Reviews

Swarm by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Deborah Biancotti

paige_georgia_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A solid sequel. I like that it goes a bit more into the darker aspects of powers, and that we meet other Zeroes

sienaro's review against another edition

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2.0

After finishing the first book of the Zeroes trilogy, I just had to get my hands on this book and see what happened to the characters next. Sadly, this book fell completely short. We begin six months after the first book ended and the characters have opened an illegal nightclub in order to train using their powers. This itself is kinda okay, I hate the time skip (so poorly done like Young Justice, anyone?) but nightclubs are cool.

(Slight spoiler here if you are banking on your ships from the first book)
Anyhow, Ethan *still* hasn't asked out Kelsie after six months, only to find out when he finally decides to ask that she's a Lesbian and is with Chizara.

The whole Sonia Sonic, ie the stalkerish reporter, plot was so cliché and poorly executed. The other zeroes, COIN and GLITCH have it out for The Zeroes for no apparent reason other than basically to be their new villain. The cops play such a bizarre role in the book, entirely against The Zeroes, but just go away with nothing more than a duffel bag as a bribe.

I suppose I just had such high hopes and it fell so utterly flat.


1.5/5 stars

rollforlibrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved it, but regretting being so prompt to read because now comes the wait D:

tyredsauce's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

egriz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.75

kchaplin's review against another edition

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5.0

Darker and deadlier, Swarm is even better than Zeroes. I couldn't believe the superpowers' twists in this one. Plus, it was interesting to see how differently the characters reacted to all those insane situations.

catseye6773's review against another edition

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4.0

But.... But

ayeshaqutub's review against another edition

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4.0

Good but I was not please with the end

faithl's review against another edition

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4.0

THE ACTION! OMG THE ACTION!
It's heart-racing, brilliant and thoroughly engaging!


It's a band of teenagers with super cools powers banding together to save the world! WHY WOULD YOU NOT READ A BOOK LIKE THIS?!


2001


One the main reasons I love this series is so much is because a) all the characters don't claim to be heroes or want to be heroes. They're all average teenagers. Like real average teenagers who talk like one, party, have relationships, make stupid mistakes. And b) their powers aren't the conventional types like flying or having super strength, etc. Their powers are like super original and creative. Scam's voice, Crash's ability with tech, Anon's forgetful face, Flicker's eyes, Mob's ability to heighten emotions and Nate's naturalness as a leader - they are all astounding! Their abilities are complex, dynamic and bring so much originality and dimension to the characters.


I love how this book perfectly balances the story of every character's personal dilemmas whilst also connecting it with the main plot. Swarm is our villain with powers like Mob's, trying to kill other super-powered teens like our gang! There is never a not interesting part in this book. It's filled with constant action, twists and turns!


2002


Swarm is a teen psychopath, trying to manipulate Mob to be like him but NO, SHE WILL NOT FALL FOR HIS TRICKS AND WORDS. SHE WILL NOT TURN TO THE BAD SIDE. This book really challenges all the characters. I loved seeing Flicker taking the lead. I honestly prefer her as their leader because of her humility and intelligence. I love Thibault and Flicker's relationship so much! It's just so genuinely sweet and heart-felt. THEY'RE LIKE TWO AWESOME PEAS IN A POD. I love Flicker's efforts to remember Thibault - the bracelet and the blazer. And also how they don't bring each other down. Scam is as hilarious as always. HE IS SO FUNNY! I always wonder why the gang don't really like Scam because I love him! Sure, his voice is pretty annoying and can hurt people but Scam, himself, is so down-to-earth and freaking hilarious. Mob and Crash is seriously my OTP at the moment!  Like OMG, they are made for each other! And Nate, he was so redeeming in this book! I thought he was pretentious and arrogant in Zeroes but in this book - especially towards the end - HE IS AMAZING. He sacrifices his dream to be politician to save his friends, knowing that his reputation will always be tainted but he did it anyway! Ah I LOVE REDEEMING CHARACTERS!


2003


All in all, such an amazing, engaging and action-packed sequel! The book is really thin compared to the first book but that does not negatively affect any of it's awesomeness. The book continues it's immense originality, the high-action plot and vivid characters.


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bookworm097's review

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4.0

I enjoyed this book. Good follow up from the first one, good plot, and character development. Looking forward to the next one.