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venusfawn's review against another edition
2.0
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So...I had high hopes for this that were not quite fulfilled. But I did like some things about it so I’ll start with those. Firstly, I really liked that not only was Rachel a big presence in the book, but we got insight on her POV. I feel like parents are often quite absent in YA stories and having an involved mom that we also got perspective from was refreshing to me. Also, Rachel is a badass mama bear and deserves all the props. #MomArmy indeed. I also usually hate when a book is described as “timely,” but I think a story addressing the toxic quagmire that is “cancel culture” is right on cue these days.
Hence why the premise of this book appealed to me as much as it did. However it fell a bit flat for me. For starters, it’s hard to like Cassie. The fact that it took her being Hived to realize that Hive Justice is a crock of bullshit was a bit frustrating to me, since her dad was supposed to be this big “shake up the system” type of guy. Her asking Bryce if he was a free speech “zealot” when he said he didn’t think people should be beaten up for what they say really stuck in my craw. The Hive would not shake up the system. The Hive was made and implemented, BY THE SYSTEM. It was “controlled” bullying, it was a flagrant means of trying to control people. The Hive is clearly something intended to be abused and something that would lead to violent chaos and people getting hurt, over petty shit. Hard to root for someone who ever thought it was some neat-o idea, though I’m glad she started realizing that Rachel was right about the Hive from the get-go.
I was also making the disappointed Kermit face every time she stood by her joke being funny. No one deserves to be murdered for a joke and it was by no means the most offensive of tasteless jokes I’ve run across online, but like...She called a newborn baby ugly. Much edgelord. Much smart. Cassie, girl, you’re no comedian. This is a very random thing to be annoyed about but it annoyed me nevertheless lmao. I also really felt like her reaction to finding out she was the reason the OHM sanctuary was raided was so minimal as to be almost sociopathic.
I’m technically challenged so sometimes all the coding jargon kind of made my eyes start to cross but some of it was interesting too. The whole conspiracy with the president also seemed a bit like overkill to me; it’s disturbing and chilling enough that it was made legal for people to harass and assault other people because they felt something somewhere online offended them. The mass “ending term limits” game plan didn’t feel particularly necessary to me, though I guess it does at least touch on the idea that we shouldn’t hand away our lives to tech and Big Brother willy-nilly. Question everything, babes. Still though; I felt like this could’ve been an exploration of just how dark human behavior and mob mentality can be and instead it threw in this presidential conspiracy and bot accounts and I feel like it ended up actually distracting from the horror of the Hive. It was like “no, actually the Hive *isn’t* bad, the president just used it that way!”
For all the doomsday dystopia elements this book still managed to be YA fluff to me. I felt like it could’ve had more punch and zing, so it didn’t quite do it for me. The ending felt too...tidy. Sugarcoated. It left me feeling dissatisfied. All this drama and rage and people dying trying to help Cassie and then...poof. She apologized. It’s all over. Conspiracy thwarted. No one is mad anymore. Okay.
I think we can take away some good thoughts about online “outrage mobs” and reveling in “cancelling” people, at least. But this book could’ve been better, could’ve been more. With its initial premise it could’ve been a great dystopia but sadly fell flat on its face.
So...I had high hopes for this that were not quite fulfilled. But I did like some things about it so I’ll start with those. Firstly, I really liked that not only was Rachel a big presence in the book, but we got insight on her POV. I feel like parents are often quite absent in YA stories and having an involved mom that we also got perspective from was refreshing to me. Also, Rachel is a badass mama bear and deserves all the props. #MomArmy indeed. I also usually hate when a book is described as “timely,” but I think a story addressing the toxic quagmire that is “cancel culture” is right on cue these days.
Hence why the premise of this book appealed to me as much as it did. However it fell a bit flat for me. For starters, it’s hard to like Cassie. The fact that it took her being Hived to realize that Hive Justice is a crock of bullshit was a bit frustrating to me, since her dad was supposed to be this big “shake up the system” type of guy. Her asking Bryce if he was a free speech “zealot” when he said he didn’t think people should be beaten up for what they say really stuck in my craw. The Hive would not shake up the system. The Hive was made and implemented, BY THE SYSTEM. It was “controlled” bullying, it was a flagrant means of trying to control people. The Hive is clearly something intended to be abused and something that would lead to violent chaos and people getting hurt, over petty shit. Hard to root for someone who ever thought it was some neat-o idea, though I’m glad she started realizing that Rachel was right about the Hive from the get-go.
I was also making the disappointed Kermit face every time she stood by her joke being funny. No one deserves to be murdered for a joke and it was by no means the most offensive of tasteless jokes I’ve run across online, but like...She called a newborn baby ugly. Much edgelord. Much smart. Cassie, girl, you’re no comedian. This is a very random thing to be annoyed about but it annoyed me nevertheless lmao. I also really felt like her reaction to finding out she was the reason the OHM sanctuary was raided was so minimal as to be almost sociopathic.
I’m technically challenged so sometimes all the coding jargon kind of made my eyes start to cross but some of it was interesting too. The whole conspiracy with the president also seemed a bit like overkill to me; it’s disturbing and chilling enough that it was made legal for people to harass and assault other people because they felt something somewhere online offended them. The mass “ending term limits” game plan didn’t feel particularly necessary to me, though I guess it does at least touch on the idea that we shouldn’t hand away our lives to tech and Big Brother willy-nilly. Question everything, babes. Still though; I felt like this could’ve been an exploration of just how dark human behavior and mob mentality can be and instead it threw in this presidential conspiracy and bot accounts and I feel like it ended up actually distracting from the horror of the Hive. It was like “no, actually the Hive *isn’t* bad, the president just used it that way!”
For all the doomsday dystopia elements this book still managed to be YA fluff to me. I felt like it could’ve had more punch and zing, so it didn’t quite do it for me. The ending felt too...tidy. Sugarcoated. It left me feeling dissatisfied. All this drama and rage and people dying trying to help Cassie and then...poof. She apologized. It’s all over. Conspiracy thwarted. No one is mad anymore. Okay.
I think we can take away some good thoughts about online “outrage mobs” and reveling in “cancelling” people, at least. But this book could’ve been better, could’ve been more. With its initial premise it could’ve been a great dystopia but sadly fell flat on its face.
spaceyboy's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Boring, wish I didn’t read.
The beginning is okay, but it immediately goes downhill.
The beginning is okay, but it immediately goes downhill.
tania_mybookishsecret's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Bullying, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship
bizzybee429's review against another edition
2.0
*DNF 21%
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listen. The plot of this book actually intrigued me. It seemed like it would be similar to a Black Mirror episode, and maybe it would've been! Maybe it would've been. If it weren't for the cheesiest instalove het romance I've ever read.
Seriously, this romance was one of the cringiest ones I've ever read in my entire life. I literally have no words.
It's all painfully real!
I have stuff to say about the plot too, but for a second I just have to talk about these two bc oh my GOD. So here's how they meet: she's walking down an empty hallway alone and sees something perched on top of the lockers, she doesn't know what it is, and then he, in an empty hallway, jumps down right in front of her. Off of a row of lockers. Is it explained why he was on top of the lockers? Nope. Why didn't he just wait two seconds for her to walk by? No idea! Literally no one else is in the hallway it's not like he didn't have room or anything. And then Cassie, the main character, falls instantly in love and all her anger fades away yadda yadda yadda
And just. The way Cassie talks about this dude gives me so much secondhand embarrassment. He asks her if she wants to help him with some code and she says "I do," and then is like oh shit what did I just say it sounds like we're at the ALTER exchanging VOWS. Right after he ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING.
Honestly I probably would've finished this book if it hadn't been for the romance ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I definitely had issues with the plot but it certainly wasn't unreadable.
For example, it's established pretty early on that Cassie's mom, Rachel, doesn't really pay attention to BLINQ or the internet or anything, which is confusing for me, because right in the first chapter the narrative states that everyone is required to have a BLINQ. Cassie even says that "her mom knew next to nothing about the current world."It was especially confusing because there's a lot of implications that it's required to be connected to the social media. While this can be explained away by saying that even if you have to have a BLINQ you don't have to be on it all the time, the novel never did so.
Additionally, there was a lot of unecessary gore, and some of it didn't even make sense? Rachel hits someone in the mob with her purse and when the bag opens, her nail file flies out and spears the guy in the cheek. First off, ew. Second off, I'm pretty sure you need a lot more force than hitting someone with your broken bag to actually puncture someone with a NAIL FILE. there were a few other scenes with just gross gore that didn't fit the plot or the general feeling of the rest of the novel.
Also, every character seemed to know more than they were letting on, but not in an interesting or way that would imply foreshadowing. Rather, it felt like the kind of book where at the end it would be like "and then Cassie woke up in bed. Everything was okay and it was just a dream." The characterization was just generally weak and didn't live up to the plot.
So all in all, a cheesy-ass romance, weak characterization, and unecessary gore does not a good book make. Great concept, bad execution.
--
Pre-Review
Was sitting here making myself read this and then I was like what the hell am I doing. It's pride month why am I forcing myself to read this
Full rtc
"'That is the sexiest thing I've ever seen,' Carson said, his voice pitched low. She wondered for a moment if she should hashtag him for a microaggression, but..... It actually didn't bother her."
listen. The plot of this book actually intrigued me. It seemed like it would be similar to a Black Mirror episode, and maybe it would've been! Maybe it would've been. If it weren't for the cheesiest instalove het romance I've ever read.
Seriously, this romance was one of the cringiest ones I've ever read in my entire life. I literally have no words.
"And in walked Mr. CODE IS POETRY. (This time, though, his shirt said LIFE IS A HACK in the same white font. Menlo Regular, she thought.)"
It's all painfully real!
I have stuff to say about the plot too, but for a second I just have to talk about these two bc oh my GOD. So here's how they meet: she's walking down an empty hallway alone and sees something perched on top of the lockers, she doesn't know what it is, and then he, in an empty hallway, jumps down right in front of her. Off of a row of lockers. Is it explained why he was on top of the lockers? Nope. Why didn't he just wait two seconds for her to walk by? No idea! Literally no one else is in the hallway it's not like he didn't have room or anything. And then Cassie, the main character, falls instantly in love and all her anger fades away yadda yadda yadda
And just. The way Cassie talks about this dude gives me so much secondhand embarrassment. He asks her if she wants to help him with some code and she says "I do," and then is like oh shit what did I just say it sounds like we're at the ALTER exchanging VOWS. Right after he ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING.
Honestly I probably would've finished this book if it hadn't been for the romance ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I definitely had issues with the plot but it certainly wasn't unreadable.
For example, it's established pretty early on that Cassie's mom, Rachel, doesn't really pay attention to BLINQ or the internet or anything, which is confusing for me, because right in the first chapter the narrative states that everyone is required to have a BLINQ. Cassie even says that "her mom knew next to nothing about the current world."It was especially confusing because there's a lot of implications that it's required to be connected to the social media. While this can be explained away by saying that even if you have to have a BLINQ you don't have to be on it all the time, the novel never did so.
Additionally, there was a lot of unecessary gore, and some of it didn't even make sense? Rachel hits someone in the mob with her purse and when the bag opens, her nail file flies out and spears the guy in the cheek. First off, ew. Second off, I'm pretty sure you need a lot more force than hitting someone with your broken bag to actually puncture someone with a NAIL FILE. there were a few other scenes with just gross gore that didn't fit the plot or the general feeling of the rest of the novel.
Also, every character seemed to know more than they were letting on, but not in an interesting or way that would imply foreshadowing. Rather, it felt like the kind of book where at the end it would be like "and then Cassie woke up in bed. Everything was okay and it was just a dream." The characterization was just generally weak and didn't live up to the plot.
So all in all, a cheesy-ass romance, weak characterization, and unecessary gore does not a good book make. Great concept, bad execution.
--
Pre-Review
Was sitting here making myself read this and then I was like what the hell am I doing. It's pride month why am I forcing myself to read this
Full rtc
momalwaysreads's review against another edition
4.0
It's a bit ironic that I would be posting a review about a book touting the perils of social media on a social media site... but here goes!
Reading The Hive, I got the sense that the world described could easily be in our own near future, which makes this YA thriller as scary as a horror story in some ways. Cassie McKinney is just trying to make it through her senior year and move on with her life. But when her so-called friends leave her high and dry after acting as catalyst to a social media comment gone wrong, she's on the run and doesn't know who she can trust.
The concepts in the story, while a bit futuristic in implementation, will not be surprising. Trend positive, go viral, the Internet is forever... and there's always the government conspiracy. But I fell into the world easily and was quickly invested in the characters. Some of the twists and turns were predictable, but not enough to be distracting, and the ending was open-ended enough that I hope there will be a follow-up!
Overall, I really enjoyed The Hive and would recommend it to fans of YA thrillers and futuristic technology.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Reading The Hive, I got the sense that the world described could easily be in our own near future, which makes this YA thriller as scary as a horror story in some ways. Cassie McKinney is just trying to make it through her senior year and move on with her life. But when her so-called friends leave her high and dry after acting as catalyst to a social media comment gone wrong, she's on the run and doesn't know who she can trust.
The concepts in the story, while a bit futuristic in implementation, will not be surprising. Trend positive, go viral, the Internet is forever... and there's always the government conspiracy. But I fell into the world easily and was quickly invested in the characters. Some of the twists and turns were predictable, but not enough to be distracting, and the ending was open-ended enough that I hope there will be a follow-up!
Overall, I really enjoyed The Hive and would recommend it to fans of YA thrillers and futuristic technology.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
raemelle's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good! Definitely made the president in this book act like Trump. While I certainly agree with the political leanings of this story, it did lay it on a bit thick sometimes. And sometimes there were weird details (like using a complicated pattern that involves prime numbers to get across a room) that seemed purely designed to make Cassie or other “good guys” look extra smart, but they weren’t very practical. Overall has a good message.
eyedoc's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Murder
eserafina42's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting question: What would happen if internet shaming got out of hand and was then seized upon by the powers that be to be regulated and used as a means of manipulation and control? I enjoyed this book and pretty much raced through it but there were still some things that bothered me. The "insta-love" was only a minor one; the incredible coincidence that everybody the MC needed to help her evade the mob was magically positioned just perfectly to do so was a bit less minor. Also, while I "got" and appreciated the portrayal of a certain person as the president, I feel that it might have been a bit too self-indulgent and risks alienating some of the people who could benefit from the larger message.
My biggest question, however - and to me, this is a huge weakness in the worldbuilding - is, why would the president need more control? Congress and the courts don't appear to even exist in this near-future version of the US, or if they do they're so cowed they're irrelevant. I can't even conceive of a way this extrajudicial "trial, conviction and punishment" procedure would pass muster in even a minimally-functioning constitutional system, and if things have gone that far downhill the extra steps aren't even needed.
However, that's me - and I have been accused of overthinking things. Those issues also did not do much to impede my enjoyment of the story.
My biggest question, however - and to me, this is a huge weakness in the worldbuilding - is, why would the president need more control? Congress and the courts don't appear to even exist in this near-future version of the US, or if they do they're so cowed they're irrelevant. I can't even conceive of a way this extrajudicial "trial, conviction and punishment" procedure would pass muster in even a minimally-functioning constitutional system, and if things have gone that far downhill the extra steps aren't even needed.
However, that's me - and I have been accused of overthinking things. Those issues also did not do much to impede my enjoyment of the story.