About the Book, Hive
Hive
Author: D.L. Orton
Genres: Time Travel, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction
What if saving the future meant rewriting the past?
In a dying world overrun by microdrones, humanity’s last survivors cling to life inside the Eden-17 biodome. Isabelle Sanborn knows her time is running out, but one desperate plan might give humanity a second chance. With the help of Madders, an enigmatic AI built from the memories of a brilliant physicist, Isabelle sends Diego Nadales — the love of her life — 35 years into the past. His mission? To change the course of history and prevent their world’s collapse.
When Diego arrives in the vibrant yet fragile Main Timeline, he’s forced to confront ghosts of the past, including a younger, ambitious version of Isabelle. As he battles to shape a better future, Diego must navigate a delicate web of relationships and events without destroying the very fabric of time.
Brimming with suspense, heart-pounding action, and a poignant love story that transcends time, Madders of Time – Book One is a breathtaking science fiction adventure. Award-winning author D.L. Orton weaves a tale that explores sacrifice, resilience, and the timeless power of love.
Fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Dark Matter will find themselves captivated by this unforgettable journey through parallel worlds and intertwining destinies.
The clock is ticking. Can love survive the collapse of time itself?
Prepare to lose yourself in the first installment of the Madders of Time series—a story that will keep you turning pages and leave you hungry for more.
Hive Review
I was compensated with a small amount for my time and effort in reading the book and writing this review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and are based on my honest personal experience reading the book. Nor did the publisher in any way, shape, or form ever pressure me to give a positive review.
Hive is filled with a high-stakes mix of dystopian survival, time travel, and tangled love. The story takes place in a future in which swarms of microdrones and environmental destruction have destroyed Earth, and the few surviving members of humanity are trapped inside the decaying Eden-17 biodome. Isabelle Sanborn persuades her lover Diego Nadales to travel back in time and alter the past before it’s too late to save everyone.
Helped by Madders, a memory-based AI, Diego leaves behind the present and lands in a version of Earth in the past that is still holding on but only barely. During this journey he crosses paths with a younger Isabelle, now divorced, driven, and fighting to save her revolutionary Bee Project from being weaponized. As timelines collide and new threats emerge, Diego must navigate a precarious chain of events that could either save the world or fracture it beyond repair.
Ah, time travel and love, a classic combination. Throw in a dash of dystopia, and you can already smell an interesting premise from a mile away. Hive starts off strong with that familiar sci-fi blend, but quickly branches into something a little more emotionally tangled, a little more human.
As for the romance, Diego and Isabel’s relationship has a bittersweet edge to it, with moments of sweetness but also a lingering ache due to the world crumbling around them (literally and figuratively). And honestly, that made the romance more enjoyable for me. It wasn’t trying to be perfect. It was messy and sad and complicated, which fit the story.
The romantic dynamic between Isabel and Diego is especially interesting to read because of the time travel aspect. When we go back in time and pick up with Isabel at age 42, she runs into an older man who reminds her of Diego, but before she can piece things together he’s already vanished, leaving her confused and alone again. Meanwhile, she’s fighting to keep control of her work while her ex-husband (who is also her co-worker) is doing everything he can to weaponize it and cash out. It’s stressful, it’s messy, and it feels grounded in a very real kind of tension.
I also want to mention Matt, who’s just one of those characters that brings out the best in others without trying too hard. And Cassie, I loved how steady and focused she was. She doesn’t have a huge emotional arc (yet), but she already feels like someone who’s going to matter.
That said, I do think the plot’s pacing suffers a bit. The romance is handled better, but the plot itself feels slow in places. There’s a lot of talking, and the plot progression suffers because of this sometimes. To me, the biggest flaw is that so much of the book seems to be setting up the larger series arc, but at the expense of this specific book’s own narrative momentum.
I also think the distribution of character POVs could’ve been handled better. This is already a multi-POV book, with chapters from both Diego and Isabel, and even Matthew. But honestly, I kept finding myself wishing I could see certain scenes from another character’s perspective. There were moments where it felt a different character’s POV would be better for a specific chapter and scene. Since we’re already jumping between perspectives, it would’ve been more effective to use those shifts to actually expand the story with perspective-specific insights instead of just rotating viewpoints. There were definitely missed opportunities there.
Aside from these thoughts I have, I had a good time reading the book and was able to finish it no problem. If the premise is interesting to you, feel free to give it a shot nevertheless.
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