of the books instantly so I was excited to learn about The Gathering.
This novel follows our heroine, Maya, who is just about to turn sixteen. She lives in a very small town, with her adoptive parents, called Salmon Creek on Vancouver Island which is isolated by a forest. The town is based on medical research but Maya’s family handles the wildlife that lives within the forest. Maya’s father is the park ranger and has taught Maya how to tend to the animals. Maya’s life is turned upside down when her best friend dies in a freak accident no one can explain. Only a year has passed since her best friend’s death and Maya is starting to encounter weird and unexplainable events: the dreams that have her changing from one form to another, the new boy Rafe who shows up in town with his sister, Annie, but no one knows much about, and a reporter sneaking around town asking weird questions. Maya soon learns Rafe is tied to her in ways she could never have imagined and the paw print-shaped birthmark she has, may be the clue to the biggest secret of all that Maya will need to uncover.
I do realize fans of the Darkest Powers Trilogy will find a great deal of similarities between that trilogy and the Darkness Rising Trilogy. They both discuss how supernatural teens have no knowledge of their powers and realize they could have been experimented on. A new kid comes into town and shakes things up. A love triangle forms. A mean girl turns out to be a nice girl underneath. Adoptive parents. The books are also very cliché and very predictable. But the thing about both trilogies is that they are completely enjoyable reads. The Gathering explores some tough themes without sounding too heavy handed. There are no cliché sex scenes or nonsensical violence or over dramatic characters.
The similarities aside, The Gathering was a good read. The book is filled with in depth characterization. The story explores the relationships between each of the characters and how they connect not only to each other but to the Darkest Powers Trilogy. Maya was a surprising heroine. I loved how much she cared about the animals and how loyal she is to her friends and family. She does have a tendency to act too judgmental at certain times but she is a character that learns and grows as she does. Daniel is shown as the golden boy. He is the number one jock at school and everyone both idolize and respect him, including the town council. But Daniel never acts prideful or abuses the influence he has over people. He is humble, kind, and protective. Rafe pretends to be the mysterious bad boy but underneath he is as strong as Daniel, kind, and charismatic.
The Gathering focuses more on the development of the characters, the setting of Salmon Creek, and the mystery behind the town than on the supernatural aspects of the plot. There isn’t too much action until a third way through the novel and much of the mystery behind the town does not get solved. But readers will get to find out what Rafe and Maya are. The ending as you can guess is left on a cliffhanger which was frustrating because the novel ended right in the middle of a scene! There was this tiny little moment in the book that seems to hint to some major secret that may come out later—a scene where Maya comes face to face with man in the road and he may end up having an important connection to her later. What frustrated me was how the scene came out of nowhere and seemed so random.
I am a bit hesitant to read the next two novels because I worry they will sound too much like the Darkest Powers Trilogy since both trilogies have the same set up. But I am hoping author Kelley Armstrong will add new twists and turns to separate the Darkness Rising Trilogy from its predecessor.
The Gathering left me very curious to know what will happen to Maya, Daniel, and Rafe. Even more, for how Maya’s Native past connects to her supernatural abilities and what the real mystery behind Salmon Creek really is.
It’s a good beginning and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Author Website: Kelley Armstrong (http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/)
