Do you like huge mutated plants that attack people, and are almost indestructible? What about ninja robots with the capabilities of a top class fighter, but the only differences between them are that the robot doesn’t get tired, and can withstand a bullet from a 50-caliber rifle to the forehead? All of this only gives a small example to what H.I.V.E. is really all about. H.I.V.E., written by Mark Walden, is one of the best high-thriller-adventure books out there.

This intriguing series, H.I.V.E., brings you into the unknown Higher Institute of Villainous Education, where kids learn how to not just become thugs, but villains. Dr. Nero, the head of H.I.V.E., explains how thugs and terrorists just steal and kill, but villains do things as if it were a show. In addition to it being a show, every time one of their plans is executed, it will always be remembered. Otto, the main character, wakes up with no understanding of his surroundings and with no idea how he got there, but soon he realizes that there was another kid in the helicopter with him, Wing, but he was unconscious. Otto and the now fully conscious Wing step out of the black helicopter, and they realize that there is a team of guards who were impatiently waiting for their arrival. Otto and Wing are escorted to a larger room, where dozens of other kids are walking around nervously and pondering the same thing as both of them, “What is this place, why am I here?” To discover what will happen to these kids and what they will face you will have to read this compelling 6 book series written by Mark Walden.

The author behind this interesting, yet suspenseful series maintained the same format/style throughout the books. His writing style is the standard chapters with paragraphs formation, and the whole series is written in third person. One of the things that I really enjoy about his writing style is that he uses a lot of ‘show don’t tell’, as well as many metaphors and similes. Another thing that I like about Mark Walden’s writing style is that at the end of most chapters he leaves you thinking to what mysterious thing is going happen next, making you tune into the book for a few more chapters at a time. I did not dislike anything about H.I.V.E., which means that this series is decent, and that most of you out there will like it, if not love it.

In times of deep trouble, true friends will be there no matter what. That is the major theme of this compelling series. The years that these brave kids have spent at H.I.V.E. have been very harsh, and if it weren’t for their friendship I don’t know how they would have been able to live in such an isolated place for such a long period of time. In real life and in books, friendship is the key to a successful, happy, and exiting life. True friends will help you when you need them the most, they can become useful assets in the future, and they will cheer you up when you are very disappointed, such as getting fired for the first time.

In addition to all of my opinions about H.I.V.E., I would definitely recommend it to anybody who likes suspense, action, and adventure combined together to make one of the best young adult series out there. Above all, the rating that I give to this series is 9 out of 10 grappling hooks because of how it entertains and grapples you into the story. If you are 11 – 14 years old, this will be perfect for you, because my friends from 6th grade read it, I am reading it now and I’m in 7th grade, and I have a friend in 8th grade who is currently devouring it as well. Therefore H.I.V.E. is a perfect series for most ages including pre-teens.
In conclusion, H.I.V.E. is perfect for kids with a wild imagination as well as a taste for action/adventure books. The next few months that you will need to read H.I.V.E. will be exiting, different, and restless, because of all the action, adventure, and the endless imagination of the creator of these books, Mark Walden.