Book Review: The Gathering (Darkness Rising Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Gathering
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Darkness Rising #1
Pages: 359
My Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

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.

Before getting this book, I hadn't realized that it was actually said to be a companion series to Armstrong's Darkest Powers Trilogy. I read a review saying it was meant to be. Seeing as how I had never read any of Armstrong's books, I was a little hesitant to go ahead and start The Gathering. As it turns out, reading the other series was not necessary...at all. I knew just as much as the main character did - well, except about sports, she had me beat there.

I don't know anything about Armstrong's other works, but I do know that she painted a pretty great picture with The Gathering. I thought the pace was very steady and not rushed. Instead of hurrying through the plot, things were allowed to develop more slowly, and as a result, were much more detailed. This allowed you to get to know the main players in the game, especially Maya.

I absolutely loved Maya and the town of Salmon Creek! I know it is super small, with a population of less than 200, but it seemed like a great little town. Everybody knew everybody, and of course gossip spread like wildfire. Can you say Stars Hollow (except even smaller, and without all of Taylor's cheesy town functions?). It was just your average tiny town, except of course for the fact that secret medical research is conducted there. However, that isn't all that the town is hiding...

Okay, enough about the cute small town with its adorable 50s themed diner. I get it, I'll move on. Our female lead, Maya has all the athleticism that I wished I had! Seriously, she climbs cliffs! Overall, Maya is a great strong female character. She's not whiny or wimpy, and I can't wait to see more of her!