I am a huge fan of Andy Marino’s other two books, “It Rides a Pale Horse” and “The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess.” I’m a huge fan of Marino’s writing in general. He’s one of those authors who writes stories you’ve never read before. Imaginative and strange and at times absolutely horrifying experiences. I was very excited to get my hands on this ARC.

I’ll start by saying this book did not disappoint, but it is VERY different from Marino’s other two novels. While there are certainly things I wasn’t expecting and elements very unique to this world, this novel is still a pretty standard fare creature feature.

If you are even a little bit iffy about bugs, DO NOT READ THIS. I have a fairly strong stomach and there was a scene about 15% in that almost had me gagging. Some of the body horror in this is next level disgusting. (And very creative!)

My favorite characters were def Rebecca and Vicky. They were both interesting and strong women who had flaws and made mistakes. Plus, I love a good police procedural in the middle of a horror book when it’s done well. I also liked Alicia quite a bit, even if her and Will’s chapters bordered on over-the-top ridiculous at times. All of the ladies in this were great. Marino is very good at writing women across the board in his novels.

I didn’t really care for Anton’s sections. (Until the end, when they became everything I was hoping for!) There are quite a few different characters to keep up with in this book, and for a lot of it his part of the saga just didn’t grab me like the others.

Marino is great at describing the wild, disgusting terror of the cicadas blanketing entire areas of a city and attacking people in droves. The only big issue with this is that there are only so many ways to talk about it before it begins to get repetitive. He does find new avenues for the bug horror to take, though. The cicadas aren’t just plentiful: they are organized and they are hyper-intelligent. (And this is only scratching the surface of the visceral terror of this book.)

Funny how so many things remind me of the “Alan Wake” and “Control” games now. (No spoilers, but scientists and spirals.)

There was one very shocking and upsetting moment that I’m still thinking about.

Overall, definitely not for the faint-hearted, or anyone with a fear of insects. Things get violent, gross, and weird in all the most interesting ways. 4.5 stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

TW: Child harm, Suicidal Ideation, Torture

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Swarm.

I read The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess, and though I wasn't a fan, I was familiar with the author and curious to see his take on a post-apocalyptic world.

I love post-apocalyptic novels, especially featuring zombies or monsters or zombie monsters, but this wasn't for me, not just because bugs freak me out.

First, if you have entomophobia, or insectophobi, stay far away from The Swarm. And the cover. Don't even open the book and check out the body horror, the cracking, creaking, ripping scenes of insects emerging from their...sorry, never mind.

Second, there's no doubt the author can write, but he writes...a lot. How else do I put it?

Third, The descriptions of the cicadas, the bug eyes, how they infiltrate and hunt humans, that's all creepy, gross, and well done.

Now I'm all for exposition, but there's such a thing as too much. It's like exposition on top of exposition; copious prose on each character's background. that reads like filler.

There are multiple characters from different parts of the US, and their storylines will converge on each other eventually.

In the meantime, the cicada swarm is sweeping across the world and the cast of characters must stay alive to find out how to fight back.

It was hard to remember who was who at times, so it's not easy to relate or care about them.

I wasn't a fan of the cult subplot, and the not so surprising discovery the government held a long-held desire to turn bugs into a bioweapon which is totally cliche.

There was too much going on on top of all the exposition and distracted from the urgency of the narrative.

I looooove an apocalypse/plague book, and this was gripping with a lot of horrifying imagery, but it just wasn't my exact type of apocalyptic. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it's.....very written by a white man. Like Stephen King, Chuck Wendig.

I felt we could have had a bit more introspection, some character development, rather than non-stop gore - BUT if that's what you're looking for and you're ok with developing a cicada phobia, it's worth the read!

This apocalyptic book of cicada fueled carnage is one hell of a ride! It is equal parts fascinating, disgusting, and pulse pounding. I loved every second of it! This is one of those books where just when you think it couldn’t possibly get worse for our protagonists, it does, and so much worse than I ever imagined. The lead characters are so well drawn but at the same time you truly feel like they are all in danger at any time, and many times you will be completely correct in feeling that way! This is one of those books that you just know will be made into a movie or series asap. Highly recommended, but might make your skin crawl and hit the gag reflex a few times!

First off, the imagery in this book was amazing and it started super strong with a scene that captured the oppressive and ominous nature of the situation and environment in a very poignant way. There were a few moments like that peppered throughout the book. If you like an author who can bring the scenery to life, you'll probably vibe with Marino's style.

My problem with this book is that not all POVs had the same polished feeling and therefore I enjoyed certain POVs A LOT more than others. There's one POV which I think would have made the whole story better (by way of improved pacing) if it had been removed entirely. Also, the way cult stuff was handled really wasn't it for me and every time it came up, I threw me off and I had to get back into it which got harder and harder every time.

The idea for the story, the evolving menace, the teeth (so many teeth), and the perfect ending (again with Marino's magnificent ability to set the stage) there's still a lot to enjoy in there just could have used a little trimming in my opinion.

Disclosure: I received an eARC from Redhook Books through Netgalley (many thanks to both for the opportunity to read and review this title).

The Swarm is full of ick and ew and SO MANY CICADAS!

I live in a part of the country with no cicadas. I’ve always been happy about that but, after reading this book, I’m now ecstatic. Even now I can feel them crawling and clicking and burrowing and NO!

The scope of the book is definitely epic and there’s something not quite right (of course) about our buggy beasties.

Now, while I like epic, I did find the book just a touch longer than it needed to be. I found myself ready for the story to end quite a bit before the author ended it. But aside from that, it was definitely a good read and I’d recommend it to anyone who is not squeamish!

• ARC via Publisher

Thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Andy Marino's 'The Swarm.'

I probably shouldn't have read this at a time when the brood has been constantly cacophonous for weeks down here but, nevertheless, I did.

This is great fun - a creature feature, monster movie on the page. Oddly behaving cicadas cause an almost overnight global apocalypse and our band of disparate and desperate survivors try to combat them and save humanity. The action centers on upstate NY (cops, 'fixers,' and parents), Manhattan (tech magnates), and Louisiana (forensic entomologist) and it's difficult to expand on that without spoilers so I won't even attempt.

Honestly, I hadn't much of a clue as to how some key strands tied together - again, very hard to describe that without introducing immediate spoilers - but it didn't affect my enjoyment too much. Just go with the flow and if you're at all squeamish, especially about bugs, do not even attempt to read this one.

You know if horror is good if it begins with a realistic plot and believable characters. A small town, perhaps, with a hardworking policewoman who is a devoted single mother. Private detectives investigating sex trafficking and kidnapping and finding something worse. Staged murders. It’s all here in The Swarm and it isn’t subtle. Crime in town coincides with the emergence of a multitude of cicadas, one year early. They swarm from trees and settle on residents and it isn’t pretty.

Here I, a horror fan, stopped reading. I now have a cicada problem (the mouth to mouth!) and I had to stop. I think The Swarm would make a great movie. Horror is supposed to grab you and terrify you and this happened to me to the point of closing my Kindle. I’ll definitely try this author again once he moves away from the cicadas! 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook Book and Andy Marino for this ARC.