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jgrant512's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence
alecia3dixie's review
2.5
This book dropped the ball big time for me. I was enjoying the first 100 pages. It was feeling Hunger Games mixed with Black Mirror. But, the main character got so annoying and selfish that I couldn't take it anymore. Absolutely ruined the book for me. This could have been a great view on hive mind mentality in society. There were so many great things said about how society acts in these situations. I could not read from the MCs POV anymore. 2.5/5
chuskeyreads's review
1.0
This book is a mess, and, frankly, I'm a bit disappointed that it came from one of my favorite authors.
The premise of this book is fantastic - futuristic deadly Twitter mobs. Edgy. I like it. The execution (pardon the pun) was abysmal.
The characters are mostly one-dimensional, except for the hair. Weird. We know that Sarah is blonde, Rowan and Bryce are redheads, Livvy has long curly hair, Indira has "sleek black hair," and Cassie wears her dark hair in a top knot.
Cassie is an angry 17-year old who just changed schools her senior year after the death of her father. And, by the way, she's biracial:
"[Her parents] tried to explain how just being born biracial would sometimes mean that people would disregard the rest of her. That sometimes people wouldn't be able to see beyond the color and into the individual."
I thought this detail was significant, at first. That somehow, her biracial background contributes to the upcoming obstacles Cassie has to overcome with the Hive, and her fitting in at school, and/or possibly her acceptance in certain groups she wants to join (Debate or the Techies). Yaas! I enjoy a character who rises up and squashes the hatred. But no. It's a detail that seems thrown in for no reason - it does nothing to further the plot.
The anger from this girl is justified by her father's death (a detail that doesn't get resolved), but she's seriously over-the-top angry. I mean, throwing food at her new "buddy" at lunch seems uncharacteristic of a new girl in mourning. She's also bitterly vocal about the justice of the Hive that she finds the #DumpSkylar scene ridiculous and petty (which pretty much defines the rest of the book). Cassie likes to spend her time on "stuff that changes things."
"I was in a mob yesterday for a guy who ruined his family's lives. That one mattered."
This from a girl who then joins the same petty mean girl clique (which doesn't make sense for either character - Cassie or mean girl, Rowan). Cassie joined the Hive Mob to punish a man who vaguely "humiliated his wife and children." That's the kind of action that matters and is worthy of Hive Justice. Two chapters later, Cassie posts something truly heinous:
Cassie then changes her tune. Suddenly, Cassie is no longer angry. She's desperate for friends, and she can't seem to understand why she's being targeted by the Hive Mob for a stupid comment she posted online -Seriously?!
Then Cassie's mom. Rachel, comes to the rescue. What part of YA is this? True YA books serve to empower the teen characters without parental intervention. And yet, What?!
So many scenes seem contrived and irrelevant to the plot - just makes this book almost infuriating to read. The so-called presidential conspiracy is absolutely ridiculous, and the convenient conclusion is even more absurd.
Cassie is not a likable character, and the authors fail to suspend my disbelief in what could have been a great new YA dystopia about the dangers of social media.
The premise of this book is fantastic - futuristic deadly Twitter mobs. Edgy. I like it. The execution (pardon the pun) was abysmal.
The characters are mostly one-dimensional, except for the hair. Weird. We know that Sarah is blonde, Rowan and Bryce are redheads, Livvy has long curly hair, Indira has "sleek black hair," and Cassie wears her dark hair in a top knot.
Cassie is an angry 17-year old who just changed schools her senior year after the death of her father. And, by the way, she's biracial:
"[Her parents] tried to explain how just being born biracial would sometimes mean that people would disregard the rest of her. That sometimes people wouldn't be able to see beyond the color and into the individual."
I thought this detail was significant, at first. That somehow, her biracial background contributes to the upcoming obstacles Cassie has to overcome with the Hive, and her fitting in at school, and/or possibly her acceptance in certain groups she wants to join (Debate or the Techies). Yaas! I enjoy a character who rises up and squashes the hatred. But no. It's a detail that seems thrown in for no reason - it does nothing to further the plot.
The anger from this girl is justified by her father's death (a detail that doesn't get resolved), but she's seriously over-the-top angry. I mean, throwing food at her new "buddy" at lunch seems uncharacteristic of a new girl in mourning. She's also bitterly vocal about the justice of the Hive that she finds the #DumpSkylar scene ridiculous and petty (which pretty much defines the rest of the book). Cassie likes to spend her time on "stuff that changes things."
"I was in a mob yesterday for a guy who ruined his family's lives. That one mattered."
This from a girl who then joins the same petty mean girl clique (which doesn't make sense for either character - Cassie or mean girl, Rowan). Cassie joined the Hive Mob to punish a man who vaguely "humiliated his wife and children." That's the kind of action that matters and is worthy of Hive Justice. Two chapters later, Cassie posts something truly heinous:
Spoiler
"Too bad the abortion didn't take. #betterlucknextbaby." A comment that not only humiliates the president (a thinly veiled caricature of our current president), but also his family. Hmm . . . pot, meet kettle.Cassie then changes her tune. Suddenly, Cassie is no longer angry. She's desperate for friends, and she can't seem to understand why she's being targeted by the Hive Mob for a stupid comment she posted online -
Spoiler
one that humiliates and embarrasses the fictional President of the United States and his family in front of the whole world.Then Cassie's mom. Rachel, comes to the rescue. What part of YA is this? True YA books serve to empower the teen characters without parental intervention. And yet,
Spoiler
Cassie's mom not only helps her flee the Hive Mob, but she also starts a social media campaign appealing to parents and then engages in protests.So many scenes seem contrived and irrelevant to the plot - just makes this book almost infuriating to read. The so-called presidential conspiracy is absolutely ridiculous, and the convenient conclusion is even more absurd.
Cassie is not a likable character, and the authors fail to suspend my disbelief in what could have been a great new YA dystopia about the dangers of social media.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
4.0
3/5
The plot of this book was so exciting! I kept turning the page wanting to know more. In the end though, I was left with some unanswered questions. I liked the different POVs but I wish that the chapters told you it was a different POV. The action was entertaining and the world building felt like it was missing something.
4/5
Ok, I really enjoyed this book. The fact that it was a what if? that if people were given so much power on the internet was crazy and I enjoyed seeing how the main character had to deal with her mistake and the who story after that. the relationship with her dad was so touching to me.
The plot of this book was so exciting! I kept turning the page wanting to know more. In the end though, I was left with some unanswered questions. I liked the different POVs but I wish that the chapters told you it was a different POV. The action was entertaining and the world building felt like it was missing something.
4/5
Ok, I really enjoyed this book. The fact that it was a what if? that if people were given so much power on the internet was crazy and I enjoyed seeing how the main character had to deal with her mistake and the who story after that. the relationship with her dad was so touching to me.
theshaggyshepherd's review
4.0
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.
ishouldbewriting's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
alongreader's review
4.0
Cassie believes in The Hive. A way to make people accountable for what they do and say online, to prevent harassment and bullying. Who wouldn't want that? Until Cassie ends up on the wrong end of a #Hivemob and realises the extent it will go to to get what it wants...
An amazing, terrifying look at social media and how far it's likely to go in the future. I'll admit the coding talk left me kind of cold, but it didn't take away from the whole story, I still enjoyed what was happening. Cassie is a good heroine and her supporting cast were great. My only real problem? That ending!
Fantastic read I'll be sure to recommend to others.
The idea was seductive and easy. And she knew that it was true, to a degree. Her dad had once called the internet “a perpetual motion machine that runs on outrage.” Some new offense would captivate Westfield tomorrow —or even by the end of the day —and no one would remember #DumpSkylar.
Well …except for Skylar.
And except for the BLINQs and posts and pics and gifs, all of them tucked neatly away into searchable databases …
Rowan smirked at Cassie, and Cassie tried to read deeply into her eyes to see if Rowan really believed what she was claiming. It was hard to tell, though. Rowan’s eyes were bright and shining and brimming with a certainty Cassie herself had never possessed.
“We all get a do-over,”Rowan said, and Cassie felt herself nodding, even if she still wasn’t sure she believed her. “Every day is a new life for each of us.”
“As long as you’re not galactically stupid,”Madison added, and Rowan nodded.
“Right.”She popped a cherry tomato in her mouth and grinned. “And that’s the beauty of the Hive.”
An amazing, terrifying look at social media and how far it's likely to go in the future. I'll admit the coding talk left me kind of cold, but it didn't take away from the whole story, I still enjoyed what was happening. Cassie is a good heroine and her supporting cast were great. My only real problem? That ending!
Fantastic read I'll be sure to recommend to others.
The idea was seductive and easy. And she knew that it was true, to a degree. Her dad had once called the internet “a perpetual motion machine that runs on outrage.” Some new offense would captivate Westfield tomorrow —or even by the end of the day —and no one would remember #DumpSkylar.
Well …except for Skylar.
And except for the BLINQs and posts and pics and gifs, all of them tucked neatly away into searchable databases …
Rowan smirked at Cassie, and Cassie tried to read deeply into her eyes to see if Rowan really believed what she was claiming. It was hard to tell, though. Rowan’s eyes were bright and shining and brimming with a certainty Cassie herself had never possessed.
“We all get a do-over,”Rowan said, and Cassie felt herself nodding, even if she still wasn’t sure she believed her. “Every day is a new life for each of us.”
“As long as you’re not galactically stupid,”Madison added, and Rowan nodded.
“Right.”She popped a cherry tomato in her mouth and grinned. “And that’s the beauty of the Hive.”
missrmaxwell's review
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lewzor's review
1.0
I'm not sure how to rate this book fairly. I considered giving it two stars because it was really an entertaining read--but I don't think that was necessarily the intention. Dystopian satire in the Trump era sometimes straddles a fine line between caricature and allegory, and this book is...not on that line. I understand the need to address cancel culture and the tendency towards mob mentality on social media. This book was just like...wild lol. No other way to describe it.