Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Gathering
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Darkness Rising
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: April 10, 2012 (today!)
Rate: 4.5

Summary (as quoted from Goodreads) 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 amystery 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.

Review:
Ok, I wanted to scream in frustration at the cliffhanger at the end of this book because I don’t yet own the next book, The Calling! Armstrong has been taking lessons from Karen Marie Moning (read the Fever series and you will see what I mean! My cousin calls them cliffhangers from hell). Anyway, this book sucked me in at the end of Chapter 1. I simply could not put it down. I snuck in reading time wherever I thought I could get away with it. Pretty bad of me because I neglected quite a few things, though it was not the first time and won’t be the last. I have read almost all of the Women of the Underworld books as well as the Darkest Powers trilogy, but you honestly do not need to have read those to enjoy and appreciate this book. I think there are few names that sounded familiar, but this is a separate situation entirely, so far anyway. The Darkest powers trilogy, also YA, were good, but not nearly as consuming as this start to Darkness Rising. There is a lot that is unknown and uncovered in this book, but there are still so many open issues that the cliffhanger just kills me. There is a little romance, snarky teen dialogue, a great relationship with Maya and her parents and interesting secrets afoot. You would think in a village of 200, you would know everyone’s secrets, but they are just waiting to be uncovered. The reader finds things out as Maya does, so while you may know something looks funky, she may not investigate right away. You have to be a tiny bit patient with her. If you like YA with aparanormal twist, you should do yourself a favor and pick this book up. The Calling is just released April 10…so now that you know about it, check it out!
4.5 stars.
~Elisa