The Hive

By Author / Illustrator

Anna February

Genre

Dystopian

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Chicken House

ISBN

9781915947277

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

10-04-2025

Synopsis

A thrillingly original dystopian murder mystery - think The Hunger Games meets A Good Girl's Guide to Murder! A FUTURE QUEEN LIES MURDERED ...

Justice is merciless in the Hive, a monarchy of tomorrow, where young bodyguard Feldspar awaits execution, guilty of being alive when her charge is dead. The girl has one defender - Niko, a royal maverick. Together they have three days to prove the impossible. Three days to question everything Feldspar knows about the world that raised her and discover who the real murderer is . . .

A thrillingly original YA murder mystery, set in a dystopian colony with fantasy elements. Features a dangerous future monarchy, a richly imagined world based on the society of bees, and a hint of romance For fans of Neal Shusterman, Holly Black and Suzanne Collins

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Reviews

Sue

Feldspar awaits execution. As shield to an ascendant, a member of the Hive's royal family, she should have died when her charge, Euphemie, was murdered, but she survived. Expecting no clemency, Feldspar is surprised when a member of the royal family, Niko, comes to her defence and starts investigating. They have three days to prove Feldspar's innocence, three days to catch a killer - and in doing so, destroy everything she has been raised to believe.

The Hive is an excellent murder mystery, set in a dystopian society which bases its structure on that of a bee hive. At the top are the queens, the Apex - or council - made up of members of the royal family, and their children, ascendants, known by the position of their birth. Each ascendant has a shield, with whom they are bonded at birth. Shields are conditioned to protect their ascendant above all else - the death of an ascendant results in the death of their shield. So when Euphemie dies, Feldspar should have died as well. Her survival is seen as treason.

This chilling society is well imagined and developed. Feldspar is a compelling and complex character. Initially racked with guilt and grief over her survival and Euphemie's death, her feelings gradually change as she learns more about her world and begins to question everything she has been brought up to believe. It is easy to empathise with her turbulent emotions, making her a very sympathetic character, challenging readers to reflect on her situation and the importance of individuals being allowed to choose for themselves, rather than live in restricted dictatorships.

The murder mystery is extremely well handled and, as the days pass, the reader is kept guessing to the very end, with various false starts and red herrings along the way. My only quibble with this story is the ending. For me, everything ended very quickly so I hope that there will be another story set in this world, showing what happens to Feldspar and Niko next. A gripping and pacy read!

448 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher