A vampire expert investigates a murder in rural Alaska. This book took me forever to read because I kept losing interest. It was hard to keep track of who was a vampire, part vampire or human. Vampires are supposed to be scary. Do not de-fang them and make them a disadvantaged segment of society. And there was no suspense in this book until a very brief interlude near the end. I have enjoyed the author’s other books. Try “The Chalk Man”, “The Burning Girls” or “The Drift” instead. This was disappointing. 2:5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Normally, I worry about picking up a book about vampires because they can be either super fantasy which isn’t totally my thing or they are corny romances. This was neither, this was awesome. I liked the main character, I liked that the vampire were their own community and had to deal with the relationships amongst humans. This is a 4.5 for me.

Creepy, ominous and horrific are the 3 words I would use to describe this book. It left me feeling uneasy and feeling like I needed to look over my shoulder. I could so vividly picture each scene written on the pages of this book.

Wow. This book was not at all what I was expecting, but in a good way! I was so sucked into this story from the very beginning. This is my first C.J. Tudor book and I was NOT disappointed. This was unlike anything I have ever read. There were so many twists and turns. I LOVED the small town vibes. The mysteries, the secrets. I will admit, I went into this pretty blind, didn’t pay attention to the synopsis and I’m so glad I did. This completely caught me off guard. The whole time I was trying to guess who did it and was nowhere near close to knowing until the end. Truly a wonderfully written book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 10/10

I thought this book was a very interesting read. The premise is that vampires (“vampyrs”) have lived near humans since the beginning of time. They mostly live in Colonies, which are nominally protected by the government…until a vampyr kills a human. They are then subjected to Culls, and all in the colony are killed. The story starts out with a detective who specializes in vampyrs having to go to Alaska to solve a murder.

The suspense is nonstop in this book, and I could hardly put it down. There are several mysteries that need to be solved, and they are all tied together. Plus vampires! There is some gore, but it’s not extreme.

I was looking for something to read that would make me feel a similar vibe to True Detective: Night Country, and this one fit the bill for the most part. The setting is atmospheric and eerie, the characters are hardened and mistrustful of outsiders, and there's a weird mystery to be solved that just might untangle years of carefully kept town secrets. That said, it didn't drawn me in immediately. It took a bit of perseverance to get through the opening exposition and to the meat of the action, but I enjoyed this one.

Masterful world-building dominates this tale set in a world where Vampyrs are an accepted (if not very welcome) presence in daily life. Set in a small, remote Alaskan town, The Gathering, is at it's core a murder mystery. I loved the characters in this small, insulated town; the microaggressive battles between the pro- and anti-Vampyr groups in town; the twists and turns in the tale. I was immediately pulled into this subzero world of darkness and distrust and loved every minute of it!

The Gathering is a fun new take on the vampire story - a murder mystery set in a small Alaskan town neighboring a vampyr colony. Vampyrs are second class citizens - they can't work, they certainly can't vote, and for centuries they've been hunted like animals. In the present day, they have certain rights - you can't technically kill them without cause - but religious bias and fear continue to work against them in any kind of justice system. Detective Barbara Atkins is a police officer and anthropologist specializing in vampyrs who has been called into the village of Deadhart after the murder of a teenage boy that appears to have been committed by a vampyr. It is Detective Atkin's job to determine whether or not a "cull" - a mass killing of the vampyr colony - is justified. With lots of pressure from the townspeople to eradicate the "spawn of satan" living nearby and as more bodies turn up, Atkins is racing against the clock to prevent mass casualties among both vampyrs and humans.

This was a fun, spooky, wintry read! Very atmospheric, with some closed door mystery elements given the snowed-in small town.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you so much to C.J. Tudor and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC through NetGalley! The Gathering is available now.

3.5 stars rounded up. I did enjoy this story and the ending was interesting. However, there were alot of characters and connections to keep track of and I absolutely hated the MC. But this book was exactly what I needed after too many romances. Loved the wintery setting!

This is definitely an interesting and unique plot for a horror book. Tudor lends his unique voice to a greusome and nuances small-town horror story full of interesting characters.

4 ⭐️

The story in this book was really unique and interesting, and honestly probably a realistic scenario if vampires existed in rural towns. The characters and story arc were complex but largely easy to follow. I was still a little confused by the ending, and I certainly had not been able to guess where the story was heading, which I do enjoy from this author’s other books. Overall I enjoyed this and look forward to reading more from this author.

This thriller is about a vampire colony that returns to a small town in Alaska. There is clear conflict between the town and the vampires, and history of violence against the colony. I love the sense of place that C.J. Tudor created in her writing - between the isolation, snowy weather and Alaskan climate, I was immersed. While I didn't particularly like the main character, detective Barbara, I enjoyed learning about her past and what brought her to her role in investigating vampire attacks. The end of the book leads me to think a sequel could be written, which I will definitely read!

I LOVED this book. Talk about turning the vampire trope on its head! The characters were well developed, the writing was on point, and the plot was great. I have read several books by CJ Tudor, and they never disappoint. But this one might be my favorite! I hope that there are more books with these characters - I really loved that it left things open to a sequel.

Just now finished this and oh my gosh it was so good! I enjoyed it so much and glad I gave it another try!

Couldn't get into the written style but I can see that
others would like this. At this time I'll just soft dnf this
and maybe at a later time i'll try again!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6547983463

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

One of my favorite authors just wrote one of my favorite books. This was epic. I can’t recommend it enough!

A well-done novel!

In the small town of Deadhart in Alaska a teenager has been murdered. It looks like his throat was ripped open and drained of all his blood.

The town wants justice. They believed the vampire Colony living close by was responsible for the death and the humans wanted nothing more than to get approval of a Cull. They want to eradicate the vampires which can only be done if it turns out that the vampires are responsible for the death of fifteen-year-old Marcus Anderson.

Detective Barbara Atkins of the Forensic Vampire Anthropology Department is sent to investigate the case. The town is distrustful of outsiders making things harder for Barbara. More so since Reverend Colleen Grey wants a Cull too.

Barbara decides to enlist the help of the ex-sheriff, Jenson Tucker. He was the last one to investigate a murder twenty-five years ago and very similar to the current case.

Besides, Barbara and Tucker, there is also Athelinda. She is the leader of the Colony although she looks to be a child. She is very old and deadly but she insists the Colony is not guilty of the killing.

Quite a great atmospheric novel with an amazing character. I liked Barbara from the get-go. She was smart, funny, and determined to learn the truth at all costs.

The author leaves the door wide open for another book with this character and I hope it does happen. I would buy that book for sure!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable read, although slightly forgettable. Definitely will read more by this author though! Overall worth it.

3.5 rounded up. I'm a huge fan of CJ Tudor, she does an amazing job with world-building and fleshing out unique lore. The sense of dread and isolation was super present and I found myself really wrapped up in the mystery. I think this could have dialed up the horror in order to leave a bit more of an impact, as I was definitely missing some emotional investment. Also I'm not really sure what to do with the epilogue?

⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️ / 5

THE GATHERING by C.J. Tudor

thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for access to the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

quick thoughts:
🧛🏼 specialist is called in to investigate suspected vampire attacks in rural Alaska
🩸 mix of mystery, thriller, horror
✍🏼 multiple POVs, short chapters
👍🏼 would recommend to horror-thriller lovers!

i’ve enjoyed every Tudor story i’ve read because she does a fantastic job of making you feel like you’re in the story. i’m not a visual reader, so it’s often difficult for me to follow a lot of the details. however, this is why Tudor has become one of my favorite authors—she knows how to tell a story and engage her readers from the first page!

🎶 “don’t sing if you want to live long, they have no use for your song”

i wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan of vampire stories, but i’m definitely a fan of Tudor’s, so i was eager to see what this one was all about. and now… i might consider myself a fan of vampire stories as well 🙃

this was so good and such a unique take on a police procedural! i never saw any of the twists and turns coming, and i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. the vibes were perfectly spooky and dark, and it was the perfect time of year to read this one 🦇