“You have wings and courage and a brain. Do not annoy me by asking permission.”

-Laline Paull

I’ve seen this one described as “The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games,” which…I guess? I could see it being pitched that way, and it definitely leads more Handmaid’s, but honestly, Paull’s debut novel stands perfectly fine on its own six feet.

Given the organization of a beehive, it’s no surprise that The Bees is a feminist tale full of female characters. The best thing about it, though, is that not all of the characters are good. The bees are good to each other and cruel to each other in a variety of ways. Some of the few male characters are a bit of a caricature, but the character of Linden is drawn in a very subtle and satisfying way.

Without spoiling, there are a few moments where, if you know a little about bees, you know what’s going to happen before certain characters do, and it’s very fun when the story finally catches up to the inevitable.

I’m definitely putting Paull’s two other novels on my TBR after this!