Cicada by Belle Whittington Review & Giveaway

Welcome to my review stop on the AToMR Blog Tour for Cicada by Belle Whittington. Please enjoy my review and be sure and enter the fabulous giveaways below! 

Cicada
by Belle Whittington
Publication date: July 14, 2011
Genre: YA Paranormal
Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon

Summertime for Blair Reynolds and her friends had always been carefree and fun... until the summer they happened upon something that was not human. As they band together in a fight for their lives, Blair's true love becomes something more than human. Something unnatural. And their survival depends entirely upon their ability to keep a secret.

Cicada is the first book, in a new series by debut author Belle Whittington. This paranormal YA takes us to a small farming community in eastern Texas. Here the author offers to share a story, if we promise to keep it a secret. Filled with likeable characters and extraterrestrial beings this novel is sure to capture your attention. I found this to be a fun, quick, and original tale surrounded in mystery.

The tale opens in the last few days of school. This is a significant time for the characters. Some are graduating and some will be left behind. The summer may just turn out to be one they never forget, as strange buildings, sightings of unidentified aircraft and crop circles bring mystery to this small quaint town. Blair Reynolds our protagonist keeps having strange reoccurring dreams and an at times an overwhelming sense of foreboding. She senses something or someone is watching them and she might be right. This is the first in a new series and it offers up a dish of mystery, laced with humor and the power of friendship.

The characters in Whittington ’s novel are an eclectic group of kids. They are all good kids and each plan to take a different path after high school. Blair is the youngest of the group and doesn’t seem to have any friends her own age. She pals around with her outgoing brother, Andrew. Andrew seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and is protective of the others. Blair and Andrew live with their mom, who runs the local bakery. Two years ago they lost their dad and Andrew’s twin brother. How they lost them was shrouded in mystery. Everett, the bug boy and self-proclaimed nerd was my favorite character. He was so sweet and we got to see him grow throughout the novel. I pictured him as a young nerdy Clark Kent. Other friends rounded out their group making them interesting. Blair is going to be a senior and despite her never care, brave exterior, she is very young emotionally. We do see some growth in her and I came to care about her but never complete connected with her.

The world-building was both fascinating and frustrating. Whittington  immediately drew me into the story with her opening, and I connected with most of characters. I loved the mystery surrounding things and the tale developed at a steady pace. I was even delighted by the romance that began as a friendship. What frustrated me were all the questions and lack of detail. The book hints at secrets, but gave none of them up. I really would have liked to have seen everything fleshed out and hopefully Firefly provides answers. Whittington’s writing style was wonderful and she gave the pages life. She delivers a clear message of the power of friendship and teamwork. The ending left me excited to read the next installment. 

Cicada is a fine start to a new, original series, and fans of Paranormal YA should find it delightful. The novel itself is around two hundred pages and can easily be consumed in a single evening. The next book in this series Firefly will be released sometime this year.

I gave this novel 3 coffee cups out of 5.

Belle Whittington

Blog

Facebook

International Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

US Only Giveaway

The author is giving away an electronic firefly in a jar in honor of the sequel to CICADA called FIREFLY. You can see a video of the jar here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you read this?

Do you believe in extraterrestrial lifeforms?  

CICADA Tour Schedule
Click here to see the full participant list...