Reviews

The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai

cruzsuzanne's review against another edition

4.0

"Once again, man, in search of land, gave the plague to his fellow man in the folds of his offerings."

necessvryevil's review against another edition

inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

hallbrooke's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

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

3.0

mystery_reader_24's review

adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

4.25

Set in Tunisia, Africa and Japan. 

carter84's review against another edition

4.0

I have to say, I’ve read some big duds trough Amazon First Reads but The Ardent Swarm was a super pleasant surprise!
A short, very enjoyable read that’s packed with allegorical images and commentary about dictatorships, the corruption of democracy and the rise of extreme religious movements in Arabic countries without feeling overburdened or too smart for its own sake.

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

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

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 against another edition

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

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