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Monday 11 April 2011

BOOK REVIEW : H.I.V.E(Mark Walden)

Book: H.I.V.E

Author: Mark Walden

Rating: 5/10

Recommended Age: 10-14/15
Hive,the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, a school for the evil masterminds of the future.
This is the destination of the helicopter Otto Malpense and Wing Fanchu find themselves on, with no idea of why they are there or where there going, and no memory of the last few days they have no idea what's instore for them. They arrive at HIVE as part of the new intake of Alpha stream students. Life at HIVE promises to be interesting but they have only two thoughts: 1. were they really taken with permission?
and 2. they need to escape...
As the time progresses they find out what some people did to turn up here:
Laura, a computer genius,hacked into a military server and got some of the early warning planes ot monitor conversations on a mean girls phone.
Shelby,who's stuck up persona soon fades, is the infamous thief The Wraith.
and Otto himself masterminded a plan to bring down the prime minister after it threatened to close his orphanage.using a hypnotic teleprompter and his evil imagination.
these 3 and wing make up the escape group but it takes awhile for plans to be made and thier time is takne up most interestingly, from swing on grapplers over a cavern to being taught by a cat the 4 find themselves fitting quite comfortable i hive and it's bizarre situations which makes them all the more desperate to leave.

Using a hunch about the laundry, a self made e.m.p and a blueprint of the school they try to escape through the wardrobes into the laundry and out ot the submarine pen, with a few close calls and the help of HiveMind they reach the pen only to be horrified as the door open to reveal Dr nero the head of the school in a single room and the assasin Raven behind them.

Their escape attempt foiled they find the truth of what would of awaited them one their return and see how pointless it would be to leave.
And then what happens but a killer plant grown by the quiet boy Nigel  has grown an astonishing amount and is threatening to destroy the school and everyone in it if it's growth isn't stopped, Laura and Shelby are stuck in an accommodation block as the plant creeps closer and closer but Otto and Wing are on the walkway above the main plant itself and the only way of killing it is a crazy plan,so crazy it might just work.

This book despite being only a  5 is a ok read. It is more of a setting the scene book but is still quite fun and the concept of a school in a volcano teaching kids evil is a good one.  I would say this book would be a good book to read for someone who likes adventure and a change to the normal thoughts.

Hope you found this review helpful

The Devonian Reviewer

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