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teebeethegreat's review
2.0
The Nitty Gritty: Beat up and almost broken Rhiannon's Hive collapses into the John Wayne Station looking for solace. Seeking refuge in its safest the Hive relaxes a bit and the future starts to look bright, until their engine is nabbed.
Well when life gives you lemons you throw them back and steal some cherries. The Hive scheme to steal their engine back, but its not really stealing if it's yours in the first place. With a smarter than should be allowed Star Ranger robot on their tails and a brothel run stage play the Hive is turning into a real family.
The robot, by the way, is bolts deep into an investigation into a string of thefts and murders aboard the station. A rival lawmen group are determined to get into her way and impede the investigation, but she is having none of that.
Hive & Heist is a romping good time in outer space.
Opening Line: "Criminal couldn't escape justice."
The Good: I love the pop cultural references like the Texas Rangers and the john Wayne Station. Though I can't say that I am a fan of the Duke, but I like it in a sort of space opera.
I do like the sort of robot police procedural aspect. Though not the sort of procedural we are used to with Law & Order or CSI. And my hats off to the female robot lawmen or Star Ranger. Even if it is a robot its nice to get some diverse characters in the mix.
This is a science fiction book that doesn't take itself too seriously. There is a fair amount of humor and laughs to be had, mostly a lot of ribbing at the main characters expense but if you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at. I do enjoy good natured characters like that. A lot of times in YA fiction the girls are so morose and angsty that its depressing to read. Its nice to have a character crack a joke and a smile every once in awhile.
I do love that this book is introducing teens to the scifi genre and that we are getting a female main character in a space opera. the YA section is full or magic and vampires and werewolves that I walk into the bookstore with garlic and wolfsbane just to repel all that.
The Bad: For it to be a continuation of a previous book it lagged and it sagged in places. Almost as if it were still trying to find its story and its footing. Book 2 is not the place for self doubt. You are supposed to work all of that out in the first book.
I get the bread crumbs and I suppose there are more bread crumbs in the fist book than the second book but I would have liked a little more in this book. A tiny bit more backstory for those reading out of sequence and a bit more foreshadowing for the upcoming books. Even if it is a book in the middle of a series they should be stand alone books in and of themselves. I should be able to read a book and not feel like I'm reading a Greek book on trigonometry. That was a little distracting.
I really hate when books in a series can't stand alone. I know that its part of a larger story, but if someone reading book two has no idea what is going on, or who is who, or what this gadget is and you fail to explain it because it was all explained in book 1 then I call that a fail. I understand you get more money with them buying book 1 and book 2, but you also sell more if people like book 2 and want to buy the fist book as well. Not because you didn't answer any of their questions.
Parts of the story, in the beginning, don't really mesh up with anything else in the book. Almost like the author couldn't decide where to put it so it got stuck into this book. The pace didn't really pick up until the middle of the book, but by that time some readers have bailed.
My Final Thoughts: I have not read the first book in this series but from this book I am keen on picking it up and diving into it just because the author leaves so many things unsaid that you need to know in this book. Though I don't think I would be reading it for enjoyment at this point. But anything dealing with Hives is aces in my book. I'm a Resident Evil gal through and through what can I say.
Well when life gives you lemons you throw them back and steal some cherries. The Hive scheme to steal their engine back, but its not really stealing if it's yours in the first place. With a smarter than should be allowed Star Ranger robot on their tails and a brothel run stage play the Hive is turning into a real family.
The robot, by the way, is bolts deep into an investigation into a string of thefts and murders aboard the station. A rival lawmen group are determined to get into her way and impede the investigation, but she is having none of that.
Hive & Heist is a romping good time in outer space.
Opening Line: "Criminal couldn't escape justice."
The Good: I love the pop cultural references like the Texas Rangers and the john Wayne Station. Though I can't say that I am a fan of the Duke, but I like it in a sort of space opera.
I do like the sort of robot police procedural aspect. Though not the sort of procedural we are used to with Law & Order or CSI. And my hats off to the female robot lawmen or Star Ranger. Even if it is a robot its nice to get some diverse characters in the mix.
This is a science fiction book that doesn't take itself too seriously. There is a fair amount of humor and laughs to be had, mostly a lot of ribbing at the main characters expense but if you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at. I do enjoy good natured characters like that. A lot of times in YA fiction the girls are so morose and angsty that its depressing to read. Its nice to have a character crack a joke and a smile every once in awhile.
I do love that this book is introducing teens to the scifi genre and that we are getting a female main character in a space opera. the YA section is full or magic and vampires and werewolves that I walk into the bookstore with garlic and wolfsbane just to repel all that.
The Bad: For it to be a continuation of a previous book it lagged and it sagged in places. Almost as if it were still trying to find its story and its footing. Book 2 is not the place for self doubt. You are supposed to work all of that out in the first book.
I get the bread crumbs and I suppose there are more bread crumbs in the fist book than the second book but I would have liked a little more in this book. A tiny bit more backstory for those reading out of sequence and a bit more foreshadowing for the upcoming books. Even if it is a book in the middle of a series they should be stand alone books in and of themselves. I should be able to read a book and not feel like I'm reading a Greek book on trigonometry. That was a little distracting.
I really hate when books in a series can't stand alone. I know that its part of a larger story, but if someone reading book two has no idea what is going on, or who is who, or what this gadget is and you fail to explain it because it was all explained in book 1 then I call that a fail. I understand you get more money with them buying book 1 and book 2, but you also sell more if people like book 2 and want to buy the fist book as well. Not because you didn't answer any of their questions.
Parts of the story, in the beginning, don't really mesh up with anything else in the book. Almost like the author couldn't decide where to put it so it got stuck into this book. The pace didn't really pick up until the middle of the book, but by that time some readers have bailed.
My Final Thoughts: I have not read the first book in this series but from this book I am keen on picking it up and diving into it just because the author leaves so many things unsaid that you need to know in this book. Though I don't think I would be reading it for enjoyment at this point. But anything dealing with Hives is aces in my book. I'm a Resident Evil gal through and through what can I say.
leigh_darling's review
4.0
**spoiler free review**
This book starts right were the last one left off, something that rarely happens. I love it when that happens, it makes everything that occurs feel like it is Universe level important which makes it easier to read. This second volume did not have to take so long world-building so it got moving and to the heart of the action more quickly. I read it in just under 5 hours.
I don’t often marathon a book and even less often do I marathon a book in the middle of a college semester. This book required it, I had to know what happened, I had to find out how things were tied together, how the new characters were going to fit in with the old, how lingering issues were going to be resolved. I needed to know more than I needed to do coursework and as I’ve said, I have no regrets.
I was pleased with the plotline in a way that is not often achieved in novels that are part of a larger work: the plot was self-contained but still moved the larger issue forward seamlessly. It is not common to have that happen and I love it when it does happen. It makes it feel like there is hope for this big thing to be solved but it is not the only thing going on, much as in real life.
I am excited to see where this story leads, what further adventures await our characters and who will join them. I am not in a hurry to solve the big issue, I am content with the speed things are currently moving. That pretty much never happens, I always what resolution NOW. I love that in this case, I am happy.
This book starts right were the last one left off, something that rarely happens. I love it when that happens, it makes everything that occurs feel like it is Universe level important which makes it easier to read. This second volume did not have to take so long world-building so it got moving and to the heart of the action more quickly. I read it in just under 5 hours.
I don’t often marathon a book and even less often do I marathon a book in the middle of a college semester. This book required it, I had to know what happened, I had to find out how things were tied together, how the new characters were going to fit in with the old, how lingering issues were going to be resolved. I needed to know more than I needed to do coursework and as I’ve said, I have no regrets.
I was pleased with the plotline in a way that is not often achieved in novels that are part of a larger work: the plot was self-contained but still moved the larger issue forward seamlessly. It is not common to have that happen and I love it when it does happen. It makes it feel like there is hope for this big thing to be solved but it is not the only thing going on, much as in real life.
I am excited to see where this story leads, what further adventures await our characters and who will join them. I am not in a hurry to solve the big issue, I am content with the speed things are currently moving. That pretty much never happens, I always what resolution NOW. I love that in this case, I am happy.
ctorretta's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, in my review of Queen & Commander I expressed my feelings on these young adults going out on their own with no regard to how they were going to survive, and with none of them having any real knowledge of the real world. (yes I sound like an old lady, but damn it, it's true!)
So... in this book it started much the same. As I was starting to get disappointed that the plot wasn't going to be very different from the first, it started getting better. Yes, there was still some dissension in the ranks, but they were starting to work together. At least some of them were.
Victor really surprised me in this! I thought he was going to remain his serious, Gwyn loving self but he really grew. Rhiannon sort of grew. I think it was more being in this new town and seeing how she affected people that helped her to grow. I did like her much more in this one than the last but until a bit more than half way through she kept making the same mistakes that she made in book one.
The character I loved was Melissa! Love, Love, Love her! She added so much to this even though her story and theirs is somewhat perpendicular. Just her being in the plot was fantastic. And the fact that she's some form of cyborg with human thoughts just made me love her all the more. Janine A. Southard really did a great job when she created Melissa and I loved every part of the book that she was in. (BUT especially the ending SQUEEE!!)
So, much better than the first. Still a bit slow to get started but it picks up. The ending was well worth the wait.
Received book from author for an honest review.
So... in this book it started much the same. As I was starting to get disappointed that the plot wasn't going to be very different from the first, it started getting better. Yes, there was still some dissension in the ranks, but they were starting to work together. At least some of them were.
Victor really surprised me in this! I thought he was going to remain his serious, Gwyn loving self but he really grew. Rhiannon sort of grew. I think it was more being in this new town and seeing how she affected people that helped her to grow. I did like her much more in this one than the last but until a bit more than half way through she kept making the same mistakes that she made in book one.
The character I loved was Melissa! Love, Love, Love her! She added so much to this even though her story and theirs is somewhat perpendicular. Just her being in the plot was fantastic. And the fact that she's some form of cyborg with human thoughts just made me love her all the more. Janine A. Southard really did a great job when she created Melissa and I loved every part of the book that she was in. (BUT especially the ending SQUEEE!!)
So, much better than the first. Still a bit slow to get started but it picks up. The ending was well worth the wait.
Received book from author for an honest review.
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