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A review by chuskeyreads
The Hive by Barry Lyga, Morgan Baden
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.