The Gathering, The Calling, The Rising by Kelley Armstrong: Darkness Rising trilogy review

RATING: 5/5 stars!

 

Author: Kelley Armstrong

The Gathering release date: April 12, 2011

Find The Gathering on Goodreads here!

 

The Gathering summary:

 

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 a mystery 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:

 

I'd been meaning to read this trilogy for a long time, and when I saw the first book on bargain price at Books a Million, I bought it immediately. I am SO glad I did. I loved it. So much, that I had to go to the library right away and get the other two. Neither of these books disappointed either. Unlike the funk so many trilogies fall into, each book in this trilogy was better than the last.

 

The plot development from book to book was fantastic. It had action, intrigue, mythology, and romance, which I really enjoyed. I don't like books where the romance takes center stage, and Kelley Armstrong did a great job at finding a healthy balance of romance and action. It was also rich with unexpected twists. I'd think that the story was going one way, and then PLOT TWIST! I had no idea what was going to happen next.

 

Then there's Maya. I wish there were more main characters like her in YA books today. She was absolutely fantastic. I love how she would always speak her mind, and was never afraid to tell boys off. She never took crap from any of them, and I loved her for it!

 

The supporting cast of characters was great as well. Daniel and Corey were by far my favorite, and even by the end Haley started to grow on me. But I never really liked Rafe. I'm not quite sure what it was, but he definitely rubbed me the wrong way.

 

SPOILERS AHEAD. HIGHLIGHT TO READ THEM.

 

I'm so glad Maya ended up with Daniel. I totally shipped them from the beginning.

 

All in all, The Darkness Rising trilogy was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't already!

 

CONTENT: The whole trilogy is pretty clean. No sex; the farthest it gets is just heavy kissing. I can't recall a whole lot of swearing, but there is some violence, but none of it is very bad.