Teen Review: The Gathering

The Gathering (Darkness Rising #1) by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date ~ April 12, 2011
HarperTeen ~ HarperCollins in US (Doubleday ~ Random House in Canada)
ISBN13: 9780061797026
Purchased personally
Goodreads 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.

In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy.

One of the only reasons I decided to read this book was because it was one of the ones we could choose to read in my school book club.  I read it, and needless to say, I actually really liked it.

1. Setting:
   This is the first paranormal book I've read that was set in Canada, and I really liked it. It takes place in a small town on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia.  I found that you could really see the slight differences in culture in Canada, as opposed to the United States.  The Aboriginal culture was especially strong in the novel, which I found was very unique and was done really well.
2. Strong Heroine:
   Maya is one of the most likable, strong female leads that I've read about.  When a guy she liked hurt her, she might be sad for the next paragraph or so, but after that she'd get over it.  I also liked her character, in that she was stubborn, and kind of harsh, but was also kind and fair.  Whenever something bad happened to her, she was able to deal with and move on(for the most part).
3. Mystery:
   Let me be theorist one to say that there are a LOT of questions that this book raises.  I mean, by the end of the book I hardly even really knew what was going on.  Some might say that it was just annoying that there were more questions that answers, but I figure that that's what the sequel is for.

I think that if you are looking for a paranormal book, but you want something a bit different, you'll really like this book.  I'm really looking forward to the sequel, because I really do want to know what happens next. 

Canadian Doubleday Trailer:


US HarperTeen Trailer: