Fun Fact: Since I live in California and have lived here my entire life, I’ve never seen or heard a cicada unless it was through a speaker of some kind. Which also means I’ve never has to go through what it sounds like to have that pervasive drone outside my house night after night when I’m trying to sleep or have them flying around when I’m just trying to do something outdoors. Heck, I don’t know anything about cicadas except they’re supposed to come around about every seventeen years. They’re just not an insect/bug we learn about over here in California.

I’m ready to scapegoat my complete ignorance and connection to cicadas as to why I didn’t enjoy this book. It would be easy to let it go at that. The thing is, I know that’s only a part of why this book and I didn’t vibe.

To be honest, I had a hard time connecting to most of the characters because I either found them to be superficial (the “cop mom”) or a little too Hollywood-esque (the “fixers” and “the tech mogul”). The only character I found had any interesting complexities was “the scientist”. Even looking at this list it looks like the casting call roll sheet for a cable or streaming drama show.

Give it a decent digital effects budget and it could be coming to a streaming device near you, because the story was interesting but, in my opinion, lacked any substantial depth. I like my horror to be a distorted looking glass peering back at the dark and disturbed side of humanity. I want my horror to peel back the surface and show me the bloody side of human nature. While The Swarm is bloody and horrible, it wasn’t giving me anything to react to. It was just giving me a lot of bugs and guts.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars and under will not appear on my social media. Thank you.

Alright, babes, get ready because this book is literally a wild ride! So, The Swarm is all about this like, super creepy insect apocalypse, and OMG, if you have even the tiniest fear of bugs—RUN. We're talking cicadas everywhere, crawling, buzzing, just totally taking over the world and making everything GROSS.

The vibe is mega intense from the get-go, with Detective Vicky trying to figure out this super weird murder while bugs are just going nuts. It gives total end-of-the-world vibes, and if you're into police procedurals with a side of “eww, what is crawling on me?” then, like, buckle up because this book brings the tension.

There are a bunch of different POVs here (which is, like, fun but also kinda confusing at times, ya know?), but Vicky? LOVE her. She’s strong, flawed, and just trying to save her daughter from bugged-out madness. There’s this cult angle that—meh—wasn’t really doing it for me, but if you’re into creepy shadowy groups, you might be down.

Oh, and the body horror? Next level disgusting. The descriptions were so detailed I was ready to gag multiple times, but in a weird way, that’s kinda what I loved about it. It’s gruesome, it’s intense, but like, in a “omg I can’t stop reading this even though I wanna hide under the covers” kinda way.

Honestly, the book is a bit long—like, by the end, I was ready for it to wrap up, but it definitely kept me hooked. Some parts? Could’ve been trimmed. But overall? The bugs, the chaos, the survival vibes—definitely worth a read if you can handle some major skin-crawling moments.

Final verdict: If you’re into bug horror (and aren’t squeamish), this one’s for you. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review 💕.

Unique creepy end of the world plot with….cicadas! This one was entertaining but full of lots of insect ick. The pacing was a bit weird which through the story off at times. All in all, a fun and breezy read. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this one.

The Swarm by Andy Marino was a captivating story.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself gripped, turning the pages, not knowing what was to come next.
It was suspenseful, mysterious and really intriguing.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for allowing me to read an ARC and share my honest opinions!

I took a hot minute to finish this one. Life has been doing the life thing. I can say though I enjoyed this book A LOT more than I had expected. It was very well written and played out like a movie in my head the whole time I read this. I personally really enjoyed all the points of views and the perspective they added to the story. Well, there was one at first I was eh with, but it didn’t stay that way long for me. I also very much LOVED the bug horror. Andy I felt did a really good job with it. I personally love Cicadas and am not scared of them but some of the scenes gave me the heebie jeebies. They were gross and for sure situations that made me anxious and on the edge of my seat.

I personally didn’t mind the length of the story but, I feel some of you would. Although, some other reviews still recommend it despite it and I still do as well. I had a lot of fun giving recaps of what I was reading to my partner, he seemed pretty engaged in the story with me.

I went back and forth a lot on a 4 for 5 star for this and I truly think some if not most of these scenes will live with me forever now. So, I am sitting at a 4.5 at the end because it just feels right to me.

***A big thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC***
Well, I definitely won’t be looking or thinking about cicadas the same way ever again! The Swarm by Andy Marino delivered what I was expecting (crunchy and nasty b-movie bug violence) but it was so much more than that. This book has heart and effectively punches above its weight which will separate it from the pack of creature features. The writing is top notch, the characters are well written and relatable and it is full of big set pieces and disgusting bug/body horror. Reader be warned, this book contains some graphic violence that might be a bit much for some people. I love it though!

This book was a very pleasant surprise and I will definitely be seeking out other works by the author. I recommend this to anyone who read The Queen by Nick Cutter or for anyone looking for a gross-out apocalyptic tale with heart.

After this past summer where my community was overwhelmed by two strains, the thought of a cicada invasion is horrifying. I loved the idea of an insect invasion, although my skin was crawling throughout this read.

This book starts off with a bang and it only intensifies from there. Told through multiple POV’s this apocalyptic tale has a visceral horror that overwhelms while also letting you empathize with the characters in a very real way. This novel is heavy on body horror and is one of the most gruesome books I’ve read in a long time. It was a bit much for me to take at times, but it did terrify me which was the point. This book is long and would benefit from some brevity. That many pages of grisly horror is hard to be immersed in and absorbed and I think it would benefit from and be more effective with fewer. I did think it worked well on a dystopian level and I got some Walking Dead vibes from it which I loved. This one may not be for everyone, but I guarantee you will never hear the hum of cicadas not feel terror again. Thank you to @netgalley and @redhookbooks for this arc.

The Swarm by Andy Marino is a highly recommended bug horror novel featuring swarms of cicadas that are bringing about the apocalypse. The buzz of the cicadas is a constant presence throughout the novel.

In Fort Halcott, in upstate New York, police officers Vicky Paterson and Ken Grimes are investigating a gruesome remains of a dead body in a hoarders home, while noticing the increasing noise level of the emerging cicadas outside. Then, when Vicky arrives at home, her daughter Sadie goes outside to play and has cicadas swarm her, sending Vicky to the hospital trying to save Sadie.

Across town, Will and Alicia Bennett, divorced private investigators or fixers, are looking for a missing young woman named Violet Carmichael and come across a weird cult involving cicadas that Will watches through a window. The two later find themselves in their hotel when the swarms of cicadas hit. It becomes obvious that viewing the cult ritual from something he calls the Order of Hemiptera has changed Will.

As the cicada swarms increase and continue their attacks, the novel introduces two more characters and locations. Rebecca Perez is a forensic entomologist in Louisiana, while Anton Hajek is a tech company founder in NYC. It is clear that the fate of humanity is at stake as the swarms increase their attacks.

Set disbelief aside and follow the insect invasion with horror. The action starts out strong at a very fast pace as it becomes clear that it is also a band-of-survivors tale. Expanding the scope of the invasion and covering more territory than just upstate NY was also a wise choice. My one small complaint was that the novel could have used a little more editing and tightening up. Most readers who chose this will enjoy it while cringing with discomfort and disgust.

Those who know cicadas and the loud buzz they make will understand how overwhelming it can be, let alone how annoying the periodical cicadas are when they emerge. Knowledge of them will make the invasion more intimidating, visceral, and the actions of these cicadas extra terrifying. This is most definitely a horror novel, so keep that in mind, especially if large bugs make you squeamish. Thanks to Redhook Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The Swarm delights with strikingly good prose and characterizations. Locations and scenes are easily rendered and felt, complete with a specific and, often terrifying, mood attached. An abandoned warehouse is laced with the dread of what could be hiding in the shadows. An attack by a swarm of cicadas laying claim to the earth is filled with the terror of their legs skittering across your skin and awe of the monstrous and unknowable intelligence driving them.

The four point-of-view protagonists all have distinct ways of talking, thinking, and moving through the world. The destruction of the cicada invasion affects them all differently, and close third-person-limited keeps you firmly rooted in their thoughts. In short, The Swarm has some of the most immersive scenes I’ve read.

At the same time, the plot can be a little confounding. It starts very strongly. The two most prominent POV characters are both investigating different aspects of the same mystery. This gruesome mystery seems like it will be what holds the novel together and drives it forward. Unfortunately, shortly after the cicada invasion and the introduction of the other POV characters, the mystery often falls to the wayside. The novel largely becomes a series of scenes where the characters try not to die. In isolation, each monster attack is thrilling. Taken together, they start to become somewhat monotonous.

The shift to a sort of survival novel also stumbles because, as engaging and well-realized as the characters are, they don’t have very clear arcs. They react accordingly to each new horror, but not in a way that always builds on itself. Certainly, each protagonist is changed by the end, but, if you were to look back over the scenes, you wouldn’t necessarily find a clear progression.

Despite these issues, The Swarm pulls everything together in an ending that is almost as strong as its beginning. The mystery concludes in satisfying and surprising ways and gives each character a worthwhile, and sometimes devastating, conclusion. If you like body-horror and, like me, are immediately impressed by The Swarm’s prose, I would definitely recommend the novel.

I enjoyed the heck out of this book. I'm not sure I completely understand what happened, but I still enjoyed it. It was exciting with a propulsive plot and really kept my interest. I have one major complaint about the book, though. This book treats cicadas like they are some kind of mythical being. Like Bigfoot or the Yeti. In this story, the bugs are only around once every 17 years like they're Brigadoon. Even the entomologist has to force herself to realize that the sound she is hearing are cicadas. But c'mon, even when there isn't a big brood, there are always cicadas. ALWAYS. This really did bug me (HA! Get it??), but I was able to get past it and enjoy the book for what it was. So, if you can get past that as well, you'll probably enjoy it too.

Wow! This book was simply amazing. Atmospheric and the beginning hooked me immediately! This book can be described as insect apocalyptic horror, and I loved it! This was multiple POVs and very character centered which I enjoy. This book starts with a detective looking into a strange killing in her town and a bunch of hired guns trying to get a client's daughter free from a cult. I loved that this book was peculiar, intense, and disturbing!

"The Swarm" by Andy Marino is a thrilling tale of an insect infestation that heralds the apocalypse. Detective Vicky Paterson investigates a strange killing in her town while hired guns work to free a client's daughter from a cult. As these events intertwine, the insects attack Vicky's daughter, Sadie, revealing their sinister purpose. The infestation spreads uncontrollably, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction. Vicky and a group of strangers fight to uncover the attack's origins and purpose. This panoramic novel delves into the darkest parts of the 20th century, unleashing its horrors on the modern world.

This was the first book I’ve read by Andy Marino, and it did not disappoint! For me, this book took me a while to read (not because it wasn’t good, I was busy). Once the plot picked up and you had a sense of the severity these villainous cicadas were causing, you couldn’t put down the book! I will say now, if you don’t like bugs, you probably shouldn’t read this! Marino excels at depicting the chilling terror of cicadas blanketing entire urban areas and swarming people in droves. However, the challenge lies in finding new and varied ways to describe this terrifying phenomenon without becoming repetitive. Things get violent, gross, and weird in all the most interesting ways. In the most captivating manner, events become intense, disturbing, and peculiar.

The swarm is nightmare fueled, anything with wings already scares me and this book was no joke. I loved it from the first page to the last.

Such a good book! It was a bit scary and a bit much for someone who HATES bugs lol but that just helped make me feel even more grossed out and scared while reading. It is such a good apocalyptic read with a lot of thrill to it. I liked the fast pace and the writing style!! And now I am even more scared of bugs hahaha

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

This was a strange, fantastic apocalyptic thriller that made me jump when a fly landed next to me. I think that says it all. Bound to be another horror hit! Character-driven plot and so well-written, it’s easy to visualize this as a Netflix series.

Thanks for the opportunity to read! I’ll be recommending to all my horror-loving friends.

The Swarm by Andy Marino is a deeply unsettling apocalyptic novel centered around a swarm of cicadas that attack the world. The eerie, skin-crawling atmosphere is palpable throughout, and the book certainly has moments that evoke early The Walking Dead vibes, especially as we follow multiple POVs that eventually converge into a band of survivors.

While the creeping horror was effective, the book overall wasn’t quite for me. The descriptions were incredibly detailed, which helped set the tone but often made the pacing feel sluggish. I found myself wishing for more dialogue between characters to break up the heavy descriptions and drive engagement. Ultimately, while the horror and atmosphere were well done, I was ready for it to be over before the end. It just didn’t fully click for me.

This would appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burning, atmospheric horror with a heavy focus on descriptive writing.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Redhook Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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!