The Gathering by Bernadette Giacomazzo - Book Blitz & Review + Giveaway
The Gathering
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.
Purchase Links
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39279875-the-gathering
My Review
The Gathering is the first book in The Uprising series, and it's definitely an interesting one. It starts off introducing us (the readers) to Faust, a rock band that has an insane amount of fans and is basically the biggest band in New York at the time. They're all about that sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll lifestyle. But it doesn't last long...
Fast-forward quite a bit and New York is now a shell of its former self. It's known as New New York, and it's run by the Emperor. Emperor pretty much rules the entire world. He also has his own army known as The Cabal. They're a group of men who have a special ability known as psi, which they use to control anyone who goes against the Emperor and his rules.
But there are people who don't like the Emperor, and they want to take him down. They're known as The Uprising, and they plan to return New York to it's former glory.
Now, I don't want to spoil anything or give away what happens in the book, but just know that it will most likely make you angry in quite a few spots. There's a somewhat graphic description of a character's boyfriend being sodomized because he's gay, and being gay is a big no-no in Emperor's world. There are other scenes that might make you (the reader) rage, but I won't give anything else away.
One thing I was a little disappointed by and would have liked to seen done differently was the description of the Emperor. He's basically Trump. Like, he's described as 'orange' at one point, and he's a short, chubby, egotistical maniac.I mean, I get it: the author is very anti-Trump. But I read books to get away from Trump and the media circus that follows him; I don't need him inserted into my fiction as the bad guy. Also, if I'm being honest, I feel like Emperor is slightly worse than Trump, but that's just me. I'm not saying I like the guy (Trump, not Emperor), but I still don't think he's as awful as everyone makes him out to be.
Anyway, now that my political rant is over, I will say I thought the book was relatively well-written. It kept my attention and made me want to know how things were going to play out. I can't say I particularly cared about any of the characters. They were all just sort of there. To me, it was a bit too 'real' for my liking. Like I said, I read dystopian fiction to escape the world we currently live in and find another world that I can lose myself in, even if it is a lot worse. And while New New York is a lot worse, it's still basically the world we live in today, only exacerbated to an extreme level, with a sci-fi element, and with a character who acts like what people think Trump is really like. That sort of took away some of my enjoyment of the story. I want my fiction to stay, well, fiction.
I give The Gathering 3.5 stars.
My Review
The Gathering is the first book in The Uprising series, and it's definitely an interesting one. It starts off introducing us (the readers) to Faust, a rock band that has an insane amount of fans and is basically the biggest band in New York at the time. They're all about that sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll lifestyle. But it doesn't last long...
Fast-forward quite a bit and New York is now a shell of its former self. It's known as New New York, and it's run by the Emperor. Emperor pretty much rules the entire world. He also has his own army known as The Cabal. They're a group of men who have a special ability known as psi, which they use to control anyone who goes against the Emperor and his rules.
But there are people who don't like the Emperor, and they want to take him down. They're known as The Uprising, and they plan to return New York to it's former glory.
Now, I don't want to spoil anything or give away what happens in the book, but just know that it will most likely make you angry in quite a few spots. There's a somewhat graphic description of a character's boyfriend being sodomized because he's gay, and being gay is a big no-no in Emperor's world. There are other scenes that might make you (the reader) rage, but I won't give anything else away.
One thing I was a little disappointed by and would have liked to seen done differently was the description of the Emperor. He's basically Trump. Like, he's described as 'orange' at one point, and he's a short, chubby, egotistical maniac.I mean, I get it: the author is very anti-Trump. But I read books to get away from Trump and the media circus that follows him; I don't need him inserted into my fiction as the bad guy. Also, if I'm being honest, I feel like Emperor is slightly worse than Trump, but that's just me. I'm not saying I like the guy (Trump, not Emperor), but I still don't think he's as awful as everyone makes him out to be.
Anyway, now that my political rant is over, I will say I thought the book was relatively well-written. It kept my attention and made me want to know how things were going to play out. I can't say I particularly cared about any of the characters. They were all just sort of there. To me, it was a bit too 'real' for my liking. Like I said, I read dystopian fiction to escape the world we currently live in and find another world that I can lose myself in, even if it is a lot worse. And while New New York is a lot worse, it's still basically the world we live in today, only exacerbated to an extreme level, with a sci-fi element, and with a character who acts like what people think Trump is really like. That sort of took away some of my enjoyment of the story. I want my fiction to stay, well, fiction.
I give The Gathering 3.5 stars.
Author Bio
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.
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.
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