A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by Kirkus, School Library Journal, and the Chicago Public Library!
★SIX STARRED REVIEWS ★
★ "Written in delicate, sparse, almost fragile verse . . . Chewins examines each of Nell’s emotions as if it’s a butterfly preserved in amber, held up to the light for careful study. The elements of magic interwoven with the very real cruelties of girlhood is a case study in successful fabulism. A beautiful, introspective slow burn of a book."
—Kirkus, starred review
★ “This cutting novel in verse is fearless, biting, and raw…there is a painful, sharply realistic thread that zeroes in on the way that girls are often stifled, silenced, coerced, or used…though there is a tender, quiet hopefulness that finds purchase in each of the women’s stories.”
—BCCB, starred review
★ "In this deeply felt verse novel, Chewins expertly leverages evocative language . . . for a moving tale of self-discovery and healing through connection."
—PW, starred review
★ "In verse that flies across the page, Chewins weaves multiple apt metaphors with sensory detail . . . themes of music as a powerful tool for self-expression and anger as an important self-protective measure in this one-sitting read."
—Booklist, starred review★ "Vividly and fluidly written verse sets a gradual pace that allows readers to immerse themselves in Nell’s complex reality and her path to womanhood in a world both harsh and hopeful."
—The Horn Book, starred review
★ “Chewins’s beautiful verse is skillfully done, and her words will evoke many emotions among readers…Fans of Elizabeth Acevedo’s
The Poet X will find this title just as compelling.”
—School Library Journal, starred review
"I feel like Hayley Chewins looked directly into my soul and wrote
I Am the Swarm just for me. But this astonishing book is going to resonate for so many readers. Brilliantly crafted in raw, unflinching verse threaded through with delicate magic, Nell’s heart-wrenching journey is both harrowing and hopeful. I am madly in love with this book."
—Joy McCullough, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Water Paint"
I Am The Swarm dances along your skin like the insects depicted in its pages. Beautiful, dangerous, and just a little bit deadly. I've never read a book quite like it before."
—Rena Rossner, author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood“With prose that is both as fierce as a hornet’s sting and as the delicate as a butterfly’s wings,
I Am the Swarm examines girlhood, family, and adolescence in a vivid, honest, and wholly original light.“
—R.M. Romero, critically acclaimed author of The Ghosts of Rose Hill
