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burialshroud's review
1.0
I took this book on holiday with me one year (possibly 1996). As you can probably appreciate I could only take a limited number of books away with me, so it was especially galling when this one turned out to be completely shit. I could've packed two Sweet Valley High books for the suitcase room taken up by this thing.
kraken14's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This novel was much darker and intense than I was expecting for something marketed as YA fantasy. Isobelle Carmody is great at creating an atmosphere of tense expectation and I felt that this was sustained well throughout the entire novel. There are definitely some tropes included, like the group of misfit outcasts coming together in friendship to defeat an evil force, but it didn’t feel overdone. I was genuinely engaged the entire time and felt the balance between action and mystery-solving escapades was maintained well. The only reason I have given this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because the ending was unfortunately quite weak. It felt rushed and not as well considered as the rest of the book - I felt that most big questions were left unanswered and I didn’t get any sense of closure. However, if that’s your thing then the ending won’t be a problem!
manxomemia's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book a lot more when I was younger, which makes sense as it is YA fiction. I think there were a few things that bothered me about it reading at an older age. Firstly, when you read a fantasy book there is only so much you are willing to believe. When you read Harry Potter, the style is so playful that when you are told "there is a secret community of witches and wizards" you can believe that in this world, even though it is the same as your world, that could exist. In the Gathering, I found it too hard to believe what was happening. It didn't feel like a fantasy book when I read it, it just felt like fiction, so when fantasy concepts were introduced it was a little off putting. I also found it hard to believe that the main character would accept these concepts so quickly.
The second thing I found difficult to accept was a teenage alcoholic. Of course they exist, but for some reason it felt melodramatic in this story. The book actually deals with quite a few heavy issues (abuse, suicide, pedophilia) but I didn't feel like they were treated with enough respect. They were introduced and forgotten too quickly. I understood why they were there, but I think such things need to be approached very seriously, especially when in YA fiction.
These things aside, I really did like the book when I was younger, so I rated it 3 and I think I would have given it a 4 in the past. There were some parts that I really became emotionally involved in. It's just those few little things that brought me back to reality that made it slightly less appealing.
The second thing I found difficult to accept was a teenage alcoholic. Of course they exist, but for some reason it felt melodramatic in this story. The book actually deals with quite a few heavy issues (abuse, suicide, pedophilia) but I didn't feel like they were treated with enough respect. They were introduced and forgotten too quickly. I understood why they were there, but I think such things need to be approached very seriously, especially when in YA fiction.
These things aside, I really did like the book when I was younger, so I rated it 3 and I think I would have given it a 4 in the past. There were some parts that I really became emotionally involved in. It's just those few little things that brought me back to reality that made it slightly less appealing.
read_by_hev's review
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
After a strong start the novel loses its way when taking the reader through the mystery. There is no real explanation as to what is going on and how it has happened (even in the villainous monologues). This is a shame as the writer can create some atmospheric moments that are creepy but is unable to maintain them throughout. I would also say that there is a heartbreakingly hard scene to read towards the end of the book that added nothing and was completely unnecessary. The twists are easy to spot and this makes it a fairly easy book to follow. The ending may give some closure however there is a definite case of "sequel teasing" at the end which is annoying (although I am intrigued enough to pick up said sequel to see if explanations to the many questions I have are provided, heck a prequel would be interesting!!)
The audiobook narrator for this however is absolutely perfect and made it even easier to listen to this book. I would say if you wanted to read an easy to follow book that has some tense moments this is something you should pick up.
The audiobook narrator for this however is absolutely perfect and made it even easier to listen to this book. I would say if you wanted to read an easy to follow book that has some tense moments this is something you should pick up.
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