Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

It is the year 2180. The story of The Nectar by Leslie Miller introduces us to Hannah, who is a so-called shepherdess. Her job is to give nectar to the pollinators - people who manually pollinate plants because there are no more bees, and no more other pollinating insects. When she and her team receive a rather unusual and lucrative job, her life is about to change; not only because her team will have more money to spend on things, but also because she finds the diary of a girl who lived in the year 2031 - the year in which bees officially became extinct. Keeley, the author of the diary, is sent to the army by her parents because they believed that the army would make sure to keep their daughter fed. What they did not expect was that their daughter would become part of a research that would change everything. And her diary will once more change everything because Hannah needs to admit to herself that the nectar she gives to her workers is not quite what it seems.

Considering that bees and other pollinating insects are indeed slowly getting closer to extinction, the plot of The Nectar by Leslie Miller is not that far fetched and is very thought provoking. What will we do when the last bee has died? Will we have to start having our own pollinators? What will humankind do when much of the food we are used to cannot be produced any longer? It is unlikely (I hope) that the events of this fascinating novel will become reality, but it was very interesting - and scary - to image that there is a possibility of it. I also enjoyed the two main characters who have a very different way of describing the world around them. It's nice to see when an author can use two different voices instead of making everyone sound the same. I finished the book in just a few sittings because it was hard to put down. You simply want to know what happens and how Hannah will react to the truth behind everything!