Reviews

The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai

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drianturner's review against another edition

4.0

A lovely tale of a peasant beekeeper whose apiary is threatened by foreign hornets. Dictatorship, then an Islamist regime, rage in the background, failing to improve the ordinary lives of citizens.

ruthie_wk's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

alexiconeternal's review against another edition

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This is not what I signed up for. By page six there were talks of sex toys and hangovers. After sentencing a man to death, this "gem" comes up:

"That feeling of power sparked a relaxing wave inside him that ran through his body top to bottom, provoking a long, resounding fart along the way."

I skimmed through the rest to try to find a reason to continue. I found:

"Skinny ass."
Multiple instances of "come out of your shithole."
"Her ass was covered in dollars . . . the prince unglued the dollars from her buttocks and counted them slowly, licking his fingers."
"Sidi didn't stay until the end of the Roman orgy that followed . . . he felt sickened . . . disgusted for having been so naively charmed by this femme fatale."
"Come and kill me if you have the balls" followed by downing a beer that was "concluded with an impressive belch."
"Blow-up dolls and sex toys, from the highly suggestive to the crudest."

No, thanks. I'm good. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with folks who want to read this, but that certainly isn't how this book was advertised. This will be my first unfinished book in years, and I'm fine with that.

booked_904's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

rvblack's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

drjoannehill's review against another edition

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4.0

A short fascinating read about a bee keeper who faces an attack from invading giant hornets, and how he systematically learns how to defeat the hornets. Interspersed with subtle political discussion of the impact of Islamist factions post-Arab Spring revolution and the interference of foreign money and power on regime change. These elements didn't feel quite complete story-wise but the message is clear that if there is something to be won from interfering in democracy then power will always find a way to manipulate a free vote. Who is behind the candidates available to vote for, how are their messages communicated - there's probably something going on.