The Gathering

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong is about a teenage girl by the name of Maya. Maya is adopted, her family now being her Mom and Dad, she's mostly a happy camper. Until weird things start happening around her. Like the little thing of hurt animals healing a bit faster. But how easily is she supposed to be able to brush these things off? There's the part of the fact that Maya knows nothing about her history, and the mysterious paw print, Maya's birth mark. Could it be part of something bigger? Maybe the small town of Salmon Creek really is part of something bigger. But what? Which is how our story starts.

This book features 3 main characters. Maya, Daniel, and Rafe. 

Maya has a nack for animals. Her and her family shelters wounded animals, from bunnies to snakes, to bobcats. However, she realizes these aren't pets, and the only pet she has is a dog called Kenji. She has been friends with Daniel forever, and was really close with Serena. Until her mysterious death that is. Maya is 16 and yet, she's a trouble magnet.

Daniel is the tough guy, the one always on the lookout. Having been the boyfriend of Serena, everyone assumes he's mourning. Still being the good friend of Maya, he constantly looks out for her, and seems to distrust Rafe. Which most people do anyway. He lives with his three younger brothers, his mom ran away, and his dad has severe drinking problems. Yet he still manages to hold up.

Rafe is the real trouble magnet of the group. In a constant lookout for dangers and trouble, he earns the reputation of his: someone not good to hang around. However, he does seem to have a little something for Maya. Rafe's mom just recently died, leaving Annie and him to move to Salmon Creek. Annie has a little problem as well...

Those three are the main characters of this book. As it is part of the 'Darkness Rising' series, you can read more if you liked this book on the next book: The Calling.

Personally, I didn't love this book. It's a teen read, and not for kids who don't like romantic things. I didn't especially like it because it was a weird mismatch of adventure and romance, not to mention the fact that Maya is a Mary Sue, seeing that she is loved by practically everyone. Kelley Armstrong could use some diversity in her characters, seeing that the only diverse character I can see in this series is Samantha. And that's just because of what kind of person Sam is.

***I give this book a 7.5 out of 10***