Perfect read for this time of year , and read it as a buddy read, which I enjoyed doing , and other thing I loved about his book was how I actually knew a lot of the references that was used in the book as well as how it reminds me of a movie that I've seen more then once about vampires coming and attack people in a small Alaskan town.

I was so sad to have to give this two stars. This story had so much potential. The plot line was great and so unique for a vampire story, and the setting was perfect. It was the characters and their relationships with each other that did me in. There was too many characters to keep up with and I kept getting them mixed up. Also the relationships between all of them were (for lack of a better term) eye rolling. Something would happen or a piece of history on a couple would come out and I'd roll my eyes and think "oh great, here we go again." It was too much and brought down the whole book for me.

***Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the E-Arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.***

When I saw this book took place in Alaska and it was about vampires, I got excited because I loved the movie 30 Days of Night. But it was nothing like that. It was not scary and the vampires were tolerated as citizens and protected by the law. More police procedural. Too many characters to keep straight. Not a fan of the biblical aspect. Just not for me in general.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for this eARC.

I've been a C.J. Tudor fan for a while now, and this was definitely an interesting book. It was very different (about a vampyre colony in Alaska) compared to some of her previous works that I read, but I was interested nonetheless. It held my attention throughout, but it was a bit of a slow burn, which is usually not my cup of tea. All in all, I give credit for the creativity and capturing my attention, but the mystery element was lacking just a bit for me. 3.5!

Five stars. Loved it! That's all you really need to know, right? Here's the thing: this really is such a me type of book. A book set in a small, isolated town in Alaska? Check. A mystery with a female detective lead trying to figure out the whodunnit? Check. Cold, snowy atmospheric vibes? Give it to me. And then you add in C.J. Tudor's writing and vampires - this is totally a very me book. And I loved every single minute of it. I loved the way that Tudor straddles the line between horror and mystery. I both flew through the pages/and didn't want this book to end. And then that ending!! I will not say any more besides we NEED another book featuring Detective Barbara Atkins. That is all.

Readers who enjoy dark, suspenseful reads that are borderline horror need to pick this book up. It's just SO good! Five stars - C.J. Tudor is absolutely a favorite author for me at this point. Also, I was going to share an author ranking but I honestly can't decide if I loved this one more than The Burning Girls - I think that they are tied as my favorites by her so far.

The townspeople of Deadhart, Alaska are calling for a cull of the nearby vampire settlement after a teen boy is found drained of blood with his throat ripped out. Big city vampire expert detective Barbara Atkins arrives to determine the true culprit, be it a renegade member of the settlement or a human psychopath, to put a stop to the killings.

This novel could be described as a vampire police procedural horror thriller. Detective Atkins is a top-notch investigator with emotional baggage and strong ethics. She's wary of the townspeople and their motives as she digs deep into the local history. When she connects with the reclusive former sheriff, things begin to fall into place as they lift the veil on local secrets to solve the case.

Add this to your #spookyseason TBR if you love suspenseful small-town detective stories with supernatural horror elements in harsh environments. The pacing will keep you turning the pages and the smart and vulnerable LGBTQ detective Atkins is an engaging and dryly humorous MC.

A horror and suspense-filled murder mystery with unusually high stakes Didn’t want this one to end. I’ve read other books by this author and I enjoyed most of them! Add this one to the list.

This read was a solid 3.5 for me. I really loved the Burning girls by this author and had high hopes for this one. It’s definitely worth the read. I just found myself wanting more information on the vampire world and how it came to be open. I will definitely be waiting for the sequel though.

I have mixed feelings about this book - It kind of started off slow, which is why it took me so long to finish. Once the story picked-up it kept me engaged and vested in the ending. Set in Alaska the story involves a vampyr (spelling in book) colony and a human town set on getting rid of them.
It was a fascinating book in that it did not read as out of this world. It was written in a way that it could possible exist in this time.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and freely given.

vampires? check. freezing cold setting? check. mysterious missing person? check. this has all the parts i love of a horror/thriller, and vampires in alaska is just a great concept. I am picky about vampire books and really enjoyed this one, so even if you're not a vampire book person, I'd give this one a try!

Not the finest from CJ Tudor. I felt like this story had potential but never got the line drive and fear towards vampires lurking in Alaska. I wasn't ever on the edge of my seat.

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.

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.