Member Reviews
after reading the first book, things definitely made more sense to me in this one. this book broke my heart and mended it all at once. In the end, I seriously want another book.
*The Electric Heir* is the harrowing and thrilling sequel to *The Fever King*. This is a story of survival and finding hope in the darkest times and places.
In this sequel to the series, Noam and Dara play dangerous games in their fight for freedom from tyranny. Noam becomes entangled deeper and deeper into the rebellion, while at the same time, he is one of the closest to Lehrer. Finding a way to survive and create a better future will mean that both Noam and Dara have to confront the darkness they’ve come to know at the hands of Lehrer.
I have to admit this book took me a long time to read. But not for the reason you’re thinking. Similarly to *The Fever King, The Electric Heir* explores the complexities for trauma and surviving trauma and abuse. While intrigued by the story itself, I found reading it to be something I had to take gently with myself. This is because there were parts where I wasn’t sure that the MC understood the traumas that were happening to him.
For me, there are many parts of *The Electric Heir* that are hard to read. I think that was kind of the point. Surviving is never going to leave you whole. To survive means you come out with scars. But, surviving is also about hope. Hope for a better future than the one today. That was one of the key messages I took from the book.
Ultimately this book was about hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope for love and hope in the face of loss. As I progressed to the ending pages, I really started to feel the brightness of that message and spurred me on to the end.
By the end of this series, I was quite sad to say goodbye to Noam and Dara. I longed for more, but things ended just as they needed to. This duology was an ordeal that dealt with difficult themes and topics. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable series and perhaps one day, one that I’ll read again.
This book is amazing to read and a testament to survival of abuse, but that doesn’t make it for light reading. Please tread gently with this series if you have triggers and read the trigger warnings first. The trigger warnings can be found on Victoria Lee’s website.
I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Fever King was one of the first books I read and reviewed as a book blogger, so this series holds a special place in my heart. There's no denying the ambition and raw talent evident in Victoria Lee's writing. We dive deeper into the simmering tensions of Carolinia, exploring the political battles and conflicting ideologies. Noam and Dara are both characters I've grown to love. However, while I found myself enjoying reading their journeys of growth, I found myself not feeling fully satisfied by the end of the book. The pacing dragged on at times, but during crucial plot points, we flew by where I wish we had more time for self-discovery. The ending, while impactful, left me wanting more resolution. Nevertheless, Victoria Lee's debut series was a great start to their writing career, and I'm excited to see what they publish next!
I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.
I really liked the book ! The main character was liakable and I loved the plot ,I wish it was longer tho ,to enjoy it a little bit more
I love Victoria Lee’s writing. They’re such an interesting world builder, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve read by them!
I tried to get into this one and I just couldn't. I loved the first so it may have just been my mood but it was so dark that it just wasn't working for me. The world is so dark as it is that this just wasn't for me. I'm going to leave this alone and just be happy with how much I enjoyed The Fever King. This one just wasn't for me.
THE ELECTRIC HEIR is the sequel to THE FEVER KING, and takes places about six months later. Noticeably darker than the first one, it is a story of survivors and coming to terms with abuse, acknowledging both that it has happened and that, while it can't be forgotten, initial steps towards healing can be taken.
This is not an easy book to read: some of the things that Noam and Dara go through are incredibly painful to read, as well as the hints of the future awaiting for them as survivors, but it's a fitting conclusion to an unusual duology.
I really could not wait to devour this book and then i just didnt.
Cant wait to go back to it but believe I need to reread book 1 in order to refresh my memory
Mare~Slitsread
This book went a lot further than I thought it would, and it was right to do so. Sometimes, YA books tend to hold back while portraying abuse, for many understandable reasons - but The Electric Heir is the demonstration that something doesn't need to shy away or become exceedingly graphic to explain itself fully. It's raw, it's messy, it's honest, it's painful; it doesn't relish in its own pain. I appreciated all of this more than I could put into words, and yet, something was missing for me.
I fell in love with the first book in this series. I couldn't think about anything else for weeks. While rereading it, I realized that I somewhat glossed over certain aspects - like how hollow most of the characters felt aside from the main two and the villain, like how empty this world is - that shone through as the story extended, becoming if anything thinner instead of more fleshed out.
Did this book live up to my expectations, then? More than I ever thought it could; not in the way I was certain it would. I loved it, it disappointed me; I read it in less than a day, I wish it had stayed with me for longer.
What to say about this book. There is so much running around in my mind after reading it.
I was...frustrated. I was...disgusted. I loved it.
The CW is real and I loved the fact that they were on Lee's website.
Once again, the world building was spot on and the characters were believable. I loved how Lee did an amazing job with these characters and their arcs. I couldn't help but feel the plot was a little lost. I think it would've been better as a trilogy so we were able to get some answers from some of the subplots.
the trigger warnings were handled well and I think the overlying story of what it means to be a survivor was excellently done
This was an ok book, but I admit that it's not one I will rave about or remember well enough to recommend to others in the future.
I had very high hopes for this duology as I’d read only rave reviews and dystopian fiction used to be my favourite genre however there was something about this book that sadly just didn’t fully engage my interest. In all honesty I was not a fan of a certain relationship within this book, I thought we saw plenty of it within The Fever King and I wasn’t expecting it to be almost replicated within the sequel, I would have preferred if the author has taken a slightly different route with the relationships. I would like to reread The Fever King however I’m not sure I would reread sequel.
The Electric Heir is the second part of the duology which began with The Fever King, a fantastic book you should definitely read before this one. Please bare in mind that both books deal with some heavy themes, including but not limited to eating disorders, alcohol abuse, rape, domestic violence and child abuse.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And honestly?
My head hurts! You know why?? Because I just read this book in one sitting, eyes glued to my tablet, on the edge of my seat. It was a tense, tense adventure from start to finish, with moments of soft reprieve which were STILL tense in their own ways because as you read them you know that danger is around the very next corner.
Whew. I mean, I was expecting great things and boy were they delivered on! This book is hard hitting and emotional in such a way that it leaves you feeling breathless. It deals with situations and topics which are very sensitive and I believe it does a good job of handling them with the honesty and care that they deserve. This duology is about survival, it's about being a survivor, and it never shies away from that, which I think is not just important, but vitally necessary.
The synopsis of Electric Heir, sequel to The Fever King, by Victoria Lee, states on GoodReads "Noam Álvaro seeks to end tyranny before he becomes a tyrant himself." And you really do see that journey. Noam is a very powerful character, both literally and emotionally, and seeing the way he's changed from the beginning of the first book is incredible. His character arc has been flawlessly executed. A lot of the changes, a lot of the experiences he's had, have been negative, and he's done things that make him feel sick, but at the heart of him, all he's doing is his best. He's a teenager who has been through so much trauma it was bound to have rubbed off on him in some negative ways.
His relationship with Dara is also incredibly well crafted and definitely one of the few positive things that Noam has going for him. Dara in his own right is a powerhouse of a character, not because of his magic, as he doesn't have access to that anymore, but because of the sheer presence he has on page. The way that he reacts, the way that he thinks, the way that he deals with his own trauma and his determination to stop Lehrer, everything about him is powerful.
And yet I still want to wrap him in a blanket with Noam and keep them safe for the rest of forever.
The one thing I will say (very slight spoilers ahead), which is probably the reason why I'm giving this a 4 star rating (although really it's more 4.5) is that I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending. After all the buildup to the final moment I glanced at the percent check at the bottom of my screen, realised I was on something like 94% and panicked because I thought I must have misread the situation and that I was heading for another cliffhanger and a wait for book 3. It wrapped itself up plot wise, we aren't left hanging, but I don't feel like the ending did the book justice. It's kind of hard to put into words exactly what I mean without spoiling it for everyone.
Despite this, however, I 100% recommend The Electric Heir. The ending might not fully live up to my expectations, but the rest of the book surpassed them. It's very dark, twisted sometimes, hard to stomach even, but if you like your dystopias gritty and diverse, with a blast of magic, then you'll love this.
“you’ll do whatever’s necessary to take back what you think is yours.”
this book sadly took me ages to get through, as i was (and still am) in a major reading slump since the beginning of the year. crazily enough, it’s also the first thing i finished reading in 2020 at the end of may. uni course work is literally taking up all of my time and it’s so sad lmao, but anyways!
after absolutely adoring the fever king when i read it last year, i was full of anticipation for the sequel! what i still continue to love is victoria lee’s unique writing style. it is very easy to read but totally poetic at the same time, which makes it a totally gorgeous package. the political intrigue in this series is also something i am completely living for and wish there were more such ya novels (and i don’t just mean crime and war, which there’s plenty of, but an actually complex political system broke down for everyone to easily understand).
another aspect i love in this series is the depth of characters we get while not pushing the plot too far in the back. as for this installment, however, i felt like the action was a little too sidetracked. yes, it’s absolutely important to focus on the characters and their feelings concerning everything, but for the second half of the book i didn’t really know what was actually going on anymore and just got what noam and dara thought about said events. it was more a telling rather than showing the reader the plot, which i do not appreciate. for the most part, i wanna experience first hand and in real time what’s going on, not be told afterwards. the pacing towards the last third was also lacking, as i didn’t even really feel like picking it up to finish reading anymore; even when all i had left was the last 30 or so pages.
the depiction of the heavy topics the electric heir deals with and the author also putting up a list of trigger and content warnings is something i thoroughly enjoyed, if one can put it that way. i thought it was incredibly important to be talked about, which victoria lee did a fabulous job on. in the acknowledgements she also mentions how she felt the need to write this story for survivors like noam and dara got me all teary-eyed, after that also satisfying conclusion to this duology.
all in all, the feverwake series is something i really enjoyed and that is very close to my heart, despite the few issues i have with it. this duology is very solid and i would still recommend it to anyone interested in it!
thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
→ 3 stars
As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.
Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this E-Arc. All new releases as of February 2021 will be featured on my blog.
The Fever King and The Electric Heir are both very powerful, very impactful reads and I fully expected them both to be at the top of my list for highly rated and loved. While I could not read The Fever King fast enough, The Electric Heir did not have that same response.
The Electric Heir is painful, emotional and raw. It is a story about survivors. It's not an easy read. Noam and Dara are still two of my favourite characters in any book ever but I could not shake the disconnect I felt while reading. Something was missing and I am still not sure what it is.
I m hopeful that this reading experience is a big case of timing and mood and have plans to reread both books in the duology to see if my feelings change on this in the future.
I want to love it....I need to love it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for proving a copy of this ebook.
I made the mistake of thinking I had read or owned the first book in the series but I haven’t. Hence, I cannot read and review this book, unfortunately..
It's a okay book. I enjoyed the story and the conclusion. Should I reread someday? I don't think so..