Acquired Book By: I was truly intrigued by the premise of HIVE when Dave @ The Write Reads first told me about the story. There was a fuller history of the publication of the novel and the series it belongs to as well. There is something wicked about time travel stories – I am properly addicted to seeking them out and to sorting out how the travelling works in each universe an author utilises the concept of travelling in time. Everyone has their own portal, and everyone has their own vision for it which makes it wicked unique. Thereby with an appetite of curiosity for what the story would involve and how it would be carried out, I signed up for the blog tour.
I received a complimentary copy of “HIVE” direct from the author DL Orton in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I initially was planning to share a full review of HIVE for this blog tour – however, due to circumstances outside of my control, this month (ie. my Mum’s hospitalisation and surgery) – I found myself losing track of time. The hours the day of her surgery went by in such a flash – my mind and heart just wasn’t locked into my work either – which I hadn’t thought anyone was noticing outside of myself, as my rhythm was just off. Except to say, before the midway point of my shift my kind boss asked if it would help if I went home early that day – it turnt out to be godsend but he didn’t know it then. Ever since that day – it feels like I’ve been running on autopilot and trying to keep my head above water.
I found that between juggling my two jobs and being a caregiver at home isn’t as easy as some might believe it to be whilst still trying to find enough time to rest and have downtime from work too. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been running low on energy and sleep and this past week alone – I felt like a proper zombie because each day bled into the next and sleep was not my friend. I was hopeful to read a bit at night after work, but I was so tired that after just a bit of dinner, I was half asleep already! Oy. Thereby, I knew I wouldn’t be able to post a complete review for this novel – at least, not in time for the blog tour.
I’ve been enjoying reading it – slowly but surely – and decided to offer a bit of glimpse into what the story is about and how it is has resonated with me whilst I’m in the throes of the opening! One reason I enjoy writing these #25PagePreview mini-reviews is that I get to give a first impression of a story right in the midst of discovering the fuller scope of where a novel can take me. I find that if an author can hook me into their story emotionally and visually within those first pages – I’ll feel properly anchoured to carry-on into the finality of the book. If I don’t feel that anchoured into a story in the beginning, it is harder for me to continue to read it. I’m sure most might agree with me on that.
For me, I’ve found my threshold of knowing about a story – if I’ll continue to read it – happens within the first twenty-five pages irregardless of how long or short a novel is – those are the moments in the story that make/break it for me as a reader. Similarly, for an audiobook – it is the first twenty-five minutes. Apparently, I’m a bit consistent when it comes to page vs minutes! Laughs. And, so, what I’m looking for as I begin any story – is how the author sets the stage – how they open up the world they’ve created for us to find and discover and most definitely – what are their characters trying to tell us to convince us to take that journey with them? Descriptive narrative is key but also are wickedly rounded characters and a feeling of a world in search of a visitor to find it. I want to feel as though the story has lived to the brink that by the time I arrive inside – it is fully illuminated and ready to be seen.
The following are my initial impressions of HIVE and the start of the Madders of Time series.
HIVE
Subtitle: Madders of Time (Book One)
by DL Orton
Source: Author via The Write Reads
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 DL 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.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-1941368329
Published by Rocky Mountain Press
on 6th May, 2025
Format: Paperback Edition
Published by: Rocky Mountain Press
Follow them via Insta: (@rockymountainpress)
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #SciFi, #ScienceFiction and #TimeTravel
as well as #TheWriteReads & #HIVE
About DL Orton
The BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, D. L. ORTON, lives in the foothills of Colorado where she and her husband are raising three boys, a golden retriever, two Siberian cats, and an extremely long-lived Triops. Her future plans include completing the books in the BETWEEN TWO EVILS series followed by an extended vacation on a remote tropical island (with a Starbucks).
When she’s not writing, playing tennis, or helping with algebra, she’s building a time machine so that someone can go back and do the laundry.
Ms. Orton is a graduate of Stanford University’s Writers Workshop and a past editor of “Top of the Western Staircase,” a literary publication of CU, Boulder. The author has a number of short stories published in online literary magazines, including Literotica.com, Melusine, Cosmoetica, The Ranfurly Review, and Catalyst Press.
Her debut novel, CROSSING IN TIME, has won numerous literary awards including an Indie Book Award and a Publishers Weekly Starred Review. It was also selected as one of only 12 Great Indie Stars by BookLife’s Prize in Fiction.
Even before I started to read the novel – I was quite impressed with the dedication or rather affirmation which greets us ahead of the Prologue. It such a strong statement and the sentiments contained within it are beautifully written. Speaking on kindness, empathy and gratitude – whilst conversing about life, the state of the world and all of our general hope for the future. It was quite profound and a beautiful way to enter into a story that is set round a multiverse.
In this world, there are angry microdrones swarming around the last biodome full in the intent to breach the hull and gain entrance. Their presence is alarming at best – but what they’re capable to doing is far worse. Yet, there is a gloom of disease and loss of hope in this biodome – where the last two survivors of a project that was meant to save humanity has failed in its mission and has left them stranded alone. When the count of the dead is mentioned, it is hard to even fathom how so many lost their lives whilst attempting to save so many more lives than themselves. There is where there is sometimes a gap between Science and Humanity; where even the best of intentions can have end results which are far worse than projected.
You could feel the heartache and the despair – especially from Isabelle. Her current state was one of impending death and it was carried with her like a burial shroud. She knew where her fate lay, and she was not in wont of lengthening it nor remaining inactive if she could pursue a path towards changing the future through the past. Thus enters the time travelling component of this series – where a gate between past and present lay within a bridge. It was created by a physicist who had a vision of how to help the future and restore the past at the same time.
Isabelle’s idea was daring as it was bold. The sacrifice would be her own to make and a choice that only she could endeavour to undertake as when there are only two left to live – the hardest choice is choosing what to do with the life that is left within you. Do you try to change what the future became, or do you just sit with your memory and your regret?
Uniquely we slip back in time – when Isabelle is younger and had just solidified her divorce from Dave. It was an important moment in her life and that plays a key role in the present as well. The younger Isabelle is full of ruminations – about her life choices and the men whose company she had kept along the way. Including the one who ‘got away’ and the singular regret she had in choosing another so soon after losing the other one. She was museful and found humour in how divorce could give her more options in her own life – such as having a pet or where she wanted to go next.
It was there I had to leave Isabelle for another day to continue reading her story. I was very locked into the future where Diego and Isabelle are stranded in the biodome and as we time shift back into the past – where Isabelle is younger and sorting out her life post-divorce, I felt equally anchoured. I’m not sure if this series is connected to the original series Orton wrote but I have a feeling the two series might be interconnected to each other as I read the premise for them. Either way – this series, Madders of Time has a lot of layers to it. It is not all cut and dry either – from the reasons why they elected to time travel to the reasons why they built the biodome. Humanity was at stake and a rare few attempted to save as many lives as they could. A few things went wrong which derailed their plans and I am hoping the story eventually will get into those details about what led us from where Isabelle is after her divorce to where we find her in the biodome. That is a lot of ground to cover, and I look forward to taking the journey.
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{SOURCES: Book cover for “HIVE”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of DL Orton, the tour banner and book tour banner were all provided by The Write Reads and are used with permission. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #25PagePreview banner, #SciFiSundays banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2025.
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