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Cicada Song
Cicadas appear every seventeen years in such quantity that they fill the skies and harmlessly pelt anything that moves. The town of Anderson celebrates the coming of these insects with a festival that they call Cicada Song.
In 1987 a young boy named Jacob Ramsey fell for a girl named Sara, whose family was visiting for Cicada Song. Little did they realize, however, that their young love would end ten years later during the most shocking moment of Anderson’s history.
Time passes and the next Cicada Song begins. Self-published author Ellis Barnes is invited to Anderson as an attraction and there he meets the quick-witted but guarded Sara, now fully grown and quite lovely. He quickly falls for her but something from Sara's past prevents her from getting too close. Facing resistance from Jacob Ramsey’s best friend, Stan, and the town drunk, Phil, Ellis is determined to uncover exactly what Sara’s mysterious past is. What he finds will force Ellis to confront a faith-shattering tragedy from his own past, a tragedy that diminished his faith in the Christian church, but also one which might hold the key to overcoming Sara’s private barriers. And what secret does Phil, the town drunk, hold regarding the moment that shattered Sara’s life forever?
Bradford Combs writes a love story full of mystery, suspense, and questions of faith that will stick with you long after its final page is turned.
In 1987 a young boy named Jacob Ramsey fell for a girl named Sara, whose family was visiting for Cicada Song. Little did they realize, however, that their young love would end ten years later during the most shocking moment of Anderson’s history.
Time passes and the next Cicada Song begins. Self-published author Ellis Barnes is invited to Anderson as an attraction and there he meets the quick-witted but guarded Sara, now fully grown and quite lovely. He quickly falls for her but something from Sara's past prevents her from getting too close. Facing resistance from Jacob Ramsey’s best friend, Stan, and the town drunk, Phil, Ellis is determined to uncover exactly what Sara’s mysterious past is. What he finds will force Ellis to confront a faith-shattering tragedy from his own past, a tragedy that diminished his faith in the Christian church, but also one which might hold the key to overcoming Sara’s private barriers. And what secret does Phil, the town drunk, hold regarding the moment that shattered Sara’s life forever?
Bradford Combs writes a love story full of mystery, suspense, and questions of faith that will stick with you long after its final page is turned.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2012
78 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 30, 2018
I found the book to be interesting as it spoke to friendships and how they can be tested. I personally had a bit of an issue, at first, with the storyline going from future to past, but as I read more it became less of an issue. There were a few typo and grammatical errors but otherwise not a bad read at all.
The ending was a bit too abrupt. Here I was reading along, turned the page to continue and braps....that was it...the end! Guess I was getting ahead of myself, or the author.
The ending was a bit too abrupt. Here I was reading along, turned the page to continue and braps....that was it...the end! Guess I was getting ahead of myself, or the author.
November 6, 2017
Cicada Song
Wonderful storyline about childhood friends and the trials they go through over the years. Love, truth, betrayal, abuse, devotion, just about every emotion and problem you can imagine are dealt with in this great read.
Wonderful storyline about childhood friends and the trials they go through over the years. Love, truth, betrayal, abuse, devotion, just about every emotion and problem you can imagine are dealt with in this great read.
September 4, 2018
Good read
I enjoyed this book. I raised an eyebrow once or twice but hey, we all a e different ideas. It ended in a surprising way for me. Nice.
I enjoyed this book. I raised an eyebrow once or twice but hey, we all a e different ideas. It ended in a surprising way for me. Nice.
July 25, 2019
Cicadas caught my interest
Starts a bit slow but after it got interesting I did not as t to put it down until the end.
Starts a bit slow but after it got interesting I did not as t to put it down until the end.
April 25, 2024
Great read
This is a wonderful book. It is honest and compelling with refreshingingly real characters. I look forward to reading more by this author
This is a wonderful book. It is honest and compelling with refreshingingly real characters. I look forward to reading more by this author
December 17, 2024
bru what is this. Sorry but not my taste.
July 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 4, 2017
Romantic Mystery
Jake, Ellis, Sara and the other characters were just like regular people. This is an ordinary story in an ordinary environment with an emotional kick.
Jake, Ellis, Sara and the other characters were just like regular people. This is an ordinary story in an ordinary environment with an emotional kick.
July 3, 2015
The Summary, upfront—I finished the book (and did so without putting it down!) There are two reasons I don't finish a book, bad writing and (for e-books) bad editing and/or bad proofing. So that should tell a prospective reader something. I liked the book.
For the most part, I will not belabor points made so well by other reviewers, here and on Goodreads. I would like to speak to two areas. The first is in document preparation, which falls to the author when self-publishing an e-book. I must say that, as critical a proofreader as I am, I did not see all of the many errors I've read about in other reviews. There are still errors, to be sure, but I give it to the author and to Amazon to be cleaning up this text. (I just received my first Kindle Paperwhite, upon which I read Cicada Song, and I discovered it contains an easy way to note any errors, with a promise that Amazon would look into and correct them. Maybe that is actually happening!)
One issue I did not see mentioned elsewhere is bad preparation for uploading the e-book to the publisher. e-books need to be in HTML so that, for example, chapter breaks appear where they should, forcing each chapter to begin on a new page. In my version of Cicada Song, chapters started wherever.
One thing I noticed was the lack of commas, a choice some writers make in favor of overusing them. Although the writing consists of simple sentences and very little call for even a comma, I suspect that there may not be a single one in this book, and there were times when a well placed comma would have clarified something.
Sometimes an author will give one or more characters a marker, a unique signature of their own. But in this book, the author has a unique idiom of his own, found not in anyone's dialog, but in the narrator's own language. He repeatedly uses the word "to" unnecessarily, as in "he couldn't help but to feel hypocritical...." The rule here is "Take the word out; if the sentence reads as well or better without it, leave it out."
Mr. Combs, you have said that your writing skills have greatly improved since you wrote this early book. Is it possible for you to review this manuscript and proofread it, given the many corrections you say you've received from your readers? And always get others to proofread your material before you upload it. I really enjoy reading; I enjoy proofreading, too, when that is my role. But being forced to do both at the same time takes the fun and the flow out of both for me.
I would like to make these editorial points. The story line is a good one for a first-time novelist. There was a point or two where I felt the story was dragging along; I wished it would move along. And the author really manipulates the reader as he moves toward the big revelation, The Whodunnit? Reading this section, I kept thinking of the television game shows which bring the contestant (and we viewers) to a fever pitch, "and we'll reveal the score...right after the break." Ugg. It was overdone and as contrived as having commercials...in a book.
Finally, I would not classify "Cicada Song" as a work of Christian fiction because, although some characters have come into the story after they have lost faith, that plays no real part in the plot line. Likewise, a church building and its congregation have some part in the the story Jesus is not specifically mentioned nor glorified. God is not particularly involved; He does not speak to or otherwise lead any character, nor does He intervene miraculously. The main themes are love and forgiveness, but that does not a Christian genre make.
For the most part, I will not belabor points made so well by other reviewers, here and on Goodreads. I would like to speak to two areas. The first is in document preparation, which falls to the author when self-publishing an e-book. I must say that, as critical a proofreader as I am, I did not see all of the many errors I've read about in other reviews. There are still errors, to be sure, but I give it to the author and to Amazon to be cleaning up this text. (I just received my first Kindle Paperwhite, upon which I read Cicada Song, and I discovered it contains an easy way to note any errors, with a promise that Amazon would look into and correct them. Maybe that is actually happening!)
One issue I did not see mentioned elsewhere is bad preparation for uploading the e-book to the publisher. e-books need to be in HTML so that, for example, chapter breaks appear where they should, forcing each chapter to begin on a new page. In my version of Cicada Song, chapters started wherever.
One thing I noticed was the lack of commas, a choice some writers make in favor of overusing them. Although the writing consists of simple sentences and very little call for even a comma, I suspect that there may not be a single one in this book, and there were times when a well placed comma would have clarified something.
Sometimes an author will give one or more characters a marker, a unique signature of their own. But in this book, the author has a unique idiom of his own, found not in anyone's dialog, but in the narrator's own language. He repeatedly uses the word "to" unnecessarily, as in "he couldn't help but to feel hypocritical...." The rule here is "Take the word out; if the sentence reads as well or better without it, leave it out."
Mr. Combs, you have said that your writing skills have greatly improved since you wrote this early book. Is it possible for you to review this manuscript and proofread it, given the many corrections you say you've received from your readers? And always get others to proofread your material before you upload it. I really enjoy reading; I enjoy proofreading, too, when that is my role. But being forced to do both at the same time takes the fun and the flow out of both for me.
I would like to make these editorial points. The story line is a good one for a first-time novelist. There was a point or two where I felt the story was dragging along; I wished it would move along. And the author really manipulates the reader as he moves toward the big revelation, The Whodunnit? Reading this section, I kept thinking of the television game shows which bring the contestant (and we viewers) to a fever pitch, "and we'll reveal the score...right after the break." Ugg. It was overdone and as contrived as having commercials...in a book.
Finally, I would not classify "Cicada Song" as a work of Christian fiction because, although some characters have come into the story after they have lost faith, that plays no real part in the plot line. Likewise, a church building and its congregation have some part in the the story Jesus is not specifically mentioned nor glorified. God is not particularly involved; He does not speak to or otherwise lead any character, nor does He intervene miraculously. The main themes are love and forgiveness, but that does not a Christian genre make.
September 4, 2018
The love shown by the hero at the end of the book and the faithfulness and love of the heroine to her true love in a coma were touching.
June 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mysterious and poignant, Cicada Song blends small-town secrets with themes of trauma, love, and redemption. The writing has a thoughtful, literary feel, and the dual-timeline structure adds depth. While the pacing can be slow and emotionally heavy at times, it’s a haunting, faith-tinged exploration of grief, guilt, and the power of facing buried truths.
Mysterious and poignant, Cicada Song blends small-town secrets with themes of trauma, love, and redemption. The writing has a thoughtful, literary feel, and the dual-timeline structure adds depth. While the pacing can be slow and emotionally heavy at times, it’s a haunting, faith-tinged exploration of grief, guilt, and the power of facing buried truths.
December 15, 2015
Very touching! Excellent read!
This is an awesome book by Bradford Combs about young friends growing up together until one day someone comes to their town and causes damage and destruction. Sara was dating Jake, her best friend, and Stan was planning on being the best man although Phil might want to be the best man himself. They were all close and shared special times and memories together. Then one night things take a turn for the worse, Jake ends up getting shot , he does not die yet he is a vegetable. Sara goes to visit him and talks to him even though he never respond, she remains faithful. Stan continuously reminds Sara that she belongs to Jake and does not want her to date anyone. Phil is in love with Sara, however, he leans toward alcohol. A Writer named Ellis comes to their town for a book signing and Sara is attracted to him as he is to her although her heart belongs to Jake. Will Jake ever awaken from the coma state he is in? Will Ellis and Sara get together? Will Stan get upset or accept the fact if Sara shows affection to another besides Jake? This is a very interesting read with an awesome ending. A must read!
This is an awesome book by Bradford Combs about young friends growing up together until one day someone comes to their town and causes damage and destruction. Sara was dating Jake, her best friend, and Stan was planning on being the best man although Phil might want to be the best man himself. They were all close and shared special times and memories together. Then one night things take a turn for the worse, Jake ends up getting shot , he does not die yet he is a vegetable. Sara goes to visit him and talks to him even though he never respond, she remains faithful. Stan continuously reminds Sara that she belongs to Jake and does not want her to date anyone. Phil is in love with Sara, however, he leans toward alcohol. A Writer named Ellis comes to their town for a book signing and Sara is attracted to him as he is to her although her heart belongs to Jake. Will Jake ever awaken from the coma state he is in? Will Ellis and Sara get together? Will Stan get upset or accept the fact if Sara shows affection to another besides Jake? This is a very interesting read with an awesome ending. A must read!
June 27, 2013
This was a free book in the kindle store, and I was really shocked at how good it was. Not only the plot of the story, but the way it was written was awesome. It made you really connect with the characters, and feel what they were feeling. Any good writer knows how to do that. Bradford Combs was no exception. The ending was so good I was crying tears of joy. I definitely recommend this for anyone who wants to read something different and amazing!
June 21, 2014
This was a great story idea, but it was badly executed. When self publishing, you should at least have several people read it for you. The inconsistencies left a bad taste in my mouth. For instance in one section, a character referred to a former teacher as she and then said that teacher was Mr. So-n-So. Things like that keep a good book from being great. I also found a few parts of the story incredibly unbelievable.
April 7, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I really got to know the characters well and understood their pain and losses. The surprise twist at the end wasn't what I was originally hoping for, but it turned out to be what everyone needed and left me with a good feeling. Looking forward to more books by Mr. Combs.
July 2, 2014
I absolutely loved this book!! I am so glad I decided to read it. The storyline was amazing, very well written, and I loved all the characters. I will definitely read more works by this fabulous author!!
February 25, 2014
Loved the story, the characters, the town. I felt as if I were part of the story and knew everyone. The author also kept me guessing until the very end, even when I thought I had it all figured out. A great read for anyone.
February 6, 2013
Great story
February 11, 2013
This was a really good story.
February 23, 2013
Christian fiction. Page turning great story
March 1, 2013
Very touching story. Debated on reading it but glad I did
November 18, 2013
Really enjoyed this book. The type of book I read in one sitting even if it's after midnight.
February 15, 2014
Great story!
I enjoyed this story very much- good story. Great read. Ready to read his next book - I have already downloaded it.
I enjoyed this story very much- good story. Great read. Ready to read his next book - I have already downloaded it.
May 20, 2014
Great author
Bradford Combs did a wonderful job of writing. The book kept my interest and it was hard tout down. Will definitely read more of his books.
Bradford Combs did a wonderful job of writing. The book kept my interest and it was hard tout down. Will definitely read more of his books.
December 16, 2016
This is a very good book written by a talented writer. There's lots of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. I highly recommend it.
April 8, 2017
I found this book to be very intricate and engrossing. A visitor comes to a small town and little by little something horrific that happened years earlier is revealed, as well as the aftermath. The characters were all heartfelt and real, and the emotions described in-depth and honestly. It's a very emotional story, but not at all cheesy. Quite creative, the way the small town surrounds and protects it's own is realistic and truthful. A haunting, yet beautiful story which I highly recommend. Kudos, Bradford Combs. Kudos!!!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews