I really liked this, but I think I’m not exactly the target demographic for it: it’s a small town murder mystery with vampires, but it’s heavily focused on the police & detective’s POV, which isn’t always a perspective I care to be in. Still, I did really like the main character in this - love that she was a kinda frumpy older gal that didn’t care about being pretty, only about doing her job (and doing it well). The worldbuilding was my favorite part of this, so interesting to think of what our world would be like with vampires being real. The focus on racism within the community was interesting, if a bit heavy handed at times.

This is a noir mystery, dark and atmospheric. It is set in Alaska and involves some gruesome killings and a detective determined to solve these vampyr murders. Detective Barbara Atkins enlists the help of the local sheriff of Deadhart, Jenson Turner, and the two set out to catch the perpetrators while also trying to remain alive. This book is scary, creepy and not exactly my regular cup of tea, but it captured my attention and held it as the town is gripped by death and the heroes try to thwart the killer)s) before more die. The plot moves along at a good pace, the characters are uniquely portrayed and the twists are head-spinning and terrifying at times. This is an intense read that I would classify as paranormal horror mixed with murder mystery. It is a compelling read that is a cleverly written page-turner.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

A small town in Alaska is shaken by the murder of a young boy and a special detective is sent to determine if a colony of local vampires is to blame or if one of the townspeople is responsible. Vibes are immaculate, like True Detective: Night Country meets True Blood, and the paranormal twist on a traditional mystery was fun.

Yes! When I requested this, it was because I'm a fan of C. J. Tudor, so I didn't really read what exactly this entails. But we have Vampyrs!!!! Yes! And, I loved every second of this!!

There is a brutal murder to be investigated, and Detective Barbara Atkins goes to Deadheart, Alaska, to figure out what is going on. The townspeople blame the nearby group of Vampyrs. They want to cull their colony in retaliation. Barbara has to get to work to stop this while investigating.

All of the characters are so interesting, and the atmosphere gives these very dark, sinister, definitely creepy vibes. And, reading this at night had me scared, like looking at the darkened windows of my living room wondering what's out there kind of scared.

Definitely recommend!

Out April 9, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I'm temporarily DNFing this because I have a feeling I will enjoy this 10000% on audio. In the 30% I read, I found it very atmospheric and interesting. I just found myself checking out a little bit while I was physically reading it due to the pacing, and feel like that problem would be easily resolved with the audiobook.

In a small Alaska town, a boy is found dead with his throat ripped and drained of blood. Town members blame the colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs.

I love when a plot is contemporary and true to life, except for one little twist to reality. Like True Blood, vampires truly exist and live among, yet on the fringes of, human society. I loved learning about the vampyres; their history and culture. Some parts were a bit slow but we had to get to know all the characters and their history.

“Death had come here, she thought. And it had been hungry. Ravenous. And there was something else too. Anger. Fear. Hatred.”

The Gathering comes out 4/9.

The ending twist on this one was AWESOME. However the entire story building up to it felt kind of slow. I'm still getting into Tudor, and this was my second one. I'd definitely recommend it because it's such an atmospheric vibe!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and CJ Tudor for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Gathering coming out April 9, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read a couple books by CJ Tudor and I really enjoy the books. They’re usually part thriller and part horror, which works really well for me. I thought the setting of Alaska was really fun and mysterious. However, it took me a while to get into the story. I couldn’t really connect to the characters. It didn’t feel as horror-like to me. I think I was hoping for something a little spookier. I thought it’d be like the movie 30 Days of Night, but it wasn’t quite there for me. I usually love vampire stories.

In *The Gathering*, C.J. Tudor masterfully weaves a tale that transcends typical vampire narratives. Set in the remote town of Deadhart, Alaska, the discovery of a murdered boy thrusts Detective Barbara Atkins into a world of dark secrets and superstitions. The Colony, a community of vampyrs, stands accused. As snow blankets the landscape, Atkins races against time to unravel the truth. Tudor's commitment to character depth and layered plotting elevates this thriller. A fresh take on vampirism, it grips readers not only with bloodlust but also with the fragile lives teetering on destruction's edge.

THE GATHERING By CJ Tudor

You know how there are certain books that read like movies- this was definitely one of them!

Barbara is a detective, but she specializes in crimes involving vampyrs (the book's spelling!) She's called to rural Alaska, where a teen is dead. At first it looks like one of the vampyrs got him, but Barbara finds more evidence that muddies her decision. The town people are out for blood and want a cull- an authorized killing of all vampyrs. She's in a tough spot and the more she learns, the more questions she has about this town and its past.

This book was super atmospheric- Alaska in winter. It would've been a great book to read back in January when I was feeling the cold! It kept me fully engaged because I wanted to know how it ended. It was a small town murder mystery story plus vampyres!! The vampyrs weren't particularly scary, but only because we didn't get a ton from them. Not as scary as I expected!

One neat addition to the story was the "history" of vampyrs, the discrimination, and how they fought for their rights / how they were seen in the eyes of the law. I thought it was an interesting detail!

I was so excited to get more CJ Tudor! The Burning Girls will always be one of my all time favorite books, so I'm always excited to dive back into new stories by her. Right off the bat, this gave me the same creepy vibes as Burning Girls, and I was intrigued about the vampyr storyline. I did find parts of it genuinely creepy and enjoyed the story overall, but I felt like there were too many characters to keep track of, and by the end I felt like there were a lot of questions left unanswered. The ending does lean towards possibly having a sequel, so I'm hoping that some of those get wrapped up in that! Overall this was a really fun and creepy story that I really enjoyed!

This was a really good version of a vampire thriller. This book was about the relationship between vampyr’s and humans. There are laws protecting vampyr’s from discrimination and being hunted. A group of humans filled with hate drove out the Colony once but they came back. They just wanted a place to settle and live out their lives. The group of humans were not happy the vampyr’s were back so someone committed murder to set in motion a way to rid their town of vampyr’s. A vampyr specialist detective was sent to find out who was committing murder before a war started. The action in this book was cinematic. I could easily picture all the scenes in this book. Even the twist was a shock. I would have never guessed any of the suspects. 5⭐️.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

I’ve read a few of C.J Tudor’s books and The Drift was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Sadly I didn't enjoy The Gathering as much as her other books.

I don’t think this book should be labeled as horror, because it felt more like a thriller with vampires. All and all? I enjoyed it but I just wanted it to be more creepy or gory.

I must say, I was pleasantly taken aback! In this book, Vampyrs aren't the stuff of myth; they're a norm among society. But don't mistake this for your typical Twilight or Vampire Diaries fare! When the lifeless body of a 15-year-old boy is discovered, suspicion blankets the colonies. Though they're meant to coexist peacefully with humans, something has clearly breached the boundaries set in place. Barbara, a specialist in Vampyr killings, is summoned to the quaint town of Deathart in Alaska to unravel the mystery and determine if drastic measures, like colony destruction, are necessary.

This book delves into so much more than meets the eye, and any review would merely skim the surface. While it may not be spine-chilling, it's certainly a thrilling journey. One character that stood out to me was the Vampyr Athelinda. It's a truly gripping tale, masterfully crafted by CJ Tudor, and what's more, it's a refreshing take on adult Vampyr storytelling.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel. This was a good police procedural with a likable lead, but I kind of wanted more vampire in my vampire story. I just didn't get the horror elements as much. All the richness of vampire lore really wasn't there. The vampires could have been motorcycle gang members. I kept thinking of the Sharks from West Side Story. The pervasiveness of contemporary American politics in the story was also overplayed. Vampires aren't really like other American groups that are discriminated against . . . because they drink blood. It's a tough analogy. The writing was a little repetitive and the author left a lot of clues that allowed the reader to figure the twists out ahead of time.

This is a fantastic novel with a propulsive plot and a magnificent cast of characters. This book is nuanced in a way not many modern novels are. It made me want to read it every moment of every day and not want it to end. I cannot wait to read a sequel since it seems we might get one. I would very much like to revisit this world of amazing plot and diverse, layered characters.

Picture an alternate world where vampires are not only integrated into society, but protected as a racial minority. However, just because they are protected doesn’t mean that everyone has accepted them. In The Gathering, a young man has been killed in a manner implicating the local vampire colony. But are they truly at fault or is the killing a hoax to allow the entire colony to be culled with governmental permission?

Detective Barbara Atkinson from the government’s Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department is assigned to look into the case. Her goal is to both find the killer and decide if a cull needs to be ordered. The boy’s family, the local reverend, and the townspeople as a group have already taken sides. But is killing the colony really going to avenge the young man’s death? Or is there another hidden motive in play?

The Gathering is, at its heart, a traditional police procedural just set in an alternate universe. It blends aspects of Twilight, True Blood and Alex Cross together in a coherent and intriguing new world. Fans of any of those series will find something to enjoy in this book. Hopefully, this is the start of a new series because I loved this innovative mystery. 5 stars!

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Title: The Gathering by CJ Tudor
Publication Date- 04/09/24
Publisher- Ballantine Books by Penguin Random House
Overall Rating- 2 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I write reviews where I gave a book a low star I try to tailor them in a way to help others know if maybe the book could be for them rather than just crapping on the book.

The synopsis of this book is exactly what you will get which is a plus. The reason I gave this a low star rating, and I’m curious if others will feel this way, I noticed several lines of fatphobia. At first I thought maybe those lines were being used to show how crappy someone is but over time I noticed that wasn’t the case. To give the author the benefit of the doubt, maybe I missed something but it felt like it happened too frequently for it to just be coincidence or for another purpose. I was going to give the book 3 stars but because of that I just felt that I personally couldn’t rate it higher than 2.

Other things that didn’t work for me, that may work for you coming up now. Most of the story is not revolving horror or thriller. It's basically about these people living in this town where vampires are basically cult-like enemies. The majority of the narrative is spent talking about the different relationship dynamics between the people in this town and their distaste for the vampire community and if it’s deserved or not. It felt like we did that over and over again and by the end of the book I just really wanted something else. I was hoping there would be more horror elements and more thriller-like pulls but it was just the relationship dynamics over and over again.

I think this could work for people who maybe go in with different expectations than I did. If you go in knowing it’s more the story of a town and how they are dealing with conflict then I think this could be a 4 star for you (outside of the fatphobia depending how you see that).

I’m not sure what else to say, I hope this helped you in some way and maybe shifted your expectations to better enjoy the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read. If you're a fan of CJ Tudors other books or just a horror fan, you have to read this. She is the current queen of horror!

When a young boy is found with his throat ripped out and no blood in his body, the small town in Alaska knows who to blame, The Colony, a group of vampires that live nearby. Detective Barbara Atkins is charged with determining who did kill the boy, was it a vampire, or a human who just wants to blame the Colony and get away with murder?