The Gathering is about a detective whose name is Barbara that is investigating a gruesome crime in rural Alaska, but the detective finds herself caught up in the dark sercerts and superstitions in this small town. This was my second time reading this author and I look foward to reading more of her books. It was written well and it kept me engrossed. I was turning pages until the very end and it also kept me guessing as well. The ending of this book was so amazing and was so twisted. Overall this was a great horror mystery read with the twists and great characters. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend this one to any reader who loves a good horror read. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this amazing read in exchange of my honest review of The Gathering by C.J. Tudor.

The Gathering is a well crafted, twisty vampire tale that kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the setting in Alaska which just makes sense for vampires! The world where vampires were a protected class living in colonies near humans was interesting. After so many vampire stories, this one felt fresh and interesting. I liked the character development and surprises along the way as well as the back stories of the characters. All in all a very fun and spooky read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and ARC of The Gathering

Honestly if I had known that the book was a out Vampires I would never have chosen to read it, but I’m so glad I did as it was we written, exciting, enthralling and had be hooked. C.J. Tudor is a force to be reckoned with.

Detective Barbara Atkins is sent to the town of Deadhart, Alaska when a boy is killed – seemingly the work of a large colony of Vampires (spelt Vampyr) who have recently returned to their homes nearby. They had disappeared long ago when another boy was killed but just turned up in time for another boy to die. Are the colony responsible for the murder in which case the colony will be culled, or is there another monster on the loose?

Exciting, and full of murders, mystery and intrigue, this book will capture your imagination and keep you riveted – even those like me who don’t like vampire books 😁

Wishing I would have waited to read this one until the winter season for obvious reasons, but enjoyed my time nonetheless! I always love C.J Tudor's extremely intricate plotlines and character depths and The Gathering was no different. Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my review copy!

It took me a good minute to fully invest myself into this one as we are basically thrown into the story without prior knowledge of the world.
About halfway through the pacing picks up and I found myself fully dedicated to finding out what is going on in this town and also rooting for certain people and I did find myself sympathizing with the colonies of vamps.
The ending satisfied me but also made me want more from this world and definitely our vamp friends. So many questions that I have now!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy !

This book was everything I thought I wanted but it fell a little flat for me. I was absolutely obsessed with C.J. Tudors The Burning Girls so when I heard she wrote a vampire thriller… I said - take my money!
I found this book to have some pretty interesting parts but overall it felt very long. There were things that were new to me in terms of vampire lore so that was cool to read about but there was a lot of drag in the middle of the book.

The book to me felt like a mix of True Blood and the new season of True Detective - which are two things I absolutely loved - but it just wasn’t a home run for me. I needed the vamps to be a little flashier and exciting I think?

Not a bad book though just not my fave that I have read.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

I love how this author does not write a slightly different version of the same book. I’ve read a few and they have all been entertaining and enjoyable. This author is now a “read everything” favorite. I would definitely pick up a next installment in this world. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy. Will be happily recommending.

Absolutely no notes! I was hooked from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. Plot and character development were perfection as well.

4 stars. The plot was intriguing and the setting was absolutely perfect but it was a slow read at times. Another great book from the author.

I'd never read a book from C.J. Tudor before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought the story and characters were ok, they just didn't hold my interest very well.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

Although I am a fan of CJ Tudor I did not like this book. I do not like vampires an have a hard time reading about them.

For this reason I put the book down and dnf.

Another book I finished two months ago and loved. I’m just slacking on my written reviews. If you haven’t read a CJ Tudor book yet, you must do it. Horror, thriller, suspense, supernatural— the books have it all.

The latest CJ Tudor book is THE GATHERING and wow—it is good! I love that she brought in vampires to her latest novel. It’s a book with a unique premise and set in a time where vampires and humans live together; although humans are prejudiced towards the vampires (vampyrs) and keep them from living as equals.

Someone is murdered in the small Alaskan town of Deadhart and the Vampyr Colony is being blamed. Enter Barbara Atkins, a specialist in Vampyr killings. She is brought in to prove it was a Colony killing but the evidence she uncovers leads to more questions and evidence pointing in several other directions. This novel is twisty and devourable. 🩸

Many thanks to @randomhouse Ballantine books for a digital copy! I’m sharing my hard copy with my sister and dad knowing they will love it too.

Thank you to Random House and to PRH Audio for the copies to review.

I always enjoy CJ Tudor and I have really loved stories about vampires lately. This was not what I expected, having them live among humans, and of course the humans are not the most thrilled with this but there are rules and laws so here they are. And then a boy is found brutally murdered in such a way that the most likely suspect is a vampire, and the town is ready for a cull, believing this is a Colony killing. Detective Barbara Atkins is called in and she tries to be objective, but as small towns go, they are not patient and really want only one outcome.

The audio was narrated by Lorelei King, and she did a fantastic job (no surprise there, I always enjoy her narration). Some light humor was worked in at times by the author, which I appreciated, and while it did get a little slow as procedurals sometimes can, the ending was great and I read it in a couple of sittings. Overall this was very entertaining and one that I enjoyed.

This was very different than other CJ Tudor books I have read. The story line was fast paced and it stayed interesting the whole time.

I have been a fan of CJ Tudor for awhile, however, The Gathering did not do it for me. I think it was the vampires that didn't hit for me. I love Tudor's ability to add twists throughout, and create a suspense that had me guessing though!

The Gathering is more of a slow burn, small town paranormal murder mystery rather than a fast paced vampire horror. I thought a lot of the characters were uniquely interesting and the writing itself was well done and a pleasure to read. I did also really enjoy the discussions on humans vs vampires and the challenges of having an active vampire population.

There were a lot of dark themes, and Tudor executes the twists and turns in a fun way, but I did find it a little slow through the middle. Chalk man was disturbing to me and I almost couldn’t finish so I was surprised I enjoyed this one! But the British talk through me off quite a few times.. are we still in Alaska?!

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC!

Thanks to Ballantine Books, @randomhouse and @netgalley for my early copy! This one is out now!

CJ Tudor is an auto-buy author for me and has been ever since The Chalk Man. Her books never fail to amaze me and The Gathering is no different. I was hooked from page one and had a number of theories throughout. Some were right and some were way off. I didn’t see some of the twists coming from a mile away and the last 25% had me in a chokehold. If you are looking for an addictive, twisty, vampyr fueled ride, pick up The Gathering!

This was another fun buddy read with @whatsdanreading and @emilykathryn818 🫶🏼

I have always wanted to jump on the C. J. Tudor fanclub train but haven't connected with any of her books I've tried until now. The Gathering is a supernatural murder investigation in Alaska during a futuristic reality where vampires and humans co-exist.
Homicide detective Barbara Atkins, who has her PhD in forensic vampire anthropology, is sent to a remote, small town to investigate the death of a local teen. Witnesses claim a vampire did it. As tension and hostility escalate, Atkins chases down her theory that the murder appears to have a more personal motivation.
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
- Horror & psychological suspense
- Expertly paced thriller vibes
- Small-town horror
- Vampires and Vampire lore
- Snowy/cold settings
- Strong female protagonist
- Police procedural
- Social commentary

CJ Tudor never disappoints. It's always suspenseful and well written. I highly recommend this for fans of suspense.