Review ~ Blog Tour ~ The Gathering by Bernadette Glacomazzo.

The Uprising Series tells the story of three freedom fighters and their friends in high — and low — places that come together to overthrow a vainglorious Emperor and his militaristic Cabal to restore the city, and the way of life, they once knew and loved. In The Gathering, Jamie Ryan has defected from the Cabal and has joined his former brothers-in-arms — Basile Perrinault and Kanoa Shinomura — to form a collective known as The Uprising. When an explosion leads to him crossing paths with Evanora Cunningham — a product of Jamie’s past — he discovers that The Uprising is bigger, and more important, than he thought.

Review

I would like to thank the author and blog tour organiser Anne Cater for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Gathering is a novella with a very modern vibe to it.

It deals with the gathering storm of an uprising against a Emperor, in a futuristic New York.

I must admit that this book left me feeling a little unsatisfied, because I like books with a bit more depth to them. It doesn’t make The Gathering a bad book, because it’s not, it is in fact a great example of futuristic urban fiction.

It is written in a sparse way, short snappy paragraphs focusing on events rather than a very descriptive narrative, which helps create a feeling of a futuristic city, bereft of art and culture. To the writers credit, her style of writing enhances the feeling of a city that has lost it’s very soul.

The character development was focused on Jamie Ryan, once a singer, now a rebel and Evanora Cunningham, daughter of his best friend.  You get to know about their past and what drives them, without the book becoming heavy in back story.  Both are very likeable characters, Jamie especially. Very much a rebel with a cause, in the mould of a Tarantino lead, rather than your more traditional romantic hero.  The Gathering is very urban and the characters reflect that.

If you like your books with a very ‘punchy’ writing style and you don’t mind frequent swearing then this book is for you.

You can purchase The Gathering from Amazon.

About the author.

With an impressive list of credentials earned over the course of two decades, Bernadette R. Giacomazzo is a multi-hyphenate in the truest sense of the word: an editor, writer, photographer, publicist, and digital marketing specialist who has demonstrated an uncanny ability to thrive in each industry with equal aplomb. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and many, many more. She served as the news editor of Go! NYC Magazine for nearly a decade, the executive editor of LatinTRENDS Magazine for five years, the eye candy editor of XXL Magazine for two years, and the editor-at-large at iOne/Zona de Sabor for two years. As a publicist, she has worked with the likes of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and his G-Unit record label, rapper Kool G. Rap, and various photographers, artists, and models. As a digital marketing specialist, Bernadette is Google Adwords certified, has an advanced knowledge of SEO, PPC, link-building, and other digital marketing techniques, and has worked for a variety of clients in the legal, medical, and real estate industries. Based in New York City, Bernadette is the co-author of Swimming with Sharks: A Real World, How-To Guide to Success (and Failure) in the Business of Music (for the 21st Century), and the author of the forthcoming dystopian fiction series, The Uprising. She also contributed a story to the upcoming Beyonce Knowles tribute anthology, The King Bey Bible, which will be available in bookstores nationwide in the summer of 2018.

The author can be followed on her Website and Twitter.