The Gathering Review

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

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.

Review

        Okay, so how do I feel about this one.....well, let me just start off by saying I love this women and the style of her writing. It's easy, fun and...addictive! My first brush of her was her very first YA series, Darkest Power. Which consists of three books, The Summoning & The Awaking & The Reckoning, completing a trilogy. Which I thoroughly enjoyed and if it wasn't because of those books and her I would have never truly have gotten into writing and to be able to create my first book, Broken. So I'm going to work really hard on this review because it needs a descent one.

         Everything from the forest to the small town I love. I don't know what it is but I just love those settings. Anyways, most of you will probably compare this to the other trilogy if you read them. And you can see how completely different they are. So you have in, Darkest Power series, it's fast pace and moving while in this first installment in the, Darkness Rising series, it's more slow and developing. But still enjoyable. Huh, bare with me guys I'm really, like, really new at reviews so, yea...

         In the Darkest Power series theres kind of a little love triangle, in this one (for now) doesn't have much of one, which is refreshing to say the least. Don't get me wrong I love reading books like that, who is she going to pick? Is she going to pick the one I like or the other? But for some reason lately they just seem to be in every book, no matter what the story line or genre it is. And after awhile it just gets... tiring. So I was glad there wasn't one in this one. 

        Lets see, characters. Maya (the protagonist) is just turning sixteen and now for some reason things are a changing, lol. Anyways, she's an animal lover and takes care of the injurys that pop out around her house, which is in, like, the middle of the forest....bonus! She always had a healing touch but now it's just remarkable at how quick the animals are healing and for some reason, when she isn't wearing gloves when she handles them, she's able to see how they got injuryed as if being them. If you get that...hopefully that made since.

         Why she can do that we figure it out with her, along the same journey she's on. However what she is the readers will probably, no doubt, figure it out before she does. I think that's the only thing I have a problem with, that and the cliffhanger. Then again I think that's the best thing Kelley Armstrong can do... always wanting to leave you hanging, making you crave for the next book. And she certainly did, like always. 

         They'res two main people she hangs out with; her best freind Daniel and the guy she likes Rafe (whom is looking for something special in a girl) you'll learn more about that later in the book. Though some of you may not like this book, I've read complaints that it's to slow and nothing at all like Kelley Armstrong first YA series, and I think there's a point to that. She wanted something different but enjoyable and it was. I'm on the other hand, from those people who complain, was thoroughly Pleased with the book. I couldn't put it down and was really sad that it ended and where it ended, then again it was a cliffhanger. Like always with Kelley Armstrong.

         The last six or so chapers I really got into it, fast pace and exciting. That's when you start to see who's really behind on all those fires. So when I read sometimes I listen to music and for those fast pace and exciting scenes I (and I mean I, if you read it you may not think so) but the song I think that would go perfect with those scenes, was Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine. So if you read it listen to that song from chapter Thirty- four and on.

         I wasn't going to talk much about the main two boys but....I thought different. Sorry long post I just want to do a really good review. Anyways, Daniel the best friend. So I couldn't really visualize him until now. He's kinda like the boy next door. He's sweet, kind, and he'll always have your back. And I think I found the perfect person to play him if this ever turned into the movie (and if it does, hopefully it doesn't turn out badly like Twilight. Sorry it just showed how flawed it really is) and sorry to those who are reading this that love Twilight. I did to but at the time I just got started into liking reading but now that I've read more since those books I've seen better. Sorry again to those who like it. 

       Anywho, is name is Drew Van Acker and I loved him in the series that was on cartoon network called Tower prep and I just enjoyed his character, so I think he would be perfect as Daniel. In that picture over there ->

     Now Rafe, he's the bad boy, always gotta have one of those. I just love there type definitely in books, always teddy bears that protect there girls. :) They make me smile. Though I can't think of who to play him in real life but I can picture him perfectly in my head. :) 

         

         Another character I loved was Sam. Ever since the beginning I have pictured Jordan Todosey whom plays Adam on the show called Degrassi who is a bad ass just like the character in the book. So, yea....

         Okay I think I covered everything now my ratings.


            Ratings:
                 
                  Cover art: 5/5
                  Plot: 5/5
                  Characters: 5/5

          Over all: five out of five stars.....can't wait for the next one :)
                   

   

To: All book lovers

Found the next morning, Friday, in the playroom

  

    Thursday night just a few minutes after I got out of the shower my brother comes knocking at my door to bring me some bad news. Now for a book lover this part may/is going to hurt.

    He brought in the current book I was reading, How to ditch your fairy, and it was chewed up baddly. My brother said you can still read it and that was true but it hurt painfully to see that happen to a book mostly if it's yours.

Thanks to our lovely two year old alaskan malamutes, also known as gentle gaints, they enjoyed their reading for the day (well night). However it's been forever since they did this to a book so it was kind of a surprise to me. Plus where I had the book they had to work to get. It was stacked on a bag from borders that had three, THREE books in it, two of them hard cover one not, but that bag was, too, stacked upon something; two notebooks and the review of my first book, Broken. So they really had to work for it because all of that was on top of my desk which is about hip size to me.

Buck or buba bracing on the back of the couch next to my dad who may or may not like this picture (love you dad :p)

Maya or wolfie, because she looks exactly like a timber wolf but it maybe hard to tell in this pic. Whom inspired me for a character in my book

Both of whom are between the weight, 100 to 110 pounds, maybe more we haven't weighed them in forever and height, well, when Buck stands on his back feet and standing straight he's about 5'8, the height of my younger sister, and Maya she's as tall as my younger brother, 5'5 or 5'6. So I'm officially the shortest person in my family :(   

    So I'm thinking maybe they were wrestling or chasing each other and accidently knocked it down because that wasn't the only thing that fell the whole stack did. But thankfully they didn't get the new books out of the borders bag because that would have been heartbreaking if they did. So i'm kind of stuck. I want to read a book but not that one, with all the chew marks and lost cover, then I think about reading the next book I got, The Ghost and The Goth, but I don't want to start another one when I was just getting into the other, you know. 

   But on other news my Broken manuscript is with my mom's BFF Donna who is going to give me the kind of criticism I need. Who'll be reading word by word and making sure things make since. The last time I heard she was enjoying it but it sounded like a trilogy to her, which it is so....also lately I've been either hand writing my second book or retyping it onto the computer 

                            Currently Reading: How to Ditch Your Fairy, sorta

                            Current Song: The World I Knew by Jordin Sparks made for the movie African Cats

Broken Review One

So like I said in earlier posts that I handed over a manuscript of my first draft of my book over to one of my mom's friends who asked if she could read it, get someone out of my family to tell me how it is, someone who doesn't have any ties to me. And....she loved it! She 20 something but usually she doesn't read paranormal kind of stuff which is what my book is, otherworldly :)

I'm really excited; who know just a piece of paper can mean so much to a person. So with all do here is the very first review of my story,

              Hi Ashley-

                    Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your writing. I have to admit that that particular genre is not what I would usually pick up; so the fact that it kept my attention really impressed me. Every time I put it down, I looked forward to the next time I picked it back up. What I enjoyed most was how descriptive your writing is. you really have a knack for making it easy for the reader to visualize a particular scene in the book. Because of this, I could totally picture it as a movie!
                    I also felt like the way in which you slowly developed each character was very smooth. It's important that the reader start to feel almost like they know the characters and you definitely gave me that sense. All in all, a very fun read- great plot, good sense of humor and exciting! The only thing I would look out for is minor grammar and sentence structure issues, but i'm also aware that what I read is your 1st draft and grammar is not the main focus when you're first putting your ideas down. I hear you're already working on number two! I'd love to check that one out as well when you are done.
                    Thank you for letting me preview it. It was my pleasure.


              Renee

So a very good review, I'm glad she found it exciting and wants more. Including wanting the second book and in the end that's the goal, right? If you have more than one then it's always good you leave them wanting more and I'm glad I did.

My Fair Godmother; Review

My Fairy fair Godmother, written by Janette Rallison....

          Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience!

      

  After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother.

     Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight.

     WOW, just.....wow. What can I say but it was just ahh-mazing, truly was. Some moments made my heart flutter and want to come out of my chest with joy then there were parts I was practically sitting on the edge of my seat. Definitely a page turner.

I couldn't put it down, one minute I would look at the clock and the next it's almost midnight. I like to read sometimes before I go to bed, sometimes I just don't want the day to end. So I prolong it with books, books, and more BOOKS. 

The only problem I think I had with this book is that she only notice him once he supposedly got hot and sometimes I get ticked, for once I just wish he could be the geeky boy, next door. I like those kind, they put a smile on my face, I like when the underdog wins the girl. But other than that I loved it and it wants me to read more of this author, like the next one in the series, My Unfair Godmother and JustOne Wish (though that one isn't apart of the series, just another book written by her.)

He, Tristan, was nice in the beginning until he said that one thing, but it was funny. I did have haha moments and I like those. Loved the characters though at some points in the book I didn't like the tone of Savannah’s sister, however you grow to like her later in the book. It was a nice new take a fairy tales. It wasn't all the glits and glam we usually see, it's real and I liked that.      

Over all:

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 5/5

Made me want to read more of her stuff: Hell, Yeah! <3

Wha'ts up

So probably a short one but I need to post something...

     ...I've started working on my second installment and I think it's going very well right now. My plan for this book is 260pg, 26 chapters 10pgs each, and I think in the long run it'll help some much. No goals on how many words I think I'll just stick with what's above ^^^.

In this one I'll have all the originals plus some new ones to the cast. I'm excited :) to say the least, my stomach is fluttering and I can't wait to dive into this storyline I've got for the second one.

And latest news on the first one, Broken, my moms friend Renee is enjoying my book.  "Intrigued" was her comment today. She's close to finishing and I can't wait for the feedback she's got for me.

Currently Reading: My Fairy fair Godmother

Current Song: Can I Go Now by Jennifer Love Hewitt (who knew)

Book two

I've started working on the second installment of my series and with this one I don't feel so much....pressure. I don't know if that is a good word to describe it but since I got most of the hard stuff done with the first one (character, plot, places, etc.) now it just feels like the stroy is coming to life, living day by day, letting me write her story she wants me to tell, with out any of the stress.

I'm not done with the first one, still got to get through all the editing stuff. I have printed once with double spacing so I could cross and write (or more like my mother). But right now the printed version is with a friend of my mom's who she works with and in her twenties (which is a bonus right there). So far she's enjoying it which makes my heart flutter with joy and giddiness.

But I'm just having fun writing with pleasure (not that I wasn't with the first one....but it was the first one, you know) anyways I'm having fun letting it take me where it wants to go and I can't wait to go along for the ride.  

Not an april fools prank

....because if it was then I would be crying but since it's not I'm giddy with joy.


I've finish my very first book. *sreams* I can't believe it (more the finishing part than actually writing part) So I finished with Twenty Six chapters, 255 pages :/ (a little sad but I'm okay I finished and later if I want I can add pages) and at 78,504. Surpassing my goal of 60,000 *eeehh* Sorry just very giddy with excitment.

So I'm done for now I'll be passing it off to my lil sis, mom, and best friend (but first I'll have to tell them, they don't know yet that I finished...then again no one does I'm blogging about it first cause it's been awhile)

Plans now: taking a break for awhile, while my personal editors go over it. Then during the summer my best friend is going to help be draw out my cover design (she's amazing by the way) and of course the editing process (but I'm not worrying about that just yet)

My first plan I came up with over the weekend that I get it done by march 31th but that didn't happen which is okay I'll take today (getting it done is all that really matters, right?)

Okay, so that's pretty much it. If I forgot anything I wanted to say I'll blog about it later because I'm beat, been on the computer all day finishing that last chapter. (: