Many thanks to my friends at @forgebooks and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.  

 

Sasha’s father chose prison (and the bees?) over her when she was just eleven.  Now as an adult, she must return to her childhood home to try and make sense of what happened all those years ago.  But when she arrives, the home is full of squatters, and Sasha must learn to fit in without raising suspicion.  

 

Speculative fiction dealing with the impact humans have on the planet fascinates me.  While science clearly proves that our environment is ever-changing, the varied fictitious interpretations of how that could unfold captivates and terrifies. 

 

In Dalton’s The Last Beekeeper, we are introduced to a world without pollinators.   A world on the precipice of collapse.  It’s a premise that I was quickly drawn into yet fearful of.  

 

Found family is one of my very favorite tropes.  That deep-seated desire for connection.  Love given by choice.  So watching Sasha and her roommates ease into a rhythm and come to rely on each other seemed natural and heartwarming.  

 

But unfortunately, I felt like that storyline sidetracked the one of the bees.  With too much going on, the plot became overwhelmed and stalled. 

 

I was most interested in the mystery behind the bees and the way that impacted society.  Yet it wasn’t fully fleshed out.  The secrets.  The outrage.  It all felt swept aside.   

 

And because of that, I didn’t feel as deeply impacted by the potential devastation of civilization and a world without pollinators.