The Gathering

By: Kelley Armstrong

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.

It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatom - her paw-print birthmark.

©2011 KLA Fricke Inc (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Good story, left me with a, huh? at the end.

What made the experience of listening to The Gathering the most enjoyable?

The mystery surrounding the charactors, what they were, where they really came from, and what part does the medical facility play?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Maya, her ability to connect and heal herself and animals and her possible heritage.

What does Jennifer Ikeda bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Jennifer has a soothing voice, easy to listen to. She take you into the story with her.

Any additional comments?

When is the next book coming? I feel like I need the end of the story and there has to be a lot more to tell. The first book was a tease.

Good for Young Adult Readers

Is there anything you would change about this book?

All the right ingredients for suspense just never got there

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The concept of an engineered town was very interesting but the author didn't capitalize on it.The least interesting was the blah life of the kids in the school

Have you listened to any of Jennifer Ikeda’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes; Jennifer is amazing......try Tales of the Otori

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not

Any additional comments?

It wouldbe great if there was more of a heads up that the story was young adult material......

Good for those who like this

I believe more in the writing and character development over story line so on that count it's a good book that I recommend.
However, imo, when I figured the direction it was going I was like awe crap wish I'd known ahead of time. I'm just not into, well, I hate to say it because I don't want to give anything away and I read the reviews beforehand and no one mentioned it so I figure I better not as well. I know it'd have stopped me from purchasing and I ended up liking it so I'll do the same for you guys.
Short version- Written well, narrated very well, I recommend for younger (13+) audiences.

Better but not great

First, context. I'm a fan of Kelley Armstrong's adult Otherworld books. I enjoyed Armstrong's first three books in the Darkest Powers series, although I found many of the characters irritating. They were almost caricatures in many cases. Just a little too goody two-shoes too, in many cases.

Now for the Gathering, which is the first book in the Darkness Rising trilogy. The narrator is great. I liked the characters in this book a great deal more than in Darkest Powers. They feel more realistic to me. This may be related to their age -- Darkest Powers are 9th grade students, or thereabouts, whereas Rising students are more like 11th grade. Certainly, the relationships are more sexually mature. Sure, all there's been is making out clothed lying down, but there's a lot less blushing and hand holding, and when the main couple make out, there's some real passion.

However, the plot moves very slowly, and the book ends on a cliffhanger with nothing resolved. I don't know when the next book is scheduled to come out. But my recommendation is to seriously consider waiting until you can read the entire trilogy.

On the other hand, I expect that with its slow start, this is one of those series that will be getting better as it goes on, and I'm looking forward to that happening.

Another Hit for Armstrong

What made the experience of listening to The Gathering the most enjoyable?

In my oppinion if the narrator does not rock the entire book is ruined. The narrator of this story Jennifer Ikeda, individualizes the characters very well and her voice is enjoyable to listen to. I have read many Kelley Armstrong ebooks and have enjoyed both her writing style and storylines. This is one of her young adult science fiction series and initially I had no interest in reading it but when it went on sale on Audible I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did. I just recently purchased the second audio book in the series and I think many people will like this series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Daniel her BFF. I think he will have an interesting story of his own.

Which character ??? as performed by Jennifer Ikeda ??? was your favorite?

Maya, because Jennifer made her a real personality. Someone you'd like to hang with. Even though she had flaws, when she realized it she tried to make herself better.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, it wasn't a tearjerker nor exceptionally comedic. More of a mystery, suspense, what the heck is going on in this town kind of vibe.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to listening to more of this series.

Entertaining

Any additional comments?

The story is much more intricate than most books in this genre. Its well thought out and I really enjoyed listening. It isn't going to stretch and expand your mind but it is incredibly fun.

Great Start

Great start to another interesting story in the world created by Kelley Armstrong in her Women of the Otherworld Series.

I plan on purchasing the 2nd in the series.

very good

wasn't sure how I felt about this book in the beginning but it got much better and I really enjoyed it!

Too young for me

Would you try another book from Kelley Armstrong and/or Jennifer Ikeda?

Probably not

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most interesting was the plot. Great idea but the characters were just too young for me. Probably a great read for a younger reader, I am 57.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't really think of one.

Could you see The Gathering being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Too many questions unanswered. . .

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I was really enjoying this story in the beginning and throughout the book. . .until the last few chapters. The characters are interesting and there are a lot of mysteries that are explored, BUT, as another reviewer mentioned, you get absolutely NO resolution to anything in the end. The end is very much a cliffhanger, but in an annoying way. This was very obviously done to entice readers into reading the next book in the series. And honestly, I do like the characters and the storyline enough that I probably will read the next one. However, I just really wish this book had not ended so abruptly.

Would you recommend The Gathering to your friends? Why or why not?

My recommendation of this book depends on how the next book in the series turns out. . .I like the story and the characters and I think this author is developing a unique take on a rather played out idea. Although this book is marketed to teens-- and there are some scenarios in the book that are very much reminiscent of high school-- much of the story is intelligently written and I enjoyed listening to it as an adult. However, I cannot recommend this as a stand alone read because it just leaves too many things hanging. If the next book in the series proves to be more satisfying, then I would recommend this one with a caveat that the ending is not what you anticipate. . . we shall see. . .

What does Jennifer Ikeda bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoyed the narration and thought Jennifer did an excellent job portraying all of the teenage characters. I could easily imagine her voice coming from the main character Maya-- much better than some books when the narrator does not sound at all how you would think the characters should sound.