The Gathering Storm

Reader: Emily
Age: 17
Title: The Gathering Storm
Author: Robin Bridges
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: 01/10/2012
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen's Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Convince us to read the book: N/A
Compelling aspects of the book: I think what is interesting about this book is that Robin Bridges chose to write about 19th century Russia. Instead of creating a hypothetically historical route (although this book is full of historical ideas), she wrote about magic, necromancy and the undead. Bridges starts the book in a conflicting manner, but manages to tie in vampires, werewolves, and all manner of strange beasts by the end of the book.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: Yes
Reasons why you were disappointed with the book: First, the first few chapters of this book are quite confusing to the reader. The book starts off as a historical novel, but quickly changes into a story of the supernatural. The reader will feel confused about the direction of the story, perhaps the vampire princesses and princes could be tied in better? Second, the synopsis on the back of this book barely suggests supernatural beings, only the main character having the powers of necromancy. The reader would be misguided when first reading this book and think it was more of a historical romance than an historical paranormal novel
Cover: This cover could do with some improvement. The title's font contrasts with the crisp image on the cover. When viewing the cover, it can be difficult to focus in on either the girl or the title. Also, a little less snow on the girl, it would be nice to see more of what she is wearing and perhaps give the reader a better sense of the time period. I suggest a more angular font which would better represent the book.
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 2Q Needs more work
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal