![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
And the next author you should read is . . .
I just finished Kelley Armstrong's The Gathering and felt compelled to come on here and tell you all how you should read her books! She writes supernatural YA (this is what I plan on selling to you tonight!) and urban fantasy. And I know a lot of people are probably sick of those genres, so I get if you don't want to read them, but if you still like the genre or want to give it one last chance, check them out!
Anyway, The Gathering is the start of a companion to trilogy to The Darkest Rising trilogy (which consists of, in order, The Summoning, The Awakening and The Reckoning), but you don't need to read the first trilogy to understand what's going on. You'll just know more if you do. (You'll also know more if you've read her adult books, since they're set in the same world.)
I've already been stealing from my GoodReads review, but now I'm going to flat out copy:
And this book was just a great reminder of what draws me to Armstrong's work. She's very good at tapping into the tropes of the genre, while avoiding the pitfalls. With both the romance in the first trilogy and the one in this book, she uses what makes the cliche supernatural YA couple appealing, while avoiding the more negative aspects. The girls might be attracted to the guys, but that doesn't get in the way of their standing up for themselves and demanding to be treated as they should.
I'm also impressed with how Armstrong handles the (for lack of a better word) bitchy characters. They start off seeming like unrealistic stereotypes, but end up getting such fascinating depth.
It's like . . . I've said to a couple of people that I want to like dystopia and this isn't dystopia (none of Armstrong is), but this illustrates why. There's something appealing about some of these crazy-popular genres. Not always the stories written in them, but the genres themselves do have value. And when I can find a book that makes the story good and not just the genre? That's awesome.
Anyway, The Gathering is the start of a companion to trilogy to The Darkest Rising trilogy (which consists of, in order, The Summoning, The Awakening and The Reckoning), but you don't need to read the first trilogy to understand what's going on. You'll just know more if you do. (You'll also know more if you've read her adult books, since they're set in the same world.)
I've already been stealing from my GoodReads review, but now I'm going to flat out copy:
And this book was just a great reminder of what draws me to Armstrong's work. She's very good at tapping into the tropes of the genre, while avoiding the pitfalls. With both the romance in the first trilogy and the one in this book, she uses what makes the cliche supernatural YA couple appealing, while avoiding the more negative aspects. The girls might be attracted to the guys, but that doesn't get in the way of their standing up for themselves and demanding to be treated as they should.
I'm also impressed with how Armstrong handles the (for lack of a better word) bitchy characters. They start off seeming like unrealistic stereotypes, but end up getting such fascinating depth.
It's like . . . I've said to a couple of people that I want to like dystopia and this isn't dystopia (none of Armstrong is), but this illustrates why. There's something appealing about some of these crazy-popular genres. Not always the stories written in them, but the genres themselves do have value. And when I can find a book that makes the story good and not just the genre? That's awesome.
no subject
I love everything you said about her. she's so good at giving all her characters depth and it is really refreshing that even the "villains" of her world are usually given more than just surface "badness". At the very least you can say that they're all given REAL motivations.
I'm excited to read more about the werewolves now (And you know I was more into the other supernatural beings). I hope she writes more about the new guys.
no subject
Yeah! And I guess I also appreciate how flawed her heroes are, too? And, I mean, flawed in such relatable ways.
Did you know she's ending the series though????? She's currently writing a trilogy about Savannah (one book out so far) and that'll be the end of the Otherworld series, at least for now? I think she's planning one more YA trilogy after this one though. (And, like, short stories and novellas and stuff, but STILL. There are so many authors that let their series drag on, but she's one I feel like could keep it going indefinitely, since she switches up the narrators so much and adds so many new characters.)
no subject
YES. All of her characters are so multi-dimensional. It's so REFRESHING.
THAT IS SO SADDDDD. I want to read a million more books about everyone and all the new characters and all the characters we haven't head from! I totally agree that it could pretty well go on forever because there are so many people and the world is ever expanding. I hope she doesn't give it up forever.
no subject
YEAH. Even like Clay and Elena's twins!!! I want to read about them as adults! I do get the impression that she'd go back eventually. Or at least would be open to it. I mean, I'm definitely excited to see what else she does, but it makes me a little nervous when authors start new series. WHAT IF I DON'T LIKE IT?
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject