The Hive by Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden is one book that really surprised me. I was not sure if I would finish this one because the beginning felt overly dramatic but the more I read, the more I was hooked. Once you learn more about why things are happening as they are, it makes more sense and you will want to keep reading to find out how it all turns out. The story feels relevant and it seems as if certain characters may be based on figures in real life, which made it even more fun to me. While it may feel like this is not realistic to some, seeing how readily people are attacking others online and are wanting to dole out punishment in real life, makes this feel not so impossible to me. The book ended in a way that makes it feel as if there may be another one coming so I cannot wait for that.

*I received an e-arc of this via net galley however this in no way influenced my opinion*

3.5 stars

So I requested this because it gave me black mirror vibes so I thought I would give it a go. The premise of this book really drew me in considering how prevalent social media is in today’s society. 

I enjoyed the writing in this book, especially the action scenes, they were very well written. There is one scene in particular where Cassie is running across roof tops and zip lining that I thought was faced paced and well-written. Although there are a few plot twists in this book that I found to be predictable but there were others I didn’t see coming which was great. However I felt the beginning of the book was pretty slow and it took me a while to get into it.

To be honest I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main character Cassie. Some of her actions were reckless and made no sense.  However I really loved the character of Rachel, the part about her post resonating with other parents and making people think twice was great! 

The main issue I had with this book is that everything was resolved way too quickly in the end, it just went back to normal as if nothing had ever happened.

Overall this was a well-written book but I didn’t really connect with the main character.

In the near future, an app called BLINQ tracks all social media usage and amalgamates posts from a number of platforms. On BLINQ, you can vote to condemn a person for their social media output – if a person’s condemns to likes ratio gets out of balance, they’ll find themself condemned in real life. For example, a person who ignominiously dumps their partner on Facebook might find themself getting physically dumped in the trash. The punishment is designed to fit the crime. Called the Hive, its something our lead Cassie loved to participate in – until all of a sudden, it wasn’t. After a racy tweet, Cassie finds herself the target of the Hive, but her punishment is more severe than all that have come before it: death.

This was a fast paced, enjoyable dystopia which was a good change of pace from my normal fare of fantasy. I think teens are going to love it. Aside from a few horrendous decisions, our lead Cassie is likable, smart (ostensibly, anyway) and her experiences navigating a new high school will resonate with teens. As Cassie spends most of the book running for her life, it will definitely appeal to thriller fans or those that need their books to be very plot based. I read the book in a day or two even though I had a good idea of how it was going to play out. Little attention is given to the supporting characters, though the book did also present a few chapters from Cassie’s mom’s perspective, which I loved. The authors did a great job portraying a somewhat fraught mother-daughter relationship. There’s though-provoking, if heavy handed, social commentary to be found as well, and I think this book will stick with some readers long after they've turned the last page.

Ultimately, though, the book had what I’m going to call the “Scythe” problem: the premise just wasn’t believable. The Hive was certainly believable – its basically a physical manifestation of the shame that we’re willing to dole out to strangers online (if you’d like a great non-fiction read on the topic, try So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson ). Did I for one second think that the first person to get the death penalty would be a teenage girl who tweeted something offensive? I did not. I had trouble getting over that.

TLDR: If you liked The Maze Runner, Divergent or yes, Scythe, you should definitely check out this thrilling dystopia.
Lots of teens will love this one, but it didn’t do it for me – 2 stars. (Netgalley 4 - I'll definitely be recommending it). It was ok.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for the eARC which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. The Hive will be released on 03 September but you can put your copy on hold today!

I will say that reading this book has made me think twice about my own social media usage.

This book is about a group of people called the Hive who dole out social media justice when needed. Lord. Imagine if an organization like this really existed? A lot of people would be in BIG trouble. In my opinion, social media has given certain people this false sense of bravado to post whatever they want no matter how mean and nasty. With the Hive it would force people to think twice before they post and blast others via social media. I can honestly see this happening down the road but hopefully when I'm long gone.

In this story we are introduced to Cassie who is dealing with a traumatic event and like a regular teenager she is angry and lashes out a lot at her mother. In the beginning my feelings towards Cassie were lukewarm. As the book progressed my feelings towards her pretty much stayed the same. I did kind of find her to be unlikable at times. Rachel (her mother) was a saint and I loved the love she had for her daughter, even through the trying and difficult times.

This was my first time reading these authors and I loved this book SO much! The story line was fast paced, refreshing, thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. At no time while I was reading was I bored and I loved how certain things came together. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next with the characters and I’m sad this book is over. This book will definitely be going on my top reads list of 2019.

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.



I rated this book 4 stars, not because I thought it was executed well but because it was an...intriguing...read. I share the main character's name and so was pre-disposed to like her. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I think this book could have been much better had it been given more editorial time. In my opinion, when books or movies reference a President, the reader shouldn't be able to tell automatically if they are a portrayal of a particular President or party.



There are certainly things I had issues with as I read this. The number one thing I did not like about Cassie was her attitude and treatment towards her mom. While she does come to appreciate her mother, I think there are other ways the author could have illustrated this without Cassie's disdain for her and perception that she was stupid.

I also felt the teens are portrayed in very stereotypical shallow ways. Cassie, along with others, make stupid remarks. And others laugh at them. The joke Cassie makes about the President's daughter's baby is in poor taste. Many will say that this causes "political issues" for conservatives who think it is a reference to Trump/Ivanka. Perhaps it was. I found it distasteful because I do not support abortion. This is a horrible thing to say to anybody, just being opposed to them as a political or public figure doesn't make it okay. It is not a stretch to imagine this in the real world; we see people on social media saying things, especially young people whose brains are still developing, or making comments that are rude, offensive and insulting. Young people today are growing up in a culture where we see all sorts of posts or videos go viral, which is usually seen as a positive outcome for them. While I may have wished for better character (or character development) I do appreciate the story line which can open up conversations with young adults about social media practises. I am personally horrified by many comments I see people make on social media, which lead to cheers from some of the population and jeers from the other half. I especially find jeers that can lead to a person's physically safety or mental state of mind being threatened.



I gave this book: ★★★★

Not because of mechanics, but the premise was so interesting that I keep thinking about it.

This was an interesting book, one with a lot going on in it. What I find interesting it initially I thought one way, but as things started to spin out of control I found my mind being changed.

Cassie came off like any other petulant teen, nothing new there, but it was the Hive that ramped things up. At first I liked the idea of the Hive, how it could help people from being dumb on-line where it's easy to because it seems so anonymous. But when Cassie was at the first Hive Justice I started to have misgivings. This guy was just venting, venting in a situation that was bad, was it stupid, yes. Later when Cassie posted her comment I thought much the same, so stupid and crossed the line from stupid to really bad. But and it's a big one, that one comment didn't make her deserve what came for her, a mob of people that seemed to feed on itself getting more and more worked up.

I thought Cassie did a good job of reacting to the Hive coming after her. Along the way she found people to help her and hindered herself in others. By the end of the book Cassie was in a better place, more at home in her own skin (I think) and more aware of the world (big and small). I do wish we had the answer to her last question. For me, I wish she would expose everything.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read an eArc of this novel. All opinions are my own.***

This book could have been really great for me. I have seen a Black Mirror episode or 2, and I have enjoyed some of Barry Lyga's previous works. However, I just didn't like the political context. I believe that it is valid to write any interpretation of events, or what may become of America. I just don't go to novels to be this close to reality. I want escapism and a chance to live life differently for a few minutes or hours.

Also, the InstaLove was alive and well, and I just didn't care for it. Too cheesy and CW for me. But I would urge you to give this a try if you want some great political commentary and technical commentary as well.

DNF at 27%

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It was a quick exciting read, that warns about the possible dangers of technology without being too preachy about it. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Wow! This book was amazing! I was hooked right from the beginning and couldn't put it down. Lots of twist and turns to keep you interested. You won't regret reading this one!

The Hive is so plausible it's scary. Imagine a person makes a bad decision, says or does something offensive, mean, etc., and it's all over social media with the faceless masses slinging insults and demanding justice. It's not difficult to imagine because it happens every day. Take it one step further. Imagine these faceless masses having the authority and ability to hunt down the offender and punish him/her in any way they deem suitable. It's the Hive mentality. Follow the leader, don't think individual thoughts, and don't act like an individual. Society is just a bit short of this becoming reality. It won't be long until the blind lead the blind to exact justice. I like everything about this story because it's so relatable and relevant. I love the underlying premise because it's truth, unfortunate, but true just the same. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it. Social media is dangerous, especially for a generation of non-thinkers who simply do not exist as individuals. Life is not lived unless it's seen and liked. Follow, follow, follow.....like a hive joining together. But, some poor soul accidentally says something regrettable but inconsequential to a waiter, bank teller, janitor, bus driver, etc., and woe to them. Hive activated. Let the hell fire rain down, and cast this person out like a leper. Here's the HUGE problem: if this hive are saying/doing terrible things to this offender, whom they don't actually know personally, then they are performing the SAME action that offended them in the first place! It's being mean to a stranger, and it's all the same. Can you say hypocrisy? Social media can be an excellent addition to life when used properly. Don't join the hive(lol), but do read The Hive. It's great if, like me, you are appalled by the atrocities of social media every day. Definitely gives you something to think about! Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I dnf this at 10%
I thought the main character was a brat right of the bat and it all seemed really political to me. I've also seen that the romance is cringy. I didn't get far enough into it to get to that

This is a book that had everything to be amazing and I feel that it failed so spectacularly for me mostly because of the tone the writers used.

The book starts with a bang: graphics that reminds us of an app, quotes, and tweets that make it seem real. I particularly enjoyed the President’s quote.

The theme is absolutely flawless for me and it touches in so many smart, difficult subjects that we recognize from our everyday lives like public persecution, mob mentality, internet fame, ... and does it in a way that is smart. The problem is I felt like I was being talked down to by baby boomers.

The story starts being told by Cassie and her mother, Rachel and they are such cliches: angry teenage girl, mother that cannot comfort her in her pain and that feel a complex of inferiority and resentment over the dead father, who the daughter idealized. I could have not related less to these characters and that shouldn’t have been the case at all.

The only way I have of describing this book is as if this was the result of leaving aliens binge-watch American tv shows to learn about teenagers. They did get a lot of it right, it just never felt real.

This is a very good book for people that are interested in how powerful social media is and how little it takes for it to turn on us. The best part about it is that it is not futuristic at all, it’s already happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for this ARC.

Quite an interesting story about social media, the internet, mob mentality and how all of these things affect our lives today. I love Barry Lyga's previous books so I am already a fan. This new book did not disappoint at all! Cassie, the main character, finds herself in trouble after setting of a social-media-comment-gone-wrong followed by a crazy chain of events, the book takes off. Cassie is on the run trying to survive a whirlwind of roller coaster events made to punish her and much worse, out of her control. I definitely enjoyed this fast paced, exciting, modern-day adventure. Definitely worth reading! Thanks so much to NG for the ARC!!!

I wish I could say that Barry Lyga swept me off my feet with his recently released new novel «The Hive». I wish I could say that it was the most amazing sci-fi I’ve read in a very long time. At least, these were my expectations going into this book. But it didn’t deliver.

What is the Hive?

We all know how out of control online interactions can get. How people seem to lose all their filters (and ability to think straight) when they are talking to someone through the internet just staring at the screen and writing obscenities after obscenities.

What if an online justice system would condemn those who misbehaved, allowing the population to execute the sentence. Is it the best or the worst idea ever to hand the execution to the masses?

The Hive controls online community, submitting the misbehaved to their punishment in accordance with likes / dislikes the post gets, and then schedules the time and date for the mob to bring the justice.

WHAT I LIKED:

1 - The premise sounded like one of the episodes of Black Mirror, and also terrifyingly close to our reality. Everyday the online world consumes a little bit more of our existence. I mean… I’m running a blog here! We all exist online in some way or another. We all watched tweets getting out of hand, we’ve all seen the cyber bullying expanding itself. I wish there would be some punishment for those people, but I’m terrified by the idea of the Hive. By how easily things could escalate from a simple warning to a death sentence and a hunt.

Barry Lyga did an amazing job showing how scary this world could be.

2 - While I thought that the characterization in this books was very poor, there were some aspects about Cassie that I did like. Cassie McKinney, daughter of the famous (or should I say infamous?) hacker, who knows her way around the codes, who is brave and headstrong, but also genuinely afraid for her life.

Of course, Cassie had to be a hacker-genius, but I liked that she wasn’t good at everything. She had her strong points, maybe she was better than 90% of other professionals in this field, but there were others who surpasses her in other sub-fields.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

Oh my, this is going to be a long list.

1 - I desperately wanted to see more of the dystopian settings of this worlds, instead of reading a take on the Mean Girls. Cassie begins her senior year in a new school, where she immediately does three things:
- joins the popular girls’ table;
- feels too superior to talk to other kids;
- falls in love with a mysterious guy.

Were there no other way to drive the plot forward except the retelling of the Mean Girls with the most cringey scenes of insta-love?

2 - Cassie could be described with one word - anger. She recently lost her father, so it was “normal” for her to feel angry, to be angry at the world. I’m not a psychologist and I never experienced the loss of the closests family members, but I don’t understand why all movies and books make focus so much on the anger. Almost passing the idea that if you’ve lost someone you HAVE to be angry. Yes, people deal with the loss differently, for some that might translate in anger, but I’d like to see some healthy representation of that in YA books.

3 - The whole plot revolved about the joke Cassie made online. Honestly, I didn’t find it funny. However, I didn’t think she deserved to be punished because of it either. What startled me the most was the lack of empathy and regret from Cassie. She made the joke, which was a very bad taste, but she constantly said how she didn’t feel bad about it. THAT was the most scandalous thing, in my opinion.

4 - Overall, the book had many unnecessary gore elements that didn’t contribute to the story. I didn’t flinch while reading the fight scenes or descriptions of injuries, but it felt like a filler to add more pages to the book.

I could not put down this book. It was so interesting and the writing was great. I will definitely be recommending this to customers at my work!

The Hive is a really interesting concept; people who make online blunders can be hunted down by a social-media driven mob and punished according to their so-called crimes. While this is a cool topic to explore, I didn't love the writing or the characters.

I absolutely loved this concept! I love a great plot and that was definitely going on. It's fast paced and action packed. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a technological thriller, but it read like one!

It was a quick read that I think socially conscious teens will really enjoy. The HIVE regulations don't quite make sense as they contradict themselves, but I think some readers will overlook that.

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

I was drawn to this description almost immediately! I love futuristic books and really loved how realistic this idea felt. Cassie was a strong main character full of intellect and surprises. I felt like the "romantic" component with Carson was the perfect amount of sweet. I also loved the who can she trust twists and turns. I hope to see a sequel to follow these characters and the HIVE.

I loved Lyga's Jasper Dent series so was really excited to see that he's got a new book and how it would compare to them. In this case, it's as though Lyga is channeling Cory Doctorow, and I mean that in a very good way. "The Hive" was founded on the idea that peer pressure/peer justice would get rid of online bullying and shaming (although it's very much about shaming!) and is government run. When someone does or says something online, people can "like" or "condemn" it and when the algorithm shows a bad condemn to like ratio, the group can - in real life, in public - exact some sort of punishment. What could possibly go wrong?

Our heroine is the daughter of a Latin professor (living) and an infamous hacker/programmer (now dead) and the government is convinced that when her father died, he left something behind, something the government wants (what, they're not quite sure, but they know it exists... probably). So when Cassie, in an attempt to fit in with the cool girls at her new school, posts a somewhat questionable joke online, the Hive decides that what she said was unacceptable and that she should be severely punished. No spoilers, but there are some parts that require a suspension of disbelief as she goes on the run, trying to avoid "justice" and repair her reputation. She's kind of like Katniss but with code, not arrows.

What doesn't require that suspension is the existence of the Hive and the idea that an entire society, so addicted to its devices and its desire for likes (or upvoting or whatever the term is on different platforms) could create such a thing and then use it to mete out justice. Or that the government would use it to try to control events and people, becoming more authoritarian in the process.

eARC provided by publisher.