Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Swarm (Zeroes, #2)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Swarm (Zeroes #2)

by Scott Westerfeld (Goodreads Author), Margo Lanagan (Goodreads Author), Deborah Biancotti (Goodreads Author)

3.82 · Rating Details · 679 Ratings · 152 Reviews

X-Men meets Heroes when New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld teams up with award-winning authors Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti in the second book of an explosive new trilogy about a group of teens with amazing abilities.

They thought they’d already faced their toughest fight. But there’s no relaxing for the reunited Zeroes.

These six teens with unique abi ...more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published September 27th 2016 by Simon & Schuster

More Details... edit details

Get a copy:

Or buy for

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Swarm, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

YA Novels of 2016

1,152 books — 8,742 voters

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

New YA Releases September 2016

94 books — 113 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30)

filter | sort: default (?) | Rating Details

Oct 07, 2016 Cait (Paper Fury) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, young-adult, 2-star, superheroes, read-2016

I nearly like this series because it has SO MUCH POTENTIAL but ultimately? It falls as flat as a pancake being run over by an elephant in a a steamroller. (Beautiful imagery, I know omg.) I just really struggle with superhero books! Unless it's on screen, they so often just don't have the impact that's needed. (For me anyway.)

Plus I wasn't a huge fan of Zeroes but I wanted to give Swarm a go because (A) I was sent it for review, and (B) WHO KNOWS, RIGHt?!? Sometimes sequels are better!! (Note: I nearly like this series because it has SO MUCH POTENTIAL but ultimately? It falls as flat as a pancake being run over by an elephant in a a steamroller. (Beautiful imagery, I know omg.) I just really struggle with superhero books! Unless it's on screen, they so often just don't have the impact that's needed. (For me anyway.)

Plus I wasn't a huge fan of Zeroes but I wanted to give Swarm a go because (A) I was sent it for review, and (B) WHO KNOWS, RIGHt?!? Sometimes sequels are better!! (Note: it was not.)

I did struggle with the clicheness of this plot too. Everything felt rather predictable. A strange evil is out to destroy the Zeroes who are...not even doing anything?? The ending didn't surprise me at all (even though my soul did hurt A LITTLE BIT over a certain favoured character) and I didn't think The Bad Guy was that hard to take out in the end. I'm yawning, tbh. A cereal box is more captivating (although that's mostly because I can eat the cereal and I'm hungry).

And I still really don't like the characters. I mean, WAIT. I adore with the power of a thousand suns the gorgeous darling that is Anonymous (Thibault <3). His power is that no one can remember him and he has pretty severe depression over this. But he's just SO CUTE and I love him and honestly if this series was 100% about Anon, then I would be all over it. UNFORTUNATELY IT'S NOT. It's stuffed with 5 other characters' POVs that make my eyes glaze over. Nate is just the All Perfect Leader, I can't even remember the different personalities/superpowers of the girls because they all seem so bland. And Scam/Ethan is quite the little creep, but at least he's interesting?? And don't even get me started on the romance where two characters LITERALLY FINALLY DECLARE THEY LIKE EACH OTHER and then they're sleeping together. Like no. This is insta-love and...no. Did I say no? I wanted to say no just one more time.

(No.)

All in all: I think I shall safely engage my Batmobile and zoom away from this series. It's just not for me! I lovelovelove Anon and literally my heart BREAKS for him. I actually got hit with Anon-feels severely several times in the book, so I'm not sad I did read this! But the rest? Eh, no. ...more

flag 33 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2016 Thalia Grace rated it it was amazing

10/25/15:
I just finished the first book and loved it. It's going to be a year until the next book comes out, but already this is me;

10/18/16: Review:

Oh my god, this book was amazing, I devoured it even though I'd been in a low-key book slump this whole year.

Also, is it just me, or is Ethan (Scam) just like more interesting and way better than all the characters? Nobody seems to like him, but he's always been my favorite. <3

We definitely get more in deep with everyone character rounding the ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Jul 14, 2016 Chantal (Every Word A Doorway) marked it as to-read

I completely forgot this one was coming out! I miss these awsome superpowers! Can't wait for the release :)

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2016 joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts marked it as to-read · review of another edition

perhaps my eyes deceive me but the cover for Swarm is pretty ugly...

i'll still read it because of Flickononymous but the colours man...what the fuck happened?

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2016 Jenna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, sci-fi, aus-ya, romance, lgbtqia, review-copy, diverse

This review also appears on my blog, Reading with Jenna.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All I can say right now is whoa. And I need the next book ASAP! Swarm ends on an incredibly painful cliffhanger and I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself for the next 12 months while I wait for the next book to be released…

This trilogy is getting better and better. I enjoyed Zeroes immensely but wasn’t completely sold on all the characters This review also appears on my blog, Reading with Jenna.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All I can say right now is whoa. And I need the next book ASAP! Swarm ends on an incredibly painful cliffhanger and I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself for the next 12 months while I wait for the next book to be released…

This trilogy is getting better and better. I enjoyed Zeroes immensely but wasn’t completely sold on all the characters and the plot of the book. Swarm takes it to a completely different level. It was engaging, fast-paced and action-packed. The whole novel takes place over just a few days and there’s so much that happens in the book that it’s hard not to get swept up in everything that’s going on. It also struck me again how unique and interesting the superpowers in this series are. This book picks up 6 months after the events in Zeroes and is about what happens when our group of Zeroes meet a pair of other Zeroes that don’t have good intentions. As they try to stop this couple from causing mass destruction, it turns out that there’s a bigger enemy called Swarm who has a mission that puts all Zeroes in danger. I really, really loved the plot of this book. I enjoyed it more than the events in Zeroes because, to me, it seemed a bit more logical and clear. I connected with it much more and was really invested in what was going on in the story. This might have been because I was more familiar with the characters at this point and could focus on the plot – who knows? I just thought that the plot explored a lot of really interesting questions about superheroes and superpowers, and whether having a superpower means that you’re automatically doing good. And what happens when your powers unknowingly destroy things and cause harm instead?

The other thing that I really loved about this book were the characters. When I read Zeroes, the only two characters that I really liked were Flicker and Anonymous. The others I either disliked or didn’t really care for. However, the character development in this book was fantastic. In the previous book, I felt like I didn’t have a good idea of who some of the characters were but Swarm definitely rectified that. We got to know more about Crash and she became a character that I came to like a lot more. We also get to see a different side to Bellwether and that was really refreshing. I also started to like Mob a little bit more. She was a character that I didn’t really understand or connect with in Zeroes but her character really morphed into somebody who was really interesting. Finally, there’s Scam… I’m still not completely sold on Scam. While the Ethan side of him is kind of endearing because he’s so awkward, I find it really hard to connect with his character. He also didn’t have a lot of page time in this book and I don’t feel any closer to him than before.

I really loved the character relationships in this book. I will adore Flickonymous forever and ever, and I’m really keen to see how their storyline plays out in the final book of the trilogy because this book killed me with all the feels. What I really enjoyed about Swarm was that the other romances in this book weren’t obvious. There were ships in the previous book that I was sure were going to sail in Swarm but the authors definitely turned some things on their heads. It was really refreshing and enjoyable to see. The group as a whole is more tight-knit and I’m interested to see where the next book takes them. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2016 Jeann (Happy Indulgence) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, review-copy, allen-and-unwin, 2016-releases

This review appears on Happy Indulgence! Check it out for more reviews.

While Zeroes was a great introduction into the kids that make up the superhero squad, Swarm amped up the pace and the storyline as the Zeroes encounter their first villain.

The story starts off with a bang, as the Zeroes have opened up a new nightclub called the Dish, which they use to experiment with their powers. As people are drawn to the club, they soon meet two people who are like them and also have powers – Davey and Ren This review appears on Happy Indulgence! Check it out for more reviews.

While Zeroes was a great introduction into the kids that make up the superhero squad, Swarm amped up the pace and the storyline as the Zeroes encounter their first villain.

The story starts off with a bang, as the Zeroes have opened up a new nightclub called the Dish, which they use to experiment with their powers. As people are drawn to the club, they soon meet two people who are like them and also have powers – Davey and Ren who can shut down their powers and also manufacture fake money. They temporarily shut down the powers that the Zeroes have relied on for so long, which sets across a motion of self-doubt and unworthiness for most of the characters.

They’re also warned of a new villain who is chasing their tails – the Swarm, who can control a crowd to do bad things, like kill. On the other side of the things, the group is warned of a new villain – the Swarm, who can control a crowd to do bad things, like kill. This gorier, darker turn that the sequel takes was actually quite an unexpected surprise, given how light the tone of Zeroes was. His narcissistic personality and sinister behaviour was actually quite fascinating, especially when he took love and happiness as a slight against him.

With Nate’s trademark self-confidence taking a blow, Ethan kind of hating the voice he has no control over, Thibault feeling forgotten and lonely and Kelsie constantly questioning herself, there’s a lot of angst and feeling sorry for themselves. Although there was lots of action happening when it came to their encounters with Davey, Ren and the Swarm, the whinging and the negativity made the book drag for me. Each of the Zeroes are all dealing with their own issues and it felt too disconnected and morose at times. I wasn’t a fan of Kelsie this time around and couldn’t agree with her actions.

Although it wasn’t really a happy occasion for any of the Zeroes, I liked how they went home for Christmas and we could see how they each celebrated. I really felt for Thibault, who is easy overlooked and ignored because of his power to blend in and be forgotten. I also liked meeting Chizara’s Nigerian family and how they welcomed Kelsie. Seeing this lesbian relationship evolve throughout the course of the novel was also a plus, although there wasn’t enough focus on it for my liking. Flicker and Thibault were also the cutest as usual, although we did see her point of view take a back seat when it came to the rest of the Zeroes. I wanted more, seeing as it was a tiny beacon of light in an ocean of darkness.

Coming into this novel, I was expecting some of my questions to be answered, such as why the Zeroes can have powers in the first place. I was disappointed that this still wasn’t addressed, especially as they started to encounter other people like them. With superpowers, there’s so much potential in the abilities that people can have, but Swarm having a “souped up” version of Kelsie’s power was kind of lacking.

Swarm starts off with a bang and introduces unexpected gore, fast-paced action, a lesbian relationship and an evil villain with powers. While all these were welcome additions, the darker tone of the novel caught me off guard especially with the amount of angst and self-doubt in the novel. At this point, I’m not sure if the origin of their powers will be addressed, but it’s still a fun, action-packed superhero read nonetheless.

I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Nov 24, 2015 Alexis rated it really liked it

Just waitin' here....

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 09, 2016 Flavia rated it liked it · review of another edition

A physical ARC of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I will start my review with the mini review which I wrote for the first book in this series, Zeroes, on Goodreads:

"It turns out that I read this book last year! And while I can’t write a full review because it’s no longer fresh, I do remember that I found the superpowers to be extremely unique. I also liked some characters, but hated others. And the plot, while action-packed wasn’t really my cup A physical ARC of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I will start my review with the mini review which I wrote for the first book in this series, Zeroes, on Goodreads:

"It turns out that I read this book last year! And while I can’t write a full review because it’s no longer fresh, I do remember that I found the superpowers to be extremely unique. I also liked some characters, but hated others. And the plot, while action-packed wasn’t really my cup of tea. I don’t know whether its because I was still freshly disappointed in the TV shows Misfits and Heroes (for different reasons), or if I just expected…more…but I’m hoping that I will be more impressed with the sequel."

Having now read the sequel, I can say that I was in fact more impressed with the sequel, Swarm, which came out on September 27th of this year. I will discuss what I was impressed with, and will then explain my reason for giving this book three starts at the end.

I would first like to go into how impressed I was with the powers with which Westerfeld, Lanagan, and Biancotti came up with for this series. There are numerous superhero stories around, and it’s quite difficult to come up with a power which hasn’t been used before. I particularly liked Anonymous and Flicker’s powers! Anonymous is forgotten by everyone, once he leaves the room, and Flicker can’t see through her own eyes, but can see through the eyes of everyone else who is near her.

This time around, I still disliked Scam, to the point where I skimmed over the chapters featuring his point of view. I also wasn’t too fond of Mob. And even though I did like Anonymous and Flicker’s powers, I did not find that the character themselves were very distinct from one another. They felt a little flat to me.

The writing was clear, and easy to follow. There was some eloquent phrasing, as well as some sections which made me laugh, but I do have to point out that some chapters held my attention better than others. Due to this book having been written by three authors, it is hard to say whether the amount of attention each chapter could hold was due to the person writing, or due to the character being written about.

As for the plot, while I did find it to be a little more interesting than that of the first book, it still wasn’t a story for me. Perhaps this would be the kind of plot which I would enjoy playing out within a movie or TV show, rather than in a book. Or maybe I came in with preconceptions formed due to the discontinuation of the TV show Heroes (which I enjoyed), and my dislike for how the plot of Misfits developed in later seasons. Maybe I simply don’t like superhero books.

The reason why I read the book was in order to experience more of Anonymous and Flicker, and not necessarily together, because their relationship felt a little cliche to me. And I skimmed some chapters, while skipping others (such as Scam’s chapters), which I really really dislike doing. But I also wanted to see how it would end.

I think that there is a lot of potential here, considering the imaginative powers given to these characters, but I simply disliked how it was all executed. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2016 Aimee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, sent-from-publishers, read-in-2016

I received a copy of Swarm from Allen and Unwin New Zealand to review. I read and reviewed the first book, Zeroes, last year. You can read that here.

I mentioned in my review of Zeroes that I’d be interested to know how involved each author is in writing these books. I think I read that a year ago and I still haven’t looked into it. Hopefully I’ll know by the time the next book comes out.

I felt like Swarm had a bigger threat for the Zeroes than the first book had. I remember them having to deal w I received a copy of Swarm from Allen and Unwin New Zealand to review. I read and reviewed the first book, Zeroes, last year. You can read that here.

I mentioned in my review of Zeroes that I’d be interested to know how involved each author is in writing these books. I think I read that a year ago and I still haven’t looked into it. Hopefully I’ll know by the time the next book comes out.

I felt like Swarm had a bigger threat for the Zeroes than the first book had. I remember them having to deal with bank robbers, drug dealers and the threat of a couple of them being blown up.. Okay, so that last one was kind of a big deal but this guy, Swarm, was a psychopath. But his power confused me a little and I’m not going to explain it or why it confused me because it would just spoil it. But I’m not really sure I want it explained.. I think it might make Swarm creepier than he already is.

I liked the ending of Swarm better than Zeroes too. It has a little cliffhanger that involves one of the characters I like so I really want to read the next book to find out what happens to them. I also want to know what’s next for the Zeroes too but the ending, with that one character, kind of shocked me. I really wasn’t expecting that.

I still have my problems with Bellweather/Nate wanting control of all the Zeroes. But I do think he had some good character development at the end of the book and I’ll be interested to see if that lasts or he’ll just go back to being the same old power hungry Nate.

I think there’s a reason they call themselves Zeroes… When they try to do the right think it always backfires and someone, or a lot of people, end up getting hurt. So they can’t call themselves heroes. And I didn’t like the sound of their nightclub and what they were doing to the crowd.

Anyway, I know it sounds like I didn’t like Swarm but I really enjoyed it and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book. I think I heard that this is a trilogy but don’t hold me to that. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2016 Erikka rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi, 2016

Zeroes was one of my favorite books last year. This is a worthy sequel. The characters and plot are just as memorable and exciting, there are some new fun characters with equally awesome and terrifying powers, and there seemed to be even more at stake in this book than the last. I hope my favorite character makes a reappearance in the third book, and I can't wait to see who else will join the story.

Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2015 Olivia rated it it was amazing

Cue jeopardy theme song!

And I'm waaaiiittttiiiinnnnngggghg . . . And I'm waaaaaiiiiittttttiiiiinnnnnngggg . . .

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2016 Andrew Jason marked it as to-read

Shelves: superhumans, most-anticipated-releases-2016, science-fiction

OH MY GOD WE HAVE A COVER, WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!!!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2016 Danielle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fic, aussie, sci-fi, contemporary-fic, in-my-library, 2016

NO NO NO NOT OKAY.

Some stuff I didn't like, some stuff I loved. Thibault is a precious baby too glorious for this world, Flicker is a fierce and majestic sweetheart, and I love Ethan because I can't resist a self-loathing underdog. That ending redeemed the book for me even though I AM NOT OKAY WITH IT.

3.5 ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 13, 2016 Cassie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: stressful, good-sequel, other-paranormal, read-in-2016

DAMMIT NOW I NEED THE NEXT ONE.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2016 Zoe Mark rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads, books-that-i-ve-reviewed

As a second novel in a series, it exceeds expectations. It is by far better then the first one. The characters are more relatable and I found that I was able to read a lot more depth and meaning in the characters and their powers then I was able to find in the first one. As I have just finished this book I am sort of shocked. The ending is horrible and inconclusive. It is almost yell worthy. It is defiantly an ending that will take awhile to get over and will leave me wandering the house instead ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2016 Leah (Jane Speare) rated it liked it

I think I liked this one more than the first one. Still took 80% of the book for crazy action to start. My favorite characters (and really the only reason I am still reading these) are Flicker and Anon. I think their superpowers are the most creative and interesting. UH BUT THAT ENDING KILLED ME.

And the final wait begins......

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2016 Bethany rated it it was amazing

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING.
I cannot express how much I ADORE this series. The concept is fascinating, the characters fantastic, the plot exhilarating.
The Zeroes' powers are all brilliantly original. I love how you really see what a trade off it is to have these powers - and what disadvantages they bring. Often what happens is that characters just have amazing powers and occasionally complain about how terrible their lives have becomes since discovering them, when really their lives seem pretty excit THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING.
I cannot express how much I ADORE this series. The concept is fascinating, the characters fantastic, the plot exhilarating.
The Zeroes' powers are all brilliantly original. I love how you really see what a trade off it is to have these powers - and what disadvantages they bring. Often what happens is that characters just have amazing powers and occasionally complain about how terrible their lives have becomes since discovering them, when really their lives seem pretty exciting. In this world, I would genuinely hate being a Zero. The powers all have terrible costs, but also seem realistic and balanced with the benefits. The way the authors paint the toll these powers take on your personal lives is also stunning.
The Zeroes themselves are all completely 3-dimensional characters that feel like they could walk off the page. They are all brilliantly flawed, with distinct thoughts and reactions to events. All of their families feel completely unique, as well as the ways they deal with their powers.
I LOVED all of the crew. Ethan got on my nerves at times, but I didn't mind that much because he was very believable and did have his redeeming moments. The pressure Chizara puts on herself to be good, and the way that has come from her family also felt very real to me. Flicker and Thibault were both amazing, stunning characters - I adore them both, but at the same time I like the way they have doubts and pitfalls. I didn't like Kelsie and Nate as much as the others - don't get me wrong, I still like them, but I had my issues with them. I'm not quite sure why I didn't like Kelsie as much, but I just didn't. With Nate, sometimes he felt a bit smug, and I really want him to just set that superiority aside. I found him a bit unbelievable in that he never faltered at the start of the book, and I feel like the latter half really helped to flesh out his character.
And finally, I would like to talk about how AMAZINGLY STUNNINGLY SOUL-DESTROYING the plot was. It was action packed and disturbing and full of twists and turns and just AHSAISBWFJSKSKNSISNS. There was never a dull moment.
I need Book 3 like NOW. I highly highly highly recommend this series. Seriously. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 01, 2016 Anna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-ones-that-keep-me-waiting

4.5 Stars

All I can really say here is... read this series.
The POV switches are flawless, the characters are all incredibly varied, the plot it quick and convoluted in the best kind of way.
The premise is about teens with kind-of lame super powers, but this book is so much more than that. It has so many layers that it's hard to sum up.
It gives us an excellent look at the moral conundrum the group faces of trying to be good, but wondering if that's possible with powers like theirs that are largely ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2016 Mands rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie, ya-lit, for-review, review-on-the-blog, i-have-a-copy, allen-and-unwin, paranormal, sci-fi, usa, romance, series, friends, family, multiple-pov, urban-fantasy, ableist-language, 2016-release, october-2016-release, multiple-authors

Swarm , the second book in the Zeroes series, picks up six months after the events of Zeroes , also referred to as "the Summer of Suck" by Ethan Cooper, aka Scam. The team, still led by Nate Saldana, aka Bellwether, have started a night club ("technically it's more of a private party") so they can experiment with their powers and have a place to retreat to. Ethan's job is wrangling a crowd and it's on a party night that he accidentally invites two new Zeroes to their club and take a turn for Swarm , the second book in the Zeroes series, picks up six months after the events of Zeroes , also referred to as "the Summer of Suck" by Ethan Cooper, aka Scam. The team, still led by Nate Saldana, aka Bellwether, have started a night club ("technically it's more of a private party") so they can experiment with their powers and have a place to retreat to. Ethan's job is wrangling a crowd and it's on a party night that he accidentally invites two new Zeroes to their club and take a turn for the worse.

The Zeroes series is a unique take on the idea of superheroes, featuring teenagers with powers that aren't always useful or predictable. As well as Ethan and Nate, we have Riley Phillips, aka Flicker, Chizara Okeke, aka Crash, Thibault Durant, aka Anonymous, and newcomer Kelsie Laszlo, aka Mob.

Just like in book one, the management of the six main characters was perfectly done. Each of them have strong personalities and they were all pushed to learn about themselves, discovering aspects of their personalities they disliked or wanted to change. Kelsie is happy to finally belong, but worries that deep down she's evil. Ethan feels unworthy of love. Nate isn't in control as much as he thought he was. Crash can't always behave how her mother would want her to. Thibault fears he's making his family upset, and Flicker can't force people to remember Thibault. Along with these self-discoveries, they've also developed their powers and learnt to work together.

It was lovely to see Flicker and Thibault as a couple, and to watch romance develop for some of the other characters, even when they couldn't see it for themselves. The addition of new Zeroes expanded their world and showed that this goes beyond their town.

There was a darker, gory element to this instalment which surprised me because their world seems so much like ours, but it's also very different. It's a place where super powers exist and they can be used to turn people against each other, to make them commit atrocious acts. In thinking back to Zeroes , there was a similar element, but Swarm takes it further. There wasn't a lot of time for the characters to contemplate their actions, but they were aware of the horror they were contributing to.

The pacing, like in book one, was spot on. It was fast but never rushed, allowing the action to be spread out over the course of the story, with a dramatic ending I did not see coming. It will be a great place to pick up on in the final book.

Swarm is an excellent follow up to Zeroes . Fans of the series will enjoy being reunited with the team, and the higher stakes make this a thrilling read.

Ableist language: crazy, psycho, lame, dumb, insane.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for my copy. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2016 Mitchell rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, science-fiction, young-adult, fiction, series, liked-reviews, superhero, published-2016

Fresh book from the library, new enough that I was cutting the edges of pages open - which was weird. A pretty good follow-up. Pretty much the same folks but now with a little bit of romance and a bit of a body count. And a somewhat unfulfilling ending. Basically most of the character get tortured in this one. And then the powers end up looking a little more cookie cutter, other than Ethan. But if you wonder how they get away with stuff and succeed, well they kind of don't. Still a quick readabl ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2016 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, friendship, supernatural, young-adult

Not as good as the first. The plot took too long to get moving and I didn't care as much about the characters as I did the first time. That said, the world was still interesting and the authors raised fair concerns about what superpowers would actually be like. It was an engaging read and I will read the next one.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 01, 2016 Claire rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2016

If you haven't read Zeroes, you need to read it. It's about kids with superpowers. Though, they're probably not superpowers you don't want.
I stayed up until the early hours of the morning last night to finish Swarm, the second book in the Zeroes series. This book took me on such a rollercoaster ride that it tugged on my heart strings multiple times. Each of these characters are perfect and so well developed, I often found myself doubting that there are three different authors (which is fantasti ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2016 Kate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5stars
What an evil cliffhanger, but what an awesome ride! The first book had potential to go to interesting places, but this blew my mind. The characters have developed a ton, and I am glad there is a LGBTQA couple on the team, and not the horrid love triangle that the first book was hinting at. I need to know what happens next.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2016 Em Lehrer rated it really liked it

Swarm was insane. I didn't think the stakes could get higher than Zeroes (book 1) but I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.
This book picks up a few months after the events of Zereos. The characters are healing. They even started a nightclub (well, an illegal night club, but still...). Then enter Glitch and Coin, two more zeroes on the run from someone... or something. They not only turn the Petri Dish (the nightclub) upside down, but they drop some pretty scary news while doing it.
Now it is up to th ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2016 Chent Higson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: signed-by-author, read-in-2016, aus-authors

4.5 stars
I would like to die a little bit now k thx

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2016 Thomas Norstein rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay, I'm not really sure where to start with this...

What on earth is this cover? The green spray paint, the blue lettering, the net... Just... Why... I get that they wanted to make the cover different than the first, but what even is this?

We have some new Zeroes.

We have Glitch:

And then we have... Coin . Just, why Nate? COIN?

Honestly, where did the names go with this one? Kickstarter is cooler. Heck, Bill would be better than Coin.

Swarm, I can deal with. Stalker, great. But Coin... Anyway.

When ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 01, 2017 Katryna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: myself

Recommended to Katryna by: myself

Shelves: i-am-nothing-without-luv, keep-it-in-your-pants-ermahgurd, can-has-superpowers, tweedledee-and-tweedledumb

FUCKING.
CLIFFHANGER.

--

It's hard to explain how I feel about this. On one hand I really liked it, on the other hand there were some parts that FUCKING PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH.

1. Parents.
For whatever reason, people really hate Missing Parent Syndrome, which is common in YA books. It's highly unrealistic, plus, most of them would get sicced by CPS and thrown behind bars for criminal negligence. But I get why it happens. It's no fun to read books where the parents are obnoxiously meddling, 100% of th ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 13, 2016 Faith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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! WHYWOULD 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 conve

...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 18, 2016 Alexandra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, female-author-2016

This book was sent to me by the publisher, Allen & Unwin, at no cost. It's available now; RRP $19.99.

When I read the first book in this series, Zeroes, I was a bit underwhelmed. I felt like it didn't fully deliver on its promises - not quite dramatic enough, somehow, or heroic, or problematic. I didn't hate it... I was just a bit disappointed. So while I was very excited to receive the sequel to review, I experienced some trepidation.

And then I picked it up. And then I couldn't put it down. This book was sent to me by the publisher, Allen & Unwin, at no cost. It's available now; RRP $19.99.

When I read the first book in this series, Zeroes, I was a bit underwhelmed. I felt like it didn't fully deliver on its promises - not quite dramatic enough, somehow, or heroic, or problematic. I didn't hate it... I was just a bit disappointed. So while I was very excited to receive the sequel to review, I experienced some trepidation.

And then I picked it up. And then I couldn't put it down. And I read the entire thing in an afternoon... and, ahem, evening; it's been a while since I read past my bedtime in order to finish a book.

Folks, the sequel is better than the first. Shocking, I know.

While the first book was on the darker side of superhero stories, this takes a much grimmer view of the world, of powers, and of consequences. While the teens must face threats in Zeroes, the threat here is far more significant, which ratcheted the tension way up. And while there were consequences, many of them horrific, in the first, things are taken to a far more significant level here. Basically it's all taken to a higher degree and instead of becoming ridiculous and shouty, the story works and I cared far more about the characters and even the town than when reading the first book.

(Some spoilers for Zeroes ahead.)

As in Zeroes, the story is written from multiple perspectives - those of the Zeroes themselves. There's not equal airtime; Anon and Mob and Flicker got far more time than Bellwether (or at least that's how it felt), with Crash and Scam also featuring a fair bit. I really enjoyed this multiplicity; it basically worked last time, but this time it felt smoother and more streamlined. The characters themselves also felt more developed and lived-in; that could partly be my familiarity with them, but I think it's also that the authors are more familiar with how they think and are motivated and that comes through in the writing. I definitely cared more about the characters this time around; Scam was much more relatable, for instance. I still don't like Bellwether but he was mostly there through other people's words, so he was bearable. There's a bit less about their families, but what is there is frequently highly charged (in a good way) and added greatly to the depth of the characters and the tension of the narrative.

In terms of plot, this time the enemy is another powered person. They're deliberately and consciously using their power to disrupt the world, and it's frightening and horrible and sickening. Like I said, Zeroes went to some dark places, but Swarm has that beat hands down. Not just physically, although there is some gruesome stuff, but psychologically. Some of the characters really get screwed around, and it was completely absorbing to see how they would deal with (or not) the problems confronting them.

I also enjoyed the way this book explored the Zeroes' powers a bit more - although if anything frustrated me, it was exactly that. There's suggestion of how their powers might change, but it's not delved into even when it's used; I presume this exploration will happen in later books. I look forward to that.

This book packs a punch. Don't think that anyone is safe. Don't think that this is a completely happily-ever-after. Don't think you won't want another book in the series. OMG I need the next book in this series. ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 26, 2016 Ricky rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-this-if-it-kills-you, freaky-supernatural-adventures, thrillers, young-adult, crime-thrillers, action-adventures, science-fiction, why-isn-t-this-a-bloody-movie-yet

"'Cause people don't understand, understand, understand
People don't understand people like me."
-Alphas Theme

Last year, I liked Zeroes, but I thought it had a few flaws - namely, its tendency to highlight the least interesting characters in the titular group, and at considerable length too. I have to wonder if Westerfeld, Lanagan, and Biancotti got similar complaints from other readers, and worked to make improvements in Swarm.

For sure, this sequel improved on its predecessor on so many levels. I "'Cause people don't understand, understand, understand
People don't understand people like me."
-Alphas Theme

Last year, I liked Zeroes, but I thought it had a few flaws - namely, its tendency to highlight the least interesting characters in the titular group, and at considerable length too. I have to wonder if Westerfeld, Lanagan, and Biancotti got similar complaints from other readers, and worked to make improvements in Swarm.

For sure, this sequel improved on its predecessor on so many levels. It wasn't quite perfect, I don't think. Bellwether was still flat and underwritten, and I have such a hard time taking him seriously as a Zero, because his superpower basically amounts to good leadership skills. And as for Mob, while she doesn't feel redundant alongside Bellwether (her power is made more distinct from his), she spends most of the book so subsumed in crowd energy that she has little time to develop a personality of her own.

That said, though, Swarm still has its times and places for building on the world the first book established. We're still in the dark about the source of the Zeroes' powers, but whatever it is, it's not Cambria, I don't think. There are Zeroes from outside this little seaside town. Dangerous ones with some seriously deadly powers. The book's title actually refers to one of these new Zeroes, an exceedingly psychopathic dude whose power is chaos. Chaos is, in fact, the word of the day in this book, which ramps up the intensity to unforeseen levels because of Swarm's threat. Dovetailing nicely with this chaos, the book makes it very clear that many of the Zeroes, their powers are very emotionally-influenced. Now some of what bothered me about Book 1 makes a little more sense - like, for instance, Scam's power to tell people what they want morphing into an insulting bag-of-dicks voice when he gets mad, because the voice is saying what he wants to hear.

Character development continues on a hot streak in this book as well. Even Bellwether has to undergo a major role reversal when Swarm's power overwhelms his just as much as everyone else's. No less than two romantic relationships blossom - one of which is same-sex, adding more intersectionality to an already diverse cast. And my favorite of the Zeroes, Anonymous, we get to see even more of how much his own family's forgotten him. Not gonna lie - he gave me all the feels all over again, especially when he interacted with Flicker.

Best of all, unlike the fairly standalone first book, Swarm even ends with a pretty nasty cliffhanger that really tears the group asunder. Which can mean only one thing - I'll be dying to read Book 3 this time next year. Or whenever it comes out. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Young Adult

54 users

Fantasy

34 users

Science Fiction

31 users

See top shelves…

About Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He was born in the Texas and now lives in Sydney and New York City. In 2001, Westerfeld married fellow author Justine Larbalestier.

He is best know for the Uglies and Leviathan series, and his next book, Afterworlds, comes out September 23, 2014.

His book Evolution's Darling was a New York Times Notable Book, and won a Special Citation f ...more

More about Scott Westerfeld...

Other Books in the Series

Zeroes (3 books)

Books by Scott Westerfeld

More…

Share This Book

+ Share on your website

Trivia About Swarm

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Swarm
avg rating	preview: Swarm Goodreads rating: 3.82 (679 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23989925-swarm?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475336597l/23989925.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23989925-swarm?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Swarm by Scott Westerfeld[/url]

See a Problem?

Preview — Swarm by Scott Westerfeld

Swarm (Zeroes #2)

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Popular Answered Questions

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

About Scott Westerfeld

Other Books in the Series

Books by Scott Westerfeld

Share This Book

Share on your website

Trivia About Swarm

See a Problem?

Preview — Swarm by Scott Westerfeld

Swarm (Zeroes #2)

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Popular Answered Questions

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

About Scott Westerfeld

Other Books in the Series

Books by Scott Westerfeld

Share This Book

Share on your website

Trivia About Swarm

new topic
Discuss This Book