Words like unnatural and impure started the whispers.
From the very beginning, Ivy Blackwood was different. She was only a child when she was accused of setting the fire, one she passively watched engulf the small house she had called home. Her fingertips burned and her hair singed. Some who watched her crossed themselves, convinced she was soulless for she showed no emotion at all. Calm and … Calm and dispassionate, even when the screaming started that quickly turned to bellows of agony before dying into nothing but the roaring of the fire.
She was locked away where she couldn’t bring harm to herself or others. To all involved, they had protected the world from a monster, but sometimes things are not what they seem.
more
This story had me from the first sentence. I absolutely enjoyed it. Yes, I love PNR stories and am intrigued by them but this one had quite a bit going on so it took you deep into the story.
The multiple POV was confusing sometimes, I had to make sure I kept up with what was going on. But if you follow along and keep up with the story, you are in for a real treat.
This book ends on a high note and a somewhat happily ever after. But the author does leave it open for another story with these wonderful characters.
This book is pure perfection! LA Fiore’s writing is so skilful and mesmerising that i was left enamoured at the end of the story. The characters are so fascinating, the plot; an amalgam of action,suspense, angst and passion. From start to finish, the words were phenomenal,the story was so intriguing,i was stuck!
This is a love story at its best!
Oh I liked this.
What twists and turns and things I was NOT expecting.
The world as we know it isn’t what it seems. We have always thought the supernatural was myth and fairy tale. But it’s REAL. From vampires, ghosts, goddesses, Hades, the Devil, demons, and lycans. This story takes place in New Orleans with so many great cast of characters. Each, I hope get their own stories.
I don’t want to give anything away.
The enchantment and thrills of The Gathering has the anticipation elevated to an extreme level. Infused with every supernatural being you can think of, from zombies and ghosts to vampires and primordial and demi gods this read is nothing short of Imaginative and Phantasmagorical.
I was delighted to see that the setting was in New Orleans, what better place for an epic supernatural battle of good and evil. In this paranormal tale there must be a maintained balance between these two in the age old dichotomic struggle. You can’t have good without the bad, light without the dark, but the balance was shifting and needed to be restored.
What ensues is a quest into a world of mystical fantasy to reestablish the harmony and counterbalance the darkness that sought to gain control.
My interest is piqued to see where Fiore takes the story and characters from here.
This was my first time ever reading a book from L.A. Fiore and I’m extremely impressed! The characters are realistic and interesting. The story-building is captivating, creative and a perfect blend of mystery, magic and romance. I will definitely be anxiously waiting for more on Ivy Blackwood’s story!
5+ EPIC STARS!!
Oh. My. God…THIS BOOK! I am utterly blown away with how freaking epic this book was. This was my first read by L.A. Fiore and I’m kicking myself for not reading her books sooner. I know she usually writes contemporary romances and this was her first PNR book, but damn… if she writes all of her books the way she wrote this one, I’ve been missing out on some amazing reads.
The Gathering was nothing short of incredible. It had so many unpredictable plot twists that made my head spin. It was phenomenal, intense, captivating, suspenseful, gripping, addictive, sheer perfection… I’m not sure if there are even enough words in the dictionary to describe how much I loved it, but it’s definitely one of those books that I want to shout about from the rooftops for everyone to read, start throwing the book in people’s faces or just hold them hostage until they read it.
I can’t give anything away about what this book is about because even the smallest little details are so intricately layered and intertwined into every facet of the plot that it would almost be spoiler-ish and I’m not a spoilsport, so I’m going to tread lightly here and be a little vague. When you do read it, you need to go in completely blind, like I did, and discover all of the surprising twists and turns for yourself and follow Ivy and her crew as they uncover all the pieces to the puzzle for this brilliant and insanely clever and complex plot.
When I first started reading, I was immediately hit with a creepy vibe as L.A. Fiore set the tone for the book… like, the kind of creepy that gave me chills and made me want to hide under the covers.
We start out with a haunted mansion in New Orleans, two kids murdered, then we meet Ivy in a mental institution who doesn’t remember her past, and find out that there is a darkness so evil that is growing stronger each day, threatening to tip the scales on the balance of good and evil to wreak havoc on mankind. But, how is Ivy related to all of this? That’s what the sheriff of New Orleans, Josiah, is trying to figure out.
We are given 3 POV’s – Ivy (heroine), Josiah (sheriff investigating the murders) and Bain (hero) – to tell the story and follow along as they uncover clues and pieces of Ivy’s past so they can prevent the evil from escaping. I absolutely adored their characters!
At first, upon meeting Ivy in the mental institution, she seems so lost and confused, like there is something so important that she needs to remember but can’t. She’s kept in a constant drugged up state by her doctor, Dr. Ellis, so her memories stay fuzzy and incoherent. But ever so slowly, she starts putting two and two together by the little clues she’s left from “outside” help. Her true character is revealed throughout the plot and it’s one of strength, loyalty, protectiveness, love and fierceness.
Josiah’s character was a great addition to this plot and I loved seeing the plot unfold through his eyes and how he connected to all of it. He discovered things that blew his mind, were unbelievable and just downright crazy to him, but he kept an open mind and persevered. He was so damn likeable with a caring and loving heart. He was just a good man down to his core.
And then there’s Bain. Gahh!! This man owned me! He was all alpha, but he loved fiercely and protected those that were with him. There’s a romance between him and Ivy, and it was an epic love so pure that was timeless and too big to only be experienced in one lifetime. The love between those two caressed my heart in the best way.
“In all the years that I have lived, and I have lived so fucking long, I have missed you.”
This book was so heavy on the suspense and thrills that I was on the edge of my seat pretty much the entire time and kept turning the pages as fast as I could read them. I didn’t want to put it down for sleep, work, adulting or anything. By the end, I was in tears and bawling like a baby, but the author fixed me up and turned my tears into ones of happiness instead of sadness. There will be another book in the Ivy Blackwood Chronicles, but The Gathering does not end in a cliffhanger… the ending only sets up the story for another plot, and I will be counting down the days until I can get my hands on it.
L.A. Fiore knocked this book way the hell out of the park. It will be one that I reread over and over again. I even bought the paperback after I read the ebook version, and let me tell ya, the paperback is GORGEOUS! The main characters, the secondary characters, the writing… I’m just in awe over how perfect and brilliant The Gathering was. Please do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK! Even if you aren’t a fan of PNR, just read it, or you will be missing out on something magical and spectacular.
I have to admit I was really looking forward to this book. The hype from the PR company made me excited to find a good story like this one. The first part of the book had me hooked, by the end I was just like, hmmm okay.
I love the premise of this story and most of it was done beautifully. Good vs Evil. Supernatural and humans. Gods and Angels. The characters as a whole were the best part of this book. They all worked great together to make the story what is was.
The multiple POV’s however were a bit confusing for me. I can usually follow them but in this one I found myself having to go back to remind myself who I was reading more times than I would have liked. I’m not sure if it’s because they changed so much and so often or that if the voices just weren’t different enough for me to tell them apart. I think just having Ivy’s voice or maybe even a dual POV with Bain or Josiah would have been sufficient maybe would have made this story easier to follow.
While reading I kept looking down to see how much book I had left because I just knew this was going to end on a cliffhanger (which I would have been more than okay with) and we would get more to this one story. Once I got to about 80% I just couldn’t fathom how the author could wrap up this story that she had built so meticulously when there was so much going on. I felt the ending was rushed and I was let down. Like, this is the end? We had an entire book leading up to this epic battle and it was over in the blink of an eye. I felt a bit cheated to be honest. I wanted to yell, this is not how any of this works! I wanted an epic battle and I feel like I got a water balloon fight that was over before it really began.
All in all I love the concept of this series and I do look forward to reading Jareth’s story. I just hope the story as a whole keeps the pace until the very end.
Intense, gripping, magical & an overall enchanting story that will have you wishing this world really exists.
Author L.A. Fiore gives another phenomenal story to love.
I loved how this story captivated me. It is one once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down because you will need to know what the outcome will be.
Go One Click this Must Read!
5 popped!