Hive – DL Orton

Published By: Rocky Mountain Press
Pages: 354
Released On: 07/01/2025

In a crumbling biodome surrounded by endless seas and swarms of microdrones, humanity’s last survivors cling to hope. For Isabel, a dying scientist, and Diego, the man she loves, time is running out—literally. The Earth is ravaged, and the biodome that was meant to save them is failing. But when Isabel stumbles upon a long-lost time bridge, the possibility of changing the past emerges, offering one final chance to rewrite history.

There’s just one problem: only one person can make the journey.

As they grapple with the weight of impossible choices, love, and regret, Isabel and Diego must decide whether altering the course of time is worth the risk. Will their sacrifice save the future, or will tampering with the past ensure humanity’s extinction?

*****

Thanks to TheWriteReads for the gifted copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Oh what a beautiful hardback cover this had – if you remove the dust jacket, it’s just such a beautiful piece of art.

I am generally not a sci-fi book reader. I mean, I do read them, and some I have enjoyed, but generally it’s not a genre I gravitate towards, but I’m always up for trying new books. But this is not just sci-fi. There’s comedy, romance, adventure. It’s a dystopian future that sadly looks all too possible.

I’d not heard of DL Orton before or her work but I am definitely going to keep my eye out for it.

I love how the characters all have little images of them in the book, showing which chapter or log belongs to whom. It just adds another layer of depth because we get to see what the characters should look like, and I really liked that.

Surprisingly, I found it to be quite funny. There’s something about reaching rock bottom that brings out an awkward sense of humour, which I enjoyed.

I mean, it’s not the easiest book to read because it’s very technical and I’m not used to reading that kind of language, but it doesn’t hamper the enjoyment of the book. And yet having said it’s quite technical, I did zoom through it, in less than a day, because it was so addictive. I’m actually annoyed I read it so quickly because I was fully absorbed in it and I don’t want to have to wait to find out what happens next.

I’m not going to pretend to know if the science and technology and whatnot is correct or not but it sure does sound convincing.

It’s not my normal genre but I thought I’d give it a go, what’s the worse that could happen, and I actually really thoroughly enjoyed it, and so whilst I’m not sure it’ll be my top genre, I will definitely be keeping an open mind for others.

I believe this is book one in a planned series and I have to admit that I’m really looking forward to continuing this story. I have really, surprisingly, loved it.