The Good

I find that I'm sad to see the story over. I'm still very attached to the characters and the world there. I love the mixture of this dystopian world with the paranormal elements of hopping, talking, and fighting through the dream world. The action is incredible, and there is the undercurrent of not being able to trust anyone that I enjoy in stories. I appreciate that at any moment, someone can turn bad.

What makes this series so interesting is the great plot and world mixed with crazy twists and turns. In each book, they are in a different place. This time they are traveling some, and the bridge they went over had my heart thumping like crazy. Then they were in another remote location with more new characters thrown in. I love that each story had some new characters as well and still kept the old. I also think it's great that Ganshert is not afraid to kill off characters. It makes the story that much more impactful.

The Bad

The only gripe I have about The Gathering is how the end seemed wrapped up so quickly. There was a lot going on through this series, and the resolution seemed to creep up on me out of nowhere and end before I was prepared.

The Romance

There's a normal teen romance in this with hurt feelings, jealousy, and infatuation. I enjoyed seeing Luka and Tess grow into a better understanding of each other and finally talk more about how they feel about things. I enjoyed the love they shared and can see it lasting.

Conclusion

This is a great series, and The Gathering is a wonderful way to wrap it up. I happened upon this series through the first one being free on Amazon, and am not at all disappointed to have read this gem. It's got a great mixture of loss, death, hope, frustration, love, stubbornness, and redemption in the pages. I loved the characters and was amazed at how many couldn't be trusted or turned out to be a friend in the end. The twists that the story took and all the locations were fantastic. I loved mostly though watching Tess and Luka together fighting in the dream world against the darkness. The Gathering is an excellent end to this great series. Definitely recommended!

"I can't trust anyone." Myself, included. Myself, most of all. I'm always wrong. I trust the wrong people. I accuse the wrong people. "It's like I have no idea which way is up. Nothing feels safe anymore."

*Originally given 4 1/2 stars at JC's Book Haven

I liked the series, paranormal seen as mental illness

Still reminds me of the matrix, but this time with elements of the book of revelation from the Bible is added to. I started really not liking Tess. Through most of it I was super annoyed with her. In the first book I really liked her, but this one she’s just too stubborn and dumb. It was still a good book, but I’m just disappointed in the nose dive Tess’s personality takes.

Yep, I officially loved every bit of this series.

Loved these books!

I had such a hard time putting these books down!! They do a great job at capturing their readers and sucking them info Tess's world. I wish there were more - following Tess through her life - but the way it ended was perfect for the books.


--spoilers--


I was so torn between Link and Luca! Part of me was a bit disappointed in the end but I understand why it ended the way it did. There were some pieces (areas always keeping her thoughts to herself for instance) that were ultra irritating. So much drama and misunderstanding that could've been skipped over if she had just talked to Luca! But of course the story wouldn't have been so enticing without it, would it?

--end spoilers--

Overall, it's a great read! I would definitely recommend this book series if you're into young adult, fantasy, off the beaten path books. Thank you Katie for bringing these books to us and thank you BookBub for sending me this book in my recommendations. It was a treat to read something that really pulled me in! It's been years since a book did that!

Only bad thing is that the ending seemed rushed. But the whole series was still fantastic.

This series was amazing, I enjoyed every part of it, and I would recommend it. I wish we got a more of an epilogue for the characters much later in their lives, just to see what happens but other than that I was not disappointed by this series.

Wow!

If you love post Apocalypse type stories try this one out. Its much different kind of healing of the world after dark influences. Tess luka and link were well defined and I fell in love with all of them. I'm hoping the author had decided to continue this path as I loved this series.