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The Gathering Darkness Rising Book 1 Kelley Armstrong Books

Download As PDF : The Gathering Darkness Rising Book 1 Kelley Armstrong Books

The Gathering Darkness Rising Book 1 Kelley Armstrong Books

I was urged by friends to start reading Armstrong but I didn't really fall in love with her last trilogy until the second and third installment. By the third and final installment, I was left wanting more and disappointed to find out that she wouldn't continue following the same characters who still had so much to share with her fans.

Luckily, this new trilogy is interrelated though it places the reader in the position of knowing much more--this time--than the (new) "sheltered" characters themselves who see little of the darkness that colors so much of the Darkest Powers trilogy. This gives the reader the sense of waiting, panting really, for things to go wrong and when they do...craving for the characters to catch up but deliciously enjoying having the upper-hand for once though it looks like the upper-hand has more twists and turns than even the most faithful reader of the Darkest Powers trilogy can imagine.

Again, there is somewhat of a love triangle. Again, there are kids slowly coming into their powers (and their hormones). Again, there are things that are always more than what they seem. The tone is a little less insidious and dark--even less claustrophobic as this book takes place (hint) mostly outdoors!--but the writing gets better and better. You'll fall in love with these new characters quickly and the story will leave you longing for more from the next installment.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Gathering (Darkness Rising, Book 1) (9780061797026): Kelley Armstrong: Books,Kelley Armstrong,The Gathering (Darkness Rising, Book 1),HarperCollins,0061797022,Fantasy - General,Horror,Canada,Families - Vancouver (B.C.),Family life - Vancouver (B.C.),High schools,High schools;Fiction.,Human-animal relationships,Human-animal relationships;Fiction.,Occult fiction,Schools,Supernatural,Supernatural;Fiction.,Vancouver Island (B.C.),Witchcraft,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fantasy & Magic,Fantasy & magical realism (Children's Teenage),Fiction,Fiction-Horror,Horror Ghost Stories (Young Adult),JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Monograph Series, 1st,Paranormal,TEEN'S FICTION FANTASY,TEEN'S FICTION HORROR & GHOST STORIES,United States,Vancouver Island (B.C.),Witchcraft,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,Young Adult Fiction Fantasy General,Young Adult Fiction Horror,Young Adult Fiction Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural,Young Adult FictionFantasy - General,Young Adult FictionParanormal, Occult & Supernatural,Fantasy & Magic,Paranormal,Young Adult Fiction Fantasy General,Young Adult Fiction Horror,Young Adult Fiction Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural,Young Adult FictionFantasy - General,Young Adult FictionParanormal, Occult & Supernatural,Fiction,Horror Ghost Stories (Young Adult),YOUNG ADULT FICTION,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fantasy & magical realism (Children's Teenage)

The Gathering Darkness Rising Book 1 Kelley Armstrong Books Reviews

After re-reading the Darkest Powers series while my 11.5 yr daughter read it for the first time, I felt grateful to Armstrong for taking a youth audience seriously -- not holding back with the horror, pain, and confusion of changes during teen growth and exploration. Her metaphor of supernatural coming of age is strong.

When my daughter picked up The Gathering immediately afterward, I didn't jump into the simultaneous reading right away (I was reading something else). Then she came to me and said "This book is more grown up mom. There's making out, and the girl had her drink drugged." Needless to say, I grabbed my own copy immediately so I could see what was up.

Again, Armstrong takes teen issues head on, portraying realistic social interactions, both good and bad, responsible and irresponsible. The main character has a good head on her shoulders, and departing from stereotypical YA formula, she has a good relationship with her parents. Who are both alive. And pretty awesome. She is open in talking (even joking) with them about dating and sex, and it's clear she's educated comprehensively about sex.

The teens in this book do normal teen things -- make out, sometimes without all clothes on. There are illusions to making out and having sex in back seats of cars. Some of them drink beer, some of them don't. They all make wise and unwise choices, can be kind and unkind to each other, can be both responsible and irresponsible. My daughter and I had lots of great open conversations about how she'll have similar choices in the future, what our values are, what's safe and not safe. We talked about the actual risk of having a drink drugged, why that would happen, and how to potentially prevent it.

So much YA lit avoids these complications, instead glossing over actual teen sexual and drinking behavior. Armstrong portrays it in the book as the realistic situation it is. So refreshing.

Characters are well-developed with flaws and strengths. Relationships are also well-developed and stay in line with character growth. It's definitely a first book - many mysteries are left open-ended, leaving you wanting more. Both my daughter and I enjoyed the book immensely. Would I recommend it for any 11yo? Depends on the kid, and you know your kid better than anyone else. You might want to give it a read yourself first, if your kid is 13 or under.
The Gathering starts this trilogy out rather slow. I think that is just Kelley Armstrong’s style. I have to admit I am a long time fan having read about 14 of her books. Her adult Women of the Otherworld series is one of my favorite urban fantasy series.

So she does take awhile to rev things up. I thought The Gathering was going to be different. It starts with an action packed opening scene where you are holding your breath to see how that turns out. But things promptly settle down with a short jump forward in time. From then on anything dealing with Maya and any special traits she has are mostly hinted at. It remains this way almost completely to the end of the book.

Maya has a snarky, without being mean, personality. Dialogue like below had me chuckling and totally loving her.

“something’s wrong with her.” “Um, yeah. She climbed a tree to escape a cat. She’s suffering from a serious case of stupid.” Page 14

“Have you met the tattoo artist? Is he hot?” “He’s a she,” Mom said. “Is she hot? Cause I’m still young, you know. My sexual identity isn’t fully formed.” Page 37

“Or,” I said, turning to Rafe, “if you want to skip the whole awkward meet-the-family social event, you could just submit your life story, including your views on politics, religion, and every social issue imaginable, along with anything else you think they might need to conduct a thorough background check.” Mom sighed. “I really don’t know why we even bother trying to be subtle around you.” Page 202

What I really enjoyed was the portrayal of the awesome relationship she has with her adoptive parents. The love and interaction there is so endearing. Then you have her best friend Daniel who seems like the perfect dream boat who does so much for Maya, that you can’t help but adore him. I could sense there is tension there and once Rafe comes into the picture I saw the setup for a possible love triangle. I am disappointed if that is indeed the case since there was already a love triangle in her first young adult trilogy Darkest Powers. I guess I will have to wait and see.

My biggest pet peeve is that I am a big believer that even if a book is part of a trilogy or a series that it should still be able to stand on its own two feet. I like there to be a major goal or obstacle that must be overcome and for something considerable to be achieved. With The Gathering it was very much just the setup for the next two books. I’ve already started book two so obviously I still enjoyed The Gathering.
I was urged by friends to start reading Armstrong but I didn't really fall in love with her last trilogy until the second and third installment. By the third and final installment, I was left wanting more and disappointed to find out that she wouldn't continue following the same characters who still had so much to share with her fans.

Luckily, this new trilogy is interrelated though it places the reader in the position of knowing much more--this time--than the (new) "sheltered" characters themselves who see little of the darkness that colors so much of the Darkest Powers trilogy. This gives the reader the sense of waiting, panting really, for things to go wrong and when they do...craving for the characters to catch up but deliciously enjoying having the upper-hand for once though it looks like the upper-hand has more twists and turns than even the most faithful reader of the Darkest Powers trilogy can imagine.

Again, there is somewhat of a love triangle. Again, there are kids slowly coming into their powers (and their hormones). Again, there are things that are always more than what they seem. The tone is a little less insidious and dark--even less claustrophobic as this book takes place (hint) mostly outdoors!--but the writing gets better and better. You'll fall in love with these new characters quickly and the story will leave you longing for more from the next installment.