Author: A.J. Betts
ISBN: 9781760556440
RRP: $16.99
Publication Date: 25 June 2019
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Rogue by A.J. Betts and published by Pan Macmillan, is the second and final novel in a dystopian YA series, which began with the book Hive. I hadn’t read the first book, so before starting Rogue, I quickly nabbed a copy to familiarize myself with the world of Hive. And I am very glad I did.
The main character, and chief beekeeper, 15 year old Hayley lives in a very structured, hive like community where much like the bees she tends, everyone knows their place and function. Each person fulfills their designated role, seemingly without question. Everyone that is except Hayley. Naturally curious and questioning Hayley needs to know more. However in doing so Hayley jeopardises her very future …
Rogue picks up from where Hive ends, with Hayley, escaping the only world she has ever known. In ‘going rogue’, Hayley discovers that her community has actually been living underwater. She emerges into a huge, unknown world with land and sea and sky as far as the eye can see!! It is Australia, 100 years in the future. But it is a country drastically changed by global warming, and government control. This is an Australia where many plants and animals are now extinct and there are no longer bees. Scavenging and survival are now the way of life.
As the story continues Hayley discovers what happened and why and how her confined Hive community came to be.
Hive and Rogue are both very engrossing reads that I enjoyed very much. They cover a number of interesting and newsworthy topics including refugees, governmental control, population regulation, the environment, plant and animal extinction, as well as what it means to be a family. I Highly recommend it.
This guest review was submitted by Lyn, one of our long-time Beauty and Lace Club members. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us Lyn.
A.J. Betts can be found on Facebook, Twitter and her Website.
Rogue is published by Pan Macmillan and is available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan 15 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading Rogue so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below. I can not wait to hear what our readers think.
