I love this author!!! She always writes creepy and eerie books. This was no different and didn't disappoint!

I really liked the MC the detective Barbara that has to go to Alaska to solve a crime and to figure out if a cull is necessary or not. The character build in the story is flawless! With the plot and story i just wanted to keep reading and find out what happens.

I highly recommend anything the author writes. Another great story.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I requested and early copy of The Gathering hoping for a thriller but what I got felt much more like a horror story. We follow Barbara Atkins (forensic vampire anthropologist) who comes to help the police in Deadhart, Alaska (population 673 - living) determine whether or not a local boy was murdered by a vampyr. Marcus Anderson seems to have been murdered by a member of the nearby vampyr colony, which could be cause enough to call for a Colony cull. With all the snow and the lack of daylight hours, it’s the perfect place for our story to run amuck.

There is a host of characters in this story! Get your notes (or kindle highlighting finger) ready.

Though this book was well written and I enjoyed the story - it also left me with a really heavy heart. The treatment of the vampyr colony is visceral and hard to stomach. Clearly Tudor takes gruesome inspiration from historical (and modern day) treatment of indigenous people groups around the world. The Gathering barely felt like a fantasy world and I think it hit just a little too close to home at this time in my life. It’s very realistic, dark, and not for the faint of heart.

Lots of trigger warnings for anyone interested in reading: extreme violence, “racism” against vampires, lots of disparaging comments about the weight of our main character, child abuse, and mentions of s*x abuse towards minors and women. Eek.

This book is a great example of how to scare me without really scaring me! I really liked C. J. Tudor's other books so I must have skipped over the vampyrs bit in the synopsis! But this is vampires done right - Tudor has humanized them and treated them like any other community of outcasts, showing the fear of the townspeople which is bred on myth, suspicion, and tradition. I loved the portrayal of vampires living among us, and I was thoroughly invested in the fate of the Colony.

Then we have the police procedural portion. Deadhart Alaska's Police Chief Pete Nichols is required to bring in a detective from the Vampyr Anthology Department to determine if the killing of a young boy was vampyr related. This is not a traditional portrayal of a pretty young detective breezing in to save the town. Tudor's detective Barbara Atkins (Fang Doc) is middle age and as the former police chief, Tucker, tells her, "overweight and unfit". And while Barbara's job is to determine if there should be a "culling" of the Colony, she's not one to make snap decisions or bow to pressure. She is skeptical of both sides version of events.

And Tudor's skill was in making the reader skeptical as well as feeling compassion for both sides. So I am happy to continue to auto-buy C.J.'s book without reading the synopsis because I know they will be both readable and engaging!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advance reader's copy

Alright Tudor, you’ve done it again. Every time I read one of her books, I am even more convinced that she’ll remain a favorite author of mine. Her books always keep me on the edge of my seat, including a light paranormal aspect, and are fill with atmospheric and vivid imaginary.

Detective Barabra Atkins is a vampyr specialist. Her current assignment has her heading to Deadhart, Alaska to investigate the murder of a teenager in the small town. The townsfolk are convinced that the local Vampyr ‘colony’ is responsible for the murder, a murder very similar to the murder of a teenager 25 years ago. On edge, the town is looking for any reason to stage a ‘cull’ (an act that would sanction the massacre of the Colony members) and extract their revenge. But Detective Atkins’ isn’t so sure of their reasoning and is set on solving the murder before the towns folk take matters into their own hands.

What a gripping story. I saw one reviewer compare this as a ‘True Detective’ meets ‘True Blood’ and that is a spot-on assessment of this book. I devoured this story and had to force myself to put it down to sleep. This gritty and atmospheric read is shaping up to be my favorite of the month and (dare I say) my favorite C.J. Tudor book to date?! Everything is just *chefs kiss*.


The Gathering comes out April 9, 2024! Huge thank you to Ballantine Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books or on Tiktok @speakingof.books

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

C.J. Tudor sets up a creepy, vampyr world in The Gathering. I enjoyed following the MC, a detective, as she tries to determine if the murder of a teenage boy in a small town in Alaska is the crime of the closest Colony and if a cull is justified. There were a lot of characters to keep up with but they intertwined seamlessly. Sometimes it’s easy to get confused when you have so many characters with so much history but I really couldn’t put this one down and I liked how they all had depth. The plot was not lacking and it felt as if I was watching a movie as everything played out. I highly recommend if you enjoyed The Chalk Man and The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor or supernatural thrillers.

**4.5 stars**

CJ Tudor is one of my favorite writers as she combines mystery and supernatural- horror in every book with engaging characters and story’s. The Gathering is no different! The cover draws you in with the moody red sky and the vampire teeth in the title. The story was a unique mix of alternate universe Alaska and world where vampires coexist with humans but are not classified as citizens, they can’t even hold a job and many humans hunt vampyres as they are called.

Our main character, Barbara Atkins, is an overweight middle aged female detective (WOW that hardly happens in fiction) who is smart, patient, and very polite (when I’d just want to smack some of the people she meets). I for one hope there will be more books forthcoming with Barbara, I’d love for this to be a series.

The vampires in the story were very interesting. I see the vampire leader being compared to Claudia from Interview With A Vampire.
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The 2 reasons I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 are simple: early on there’s a medical mix up involving naming an incorrect artery on a victim’s body (if you’re non-medical you probably won’t even notice it) and though the author is British the book is set in the States so American words and phrases should have been used not British ones. We say sneakers not trainers, sweaters not jumpers, windshield for windscreen, Uhm not Erm. That was very distracting and does pull you out of the narrative a bit.

Overall The Gathering is a great mix of detective fiction, thriller, and horror that will appeal to Ms Tudor’s current fans and for those wanting a unique mystery that is different from the routine. Highly recommend.

Thanks so much to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I also preordered a hardcover months ago and I’m glad I did.

I loved it! This is definitely my favorite C.J. Tudor book so far. In a world where humans and vampyrs are living side by side there are bound to be issues. (Or more accurately each is out for the other's blood). When a local boy is killed in a way that seems to implicate the vampyrs the town wants a cull. This book often reads like a police procedural given our MC POV is a detective, but with vampires and I love that. She teams up with the former Sheriff and the two work together to piece together both the past and present mysteries. The multiple POVs helps to keep up the pace as we gain bits and pieces of the story along the way. I personally was intrigued how our capitve vampyr POV was going to come into play! The atmosphere of a small, remote Alaskan town in the winter really sets the scene as desolate and harsh. There were times I felt freezing! I thought the mystery was well thought out and the different threads weave together well in the end. Why do the people in small towns always seem to have so many secrets!?

The Gathering by C. J. Tudor was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I have read this author before and I will read more if the opportunity arises. That being said, this book, based in a small Alaskan town is more a murder mystery than a horror book about vampires. Having lived part of my life in Alaska and having been a criminal investigator my whole life, I understand the inner workings of an investigation, the politics of small towns and how you can never trust a vampire. This book, to me, had too many characters and had too much down time where people were just talking. If you read my reviews you know too much down time costs stars and it cost this book one star. If you liked the newest True Detective series, based in Alaska, this book is head and shoulders above that, but if you are looking for "horror," this is not it.

4 Stars

This was my first C.J.Tudor and it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed reading this book. This is my second vampire book I’ve read this month and I couldn’t be happier. I loved seeing Tudor’s interpretation of vampires and how they are living in colonies somewhat peacefully alongside humans. I thought that was a new take on vampire lore and enjoyed it. I enjoyed the characters in this book, especially Athelinda. I thought she was the most interesting character, I almost wish we got more scenes with her. I liked that there was an uncomfortable and eerie feeling throughout the Alaskan town and you didn’t know who you could trust and if there was going to be a cull towards the vampires. I thought Barbara was a fair detective who had her own history with vampires. I loved how this book ended and I would definitely read a sequel.

Thank you to Netgalle and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is for sure my new favorite vampire book! My only complaint is the amount of characters- too many to keep up with!

OK, so I am definitely not a huge fan of the horror genre, but this book and author may have just turned me around! I was so into this book/plot/characters/setting from page 1 and I just couldn't put it down. My length of reading is only because at one point I had to set it aside and it took me a whole week to be able to get back to it. That being said, it's an unputtdownable book!

Barbara Atkins, MC, goes to Deadhart, Alaska, in the dead of winter to investigate a murder. Not just any ol' murder, mind you, because she is from the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department, so she is going to investigate the murder because the people of this small town want a cull against the vampyrs, claiming that the murder of a young boy was committed by the nearby colony of vampyrs. Barbara isn't so sure and plans to do a thorough investigation.

What makes the job so difficult is that most, if not all, of the townspeople want the cull, but it's illegal unless criminal activity is proven, but there is conflicting "evidence" and someone (or many) is lying...but who?

I thought this was so well done and written in a way to really build the creep factor. Especially when one girl is quoted in italics (won't say who but you'll know the character if you read it) just really gave me the creeps! And trying to figure out who is a vamp and who isn't...SO good!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this amazing book in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

*Note: Book publishes on April 9, 2024. Highly recommend!

I’ll admit that I requested this book based solely on author name. I didn’t read the synopsis at all, so imagine my surprise when I realized this was a vampire (vampyr) novel. It’s unlike any other vampire book I’ve read though.

C.J. Tudor has created a world where vampyrs and humans live side by side. Our main character, Barbara, is a specialist in vampyr killings. She’s called in to investigate what appears to be a vampyr killing in a rural Alaskan town.

This was an interesting read because it’s not the typical vampyr horror. It actually read more like a detective novel set in an alternate world with vampyrs. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I would definitely read more books in this series if it becomes a series.

CJ Tudor does such a great job writing thriller/suspense books. They always capture my attention right away and keep me guessing. This one was a little different as it was based in Vampyre lore, with problems between humans and Vampyres.

I really enjoyed the way this book was written. The were a LOT of suspects and information to cull through. I loved that Barbara was suspicious of everyone, and I liked how the old and new cops tried to work together to solve this case. The side characters were great in this one and it kept my attention. The ending was satisfying BUT that epilogue!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Gathering – C. J. Tudor

Here comes the unpopular review from an outlier. I am a fan of C. J. Tudor, for the most part, and that says a lot since her writing is definitely outside the scope of my general fare. So, if you happen to be a fan of the ghoulish, this title fits in with some of Tudor’s more recent books. I am more of a fan of her Chalk Man, Burning Girls, Other People and some of her short stories. Both this book and The Drift have apocalyptic and horror elements, not really to my taste, although the mystery/whodunnit aspects did keep me reading.

The story takes place in a tiny town in Alaska, where several murders took place over a period of about 20 years. The town people accuse the colony, a marginally protected, possibly indigenous population called Vampyrs. And guess what? The Vampyrs, a population of individuals whose longevity spans hundreds of years, thrive on the blood of humans (and in a pinch, on their own blood). They live in the worst of conditions (I’m not quite sure why or even how it is relevant to the story), and they have a history of being abused by the general population of humans.

A detective is called in who specializes in determining whether human murders are Vampyr related. It is only where the detective determines this to be the case, will the law abide by a mass genocide of the neighboring guilty Vampyr population.

The mystery aspect of the book is very interesting but other than that I felt the story was anemic (no raspberries please).

I find Tudor’s prose, at times, excellent, but not consistently so. This story was not a winner for me but I did devour it in one or two sittings.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, for an ARC of this title. The views are my own and clearly the reader should view my fellow GR Friends reviews, as they were far more enthusiastic than mine. This was a 3-star book for me, bumped up to 3.5 because of the way the mystery played out.

In small town Deadhart, Alaska a teenage boy is found murdered and the suspect is a vampyr from the local colony. In comes Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, to come and investigate whether or not a culling of the colony is warranted. The locals have been waiting for a chance to kill off these monsters as 25 years earlier there was a similar killing. Time is ticking as both sides grow volatile and want retribution for the past. There is a murderer lurking in Deadhart but is it a blood thirsty monster or psychopath?

Even if you are not a vampyr fan don’t discount this book! The setting is chilling and so are the secrets. I love how Tudor keeps you guessing on how individual stories/characters are connected and it just comes together at the end leaving you satisfied.

I’m going to start by saying I don’t normally like books with vampires. This was totally different for me. I was grabbed right from the beginning and it didn’t let up until I finished.
CJ Tudor reminds me of Stephen King in that she is a great storyteller. I’ve liked all of her previous books, some better than others but they all are great stories that kept me turning pages. This is gritty and dark and won’t be every one’s cup of tea but I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 5⭐️

As a first read from the author CJ Tudor this was an incredible read. Gripping, informative, vampires, murder mystery, small Alaskan town. Rampant vampire racism causing the towns people to put blame on them for two murders decades apart until our main character, a vampire anthropologist come and busts both cases and the towns hidden secrets open. It had me by my throat (pun intended) and the only reason I put it down is because I had to get some sleep. I couldn’t thank NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Ballantine for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Yet another fabulous entry into this author's canon! So good that you kinda wish THIS was the source material for True Detective: Night Country! (No shade to the show, there is more than enough room for some artic thrillers!) This novel is one of the only modern examples of Vampyrs done right! Tudor uses the horror framework to explore our species' tribal need to create in and out groups and how our humanity is rooted in our ability to look past the tribal divisions to find empathy and healing.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Gathering follows detective Barbara Atkins from the forensic vampyr department as she is called to investigate the killing of a young boy in a rural Alaskan town. The town is on edge as this killing mirrors the death of another young boy years ago - both deaths thought to be due to the vampyr colony living on the outskirts of town. The townspeople are strongly pushing for an authorized cull of the entire colony and it is up to Barbara to investigate the killing, find out who is actually responsible, and then see them brought to justice.

There was a lot I really liked about this novel stating with C.J. Tudor’s writing and ability to bring the numerous citizens of Deadhart to life. Each character stood out and I was interested to follow them to their conclusion. The setting was also wonderfully written and I felt myself chilled to the bone along with the citizens of this Alaskan town.

I did feel the ending was a bit rushed and I was hoping for more horror elements overall. While being about vampires, this book is first and foremost a murder mystery novel. Overall I did enjoy myself and am glad to have read this.

Would recommend to anyone interested in a tense murder mystery!

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for early access to this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I really wish I read the summary before requesting this. i saw the authors name and knew i’d read books by them before and enjoyed them. unfortunately this was just not my cup of tea.

a boy is murdered in a small town in alaska. he is found with his throat ripped out and the blood drained from his body. Detective Barbara Atkins, who specialized in vampyr’s, heads out to investigate. the town is pushing for a cull, or a killing off of the vampyr colony living nearby, and it is Barbara’s job to determine if this is appropriate.

once I got passed the topic of the book, I thought it wasn’t so bad… then they started throwing religion into the mix. then the vampyr stuff got taken to another level and I kind of just wanted the book to be over with. I am not the type to DNF a book, but I kind of wish I was. like I said, not my cup of tea.

thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.