The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Plot: Fifteen year old Maya grew up in a small town - as in a population of maybe two hundred. The town was built for the workers in a top secret research facility, such as Maya's parents. When a reporter begins to snoop around, everyone figures she's just another corporate spy. And when the big-city bad boy starts taking an interest in Maya, she figures he's looking for something more than, say, holding hands. But what if things aren't what they seem to be?

Comments: This book was spectacular! Gripping and intriguing, but also light-hearted, fun and sweet. I loved the main character Maya - but felt like I was reading a fictional story about myself! We have the same name (spelled the same way) and same age and we're both competitive and very stubborn. The similarities end there, however. Turns out there's something extra-special about Maya. A strange feeling keeps rushing through her mind and overwhelming her senses, confusing her and making her question the truth about her past.

I liked the relationship between Maya and her best friend Daniel, and appreciate that the author didn't follow the generic best friends to couple scenario. The bad boy, Rafe, was effectively mysterious and many-faceted. I also thought he was sweet. Spoiler alert! I'm about to mention something later in the book. Skip the rest of this paragraph if you don't want to know. However much I approved of Rafe and his relationship with Maya, I didn't like the truth, that he'd changed his wooing tactics for Maya and chased her like all the other girls, just to check her for a birthmark. It stung, and though Maya was hurt by it, I hated how easily she let it go. She even let him kiss her again, and I wanted to slap her and not him. I mean, really? Rafe admitted outright that he was chasing her so he could check for a birthmark, and that he'd turned sweeter when he realized Maya didn't go for the bad boy thing. And yet, from her actions, Maya seems to be more or less okay with it. I really hated that part. Hopefully she stands up to him more in the next book.

Rating: I rate this book an eight out of ten. I'll be reading the rest of the series.