The Gathering

Kelley Armstrong's The Gathering is another drop in the YA urban fantasy bucket. The story features a teen girl named Maya who lives in a community created by a medical research company. Her mother and father - both successful in their own nature related careers are forward thinking and supportive. They are also not her biological parents, she was adopted as a baby and though Maya doesn't feel conflicted by her adoption she is upset by the fact that, having abandoned her - her biological mother denied her any access to the truth about her history or her Native American heritage.

Aside from dealing with a lack of understanding about her heritage Maya is also coping with the anniversary of a tragic loss of someone dear to her. The accident that caused this loss is surrounded in mystery, and as she probes this mystery she also begins to unravel the mystery of her heritage and her family.

With an out of town reporter probing in to the small town's secrets and the "bad boy" at her school showing and interest in her and showing that he may be more than he seems - Maya's hands are full.

The description for The Gathering hooked me. I love a good urban fantasy and I always enjoy YA novels. I couldn't however take joy from the reading of this book. Aimless and meandering are two words that I'd use to describe it. The plot is thin and wanders all over the place as the writer attempts to establish characters and plot elements. Armstrong's messy and unorganized storytelling in this book defuse any excitement or momentum that might otherwise drive the plot forward.

Reading this book is like reading the memory of a 90's teen drama steeped in an urban fantasy flavor. The characters are only fleshed out enough to be slightly different from each other but they are all recognizable stereotypes from typical teen sitcoms & mediocre teen novels. Even the main character made little impression on me.

This is all not to say that this book is awful, and I'm sure that it can be a fun and quick read for many teens. In my case though, the thin and meandering plot and the same-y characters made it difficult to connect with or empathize with the characters or the book.