The town of Prosper in Arkansas has been submerged for many years since the yellow fever killed many of its residents and a dam burst, flooding the town and creating a lake. Cassie grew up at the lake, though after a terrifying incident as a child, she no longer goes in the water. Lark also spent time there as a child and must return there now to get her family’s boat ready to sell. June has no real connection to the lake other than her family, and as she has a hard time finding a place to belong, she travels there to see if she might be able to settle down. These three girls find themselves drawn together by the discovery of a locked box that is pulled from the depths of the lake. What secrets will they uncover about the lake, the area’s history, and themselves?

This book really wanted to work but unfortunately it fell short in many important aspects. The first major detractor was the multiple narrators. The story is told from the three girls’ POVs as well as from a couple of other characters’ POVs, one of which is a teen boy. But the characters’ voices were all the same and read the same, even the teen boy. This made it impossible to keep track of who was who for the first 40 percent of the book, and even after that I couldn’t remember exactly whose past went with what character. As they lacked any meaningful differences in their characterization or voice, the whole first portion of the book was muddied and impossible to connect with, making their individual narratives bled together. This also made it impossible to become emotionally attached to any of the characters or their struggles and secrets, which was a major detractor as this work relied heavily on that aspect.

The second major issue with this book was the lack of atmosphere. This book needed to be an atmospheric and immersive work for it to be impactful. However, it never came through in the writing. The oppressiveness of the summer heat, the fear and anxiety of knowing what was beneath the lake, the tension from visions and growing pressure to sell their property – none of this was present. It all felt bland. In the second half of the book, when the supernatural aspects began to pick up, things became more engaging and slightly more atmospheric. But there was a lot to wade through to get to that point. If I could split my rating, I would rate the first half of the book 1-star and the second half 3.5-stars.

Also, this isn’t a fantasy read. It’s much more magical realism with supernatural elements. However, the magical realism was never explained. The book appears to be set in the regular, everyday world, but then when the supernatural occurs and when one character has a random magical aspect (that’s very magical and unusual), no one really seems surprised that there’s magic. A little attempt at an explanation would have gone a long way.

There was a lot about this work that wanted to be good but just wasn’t. Despite the intriguing premise and cover, I didn’t enjoy this read. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to oread this book, which will be published 6 June 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

While this book is very much a slow-burn, it is far from lacking detail and intrigue. In fact, it's hard to really put a solid genre on this book. It reads like a contemporary fiction but with elements of a thriller, horror, queer romance, and a little bit of fantasy. It sounds like a lot, but it really works with this story.

The writing is beautiful. It is very vivid and it made me feel I was right at that lakeside experiencing the events of the story with the characters. Like I could smell the smells, feel the heat of the sun, all while drinking sweet tea with my literary neighbors. The character community ends up feeling like your community, and as the story progresses, I felt like the town's dark secrets were also my secrets.

And some of the imagery the story leaves you with truly is haunting.

The story takes place in a small lakeside town in Arkansas, and you follow the story of multiple character perspectives, and how their lives intertwine with each other and also the history of Prosper that is literally drowned beneath the lake. I will say it took over half the story for everything to start coming together, so it takes a while and some commitment to get to the flesh of it. Regardless, the writing style makes the entire journey enjoyable.

I really took my time reading this one, giving myself room to really digest the language of the book. Every chapter is packed with information and emotion, along with incredible detail, and it would be a disservice to not give it adequate time to be processed.

I can definitely see myself rereading Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves, because it's no doubt one of those books that you'll keep digging up details you missed in previous reads, which will likely continue to enrich the story.

For me, this was definitely 4.5⭐, only slightly marked down from a full score just because I feel like by the time we got to where we needed to be with the characters and the story plot, it was gearing up to end. It's a slow build up, to a plunging finale.

Talk about run on sentences! It made this book so hard to read. I could have overcome it I suppose, if the plot wasn't so very slow or the character development had been drawn well,but neither case was true. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to reread this book immediately. I want to read this book somewhere hot and humid in the summer, perhaps on the shores of the lake created by the dam that flooded my father out of the town he grew up in. There's so much to this book, from the lyrical, haunting writing that perfectly sets the tone to the characters trying to find their footing in an uncertain world. Some books just /feel/ like seasons - the temperature changes as you're reading them and the rest of the world drifts away. This one is summer, through and through. It's a hard book to review, in the end, because so much of what sticks with you is the feeling that each piece of uncovered history evokes, like trying to explain the refreshing, chilling shock of a lake in summer to someone who's never been. Other times are the feeling of drifting in that warm lake and suddenly passing over a cold spot, wondering if it was just the current or an eddy caused by rocks, or if something else happened once. It's about uncovering the history of places and weaving it into the present, of turning that knowledge into something to use moving forward. I know this one's going to stick with me for a while.

Obsessed with the vibes and atmosphere of this book, as well as the nuanced concepts explored regarding the lake. While the narrative is slow pace in parts, the writing is stunning and immersive. The author's use of magical realism, suspense, and fantasy elements adds to the eerie atmosphere of the story. Overall, this is a hauntingly beautiful and imaginative book that succeeds in transporting the reader to another place entirely.

A story as deep as the lake the town of Prosper perches on. That’s where the ghosts live, in the old town drowned by a dam, in the 1930’s when yellow fever hit. A beautifully written book told from several points of view, it’s part mystery, history, fantasy and horror as we slowly see how the past affects the descendants of those who had come before. The descriptions of those hot, lazy lake side days, cans of soda wet with condensation, and watching the 4th of July fireworks from a boat took me right back to my childhood (thankfully minus the frightening parts!). The characters’ stories are intertwined, I was especially drawn to June as she tries to find herself. I also appreciated the authors notes about the history of towns drowned by dams, and that they were so often the homes of the poor, Blacks, and Native Americans.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of this imaginative book.

4,5⭐️

"I, she would think, I am alive. I am so alive that it hurts. I am so alive that it's growing out of me."

If I had a nickel everytime in 2023 I read a book that dances around magic, ghosts and stale waters, which enchanted me deeply and stole my heart, I would have two nickels.
Which isn't a lot, but I don't know if I have enough hearts to be stolen.

Authors hidden behind the name Quinn Connor built a story so stale as the lake, and yet so deep as one. It's foggy and melancholic, this lives of Cassie, June and Lark, haunted by ghosts of silent relatives and forgotten history. I find it hard to describe the actual plot, not because it's complicated or badly written, quite the opposite really – with peculiar happenings and mysterious under every blade of grass it affects something deeper in reader. I genuinely recommend reaching for this title as soon as it's published, just to let its magic consume you, just to try how deep into this fairytale you can go.

"Just a dream. And yet."

This is a beautifully written story that covers different genres, which I want expecting, but was a pleasant surprise. I generally gravitate towards psychological thrillers. There's magical realism, suspense, fantasy, and even horror.

Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves is set in Prosper Arkansas, and told from multiple point of views. It has dark elements throughout, that sound almost poetic. Lake Prosper floods the Buckville, Arkansas after the dam breaks and drowns the town.

Decades later, a mysterious box in the lake is found, which begs the question "does anything ever really stay buried?"

This was a slow but very enjoyable read. Thank you Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a beautifully written story that covers different genres, which I want expecting, but was a pleasant surprise. I generally gravitate towards psychological thrillers. There's magical realism, suspense, fantasy, and even horror.

Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves is set in Prosper Arkansas, and told from multiple point of views. It has dark elements throughout, that sound almost poetic. Lake Prosper floods the Buckville, Arkansas after the dam breaks and drowns the town.

Decades later, a mysterious box in the lake is found, which begs the question "does anything ever really stay buried?"

This was a slow but very enjoyable read. Thank you Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW TO FOLLOW.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

What a beautiful book. As someone who grew up going to the same beach every summer, that bone deep nostalgia really hit home for me, and my god the writing was GORGEOUS. The only thing I'd say was I had trouble finding the story in some parts, but near the middle/end it really sang, story and writing.

I really enjoyed this book. I was actually so surprised by how quickly I latched on as it had been really hard for me lately.

The plot was absolutely amazing, and the way everything was described was as perfect

I provided only 4 stars because there were too many POVs. I am not usually one to read a book that has multiple.

The writing style was phenomenal and I can’t wait for the release of the book as I will purchase this book and read it again.

Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves by Quinn Connor follows the story of three descendants of a small lakeside town devastated by yellow fever and drowned in a flood caused by a dam failure. When a mysterious locked box surfaces from the depths of the lake, the trio is thrust into a new summer fraught with danger and secrets.

While the premise of the book is intriguing and has great potential, the execution falls short. The characters are underdeveloped, the plot meanders and lacks focus, and the pacing is slow in parts, making it difficult to stay engaged.

The atmospheric descriptions of the flooded town and its secrets are initially vivid, but ultimately fall short of being memorable. While they create a sense of unease, the author misses opportunities to fully immerse the reader in the setting and bring the town's haunting past to life.

On the positive side, the author's prose is well-crafted, with beautiful language that captures the essence of the setting. However, this alone is not enough to carry the book to greatness.

Overall, Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves has its moments of brilliance, but it is ultimately a middling read that falls short of its potential. It may appeal to readers who enjoy atmospheric, slow-paced mysteries, but those looking for a more engaging and well-rounded story may be disappointed.

Incredibly rich, layered, full of vast, dark depths. Masterfully written. I can only recommend this and will be encouraging readers to pick this up once it releases.

Rating: 3/5 stars

"The dead have a tight grip on this place. Did they even know their world was gone and that they were nothing more than the brutal afterimage left behind after a flashing light?"

Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves is a difficult book for me to review. For one, because it doesn’t fit neatly into a single distinct genre (I’d say it’s magical realism/contemporary with a bit of horror). Also because I desperately wanted to love this book more than I did. With its stunning, descriptive writing and so many individual elements and ideas that I loved, this was a lock to be a new personal favourite. And right up until the final page I was rooting, even looking for it to be just that. Unfortunately, although the concept was a 10, but the execution failed to climb above a 6.

What I loved:
First things first: the atmosphere, the imagery and the sense of setting and place are phenomenal. Heat swelters of these pages and this entire read feels like an oppressively clammy July-day with the thickness of a thunderstorm weighing down the air. The authors have a beautifully descriptive narrative voice and a keen eye for striking scenes and setting. From a houseboat filled with glaring telescope lenses hoarded by a troubled individual, to the silhouettes of strange figures wading through reddish lake-waters; I had genuine chills from some of the pictures they painted.
Additionally, the book is packed to the brim with phenomenal ideas for layered storytelling, and important themes. Each of our three protagonists, as well as some of the major side-character, each have their own (family-)history, their own themes, and even their own motifs sprinkled through the story. They also all have a historical counterpart in Old prosper, into which the authors clearly put a lot of research. Reading the foreword, you find out the story was inspired by the real Arkansas town of Bucksville, that flooded after a dam-break and an epidemic of yellow-fever. The authors specifically mention the important themes of racial- and class inequality that meant some communities were hit harder than others by the tragedy that took place. All of this was interesting, and clearly, so felt the authors. Unfortunately, trying to put it all into a single 400 page novel made for a product that is wide as a lake but deep as a puddle.

What I didn’t like:
Simply stated: this book was too ambitious with the amount of themes, motifs, story-lines and threads it had going on. Unable to explore them all, these ideas end up hanging in the air; unresolved and heavy like the muggy summer heat we started this review with. In my opinion, this book would’ve been better had some of the ideas been left on the cutting room floor. Sometimes less is more, and scratching can create room for more depth and a less disjointed narrative.

With ideas and a stunning talent for language and writing, I cannot wait to see what this author duo produces in the future, and I will absolutely read whatever they publish next. For Cicadas, I’m left with an enjoyable read, but also the slight aftertaste of “what could’ve been”.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own.

3.5 stars. This was definitely a slow burn, but I would have liked more of a crescendo. The ending was good, but the rest of the book left me wanting more.

If Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves isn't one of the prettiest titles, then I don't know what is. Now on to the review.

I lived in Arkansas for seven years, right next to a large lake. After reading Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves I realize I got out of Arkansas in the nick of time! I was always suspicious of that lake. Even though there were snakey things and alligators in it, I swam there anyway because, like the people in Prosper, Arkansas, there wasn't much else to do.

Everything is weird in Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves but in a good way. Telescopes watch characters, even turning by themselves to keep watch. An elderly man runs into the water every night and weeps. Another older man (how old? perhaps millennia old) makes grotesque fireworks. Flowers grow wherever one young woman goes. They even grow in her hair while she sleeps. A dead desiccated catfish on a bar's wall spits pearls occasionally. And there's a mysterious box that won't open. But there's more!

All the characters in Prosper, Arkansas, both alive and dead, have something strange and magical about them. I have to admit that sometimes the strangeness became more than my suspension of disbelief could handle, but all in all it was an enchanting, and sometimes horrifying, read. And there were more bees than cicadas, but Bees Sing of Summer Graves doesn't have the same ring to it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read and review Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves. Now I'm going to catch a catfish down at the creek to see if it spits pearls.

Thank you so much for an advance copy!

I have been trying and trying to get into this, I've had it for a few months. Unfortunately I just can't seem to get invested and I find the story a bit slow. It is beautifully written and I can see how this would be enjoyed by many! It just wasn't for me.

ℂ𝕀ℂ𝔸𝔻𝔸𝕊 𝕊𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝕆𝔽 𝕊𝕌𝕄𝕄𝔼ℝ 𝔾ℝ𝔸𝕍𝔼𝕊 𝔹𝕐ℚ𝕌𝕀ℕℕ ℂ𝕆ℕℕ𝕆ℝ


❤️❤️❤️❤️
4/5
I received this from Sourcemark and NetGally in exchange for my honest opinion.

Prosper Arkansas in the wake of an unexpected storm, the dam breaks and filled the valley flooding everything in the 1950’s.

This story follows three main characters, Cassie, June, and Lark. Each has ties to lake prosper, and we get to learn them throughout the story. Lake Prosper is also not all it seems to be. It may be a popular vacation destination, but it is also ghost from the past lurking around.

This book has so many different elements
magical realism
Multiple povs
LGBT
Spooky

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be completely honest, this one wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. If I’d known it had this magical realism element, I likely wouldn’t have requested it as I find magical realism very hit and miss and the magical realism in this book was mostly a miss for me.

There was also some horror elements that kind of missed the mark for me too. I could see what the authors were going for, but it felt lacking to me.

The prose was absolutely beautiful, though, and I was really drawn in by the relationship between Lark and June. These two characters were the only ones I actually cared about in this multi-POV book and they’re the main reason I bothered to finish the book, and I am glad I did.

If you’re looking for a unique part-sapphic literary piece, I’d recommend giving this a go, as it is very beautifully written.