Book 2 in The Vault duology.
Published in 2019 by Pan Macmillan Australia.
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction, Young Adult Thriller.
Page Count: 359
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Sypnosis from Pan Macmillan Australia:
There was no going back; there was no choice, anymore. I’d chosen out and this was it: hot-cold, dry-wet, bright-dark and lonely.
Hayley has gone rogue.
She’s left everything she’s ever known – her friends, her bees, her whole world – because her curiosity was too big to fit within the walls of her underwater home.
But what is this new world she’s come to? Has Hayley finally found somewhere she can belong?
Or will she have to keep running?
The thrilling conclusion to Hive from award-winning, internationally bestselling author A. J. Betts
My Review:
I recieved an Uncorrected Proof Copy of Rogue in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.
I had definitely been excited for this book! Hive was one of the most bewildering, amazing and satisfying books I had read last year – and what an ending it had! I had so much admiration for its main character, Hayley. I mean, she thought she was safe in her world, that her life as she knew it was all about tending bees in her underground home, but she was always so curious and at the start of Rogue, she finds herself alone, in a whole new world unlike anything she’s lived before!
The writing is absolutely phenomenal, I felt like I was once again right there with Hayley, navigating her newfound situation, alone – and I couldn’t help but admire her so much! She remains so kind and curious, not being at all familiar to anything in this world- not even knowing what a dog or pie is and I just couldn’t help but think how would I react in her situation? I definitely don’t know that I would have been as brave as she had been! I feel like though, I was experiencing everything as she was, and I just hoped that Hayley would be okay!
The tethers to her old life are definitely still felt throughout this book, she misses her simple life tending those bees, as well as her very best friend Celia, who would braid Hayley’s hair and tell her everything would be okay, and she especially misses Will, who’s presence is definitely felt throughout this book – for Hayley was able to find out the truth about her home from him, and it was he that told her that she wasn’t perhaps made for their simplicity- that she wouldn’t be able to return home – and frankly, I couldn’t help but both agree and admire with her acceptance of this – I mean, how could one return to such things knowing that there’s this whole world out there?! But I definitely admire Hayley’s curiosity, her wanting to know what happened to other people, as well as these drifters who find themselves sought after and not for the nicest reasons!
I loved the other supporting characters in this story- Pop and Gen, so inviting and warm to Hayley, caring of her, accepting her into their own home – along with darling Kid, who finds Hayley and has his own ideas of what her underwater life was like – the friendship that forged between the two was just so heartwarming- honestly! It was so lovely and endearing that Kid was teaching Hayley, who’s just so eager to learn and I especially enjoyed the turn that Petra’s character took! She was envious of Hayley initially, and couldn’t fathom why Hayley didn’t want to leave her newfound home (seen as Petra had always had a yearning to see the world!), but honestly, her character development was satisfying!
I completely cannot get enough of A.J Betts imagination! Hive and Rogue are among some of the most unique books I’ve ever read- I must read her Zac and Mia ASAP! The feeling that I had when I was reading Hive was that of feeling super unsettled, in the sense that I could not anticipate anything that was coming (the thrills are real!) – and the same can definitely be said of Rogue! It was just such a phenomenal reading experience, and I think I can safely say I’ll never read anything of their like again! I definitely have recommended Hive to a lot of people, so I’ll be excited to recommend Rogue too!
A big thank you again to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a proof copy of this book to read and review!
Happy Reading,
Brooklyn.
Add Rogue to your Goodreads TBR here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44787359-rogue
About A.J Betts (from Pan Macmillan Australia):
A.J. Betts is an Australian author, speaker, teacher and cyclist, and has a PhD on the topic of wonder, in life and in reading. She has written four novels for young adults. Her third novel, Zac & Mia, won the 2012 Text Prize, the 2014 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and the 2014 Ethel Turner prize for young adults at the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, was shortlisted for the 2014 Queensland Literary Award, and is available in 14 countries. It was adapted for American television by AwesomenessTV, and will soon be available globally. Her fourth novel, Hive, was shortlisted for the 2019 Indie Book Awards and is a notable book in the Children’s Book Council of Australia awards. A. J. is originally from Queensland but has lived in Fremantle since 2004.A. J. Betts is an Australian author, speaker, teacher and cyclist, and has a PhD on the topic of wonder, in life and in reading. She has written four novels for young adults. Her third novel, Zac & Mia, won the 2012 Text Prize, the 2014 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and the 2014 Ethel Turner prize for young adults at the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, was shortlisted for the 2014 Queensland Literary Award, and is available in 14 countries. It was adapted for American television by AwesomenessTV, and will soon be available globally. Her fourth novel, Hive, was shortlisted for the 2019 Indie Book Awards and 2019 ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children, and is a notable book in the Children’s Book Council of Australia awards. A. J. is originally from Queensland but has lived in Fremantle since 2004.
Brooklyn.the.bookworm 