YA THRILLER/SURVIVAL ADVENTURE: Swarm by Jennifer Lyle
ABOUT THE BOOK
On a sunny September morning, the creatures first appear. Shur sees one of them hovering outside the window in history it looks like a giant butterfly, at first too beautiful and strange to seem like a threat. But when emergency alerts light up everyone's phones around her, she realizes something very, very wrong is happening outside. These… things are everywhere. By the time Shur makes it back to her house with her brother, Keene, and their two best friends, it's clear they must face whatever comes next on their own. A terrifying species the world's never seen before has suddenly emerged, and few living things are safe. As the creatures swarm and attack outside, life for Shur and her friends becomes a survival game. They board the windows, stockpile supplies, and try to make sense of the news reports for as long as the power stays on. Yet nothing can prepare them for what follows. The butterflies are only the beginning. The next onslaught will be deadlier, and even closer to home.
REVIEW
While I don't read a ton of young adult literature, I do enjoy a good thriller once in awhile. Several things made this stand out for me. First, our main character struggles with depression and severe anxiety, which plays an interesting role in the story. Second, I love a good survival story. Third, the inclusion of a young child complicates everything. The story starts with a bang as Shur sits in class at the end of the day. A large unusual looking creature appears outside the school window. It appears to be a butterfly but it's enormous. Despite seeming like a non-threat, as more and more of the creatures appear, tension grows and everyone is ordered to the gym. Shur, her twin brother, Keene, and their respective best friends flee the building, trying to get to their little brother and make it home. Along the way, they get a better glimpse of the creatures and realize that not only are there vast numbers of them, but they are highly dangerous with claws and fangs.
Barricading themselves in their home, the teens try to stay calm as the world crumbles around them. They listen to the radio, they talk to their respective parents, and hope things calm down soon. But as days pass with no end in sight, Shur uses the preparedness skills that her anxiety has forced her to develop to make plans including boarding up the windows, setting up living quarters in the basement if needed, and making sure they ration their supplies. Various disasters strike including broken windows, neighbors firing guns randomly around the neighborhood, and a bite that could prove to be fatal according to the information Shur and the others manage to gather.
As in all survival stories, one of the most interesting things is how the different characters respond to the challenges they face. Keeping a 5-year-old child from going bonkers proves to be one of the biggest challenges, along with keeping the creatures out. And just what does a bite from one of those creatures do to a person? Read and find out. A touch of romance adds to the tension between the characters as they struggle to cope and yet help each other. The story is certainly compelling with enough realism to be really creepy. In terms of content there is quite a bit of swearing (including liberal use of the f-word), along with a brief kiss, and some very violent life-or-death scenes. For those who don't mind such things, the story certainly drew me in and kept me turning the pages.
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