Hope Bolinger’s Den, a sequel to her first novel Blaze, is a contemporary take of the Bible’s Book of Daniel.
Danny Belte enjoys fun times with girlfriend Rayah, hangs around with best friends Michelle and Hannah, and goes to a premier school: King’s Academy. The academy should be his ticket to the very best colleges. On the surface it seems like life is going his way, but nothing could be further from the truth. In his sophomore year, he experienced a number of unpleasant events including nearly losing the aforementioned three friends to a premature death. Now, his best friends are all suffering from PTSD, the school still engages in despicable acts, and peer pressure runs amok on social media. However, Danny finally has what he lacked in the first novel, a large amount of evidence to put his oppressor in jail. But will he succeed in bringing justice to his school?
It’s hard to summarize this novel without giving a lot of it (or the novel preceding it) away. Suffice it to say, the plot is much more fascinating than my simple summary. This novel, with its nods to Lemony Snicket as well as the bible, grips the reader as the events turn from bad to worse for Danny. At one point, I thought this may turn into a mystery but it’s not a puzzler per se. More advice to the reader: treat this very much as allegory and not a contemporary novel. The plot follows the extraordinary events in the Book of Daniel as intended. Whether Biblical Daniel survived actual lions or survived events that would be better if he had faced lions is immaterial. Daniel survives because of his trust in God.
Den stands out as an intriguing example of entertainment and message mixed together. The entertainment comes from its compelling story. You feel for Danny and his friends as they suffer through everything King’s Academy has to throw at them. But where this novel really shines is in its message. I haven’t read a novel this year with more to mentally chew on than this book. Bolinger hits all the right buttons when she describes how an institution can negatively influence a large group of people. This is a much-needed theme in today’s world.
As I reviewed my comments on this novel, I noticed that the majority had to do with Danny’s friend Hannah Gad. Hannah was a hoot in Blaze, a true bright spot, and while the level of humor doesn’t quite reach the first novel, she says some very interesting things in this novel. Not to say Hannah isn’t hilarious in Den—couldn’t stop laughing at a comment about Hannah and scissors—but certain things she says, especially near the end of the book, shows her depth. More Hannah in book three, please.
I enjoyed this novel right up to the end. I anticipated the ending “type” after reading Blaze but still was disappointed. Keep in mind that Blaze and Den are the first and second parts of what I call a true trilogy and the middle book often has the hardest job. The reader isn’t introduced to a brand new world with shiny new characters like in book one, nor is everything concluded, for better or worse, as in book three. Poor book two. Den has that heavy burden to bear.
Overall, Den stands out in my mind as a YA novel that doesn’t talk down to its readers. Many of the adult situations depicted in this novel face that age group today. The book doesn’t flinch when taking on serious issues. Hope Bolinger’s story introduces a timely allegorical tale to the YA crowd.
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1645262669