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H.I.V.E. #9
Bloodline
As the students of H.I.V.E. face the challenges of their final year at the school, Otto Malpense is forced to confront his own legacy as a new threat rises from the shadows of his past.
Old wounds will be reopened and dark, hidden secrets will be revealed as H.I.V.E.'s enemies seek a final, ruthless revenge against the school. Otto and his friends face a desperate, deadly fight against an enemy more powerful and dangerous than any they have faced before - a twisted product of his own bloodline. Nothing will ever be the same again...
From Italy to Russia and back via the USA, Otto battles against time to defeat an enemy who seems to hold all the cards, while uncaring of the cost to human life. Featuring all your favourite characters from previous books in the series, Bloodline is a real tour de force, and a fitting conclusion to Walden's H.I.V.E series.
Old wounds will be reopened and dark, hidden secrets will be revealed as H.I.V.E.'s enemies seek a final, ruthless revenge against the school. Otto and his friends face a desperate, deadly fight against an enemy more powerful and dangerous than any they have faced before - a twisted product of his own bloodline. Nothing will ever be the same again...
From Italy to Russia and back via the USA, Otto battles against time to defeat an enemy who seems to hold all the cards, while uncaring of the cost to human life. Featuring all your favourite characters from previous books in the series, Bloodline is a real tour de force, and a fitting conclusion to Walden's H.I.V.E series.
276 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2021
35 people are currently reading
1870 people want to read
About the author
Mark Walden
65 books688 followersI am the world’s laziest man.
No…really. Not just a bit slack, really, truly, breathtakingly lazy.
Which is why it’s taken me so long to get off my big, lazy rear end and get myself properly on-line.
I’m the author of the HIVE series of books which I hope that some of the people who stumble across this might have read and enjoyed. Or read and hated…
I am fortunate enough to live with the two most beautiful women on earth. And yes of course I’m hoping they’ll read that and forgive me for any one of the incredibly stupid things I’ll do this month.
I have yet to hold down anything even vaguely approximating a proper job.
I did help make video games a while ago but that was not the best environment for someone as lazy as me.
No…really. Not just a bit slack, really, truly, breathtakingly lazy.
Which is why it’s taken me so long to get off my big, lazy rear end and get myself properly on-line.
I’m the author of the HIVE series of books which I hope that some of the people who stumble across this might have read and enjoyed. Or read and hated…
I am fortunate enough to live with the two most beautiful women on earth. And yes of course I’m hoping they’ll read that and forgive me for any one of the incredibly stupid things I’ll do this month.
I have yet to hold down anything even vaguely approximating a proper job.
I did help make video games a while ago but that was not the best environment for someone as lazy as me.
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Want to read
April 28, 2018UPDATE:
Dear Mr. Walden,
If I die while waiting for this book to come out, I will haunt you for all eternity.
***
Amazon says the release date is February 1, 2019.
me when I saw this little tidbit:
Dear Mr. Walden,
If I die while waiting for this book to come out, I will haunt you for all eternity.
***
Amazon says the release date is February 1, 2019.
me when I saw this little tidbit:
February 2, 2019
Where is this book! It's February 2nd 2019! I've waited two years for this and I can't find it anywhere!!!
Want to read
June 24, 2020Well, now Amazon claims that this will be published Feb. 1st, 2019. I am rather upset, since previously Amazon said that it would come out June 1st, 2017, but I suppose that there is nothing to do but wait and hope the date does not change again.
Update: There has still not been a title or cover release, but apparently Walden confirmed in November of 2019 that he was almost done (https://hive.fandom.com/wiki/Book_9), and Barnes and Noble claims the release date is July 28, 2020 (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hive...). So, with any luck at all, this book will come out... one day.
Update: There has still not been a title or cover release, but apparently Walden confirmed in November of 2019 that he was almost done (https://hive.fandom.com/wiki/Book_9), and Barnes and Noble claims the release date is July 28, 2020 (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hive...). So, with any luck at all, this book will come out... one day.
April 17, 2020
WHEN IS THIS BOOK COMING????!!!! ITS ALREADY APRIL OF 2020!!!!! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOREVER!!!!!!
June 15, 2024
This was a satisfying end to a series that I loved when I was younger which I am grateful to have had the chance to read.
A lot of the time it's hard to come back and revisit a series you haven't read in years (and hadn't had a new book published in years) but this ending really worked and Walden did an excellent job at reimmersing the readers even without doing a reread of the previous books.
Still, this is one of my favorite middle school book series and would suggest book 1 to all middle school series fans.
A lot of the time it's hard to come back and revisit a series you haven't read in years (and hadn't had a new book published in years) but this ending really worked and Walden did an excellent job at reimmersing the readers even without doing a reread of the previous books.
Still, this is one of my favorite middle school book series and would suggest book 1 to all middle school series fans.
July 25, 2023
8 years after the last book, we finally get the conclusion of the hive series. and what a conclusion it is. it's not good, but it's certainly entertaining!
here are my less than coherent thoughts about bloodline:
-it's the finale yet raven and hive mind barely get to be in it???? the two best characters??? be serious
-major props to mark walden for putting nearly every character in the entire series back in for the finale. wildly impressive
-this friend group has the silliest downgrade ever. oh you thought they were all friends? lmao dumbass obviously each one only cares about their respective romantic interest
-three seconds after I started thinking about the lack of platonic nero & raven content they threw the twist at me. couldn't stop laughing. it's so out of nowhere but OBVIOUSLY
-nine books and commas still aren't being used properly
-it's so funny when villains are written to say things that genuinely make a lot of sense, like "climate change is going to have disastrous effects on living things" or "the top 1% shouldn't be hoarding the world's wealth" but then they also want to murder a billion people so if you agree with them you're a bad person
-ending a series with an ellipsis is crazy
here are my less than coherent thoughts about bloodline:
-it's the finale yet raven and hive mind barely get to be in it???? the two best characters??? be serious
-major props to mark walden for putting nearly every character in the entire series back in for the finale. wildly impressive
-this friend group has the silliest downgrade ever. oh you thought they were all friends? lmao dumbass obviously each one only cares about their respective romantic interest
-three seconds after I started thinking about the lack of platonic nero & raven content they threw the twist at me. couldn't stop laughing. it's so out of nowhere but OBVIOUSLY
-nine books and commas still aren't being used properly
-it's so funny when villains are written to say things that genuinely make a lot of sense, like "climate change is going to have disastrous effects on living things" or "the top 1% shouldn't be hoarding the world's wealth" but then they also want to murder a billion people so if you agree with them you're a bad person
-ending a series with an ellipsis is crazy
October 10, 2025
read the first six when i was 6-7 years old, was extatic when aftershock came out, was surprised to fond out about deadlock and now bloodline. my childhood right here and i still ADORE the books at 22 years old. Will probably reread them in a couple years time for the 5-6th time
April 23, 2021
BIG NEWS EVERYONE
Mark's Twitter posted a link to his website! The first ever cover
https://twitter.com/MarkWalden_HIVE/s...
Mark's Twitter posted a link to his website! The first ever cover
https://twitter.com/MarkWalden_HIVE/s...
Want to read
June 17, 2021I'm screaming inside. Just... screaming.
I can't even describe to you...
I thought that I'd given up on this ever being written, but apparently deep down, waay down, I was holding onto an ember of hope.
*runs hand through hair* I need to... I need to re-read all of them now. In preparation.
The hour has arrived, the Time has come. The long promised kingdom is at hand!
I would rate this 5 stars right out the gate, but that doesn't seem appropriate or fair, so I'll just put this in and edit it with an actual review later.
My hands are actually shaking. XD This is so stupid, but I didn't realise how much this meant to me until this moment. Well, until I write again.
I can't even describe to you...
I thought that I'd given up on this ever being written, but apparently deep down, waay down, I was holding onto an ember of hope.
*runs hand through hair* I need to... I need to re-read all of them now. In preparation.
The hour has arrived, the Time has come. The long promised kingdom is at hand!
I would rate this 5 stars right out the gate, but that doesn't seem appropriate or fair, so I'll just put this in and edit it with an actual review later.
My hands are actually shaking. XD This is so stupid, but I didn't realise how much this meant to me until this moment. Well, until I write again.
September 20, 2024
it pains me a little to say. i don’t even know if this is 3 starts maybe 2.5. we waited 8 long years!! and then i spent three years rereading the series and now what 🧍🏽♀️
you can tell there was a long stretch of time between this and book 8. lots of brief recaps about major plot points. the relationships felt even more surface level than previously. i think it could have been longer to make up for that.
the ending. where do i even start. the raven/nero drop? lol. 👎🏽 otto’s sacrifice? over in 0.2 seconds. the epilogue????? rushed as hell. +1 point for the hint of nigel/franz even though he was too afraid to do more than hint. also franz should have stayed fat it would have made up for all the fatphobia in all the earlier books
ultimately: this series will always be one of my childhood favs. i think the first book is basically perfect, and i would read books 1-6 again and again. everything past that.. i think it’s fallen prey to the extra story arc that brings in a billion new things but doesn’t quite work, at least for me. i didn’t think this was going to be perfect?? but i’m a little sad it’s not as good as i hoped
you can tell there was a long stretch of time between this and book 8. lots of brief recaps about major plot points. the relationships felt even more surface level than previously. i think it could have been longer to make up for that.
the ending. where do i even start. the raven/nero drop? lol. 👎🏽 otto’s sacrifice? over in 0.2 seconds. the epilogue????? rushed as hell. +1 point for the hint of nigel/franz even though he was too afraid to do more than hint. also franz should have stayed fat it would have made up for all the fatphobia in all the earlier books
ultimately: this series will always be one of my childhood favs. i think the first book is basically perfect, and i would read books 1-6 again and again. everything past that.. i think it’s fallen prey to the extra story arc that brings in a billion new things but doesn’t quite work, at least for me. i didn’t think this was going to be perfect?? but i’m a little sad it’s not as good as i hoped
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
Just saw on Barnes & Noble website says release date is 7/28/20
Want to read
April 2, 2015Review to come soon...
I have loved this series and am exited for this book after the cliff hanger(:p)
Waiting......
I have loved this series and am exited for this book after the cliff hanger(:p)
Waiting......
Want to read
January 10, 2017hope this will be the last book of the series... hohoho...
May 24, 2021
Bloodline is the most recently released book of H.I.V.E book series by Mark Walden and is a fitting conclusion. In this book Otto's family (clones that were made from the same place as of Otto) fight him and take over the school. Many more loose ends are tied up in this book. To find this book you should try kindle because finding it in paperback format was very hard....
But when you will reach the end of the book somethings may leave you shocked...
But when you will reach the end of the book somethings may leave you shocked...
June 24, 2022
Nice ending
Read
July 21, 2021OMG
Somehow, I latched upon this book series during my childhood. I remember discovering it and reading it in June in middle school, and immediately trying to force my sister into reading it. I read it multiple times. HOW DID I MISS THIS BOOK COMING OUT. will return with an actual review soon.
Somehow, I latched upon this book series during my childhood. I remember discovering it and reading it in June in middle school, and immediately trying to force my sister into reading it. I read it multiple times. HOW DID I MISS THIS BOOK COMING OUT. will return with an actual review soon.
Want to read
January 11, 2021Still not here :(
November 5, 2022
The book was a little rushed and hard to get into after a 9 year gap, as I didn’t want to read the series again though much older eyes that might not appreciate it as much. But it was fantastic to FINALLY get closure on this series that I’d loved so much when I was young.
March 16, 2020
I desperately want to read this book
September 30, 2024
Mild listed spoilers below:
Trying to avoid major spoilers by name.
This series has been a wild roller-coaster of a ride. I love the series, but I think I need to give myself a long break before I reading through series again, due to the emotional scenes that break me...
Started reading this way back in elementary school. I stopped for some reason, then got the other books a few years later and continued into high school and college. To say that this series has been apart of my childhood is an understatement! I much prefer the recent artist's cover illustrations of the books' north american versions to the UK ones.
Something strange is that I predicted a few of the things that happened, back when the last book came out in 2013... pretty closely. Like Elena's identity, the book's color, etc. Though there were still some things that surprised me.
This book is also has some surprisingly dark moments. It didn't feel too out of place, but just different. This added to the suspense, mostly.
This last book was on hold for *9 years... so there was quite the expectation built up. I wondered if this book would come out at all for years.
I think this may have affected some of the quality of the final product of the book. I can understand taking a one or two year break, but its' not a great idea for a writer to take this long of a break.
It doesn't ruin the whole book, but certain parts felt rushed or confusing.
Overall, the book is still quite satisfying.
The usual stuff is there- an action packed adventure, with twists and turns.
I appreciated the emotional depth added to Nero. The book does a great job exploring character flaws, and how the characters' personalities work well together, or not. Sometimes writers are too afraid to have character flaws because they think that'll make the audience reject them entirely, when really it adds complexity and does the opposite.
Some nice callbacks to things that happened earlier in the series.
Its' somewhat conclusive, only, not as conclusive as I'd have like it to be.
My two biggest problems with the book is the twists don't really work, and some sections felt confusing.
There are a few major twists which in my opinion don't quite stick the landing well.
One scene with Nero arguing with one antagonist felt a little flat, in terms of motivation...
One major twist I can't decide if I love or hate. I sort of predicted it... sort of.
Part of the challenge of bieng a writer is tying plot threads from earlier back together. It sort of works... but its' not always believable, or contrary to what was established before.
Some things like the return of the Sinestre family, and explaining how the 'voice' works, didn't quite work for me.
As for pacing issues... the problem mentioned was present in previous books, but I didn't notice it as a problem, as much.
Its' more to do with the artists' writing style. He has an action scene go from point A to point B, then try to say, 'while it looked like _blank happened_, actually at the same time something else happened.'
It could have been clearer conveying this. The section in Italy fleeing the mansion in particularily felt quite confusing. Kind of a narrative mess... One character dissappeared unceremoniously, leaving no clue as to if she survived or not... only to turn up later conveniently. It gives one account, but then gives another account contradicting that... Also the last chapter of the book.
The author has also had some inconsistencies throught the series with the lore. Such as, how long the HIVE school-years are, and the school bieng established in the 60s', but some people bieng students from 30 years ago... I noticed this but it didn't bother me too much, other than bieng a little confusing.
There were also some unfulfilled things set up from the last book which didn't get mentioned. An example bieng the Robert Flack guy bieng out to expose Otto and his school, the remaining disciples, and cloning tech still bieng out there, Penny hating Otto and Wing and not coming to terms with her feelings. The biggest thing is the ending bieng sort of open ending.
It's kind of a better ending than expected, but it ends a little too abruptly. I would have liked a little more info to clarify some stuff. What is this place Wing and Shelby run? Why did they chose this and not running their own villainous enterprise for example?
The antagonist in this book is somewhat of a trope subversion. You expect the over-arching villain to come back like Voldemort does in Harry Potter as the final book's villain. I expected Overlord to be brought back.
She felt a little too overpowered at points, like even after returning to face her with the new tricks up the gangs' sleeve... it fails? Really...?.
The solution at the end felt plot device-y.
Although I do admire how I remembered that the author brought up similar stakes back in book 2 with Cypher talking about the horror of an AI controlling a whole military's arsenal, and multiple whole militaries.
Could have been better, but its' not too bad.
Trying to avoid major spoilers by name.
This series has been a wild roller-coaster of a ride. I love the series, but I think I need to give myself a long break before I reading through series again, due to the emotional scenes that break me...
Started reading this way back in elementary school. I stopped for some reason, then got the other books a few years later and continued into high school and college. To say that this series has been apart of my childhood is an understatement! I much prefer the recent artist's cover illustrations of the books' north american versions to the UK ones.
Something strange is that I predicted a few of the things that happened, back when the last book came out in 2013... pretty closely. Like Elena's identity, the book's color, etc. Though there were still some things that surprised me.
This book is also has some surprisingly dark moments. It didn't feel too out of place, but just different. This added to the suspense, mostly.
This last book was on hold for *9 years... so there was quite the expectation built up. I wondered if this book would come out at all for years.
I think this may have affected some of the quality of the final product of the book. I can understand taking a one or two year break, but its' not a great idea for a writer to take this long of a break.
It doesn't ruin the whole book, but certain parts felt rushed or confusing.
Overall, the book is still quite satisfying.
The usual stuff is there- an action packed adventure, with twists and turns.
I appreciated the emotional depth added to Nero. The book does a great job exploring character flaws, and how the characters' personalities work well together, or not. Sometimes writers are too afraid to have character flaws because they think that'll make the audience reject them entirely, when really it adds complexity and does the opposite.
Some nice callbacks to things that happened earlier in the series.
Its' somewhat conclusive, only, not as conclusive as I'd have like it to be.
My two biggest problems with the book is the twists don't really work, and some sections felt confusing.
There are a few major twists which in my opinion don't quite stick the landing well.
One scene with Nero arguing with one antagonist felt a little flat, in terms of motivation...
One major twist I can't decide if I love or hate. I sort of predicted it... sort of.
Part of the challenge of bieng a writer is tying plot threads from earlier back together. It sort of works... but its' not always believable, or contrary to what was established before.
Some things like the return of the Sinestre family, and explaining how the 'voice' works, didn't quite work for me.
As for pacing issues... the problem mentioned was present in previous books, but I didn't notice it as a problem, as much.
Its' more to do with the artists' writing style. He has an action scene go from point A to point B, then try to say, 'while it looked like _blank happened_, actually at the same time something else happened.'
It could have been clearer conveying this. The section in Italy fleeing the mansion in particularily felt quite confusing. Kind of a narrative mess... One character dissappeared unceremoniously, leaving no clue as to if she survived or not... only to turn up later conveniently. It gives one account, but then gives another account contradicting that... Also the last chapter of the book.
The author has also had some inconsistencies throught the series with the lore. Such as, how long the HIVE school-years are, and the school bieng established in the 60s', but some people bieng students from 30 years ago... I noticed this but it didn't bother me too much, other than bieng a little confusing.
There were also some unfulfilled things set up from the last book which didn't get mentioned. An example bieng the Robert Flack guy bieng out to expose Otto and his school, the remaining disciples, and cloning tech still bieng out there, Penny hating Otto and Wing and not coming to terms with her feelings. The biggest thing is the ending bieng sort of open ending.
It's kind of a better ending than expected, but it ends a little too abruptly. I would have liked a little more info to clarify some stuff. What is this place Wing and Shelby run? Why did they chose this and not running their own villainous enterprise for example?
The antagonist in this book is somewhat of a trope subversion. You expect the over-arching villain to come back like Voldemort does in Harry Potter as the final book's villain. I expected Overlord to be brought back.
She felt a little too overpowered at points, like even after returning to face her with the new tricks up the gangs' sleeve... it fails? Really...?.
The solution at the end felt plot device-y.
Although I do admire how I remembered that the author brought up similar stakes back in book 2 with Cypher talking about the horror of an AI controlling a whole military's arsenal, and multiple whole militaries.
Could have been better, but its' not too bad.
November 18, 2022
I finally did it. I finished reading H.I.V.E. I never thought I would, but here I am.
The Higher Institute of Villainous Education has been a long held favorite series of mine for a long time. It was recommended to me in high school by one of the smartest people I ever knew, and I loved it from the first book. The six-year wait for this final book was excruciating, and I found out it was getting released while at work one day. I'm so glad it came out, and gave me an end to a story I've loved for so long. Mark Walden's writing for this series, its characters, the intense moments I'll never forget, stuck to me even during my "I'll read just about anything." binges. I'm so glad he finished this book.
When I caught up, I was so eager to find out if thirteen Ottos were going to be running around in the same book, well, I was a crazy teen with a wild imagination, so my ideas were bigger and more impossible than Walden could have fit into a less-than-300-page book. So I'll admit I had to re-read the entire series and make my expectations for this book more realistic before reading. I'm glad I did. The context would have been lost on me if I didn't re-read them. (I own the entire collection so this was fine.)
I only gave it four stars for a reason though. So many plotholes were left open ended for me. There was a firm set of worldbuilding for just the school in the very first book, that you lose in the books past Escape Velocity. Six-year program, right? Why did it feel like three that was trying to look like four? I just think the timing could have been stated better. It was filled with "Go-Go-Go!!!" Moments with no room to take a breath. What can I say though? Being hunted down is not usually displayed with beautiful imagery and meditative moments.
To be honest, it felt like a downward spiral from Dreadnought onward. But man, were the plot twists enough to keep me reading. This one certainly had its moments, even if they were all at the end.
There we go. I stated what I wanted to state. Now may the book hangover commence...
The Higher Institute of Villainous Education has been a long held favorite series of mine for a long time. It was recommended to me in high school by one of the smartest people I ever knew, and I loved it from the first book. The six-year wait for this final book was excruciating, and I found out it was getting released while at work one day. I'm so glad it came out, and gave me an end to a story I've loved for so long. Mark Walden's writing for this series, its characters, the intense moments I'll never forget, stuck to me even during my "I'll read just about anything." binges. I'm so glad he finished this book.
When I caught up, I was so eager to find out if thirteen Ottos were going to be running around in the same book, well, I was a crazy teen with a wild imagination, so my ideas were bigger and more impossible than Walden could have fit into a less-than-300-page book. So I'll admit I had to re-read the entire series and make my expectations for this book more realistic before reading. I'm glad I did. The context would have been lost on me if I didn't re-read them. (I own the entire collection so this was fine.)
I only gave it four stars for a reason though. So many plotholes were left open ended for me. There was a firm set of worldbuilding for just the school in the very first book, that you lose in the books past Escape Velocity. Six-year program, right? Why did it feel like three that was trying to look like four? I just think the timing could have been stated better. It was filled with "Go-Go-Go!!!" Moments with no room to take a breath. What can I say though? Being hunted down is not usually displayed with beautiful imagery and meditative moments.
To be honest, it felt like a downward spiral from Dreadnought onward. But man, were the plot twists enough to keep me reading. This one certainly had its moments, even if they were all at the end.
There we go. I stated what I wanted to state. Now may the book hangover commence...
March 26, 2022
5/5 stars (in reality, it's more like 4/5. This is just sentimental and the end of a childhood favorite)
I'm giving this full stars because this was my entire childhood and now it's gone. TBH I'm not mad, 9 is a great number. And I didn't think this series would actually get an ending. Like ever.
the pacing of this book is also literally insane we jumped from so many different things to another... it's very clear that this was rushed but that's valid i would also be very tired.
I'm giving this full stars because this was my entire childhood and now it's gone. TBH I'm not mad, 9 is a great number. And I didn't think this series would actually get an ending. Like ever.
the pacing of this book is also literally insane we jumped from so many different things to another... it's very clear that this was rushed but that's valid i would also be very tired.
October 20, 2023
I was first introduced to the HIVE series when I met Mark Walden at a book talk as a fifth grader. A huge bookworm at the time, I dove into the series head first and it quickly became my favorite thing to read (and reread again and again). I was so worried there wouldn’t be a final book in the series and that we would never know what happened to Otto and the gang. So fast forward many many years later, while randomly searching to see if Walden had written anything new, I was ecstatic to see a final book had come out a couple of years ago. I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day.
This final installment has all the trademark humor, action, and creativity that I have loved in the other HIVE books. As an adult now, it was a nostalgic read for me and one I deeply cherished. The sacrifice and friendships, particularly in this final book, resonate evenly more deeply now than as a kid. These books were a huge part of my childhood, and ‘Bloodline’ was a great way to end. Now if only someone would make this into a movie…
This final installment has all the trademark humor, action, and creativity that I have loved in the other HIVE books. As an adult now, it was a nostalgic read for me and one I deeply cherished. The sacrifice and friendships, particularly in this final book, resonate evenly more deeply now than as a kid. These books were a huge part of my childhood, and ‘Bloodline’ was a great way to end. Now if only someone would make this into a movie…
January 1, 2023
I feel a deep sense of gratitude to those who put together the HIVE series Wikipedia entry - as this got me up to speed on the series after reading the last book nine years ago. It is great that Walden has finally got round to finishing off this series, but maybe all the conclusions and denouements would have had more punch had this book come out a bit earlier.
Overall I don't think this book is great. It is so bogged down in lore, every plot point, arc and character really depends on you having knowledge of the previous books - and there are many times when Wikipedia's summary just doesn't cut it. Every character seems to have psychic powers - Otto, Anna, the Queen of Shadows. That seems a bit jumbled when they are all in a room together. It's a very cluttered novel with many moving parts, many needless subplots. Anna is a good villain and the final heroic sacrifice (I will say no more) is very emotively written, but overall it is a bit of a mess. 2 stars.
Overall I don't think this book is great. It is so bogged down in lore, every plot point, arc and character really depends on you having knowledge of the previous books - and there are many times when Wikipedia's summary just doesn't cut it. Every character seems to have psychic powers - Otto, Anna, the Queen of Shadows. That seems a bit jumbled when they are all in a room together. It's a very cluttered novel with many moving parts, many needless subplots. Anna is a good villain and the final heroic sacrifice (I will say no more) is very emotively written, but overall it is a bit of a mess. 2 stars.
December 30, 2023
Teenage cyborg Otto and his friends, the most moral coterie of supervillains on record, are wrapping up their last year of training at H.I.VE. when all the worst facets of their previous foes combine into one world-ending calamity named Anna. She is a clone of Otto with even more formidable technopathic abilities and mind control to boot. This terrifying combination enables her to effortlessly overcome, suborn, or destroy every individual, organization, or government that gets in her way. A suitably action-packed, albeit frustratingly delayed, finale. It just wouldn't be a H.I.V.E. novel without a resurrection, would it?
August 19, 2021
In all honesty this book was a fitting conclusion. I finished the day I got it which is coincidentally today. I won't spoil anything but everything is written well enough and there's some surprising twists which in hindsight make perfect sense. As well as surprises towards the end. All in all a great conclusion. Although I wish some characters got a better ending than what they got.
September 15, 2021
A fantastic end
A fantastic summary to the series.
The characters contained are really good, both old and new.
While the theme is still world ending, and it feels like some of the plot lines are similar, it is a fantastic read.
The scenes are varied and really well written. Some great humour and a good villan.
All in all a fantastic book, and the ending was really well done
A fantastic summary to the series.
The characters contained are really good, both old and new.
While the theme is still world ending, and it feels like some of the plot lines are similar, it is a fantastic read.
The scenes are varied and really well written. Some great humour and a good villan.
All in all a fantastic book, and the ending was really well done
September 16, 2021
Its been an 8 year long wait. I binge read the last eight books to prepare myself, and I'm glad I did. One of the reviews for the book mentioned how it takes you on a journey through the series, and that's exactly what happened. There was lots of action, nefarious threats, and the right mix of genius and coincidence through the story. A fitting end to the series.
July 12, 2025
Excellent conclusion to an excellent series. The end felt a little too so I'm not too mad about it.
Overall, an AMAZING YA series! Would recommend. It's a great introduction to the sci-fi genre, and as someone who doesn't read a lot of sci-fi, I really appreciate it for that. Super fun to read!
Overall, an AMAZING YA series! Would recommend. It's a great introduction to the sci-fi genre, and as someone who doesn't read a lot of sci-fi, I really appreciate it for that. Super fun to read!
Want to read
January 5, 2022Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
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