The Gathering

by Kelley Armstrong

Those who know me well know that I'm a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong's "Otherworld" series.  Since I'm all caught up and awaiting the next volume (impatiently I might add), I was intrigued by her new series The Gathering.  Like her "Otherworld" books, this one also involves the supernatural though less overtly so.

The book opens in a really off-the-beaten path and somewhat secretive village in Canada.  There, a whole town exists to serve a corporation run by the St. Clouds.  No one is exactly sure what is going on within the compound but all the families work at their medical research facility.  They were brought there for various reasons.  Mainly to serve the needs of the company.  Each family was given a home and their kids are given the best of the best in regards to everything.  But things are not what they seem in this town.  There is a mystery afoot right from the get go and it only gets more and more mysterious as time goes on.

Maya is our protagonist.  She's an adopted child with Native American roots.  She doesn't know much about her history or who her real parents are.  One of her most unique characteristics is a pawprint-shaped birthmark on her hip.  Of the other kids in the town, she's closest to Daniel.  But soon, another boy takes serious interest in Maya: Rafe.  He's known as a player and a bad boy.  At first, she's not interested in him at all.  But soon, she finds herself falling for him and it turns out he knows more about her than she does. . .

This book is written for older teens so it's not quite as in-depth or grisly as Armstrong's other books.  The characters are well-written and believable and the book flows smoothly.  I found myself not surprised by some of the developments as the story went on but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the work.  Fans of the "Otherworld" series will note some crossover in this book and be excited to see how that pans out in the future.

While this book wasn't the page-turner I have found her other works to be, I still had some difficulty putting it down.  I found myself saying "Just one more chapter. . ." a few too many times.  ;)  While the ending did leave me wanting more, I didn't feel like I was on pins and needles awaiting the next volume.  The book simply ends like the next chapter was left off of it.  No serious cliffhangers.  No glaring mystery still left to solve (aside from the ones pervading the entire book).

I certainly enjoyed this book and it was a nice holdover while I await the next book in the "Otherworld" series.  I'm also really looking forward to reading the other books in this new series as soon as they come out.

I would give this book 4 out of 5 wheeks.