A review by amy_reading_23
The Gathering by C.J. Tudor

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This is a well written and fast paced book. I'd say it fits more the crime genre than fantasy, it just happens to have vampires in it. I think it was an interesting take on vampires and they were certainly used as a device to explore real life issues like prejudice, inequality, and scapegoating. The vampire colony shared a lot of similarities to native American reservations and how indigenous people of America have been treated - I am not indigenous or American so can't really say if this was done sensitively but it seemed to be to me. It was certainly interesting, and it's one of my favourite things magical books does - is to hold a mirror up to society and make us think. 

I thought it was refreshing to have a middle aged plus sized lesbian protagonist and I mostly enjoyed her character, however I was dissapointed by one throw away comment towards the end that she should cut down on calories. I would love it if one day we could have a plus sized character who isn't told or isn't thinking about losing weight.

This book doesn't shy away from the heavy topics, and some content is quite explicit, so if you are worried about finding some things triggering then check out the content warnings first. 

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