Swarm - Outstandingly Fun and Unique!
“A cloud of them, black from this distance, take off in one direction, shift suddenly, dive together, pull up. They remind me of sparrow flocks in the fall, shifting and weaving, living smoke.”
Coming to shelves in early November, Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle is a must-buy. Shur is in class when she sees a giant butterfly outside. At least 2 feet big. Chaos then ensues as an emergency alert goes out and everyone flees. Butterflies are swarming across the world…and surprise, they have a nasty bite on them that causes infection. Shur, her twin brother Keene, her best friend Jenny, his best friend Nathan, and their baby brother Little find themselves trapped in their home fighting to survive against a deadly swarm.
“We’re hiding like the squirrels, like the birds. The small things that could wiggle through cracks into the attic, into holes in the ground.”
Here’s what I loved:
Okay, so here’s the thing, I read this whole damn book in one day. I could not stop reading it. I have bruises on my legs from reading while walking to the fridge to hydrate and hitting every bit of furniture along the way. This book is addicting and fast paced and after reading it all in one sitting, a fever dream. It’s rare a book does that to me, but this one took my heart and soul.
The characters are phenomenal. They’re all so well thought out and feel incredibly real. We see this strange event through all of their eyes and Lyle does an outstanding job of managing 5 characters who are basically always together in a scene.
There’s some really creepy moments in here that I won’t spoil, but I definitely freaked out reading certain descriptions. There’s also some jaw dropping moments that had me yelling out loud to my dogs, “OH SHIT” “NO WAY” “OH FUCK” etc. etc. etc.
I was nervous about going into this story as the lead character has an anxiety disorder. And as someone who has an anxiety disorder and takes daily medication for it, I find it quite inaccurate and usually over dramatized in most books. But not in this one. It was a really accurate portrayal and put into words things that I have personally dealt with that I could never quite figure out how to explain. This is a really strong and realistic anxiety rep, so a big thank you to Lyle for that.
Overall, Swarm is one hell of a fun book and I’m so happy to have read it. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. A massive thank you to Sourcebooks for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Pick up a copy for yourself when Swarm hits shelves on November 7th. Or better yet…pre-order it! I promise you will love this.
“...but I’m ready – was born ready. I am sheer adrenaline alight on terror’s wings.”
