Book Review: The Hive Queen
Book cover image from Broadleaf Books
Sue Cook
The Hive Queen is the second book in Robin Kirk’s The Bond Trilogy. This book picks up soon after the climactic ending of The Bond, and draws readers in quickly with the re-introduction of Fir as the central character and storyteller. The Hive Queen is told in first person, much the same way that The Bond was told through Dinitra’s eyes. Fir, a male who is second in command of the Living Wood, is fleeing with his brothers to a place of safety, and freedom.
When is someone truly free? Freedom and addiction are blended in such a way that the reader takes pause. Fir soon finds out that freedom comes with a price that may cost him more than he ever anticipated. Are we ever completely free?
The Hive Queen, like The Bond, is brilliantly crafted to keep the reader invested in Fir and his brothers. The obstacles placed in their way tax mind, body, and soul. What lengths will Fir go for his brothers, his beloved, his freedom? We crave for the truth in this story. Who is telling the truth, and who is lying?
Though not written in verse, the reader is so deeply drawn into the heart of this story that they almost became part of it. I finished this book quickly, and cannot wait for the last book in this trilogy. My suggestion is to grab both The Bond and The Hive Queen at the same time. You will not want to wait to see what happens next.
I have only two suggestions to make to Robin Kirk. The first being to please finish the last book in the trilogy…quick! I need to know what happens. The second suggestion is to please make this series into an RPG, complete with manuals, dice, cards, and pewter characters. It would be amazing to see your idea of the various characters, and nektar-colored dice would take it to a whole new level. I would love to play several of the characters. Whether it be virtual or in-person, my friends would be drawn in immediately.
Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.
