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.

The Gathering is a paranormal police procedural set in a small Alaskan town. When a young boy is found murdered, Barbara is sent to investigate the killing. Barbara is not only a homicide detective, but a specialist in “vampyr” killings, which this has all the hallmarks of. Barbara is committed to discovering the real killer, but the locals push back, wanting her to authorize a “cull” of the vampyr colony (kill them all). The relationship between vampyrs and humans is distrustful and tense to begin with, but even more so here because another young boy was murdered by a vampyr 25 years ago. Barbara must navigate angry locals, pissed off vampyrs, and her own hangups, all on top of an Alaskan snowstorm with a murderer on the damn loose.

This novel is extremely atmospheric. Tudor does a really nice job of setting the scene of a cold, remote Alaskan town with lots of secrets. Several of the characters have layered and interesting backstories. A perfect book to read while curled up with a cup of coffee and a kitty in your lap.

The book was really slow for me. I tried to get into the plot but I felt like I just couldn't connect with the characters. I thought this book would be a past paced vampire book. It was a slow burn mystery. It was an okay read for me and definitely not the best for me.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC

In a small Alaskan town called Deadhart, a teenage boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The citizens of Deadhart know who’s responsible: a member of the Colony, a community of vampires once again living in an old mining settlement deep in the woods, a colony they drove out of town 25 years ago after a similar murder.
Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampire killings, is called in to officially determine if this is a colony killing, but after more bodies are discovered she enlists the help of a former Deadhart sheriff, Jenson Tucker, who investigated the previous murder.
As they investigate, secrets, bigotry, hate, and heinous acts of violence against the vampire community come to light. A beautifully crafted story about how hate against a group of people can cause a ripple effect through a town and eat at your own heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House/Ballentine Publishing for the to read this book for an honest review.

Big Thanks to Random House Publishing for an advance copy of The Gathering by CJ Tudor!
CJ Tudor is an auto-buy for me, so I was over the moon to see that I was approved to read it before it hit the shelves. The Gathering is a dark, twisty and gritty paranormal thriller set in the tiny town Deadhart, Alaska, Population 873, Living. When a boy of found, blood drained and throat ripped out, suspicions fly to "The Colony", A group of disgraced vampyres who have been shunned and sent to live apart deep in the mines and dark forests. There hasn't been a killing like this in 25 years....
Special Detective Barbara Atkins, who specializes in these type of killings, is called in to investigate and uncovers a horrors like no other in this tiny icy claustrophobic town. I was kept guessing until the twisty and shocking conclusion. Can't wait for more wild rides from CJ Tudor!

I really like the world of this book - vampyres are real, and subject to a lot of restrictions and laws. There's a lot of hate on both sides. And Detective Barbara Atkins gets sent to a tiny, isolated town in Alaska to investigate a killing. It was spooky, with a lot of mysterious events, conflicting evidence, and quite a history.

The plot was fast moving, and kept me engaged. I especially liked the main character and her determination to proceed carefully and legally in the midst of such chaos.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and to c.j. tudor for the advanced reader copy of "the gathering". when i read the synopsis of this book, i knew i had to get my FANGS into an ARC as soon as possible. i was raised on a plethora of vampire media, so i jump at the opportunity to find more. this book had all the little tropes i love, in fact: small town, string of brutal murders, vampires. this book takes place in the town of deadhart, alaska (what a badass name) after a teenage resident's body was found. i loved the air of mystery surrounding the murders; the idea of could it be an actual vampire, or is it simply a deranged psychopath getting creative with his kills?

i had a good time reading this, but what put a drag on my reading experience is the police procedural aspect. i kind of knew that was what i was getting myself into when reading this, but i've come to realize that that trope in thrillers just is not for me, but that's okay!

When I saw that this was a vampire book I eagerly put in a request to read it. That, along with the author being CJ Tudor, whom I’ve previously read and reviewed, and greatly enjoyed.

The Gathering isn’t your typical vampire book. It’s set in an alternate universe where humans live along side vampires and there are laws and regulations in place to keep the peace. The main character, Barbara, a vampire anthropologist ,is sent into an isolated town called Deadhart, AK to investigate the murder of a young man and determine if it was a murder committed by a vampire, in which case a cull of the local clan of vampires would be called for.

I enjoyed this through and through. There’s twists and turns and it’s a very unique plot. There’s a lot of history and characters in the story to follow so be ready for that going into The Gathering. That is the one drawback I had. I got a wee bit lost at times. I do believe the author may have set the ending up so that there will be a second book? If so that’s very exciting!

My thanks to Random House- Ballantine, CJ Tudor, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

C.J. Tudor is one of my favorite authors and this book proved why! She gave the vampire story such an fresh and original take in this book!

This is my fourth C.J. Tudor novel and I think this one might be my favorite. The first line of the teaser hooked me immediately and I really enjoyed the whole novel.

Set in rural Alaska, we follow a large cast of characters as they navigate a tricky relationship between humans and a colony of Vampyrs after a human child turns up dead and drained of all his blood. As you can imagine, tensions are high and an expert detective is called in the solve the case before the whole town is over taken in violence and death.

There are a lot of positives to this book. The setting is icy, desolate and unforgiving and you can definitely feel that while reading. In typical C.J. Tudor fashion, this story is fast paced and doesn't shy away from the gore. I would actually say this leans much more horror than mystery/thriller and I'm obsessed with the author going more in that direction. There's some typical themes if you're familiar with the author and I think the story telling moves the plot along effectively. I love a police procedural/detective story so this was right up my alley and really turned the book into a mystery/horror.

The biggest issue I have with the book is a common complaint with this author - way too many characters. I struggled to keep them separate and decided to just kind of go along with the story assuming the characters would sort themselves out eventually. This isn't a deal breaker by any means but it did take me out of the story from time to time.

If you have enjoyed previous works from this author I think you will also enjoy this one. It's fast, exciting and puts the bite back into Vampyrs, something sorely missed from other recent reads. I would recommend holding off until the colder months if you can, the atmosphere really lends itself to ideal seasonal reading.

C.J. Tudor's book have continuously caught my interest since her very first book. I am fascinated by the way she can write stories that are so completely different from each other each time.

The Gathering is one of if not, my favorite book of hers and I can see HBO or Apple TV picking this book up as a series. The Gathering centers around a detective making a trip to a small Alaskan town to investigate the recent killing of a teenage boy. The boy is believed to have been killed by the town Vampryes and a culling has been called. What unravels next is an account of what really happened and also the back story of the town folk and vampires who have been "co-existing" for centuries.

This book had just the right amount of spook and would be a perfect winter or snowy read if you can wait that long.

I loved this book and it is going in my top books of the year category.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read an early copy!