Title: The Hive Queen (The Bond Trilogy #2)
Author: Robin Kirk
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so pleased to have Fir’s story! What a story he has to tell!

Robin Kirk’s second book in The Bond Series, The Hive Queen, picks up with the Living Wood’s escape from Bounty. Fir and his nineteen brothers are heading east to the Master’s land. They’ve heard from the wildmen that he has a cure for the virus and that it’s a place for males–where men aren’t in the service of mothers.

Fir is against unbeatable odds from the start. He is full of self-doubt while trying to lead, and it tears him apart when anything goes sideways. And everything is going sideways. I liked that Robin Kirk builds Fir with such vivid internal struggle. It makes you understand his motivations and his actions better for it. It also helps that she highlights some of the Living Wood so you can see that his brothers pull him in all directions and muddle the pot often when he’s trying to do the right thing.

One of the best things about Robin Kirk’s books is she packs so many adventures into a tight and concise story. I love that she had a lot of real estate to cover in this book, and she covered a good deal of the map in The Hive Queen. Fir and his brothers’ adventure to the South East and meet a lot more drafts and characters. I didn’t think Robin Kirk could make me loathe someone more than Rek–but I was wrong. When you meet Zong and Bex, you will be weighing which one is viler.

I loved The Bond, and The Hive Queen did it justice as a sequel. And I loved, super loved Fir! And who could resist a Dinitra & Fir reunion? Yay! The reunion of Fir and 12 was one of my favorite parts of the book!

Lastly, Robin Kirk gets 7 of 5 stars from me for Thorn explaining the birds and the bees to Fir. No, Fir, babies don’t come from nests even though there are eggs involved.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.

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