I'll start with the advertising. This was said to be a queer dystopian story and when I tell you I ran to click the request button. I think that's why I'm so disappointed in it being such a minor subplot you can barely call it a plot at all. This definitely gave me Maze Runner or Divergant YA dystopia vibes and that's not a terrible thing by any means but it saying it was Adult kinda blows my mind. I think there was tons of potential, there were so many points that held my interest but weren't really expanded upon. I'd love to see this fleshed out more or maybe marketed a different way, I'm sure those who love what I'm "eh" on about it would enjoy this book! It was pretty short and the ending left me hoping to read a second book one day!

The Way of the Cicadas by Audrey Henley.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC ebook for an unbiased review.

This was a book that on the face of it, I should've loved from start to finish. It was touted as an adult dystopian LGBTQIA novel. Sadly, the blurb was better than the book presented. It felt more a YA book, and as for LGBTQIA content, while there was a minor nod towards some, it was so minor, so inconsequential to the story as a whole, it really shouldn't be pushing that aspect in an attempt to gain readers.

Where did it go wrong? I'm not sure. Some parts of the book were interesting enough. But I began to find my concentration wavering about half way through, and while there some moments that towards the end kept my attention, it all rather fell flat.

I had difficulty in having any great connection to any of the characters. I don't expect to necessarily find connections to every character in a book, but here I simply found I couldn't care enough about main characters involved, beyond a mild curiosity as to what happens.

A book that wasn't the worst, but it always felt middle of the road in amongst some exceptionally great books in this genre. Also publishers, the LGBTQIA community is not here to be used as a marketing ploy on books that really have nothing of real value to offer us. That hasn't been a reason for my choice of rating, but do not read this book if you expect solid LGBTQIA representation.

3/5 stars

United States Publication: April 4, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Monodon Books for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Ten years ago Cold War II took place with bombs that contained radiation meant to wipe out the population of the United States. Prior to the bombings, shelters had been created and stocked, and spots sold to live in them post-bombing. The question for the residents of Antar is, are the radiation levels decreased enough 10 years later that people can safely emerge from their underground shelter? The residents of Antar are divided but when a survivor is spotted and brought in from up top more are convinced a scouting party could emerge and try to find supplies they have run out of. The members of Class Three, along with the survivor rescued, decide to leave the bunker and search for others and supplies. But life up top is fraught with fear, threats to personal safety, and unhealthy survivalists. And when Class Three, along with Brita - the survivor, are captured secrets surface that shed a new perspective on the past decade of life underground.

This was okay, not great. It has potential and it seems the author is planning a second book to make this a series. She certainly left it wide open as the book ended with no real resolution to anything. I always find post-apocalyptic stories really interesting because they are all basically the same exact story. The United States gets bombed or trashed in some way and people go rogue and become total assholes in their quest to survive and then there is always some faction that has somehow managed to not just survive but thrive and advance technology but chooses not to share it with the population at large, thus confirming they are also assholes. Certain parts of the story, or perhaps the characters, I liked but by the time I got about halfway through I was kind of over it all and it felt like the storytelling started to lag. I feel like Henley started off strong but waned once Class Three emerged from their underground bunker. I also want to address the labels attached to the book. It's labeled General Fiction (Adult), LGBTQIAP+, Sci Fi & Fantasy. I actually think it belongs more in the YA category and the Sci Fi/Fantasy is accurate given the post-apocalyptic storyline. But the label LGBTQIAP+ is not accurate. At all. I know Henley wants it to be this, and perhaps she has plans for future books in the series to portray those different relationships but this title gave the barest of hints toward any kind of LGBTQIAP+. If anything all it really featured, outright, was a straight relationship. If someone was searching for books that featured LGBTQIAP+ relationships and read this, they would be disappointed. Also, at the beginning of the book Henley provides a URL for a list of triggers the book contains, or so she thinks. So I was prepared for some fairly intense emotional *stuff* and ended the book scratching my head. So I looked up the URL of triggers and even despite reading the book am still confused. Again, Henley's ideas clearly were more intense in her drafts or imagination because what she considers triggers for a variety of things are indeed alluded to in the book but never developed so I wouldn't consider them triggers at all. And that perhaps is the biggest problem with the book, it feels and reads underdeveloped/unfinished.

Thank you so much to NetGAlley and Monondon books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this title ahead of its release.

I am a big fan of science Fiction of all type, and I really enjoyed the post apocalyptic survival silo. It took me back to reading Wool for the first time, and I really enjoyed that part of the setting. Audrey Henley did an amazing job of setting up the scene for the urgent escape of the main cast of characters and their plan to save their home.

That said, I think that was where I started to lose interest. I really wanted to have a good reason to fall in love with this band of adventurer's, but the scene shifted a lot and sometimes there were odd time skips in the middle of sections. Something about it just didn't feel as fluid as I would have liked. However, the mystery of what had happened, both to the world at large and to the newcomer to the group, kept me reading.

I think that this is a fun read with a great premise. It's a coming of age story during the post apocalypse and would be a good fit for anyone looking to fill that itch left behind by books like Wool or Station Eleven.

This book began with big City of Ember vibes (which I loved, that was one of my favorites in middle school), and I feel like it would be amazing but the pacing was a little off for me. It was almost too fast at some points where I would have liked more details, and I felt like there could have been more story development. I feel like maybe another round or two of editing and I would have absolutely loved this. Big dramatic things were happening but I didn't FEEL them like I would for a 5 star book. I really liked the ending, it made it seem as if a sequel could be a possibility. Also, I’m obsessed with the title.

Cover Thoughts: honestly a great cover, the colors, the overlay, overall 9/10

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

The Way of the Cicadas is marketed as "[a] lyrical near-future post-apocalyptic LGBTQ novel with an ensemble cast featuring government conspiracies and secret military technology set in the Nevada desert." While all of the aforementioned is true, this book unfortunately just fell flat for me, with a lot of loose ends I did not feel were tied up.

I did find myself thoroughly enjoying this book in certain moments (notably - about 70% through). It was a quick read, and I do feel like this book could be a setup for a sequel or even a series.

Did it feature an ensemble cast? Yes. Do I feel like I connected deeply to the characters? No. With the multiple 3rd person POVs (with the characters all sharing scenes most of the time) it became muddy to me who was thinking what and who was being referred to. I wish that more time was spent in one person's POV, or that multiple chapters in a row existed in one POV, as to thoroughly flesh out one character's thoughts of an event before moving on to the next.

I feel like that's where the book fell flat for me - I so badly wanted to connect to one character and instead, I was getting a glimpse of everyone and right when I began to feel for someone, I was suddenly in someone else's POV. What I did love was the plot, and I feel like large events could have been expanded upon much more if they weren't sacrificed to be able to fit in everyone's POVs as they experienced it.

I felt like calling this book an LGBTQ+ novel is interesting - the inner thoughts of certain characters reveal a past gay relationship, but none of that is actually spoken aloud, nor is it really expanded upon between the two characters. There is only one kiss or "love" scene featured in the book, and it's straight. So marketing this book as an LGBTQ+ story, in my opinion, should be revised to say "contains LGBTQ+ characters" or should be left out altogether - it's not important enough of a storyline to market the entire book towards a community who consequentially will read this book and be let down by the lack of LGBTQ+ content the synopsis alludes to.

If this book does have a sequel, I hope it's just set in Hayden and Brita's POV. They are obviously the two main characters (and the only characters referred to by name in the synopsis), and I feel that the character development of the ensemble cast can be spoken and built upon through the POVs of the main characters.

A post-apocalyptic story that follows several teenagers as they try to find their way in the world, quite literally. I thought this book took an interesting plot and some very familiar tropes and put an interesting twist on them, but I don't know if it went far enough. It was easy to read -- I flew through it in less than a day -- but the characters were only fleshed out enough to give you a weak taste of who they were, so I never felt truly attached to anyone. I also was expecting much more since it was marketed as having LGBTQIA+ characters, but that really only came up a couple times, VERY minorly. Overall it was a pleasant read, with the last 1/4 or so being the most interesting by far, but it didn't blow me away.

Post apocalyptic plots are one of my favorites and this story provided quite a universe of story telling following a nuclear war. I’ll knock off a star since I was looking for more queer content since this is listed under that genre. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The way of the Cicadas follows several characters as the emerge from their underground bunker after nuclear war.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and found the story compelling. I do wish that there had been more character development at the beginning. I personally love a multi POV story but I found that this book had too many and I think that is why I didn't connect with the characters as much. I liked that this book was on the shorter side but I do wish that it had been slightly longer so that there could have been more focus on the characters and their back stories.

“the way of the cicadas” is marketed as an adult dystopian novel with lgbtqia+ characters. I’d argue that it is a YA dystopian novel with a very, very teeny tiny minor queer romance — if you can even call it that. it is most certainly YA, if it were for adults, there would be a lot more imagery of radiation burns and poisoning. this novel is great for a YA audience, not someone like me who wants the nitty gritty details of fallout.

we follow several young people throughout this novel, most of them have lived in a bunker for most of their lives and do not know anything of the outside world. when brita, an amnesiac, wanders into their territory and is taken into the underground bunker, life radically changes for everyone. when rations are announced, they all decide to escape and see the world for what it is.

this novel doesn’t have a strong anti-authoritarian or anti-government theme. it was interesting, but felt a bit shallow. it is written as if it will be the first book of a series, not a stand alone, and that was not advertised either. if it is a stand alone, the ending leaves a lot more questions than answers. there were too many POVs for my preference and most of the characters sounded the same. great for YA lovers, not great for people with more literary tastes.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good bunker apocalypse story. Dust by Hugh Howey is a great example. This book had some potential but fell a little short for me.
Loved the first bit when they were in the bunker and figuring out the mysteries and trying to survive. I didn’t mind the parts of escaping and meeting up with other survivors but didn’t love the “twist” of their sister bunker and what was happening there. It just fell a little flat and seemed a little to “mad scientist” for me. I’m not sure if this book will have a sequel but it definitely set itself up for one and part of me was disappointed with the ambiguity of the ending.
Overall an okay book but not my favorite bunker/apocalypse book.
Also-I’m sure the title has significance but for the life of me I can’t figure it out.

i was so excited to read this book but unfortunately it wasn't what i was expecting.

i loved the idea of a group of people escaping the underground city the government had created to protect them from the radiation outside and realizing everything was a lie. but that didn't happen. i was expecting the government to be the evil force of the book but it didn't feel like that at all, they were too bland to be actually evil.

and then we have the main characters, we get to see different povs and they are definitely different but i still didn't like any of them. i think the reactions to different situations and the way they behaved were unrealistic and not well flashed out. their personalities would change from scene to scene depending on what was happening.

the last couple of chapters were definitely the most interesting ones so that was a nice way to finish the book but i was bored throughout most of it so those couple of chapters couldn't really change my mind about the entire book.

"The Way of the Cicadas" by Audrey Henley is a beautifully written and deeply moving novel that explores the themes of identity, family, and coming of age. The author's writing style is evocative and lyrical, capturing the essence of the story with grace and sensitivity. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making for a touching and memorable read. If you're looking for a novel that will move you emotionally and leave you with much to ponder, "The Way of the Cicadas" is a must-read. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a beautifully written and emotionally impactful read.

This book had an interesting premise but I am extremely disappointed by the execution. The first 75% of the book drags on and on and on and when you finally get to a part that drags you in, it just wraps up so quickly. I thought this was a stand-alone and I guess it technically could be but the ending leaves a lot of unanswered questions that feels like it’s setting up for a sequel.
I think my biggest issue was just how similar all the povs were? Every character felt the same yet somehow they all did things that felt extremely out of character?? Like how is that possible for the most boring people to ever exist in a dystopian novel?? The dialogue was just rough all around. The friendships were extremely unbelievable and the relationships that were obviously supposed to be romantic were flat and the characters had no chemistry. The whole super soldier thing def felt very Bucky barnes/winter soldier but like the generic version of the generic brand. And don’t get me started on the names.
I think this could potentially be a good book but this version is not it at all. Thanks, NetGalley (even though I’m very disappointed).

A dystopian tale of the future. I enjoyed this book very much. I actually read it on one setting. Very interesting story line and this author will definitely be one I follow.

A post-apocalyptic YA is right up my alley. Also, you've got a Station Eleven feel going on. Engaging characters and an engaging story. I will say I was looking for more LGBT content.

Good worldbuilding and engaging plotline. While the ending set up for a sequel effectively, I didn't feel like the individual novel had reached a satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed the multiple main characters and each were effectively developed throughout.

A nuclear war has caused civilization to move underground due to high radiation levels and for over ten years, entire colonies have survived off of rations and the hope that they would one day be allowed to venture out into the surface. The story picks up around the 10 year mark when the arrival of an outsider causes even more unrest amongst the bunkers. Rations run low, restrictions are put in place and slowly our group of MC’s start to piece together how little chance of survival they actually have. I really loved the relationships between each character, each with their own personality and issues to tackle as they discover things aren’t what they seem. I love dystopian stories and The Way of the Cicadas definitely scratches that itch.

However, this book is marketed as featuring several bisexual MC’s and while that might have been slightly true… instances where this was addressed felt more like an afterthought than an actual story plot. I do appreciate how normalized it felt BUT, I felt cheated because I went in expecting a dystopian story with queer elements. It’s borderline click-bait and I hope that it’s not marketed that way upon its release.

As far as adult-ish dystopian stories goes, this was great and I’m hoping there’s a follow up to see where the crew ends up next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Monodon Books for the eArc!

The Way of the Cicadas was a super fun and easy read, especially for a post-apocalyptic story!
The characters were very well thought out and made you quickly and easily understand each of the main characters, their motivations, and how they all related to each other. The characters definitely made you care about them!
The only thing to be left desired in this book were stronger plot points or motivations of side characters. Side characters would do things that didn’t seem to make any sense for who they were just to move the story along. The development of side characters where they then act completely against their established personality was a bit jarring and brought me out of the book a bit.
Overall, incredibly fun story that I enjoyed reading!

The Way of the Cicadas is a promising post-apocalyptic debut, following a group of young friends who have spent their last 10 years in a nuclear bunker under the Nevada desert as they delve into the outside world after a girl with no memories stumbles upon their underground home.

As the story progresses, secrets from the past emerge, as well as information kept from the main characters who will fight for their survival amidst hardness, betrayal and new alliances.

Both the large-scale worldbuilding and the characters could use a bit more depth in my view, but nonetheless it's a pleasant read with growing stakes in the second half of the book.

The LGBT relationship is really minor (barely visible) and the book should not be advertised as an LGBT novel by the publisher - it's not the author's fault it's promoted in this way.

Thank you NetGalley and Monodon Books for the ARC!