Book Review
The Hive
by Anna February
The Hive is all that’s left of humanity in a future where oceans have swallowed the land and the heat of the sun has become deadly. But life carries on in the Hive’s subterranean network, ruled over by the two Queens at its apex. Feldspar is a Shield in the Hive, a bodyguard raised from birth to protect Euphemie, one of the Queen’s daughters, with her life. So when an assassin kills Euphemie, it should mean the end of Feldspar’s life too – Shields and their charges share a magical bond that sentences the guard to instant death if they fail in their duty. But somehow Euphemie is dead, Feldspar is still alive, and there is an assassin at large in the Hive.
Feldspar is desperate to prove her innocence, avoid execution and track down whoever killed her friend; and, fortunately, there’s one person who’s as eager for the truth as she is – a royal outcast, with a reputation for his skill with the dark arts.
This is a premise that’s hard to summarise, so while I’m not able to share all the intricacies of the world or the characters here, I will say that The Hive is a unique story filled with well-rounded characters and nuanced relationships. That’s something that can be hard to achieve in any novel, but within a story that combines a sci-fi dystopia with a mystery/thriller, it’s particularly impressive to be able to find space for it all and still end up with a story that feels this fast-paced.
As Feldspar digs deeper into the rivalries, secrets and inner workings of the Hive that she’s grown up protecting, she starts to see the cruelties that have been justified by the need to survive. I was really impressed by how Anna February handles this, showing both the motivation and paralysis that her characters feel in the face of a corrupt system that they’re determined to fight, don’t know if they can really change, but are ashamed for not challenging sooner. It’s empathetic and ultimately encouraging for any would-be activists who are intimidated by how much there is to change in our world.
Readers who loved Gideon the Ninth should definitely pick up this book, as should anyone looking for an imaginative sci-fi thriller! Recommended for readers aged 13+.
