Something is amiss with this book and I am trying to figure out what it is! Can you help? Awarded three stars on Goodreads.
It has an ingenious premise – the story of a single bee in a hive – which is the reason I picked it up. It is wildly creative in the ways it incorporates, explains, and expands on actual bee behavior. The heroine is smart, plucky, and resourceful. There are even shades of 1984 in some of the ways the hive operates.
I liked the beginning, some of the middle, and the end. So, then, why only 3 stars? Because there’s something that doesn’t quite work.
Even though some of the chapters end in a DA VINCI CODE kind of way — where you’re left hanging on a cliff of suspense, I did not find myself eager to resume reading. My interest kept flagging because I just wasn’t able to remain engrossed.
I’m wondering if perhaps the premise simply doesn’t hold up for 300+ pages. Maybe this is a really good 200 page book that just needed a good editor.
Anyway, if you agree with me, I’d love to hear your theory of what’s off, by leaving me a comment. I’m serious. Thanks.
More about the author, Laline Paull.
Toby A. Smith 