I love going to the library in the next town over from where we live. The library is in a smaller space, and shares a building with the fire station and police station… and also possibly the municipal center. But inside that tiny library is a virtual treasure trove of books. This is where I discovered the Somerton series, and this is where I found The Gathering Storm.

The Gathering Storm is the first book in the Katerina trilogy. This is a young adult series written by Robin Bridges. The series take place in 1880s Russia, and features gorgeous young people from wealthy families enjoying lavish parties as they hope to catch the eye of young European royals (albeit minor royals).

Did I mention that the pretty young narrator has a big secret?

She is a necromancer, and she is desperate that no one find out about her power. She considers it a curse, and wants nothing more than a normal life. She does have two suitors, but one is unattainable and the other might have ulterior motives.

But she is not the only one with magical powers. Apparently, Imperial Russia is just teeming with magical people. There were so many different factions and abilities and types of magical people, and it was a little difficult to sort out the affiliations.

Bridges has created such a lush and vivid world. Her descriptions are breathtaking. I do not have very much experience with Russian literature, but The Gathering Storm piqued my interest. In fact, a friend saw me reading the book, and asked me about it. I found myself excitedly sharing my YA find.

I would absolutely recommend The Gathering Storm. I have a funny story that expresses my interest in this series. I saw on the library network that the second book in the series was available at the same library where the first book came from. We were going on vacation on a Tuesday, so I made plans to stop at the library, return the first book, and borrow the second. My plans were thwarted when I arrived at the library, only to find out that they were closed on Mondays! I was so sad that I had to wait over a week to get the next book! I still had books in my reading queue, but I was looking forward to having the next book. The story ends happily: by the time I returned to the library, they had both the second and the third volumes available. I am a happy camper indeed!

If you would like some more information about The Gathering Storm, you can find it here: The Gathering Storm (Katerina)