We have all have heard it a million times before, but it still rings true – never judge a book by its cover. At first glance, H.I.V.E. appears to be good read; snappy, humorous and exciting, with a fun premise and a pretty nifty acronym. It's probably somewhere in the vein of Artemis Fowl, and it's even won an award, (apparently courtesy of 'Richard and Judy'.) All in all, it looks rather entertaining. It is only when one actually opens the book that the truth becomes apparent – H.I.V.E. is the work of an amateur. The prose is barely publishable, dotted with run-on sentences and questionable usage of commas (or lack thereof). Three pages in and I was thoroughly puzzled – why had this not been addressed by an editor? Slowly but surely, the answer became apparent. The writing may improve minimally over the course of the novel, but reworking H.I.V.E. to a professional standard would still be too mammoth a task for any human editor.

But if the writing doesn't put you off, don't worry – there are plenty more flaws here. Walden's characters are among the most stereotypical and trite that I have ever come across. Far from being remotely villainous, they soldier through the novel with all the selflessness, teamwork and heroism of Harry Potter and his goody-goody buddies. It obviously never occurred to Walden that his original premise would require original characters – rather, he has dredged up the stock high-school cohort (the American cheerleader, the fat German kid and the nerd with inch-thick glasses, to name but a few.)

The plot is not quite as unimpressive as the characters, but it is still predictable, clichéd and disjointed. It almost feels as though Walden, having come up with the idea of a school for villains, suddenly remembered that he needed a story to go with it, and scribbled down the most obvious thing that popped into his head. Indeed, for a book that relies so heavily on its premise, it handles that premise quite poorly. The entire idea is clearly absurd and should therefore be presented with a great deal more wit and humour than Walden can muster. For the first 70 pages, he treats it with such seriousness that it just comes off looking like failed realism.

As for 'Richard and Judy' – they are clearly both deluded. The highest level of praise I will grant this novel is that it is bearable. (Just.) My advice: read something else. This book is not worth your time. ( )

13 year old Otto Malpense is kidnapped and wakes up on a helicopter where he meets an Asian boy, Wing Fanchu, who appears to have suffered a similar fate. They land at an island where they and about twenty other children are told that they have been handpicked to attend the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, a school for children destined to become villains. Many of the children are sent to the school by their parents who are also villains, but some of them, including Otto, don't wish to be there and intend to escape, in spite of being told that it is impossible. The students have classes in Stealth, Evasion, and Villainy Studies and leaving is not an option. Otto, and the friends he makes are determined to find a way to escape from H.I.V.E. It's a fast paced, very enjoyable story. One of my favourites this year. ( )

H.I.V.E, The Higher Institute of Villainous Education, is where kids who have a knack for getting into trouble are sent or kidnapped to. In this institute there is no escape. That is until Otto, a 13 year old orphan, is sent there. In this new world, he is being trained as a super villain and he wants no part of it.
This book will keep students who love adventure entertained, but will leave others thinking something was missing. Sequels are sure to follow. ( )

I like this book because it's so addictive and keeps you on the edge of your seat ( )

Otto Malpense has been spirited away to H.I.V.E., the top-secret school of villiany. With his new friends Wing Fanchu, Laura Brand and Shelby Trinity he plots their escape, only to be foiled at the last minute by the intimidating headmaster, Dr Nero and his mysterious assistant, Raven.
I found this book surprisingly gripping, with twists and turns around each corner. It certainly made me want to read the next in the series. - Vicki ( )