A review by lawbooks600
Hive by A.J. Betts

dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Representation: N/A
Score: Six out of ten.

To call Hive by A.J. Betts okay would be an understatement. After this novel mysteriously disappeared, the library repurchased it, and I waited for months to read it. I glanced at the intriguing blurb but I should've lowered my expectations considering the ratings. It was underwhelming when I closed the final page.

Betts started on the wrong foot and if her other creations are at the same level, I'll stop reading from her. It starts with Hayley (whose surname is undisclosed) living in a building isolated from the rest of the world. Everyone believes there is nothing outside the Hive. This premise may seem like a dystopian thriller, but it's more introspective than anything. It's like Hive tries to appear like a reimagining of classics for today's audience, since it's built with elements borrowed from The Giver and The Handmaid's Tale but comes off as a poorly thought out narrative.

I liked where it was going with the perfect society from The Giver and the firm roots in religion, almost like a theocratic state from The Handmaid's Tale except I've seen stuff like this before, making it unoriginal. There are around 260 pages, but the pacing is slower than that. I almost thought it was 400 pages for the first half, but the second half is more intriguing as Hayley discovers the truth. Predictably, the government, presumably set in Australia, lied to Hayley, like when she believed there was an old service house that burned down, but when she arrived it never did. The worldbuilding is confusing. Why? I'm unsure. Why did the Hive get cut off? Someone said the community existed for five generations, if so, why didn't anyone bother to escape? Who's stopping them? The finish is heartstopping with more action scenes as Hayley escapes the Hive.

Hive is less dictatorship and more post-apocalyptic setting, which felt familiar as other authors did this location, but better than Betts. Perhaps the following continuation, Rogue, would be an improvement, but for now I'll take a break from this writer.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings