| The Gathering | |
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Cover of The Gathering |
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| Author(s) | Kelley Armstrong |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Darkness Rising |
| Genre(s) | Paranormal Horror Urban Fantasy |
| Publisher | HarperTeen |
| Publication date | April 12, 2011 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 359 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-061-79702-6 |
| Preceded by | The Reckoning |
| Followed by | ((The Calling)) (Armstrong novel) |
The Gathering is a novel by Kelley Armstrong. It was released April 12, 2011 by HarperTeen. The Gathering is the first book in Armstrong's Darkness Rising trilogy. Darkness Rising is the second trilogy in the Darkest Powers series. Darkness Rising follows a new set of kids. According to the author, Kelley Armstrong, she plans to bring the original group into the picture, but it will not be any time soon. At least not until the third book in this trilogy.[1] The Darkness Rising trilogy follows a sixteen-year-old girl named Maya Delaney.[2]
Contents |
The setting for the Gathering is a small medical-research town called Salmon Creek on the island of Vancouver Island. Salmon Creek was built by St. Cloud Corporation, the owners of the town and surrounding park. It was built for their employees. Maya, the main character, is the adopted daughter of the park ranger. The events actually start a year before with death of Maya's friend, Serena(who is a water paranormal) . She, Maya, and Serena's boyfriend, Daniel, were swimming in a lake. Serena, captain of Salmon Creek High swim team, drowned in the lake, and Maya is guiltridden for not being able to save her friend.
A year later, Maya is getting ready to celebrate her sweet 16. She wants to tattoo her birthmark—a paw-print shape on her hip. She doesn't want it altered in any way, though; she just wants to make it more noticeable. However, she doesn't get it because the tattoo artist's aunt insults her by calling her a witch in Navajo. Later, she invites Rafe, a new bad-boy at school, to her birthday party at Daniel's house. At the party, the teens have a competition on Maya's new rock wall: if she can beat all the guys, they have to add more footholds, but if she loses to even one guy, she has to kiss him.
After she defeats all the contestants, Rafe shows up. He challenges Maya individually, and beats her. He doesn't kiss her, though, promising to claim his prize without prying eyes. Maya and Rafe start going out. One day, when Maya was going over to his house for dinner with him and his childish older sister, Annie, she is attacked by someone looking for Rafe. She sees Annie transform from a cougar into herself.
Rafe tells her about skinwalkers and how their mothers were in an experiment to bring them back through their children, but Maya's biological mother seemly learned the truth about it and abandoned her when she was baby and Maya learns she may have a twin brother out in the world somewhere. Rafe explains more about the calling and how Annie fell a victim to it and describes the warning signs which Maya realized she being going though and is scared to do so after hearing what Annie went through. She dumps Rafe after feeling used and not feeling he's trustworthy anymore. The forest is set on fire by a group of people who wanted break into ST.Clouds labs so they could steal their secrets. The book ends with the group escaping except Annie who's out there somewhere.[2]
Maya is a sixteen-year old girl who lives in Salmon Creek. Maya moved to Salmon Creek from Oregon, when she was five. She is the main protagonist. Maya is a Native American. She has very little knowledge of her origins because she was adopted when she was young and has no interest in finding her biological mother seeing as she lost her chance to be a mom years ago. She has a birthmark in the shape of a paw on her hip which is the mark of skinwalker. Her father is the warden of Salmon Creek Park. Maya loves animals and when her dad finds injured animals in the park, Maya nurses them back to health. She attends Salmon Creek High with Daniel and her only pet is her German Shepherd, Kenjii who was given to Maya to protect her from wild predators. Wildlife especially the cougars seem to be attracted to Maya. She discovers she's skinwalker through Rafe. Maya is afraid of shifting because Rafe told her that Annie began to lose her humanity and become more animal-like from her shifting. Maya learns that she's only half Native American though her mother had Native blood and it is assumed her father is Native American. Maya may have a twin brother. Maya is also possibly related to Elizabeth (Liz) Delaney through her adopted father. Liz Delaney is also mentioned in another project, which Daniel and Maya learn through looking at files on Daniel's mother's computer.[2]
Daniel grew up with Maya and Serena though when Daniel was 13 his mom left the family and his 2 older brothers went off to college(though it's unknown if they're supernatural like him) leading to his dad's verbal abuses after getting wasted. He and Serena dated and is very protective, especially when it comes to his best friend, Maya which she notes got worse after Serena due to arriving right she drowned. He is very popular because he is a sensible leader and everybody likes to be around him. As events start to unfold, Daniel starts to get feelings about stuff and they are not good. Maya has learn to trust Daniels feelings because they are usually correct.[2]
Rafe is the newest student to join Salmon Creek. Rafe and his older sister lives in cabin that they inherited. Rafe tells everybody he is from Texas and Hispanic. Maya on the other hand does not believe for a second he is from Texas or Hispanic. His racial features and his lack of Texan drawl screams Native American to her although his father was Mexican. He is described as an "American Teen Rebel." This and the fact he is the only new guy makes him something of ladies man. He and Maya briefely dated only so he could find out if she was a skinwalker like him.[2]
Nicole is the mayor's daughter. Nicole being on the swim team and choir more a friend to Serena. Nicole and Maya became better friends after Serena's death. They really did it more out of comfort, then anything else. They did not have much in common but it work for them.[2]
Sam Russo came to live in Salmon Creek when her parents died who the whole town thinks die in car crash, but it was home inviasion which Sam survived. She now lives with Tillsons. Even though she has no resemblance to any of the Tillsons she is their second cousin. She has dark hair, freckles and blue eyes. She is a outsider and prefers to stay that way. She gets along with Maya but they are not really friends. The only persons she likes is Daniel, as a friend.[2]
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