The first book has been on my TBR for ages so I was so happy when this came up to review.
However I have started reading the first one and I found it farther difficult for me to get my head round.
Don’t get me wrong the writing and world building is great and I love the concept and the ideas Lee seems to be exploring.
They look and read like great books, but unfortunately they just weren’t for me.
Still I would recommend giving them a go, I think they have the potential to be fantastic

This was a really nice conclusion to the story! I just have to start with saying that. The ending was really nice and it even caught me by surprise. There was this exciting element of “how will this be solved” throughout the entire book and I really enjoyed it. I also love how this story focuses on life as a survivor and how similar things can be seen and experienced differently by different people. I felt for Noam through the entire book. I found him to be a good main character. His struggle in trying to do what’s good but also trying to stay true to himself got a tiny bit repetitive, for for the most part it was really good!

The characters are so diverse and awesome and broken but healing. They have all seen so much more than young people should see, of war and abuse and death. Pair these complex characters with a very intriguing plot and you have yourself a book that passes by like a breeze! It was sooo hard to put it down. Especially because you are as clueless as the main characters as to what the antagonist is planning and how much he actually knows.

I would definitely recommend this series to fans of magic abilities, political intrigue and complex characters. Plus, it’s only a duology!

I really enjoyed this sequel to Lee's THE FEVER KING. The world-building that Lee did for this duology is really impressive. I appreciate how it touches on so many current political issues, such as immigration, LGBT rights, and, well, fascism. I'll definitely be recommending this book a lot!

Where do I even start with this book… So it starts a few months after the end of the first book. Noam is working with and is involved with Lehrer and Dara survived the QZ only to return to Carolinia with rebels.

From the start this book is obviously going to be action-packed and very dark. There are a lot of hard to read scenes related to child abuse, domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, alcoholism and rape. It’s a pretty hard read but you keep rooting for the characters throughout. You want them to survive, to beat Lehrer and their own issues. And without giving any spoilers the ending does give you those warm fuzzy feelings that some of that has started.

The characters in this book are complicated. They’re dealing with issues, they’re often morally grey and they feel real. There’s plenty of moments where you’ll love them then hate them. As a villain Lehrer has been an interesting choice from the off. Part of you wants to feel for him due to his past but you look at all he’s willing to do and you can’t. He’s a cold, cruel person but sometimes you can’t help but question if his end goal is right. Once again I loved Noam and I loved Dara. They both frustrated me to no end but I at least understood why they might make those decisions. And I’m so proud of them for some of them.

The romance is great and that’s all I’m going to say on that matter. I adore Noam and Dara so much.

I don’t really know what else to say. I could go on about the world building for hours. The intricacies of the plot. The diversity. This duology is just everything I wanted it to be and I’m so filled with emotion. I need other people to read it so I have people to fan with.

This book is a definite 5 star recommendation.

Unfortunately, I did not realize this was the second book in a series when I requested it. My apologies!!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really love this duology. The Fever King was one of my favorites when it first came out, so I was really excited to get my hands on the sequel. This book/series has such a strong Queer representation and is executed perfectly.

I love that this one picks up just a few months after The Fever King. It gives enough time for the characters to grow and change and make different situations for themselves as well as problems to get themselves out of.

Victoria Lee is just an amazing author. She has a way of writing the traumas of her character in such an interesting way.This is one of those stories that is both character and story driven and that is incredibly hard to execute and Lee does it perfectly.

One of my favorite things about this book is the trigger warning. Lee is so conscious of her readers and things that might trigger them that she makes sure to put a warning at the beginning of her book. This is SOOO important!

Victoria Lee is such an emotionally driven author and I really just enjoy her style of writing. The situations she creates and the traumas she describes are heart wrenching but incredibly relatable. This book brings out real and raw emotions and I think everyone should give it a read!

Thank you so much to Victoria Lee, Skyscape Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this emotion packed novel! I really enjoyed it.

-- DISCLAIMER: I received a free eARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for this opportunity. --

First of all, these books are AMAZING, and everyone needs to read this duology. It’s a crime that they haven’t been published in the UK yet, and I keep pushing them at everyone asking me for SFF with LGBTQIA+ rep – they address so many issues on different layers of the story and do it incredibly well. These books are like an onion of representation to pick apart and enjoy while making you think and consider the individual issues both by themselves and in combination. I can’t remember if the same thing was the case with The Fever King, but I really appreciate how content warnings were handled in The Electric Heir – there is a note at the front saying that the book contains potentially triggering content, and that more information could be found in the back. This makes it obvious, and clear where to find detailed information for those who need it and invalidates any ‘spoiler’ arguments that people seem to keep having against trigger warnings.

The Electric Heir picks up six months after the end of The Fever King. Everyone’s situation has changed, and traumatizing, atrocious things have happened to both Noam and Dara. They are still teenagers, still growing up and figuring out who they are in the middle of everything going on, and both struggle heavily with admitting that events have affected them and that they might need help. Victoria Lee manages to write their trauma extremely well, making them lose none of their humanity or letting anything seem overdone. They, and their supporting cast, are well-nuanced, growing characters with tangible moral compasses, struggling to figure out how to navigate a broken world and difficult situations, while fighting someone who might be one of the creepiest villains I have ever encountered: Calix Lehrer and his powers of mind control.

I thought that this book was good but I felt that some parts of the story were rushed. I love that the author depicts that victims of abuse from people like Lehrer come in all shapes and sizes and that only the perpetrator deserves the hatred and disgust. The book was really well written and I loved the story.
The issues I had with the book were that sometimes I didn't Noam's motives. He knew what happened to Dara and still went with Lehrer. I didn't feel that there was enough of an explanation for Noam's actions. I also thought that the ending was a little rushed. The book had a very good build up but I was disappointed when it was not the massive climax I was hoping it would be. Overall, it was a great book that broadcasts a message people definitely need to hear, but it wasn't the book for me.

The Electric Heir defies words. It's stunning. I hadn't planned on reading it in one day, but you know those books that don't let you go? That demand to be read? That pretty much sums up The Electric Heir. It's a book about survival and abuse, about the challenge to dismantle the harmful rhetoric swirling around us. Not only is it emotional and poignant, but it is also a book about resistance and sacrifice. How do we process our trauma and survive? How can we witness and examine what is happening?

Overall I am just so impressed and still in emotional shock from The Electric Heir. Our struggles to process what happened to us and figure out who we want to be. Using fantasy as a lens, Lee examines charismatic abusers and our difficulties to recognize our own abuse. It is emotional and will wrench your heart, but it's absolutely affirming to see on the page for people who went through similar situations. That feeling that no one will hear you or believe you.

When I read The Fever King earlier this year, I loved the way Lee included additional material between chapters that was almost Handmaid's Tale-esque. It gives the sense as a reader that all of these events occurred a long time ago and we're just watching them unfold. I thought The Fever King was phenomenal and was thoroughly impressed that The Electric Heir ended up being even better. The author never shied away from dealing with the difficult themes brought up in The Fever King and taking them further in this book. They addressed consent, sexual abuse, mental illness, and eating disorders, gracefully and realistically.
The story picks up about six months after The Fever King ends, with Noam mourning Dara and set down a path of danger and sure self-destruction. When Dara arrives back in Carolinia, very much alive, but no longer able to wield magic, Noam throws himself back into fighting Lehrer. But Lehrer always seems to be just a few steps ahead. And is everything in Carolinia and the rest of the world really what they believe it to be?

I have to admit, the first quarter of this book made me sick. I have a feeling that was the intended affect but man do I hate reading that stuff. It was really unsettling to have such a vivid inside look at Lehrer’s grooming and abuse. And I was so fucking frustrated at Noam, but again, isn’t that the point? To show us that victims come in all shapes and sizes and the only person who deserves hatred and disgust in the perpetrator. I had to catch myself a few times and reinforce that information.

There was a good portion of this book that I wanted to vomit - Lehrer/Noam scenes i’m looking at you. And there was a good portion that made me cry - literally anything that involved Dara (why does my sweet baby never get happiness?).

With all this being said, I really don’t feel like I understand Noam’s motives. He knew what Lehrer did to Dara and he’s still... I don’t know. It didn’t sit well with me.

Additionally, that big thing that happened to Dara that made him less Dara was kind of glossed over AND it happened off-screen. I wish we delved more into that part. (Trying to be non-spoilery).

Overall, I think this book wasn’t entirely for me. It was a strong book, with a strong message. And it’s definitely one of those ‘it’s me, not you’ moments. I’m sure others will love it. For me, it was around a 3.5 star read.

4.25 stars

I rated book 1 the same but I much preferred this one. There were more things happening, more fast-paced action, understandable since it doesn't need all the introductions into the world, characters etc.

In conclusion, even though I did find that the big, final part should have lasted a little longer, it was a really good read and am disappointed to let go of these characters.

A great sequel to The Fever King! I found myself still feeling the book to be great, but still had some issues. I just can't find myself truly connecting with the characters. This was the same for me with the first book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC copy of this book in return for a fair review.

Phew boy! This book guys. The Fever King was one of my favourite books of 2019 and The Electric Heir one of my most anticipated for 2020 and I am so thankful I got the ARC copy.

If you thought The Fever King was going to tear you apart then you are not ready for what this sequel is going to do to you and before I get fully into this review I think it's very important to talk about the content warnings as this book is a lot darker. There is explicit conversations about rape, alcohol and drug abuse, victim blaming, eating disorders, mental health and suicide as well as genocide and a lot of physical abuse. If you have any questions about these then you can check out Victoria Lee's website or come to me. I think this book is amazing but it is incredibly difficult to read and everyone should have a safe reading experience!

I don't think I can really do this book justice no matter how many times I rewrite this review but I'll try.

The Electric Heir picks up about six months after the end of The Fever King and follows Noam and Dara as they try to take down Leher, Noam from the inside under the guise as Leher's new protege and Dara on the outskirts who has returned to Carolinia alive but stripped of his magic.

This book is a lot more character driven then the first and takes a deep look into what it is like to be at the mercy of your abuser and what it is like when you have gotten away and have to try to put yourself back together again. It is not an easy read as Noam and Dara are constantly fighting, eachother and others, to bring Leher down and finally get their shot at a happy ending.

The only small flaw I had in this book really was the ongoing fight between Carolinia and Texas which at times I found a little hard to follow none the less this is a brilliant character study into survival and healing which left me sobbing at the end.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

When I say I am a shell of a person after reading this, I am dead serious. I absolutely loved this book! I found it to grab me more then the first book and honestly this was the best ending I could’ve asked for, even though I am quite sad it’s over! The expanse of emotions I felt while reading is is absolutely insane. At some moments I was smiling like crazy, and laughing my head off, while at others I was full on messy crying, and most of all I was so angry. Victoria created a villain that was so well crafted that the amount of hatred I felt for him cannot be explained with words. On another note, she showed how you will survive and for that I am so thankful. This book added so much to what was previously said and It honestly made me love the Fever King even more then I did before!

This book has definitely left a mark on me and I’m so thrilled for when it comes out in March so that everyone can scream along with me!


P.S The fact that Victoria added content warnings was honestly so amazing and I appreciate it immensely!

CW: pedophilia, abuse, i recommend checking the author's website to stay safe

This book was at once an excellent sequel and a mildly disappointing conclusion to the duology.
I again found myself enamored with the fascinating and innovative dystopian world that Lee imagines for us. This series really restored my hope for YA dystopians. Victoria Lee has created some of the most captivating characters I have ever had the pleasure to read about and the fact that this sequel was so charcter heavy was a wonderful way to round out the various arcs Lee explores in this series.

In this installment some time has passed since the ending of The Fever King and Noam has been living under Lehrer's mind control and is being successfully groomed and manipulated by him. I think Lee crafted the perfect villian with Lehrer, his despicable actions unfold so slowly in the first installment that I too was enthralled by him at first and I think Lee hammers home an important message about how powerful, likeable people use their reputation as the perfect shield while they engage in monstrous acts behind the scenes. I also appreciated that this narrative addressed how gross immortal + human teenager stories really are. Seeing Noam grappling with understanding that he has been abused and trying to escape while also falling victim to his own matyrdom was at once heartbreaking and frustrating. In direct contrast we get Dara' perspective and he has been living without Lehrer's influence and is at a completely different stage in his recovery, seeing these two victims of abuse trying to overcome their abuser and stop the cycle of violence and abuse and corruption was incredibly powerful, it was a really difficult and uncomfortable subject but I think Lee really said some important things with this novel.

While I think Lee did an amazing job with these characters and their arcs, I couldn't help but feel like the other aspects of the plot were very poorly fleshed out. There is a rebel fraction trying to overthrow Lehrer as chancellor but we really never find out much about them or Dara's involvement with them beyond a few scheming sessions. I just think the politics and the war aspect of the plot was really too understated and I needed more from that side of the story, and the world could have been expanded a bit more. I stand by the idea that this should have been a trilogy.

Overall it was great. Noam and Dara have my heart. Brillant, nuanced exploration of child abuse and grooming, and what it means to be a survivor, amazing character arcs, fascinating world, mildly disappointing plot but the writting and characters made up for what the plot lacked. 4 stars

My review will be posted December 6!

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The Electric Heir is the remarkable sequel to The Fever King which was published earlier this year. I immediately added The Fever King to my list of favorites for the year. I love an original plot and the world that Victoria Lee has created is stunning and unique. In the first book, Noam wakes from a magical illness to discover he has a new latent ability. It also changes everything he has believed in the past about witchings. The end of the first book left a pretty huge cliffhanger... I'm not going into it here because I don't want to ruin the first book... only continue reading past this point if you are okay with SPOILERS!

Oh this book! So... Noam has remembered everything about what Lehrer has done. He's struggling once again to fight for what he thinks is "right". Fortunately, he's also figured out how to prevent Lehrer from controlling his mind... or has he? See... one of the things I love about this book is that it's not just about "magic" and "Politics"... this book is really about consent and surviving.

The characters in this novel are struggling to survive so many things. It's amazing that Lee manages to create such a likable cast of characters while still giving them realistic and heart-breaking challenges. This is serious stuff... no joke. Both Noam and Dara are struggling with consent, surviving a variety of abuse and surviving loss. One of those things would be so overwhelming that one might want to just die - but these characters are clawing at the edge of a cliff and trying not to fall off.

Lehrer is the villain of the story. But the thing is, Lee is such a great writer that there are moments when, as a reader, I was drawn right IN and became just as uncertain about what was going on as Noam was. I think that's the sign of a really well-crafted villain. Yes, he's horrendous at times, but he can also be sweet and caring... and GOD! I felt so bad for ever liking him! But, I credit Lee with that... this is an author that can put together some remarkable characters, and I got real feelings about them!

What Noam and Dara have in common... is also what seems to drive a wedge between them. Dara has already escaped from Lehrer and he wants nothing more than to impart some wisdom on Noam... and get him out of harm's way. But, that's just not how the world works. And really, it's not how "surviving" something works. I wish it was as easy as someone saying, "you really need to stop this now." If you've ever been on the receiving end of abuse, I'm sure you'll understand what I'm trying to say. (I'm aware that I'm not putting it together really well.) Everyone who goes through any type of situation that abusive is going to have to battle to find their own way through it.

There were parts of the path for Noam and Dara that were absolutely heartbreaking to read... in particular the way they were drawn together and needed to push each other away at certain times. I think Lee has done a remarkable job of writing about the way these two characters find their strength and fight their battles.

Wonderful book, difficult subject matter at times... but this series is remarkable and I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone.

I spent the first 50% confused, unable to remember what had happened in the previous book. It was hard to get my bearings, particularly as I was pretty sure Lehrer was the villain (he is) and Noam was sleeping with him. Also, Lehrer is (stated very clearly in the book) 124 years old, and Dara’s adoptive father – aka the boy Noam fell in love with and dated in the first book.

I probably wouldn’t have been so confused if there had been a “previously” introduction. Usually, I re-read series before new installments, but didn’t have a chance this time and almost DNF’ed because I had no clue what was happening and the relationship felt so wrong.

However, once I got my bearings and far enough into the story for everything to be recapped, it was much better. And the relationship was shown to be controlling, abusive and started under Lehrer’s mind-control powers.

It’s a really sensitive, in-depth exploration of abusive relationships, and the incredibly complicated emotions that arise out of that. It tackled why you might stay and the things you tell yourself to rationalise what’s happening as well coping mechanisms. It was also very clearly portrayed as a bad relationship – this being the first thing I straightened out.

It was brilliantly done, with the sort of depth and clarity you’d expect from a book solely focused on the topic. However, there’s also action and an uncertainty of who can be trusted alongside the chemistry between Noam and Dara.

Overall, a great evaluation of abusive relationships, though I recommend reading it very soon after the previous book so you don’t get confused.

GR review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2925493684?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

✨ 4/5 ✨

Whew, this series was such a journey and I guess I acquired two new sons along the way.

This sequel is a study of survival and is definitely more character-driven. The plot was a weak point for me and I wasn’t in love with it but I don’t think it mattered too much at the end of the end because there was so much to take away from this book.

I fell in love once again with Noam and Dara and I just want them to be happy and healthy. Their character arcs are so interesting on their own and in relation to one another. They both had so much room to grow, either apart or together, and Victoria Lee played it out so well. In this book, they are both trying to come to terms with their own trauma and coping mechanisms.

A lot of important discussions on healing and being a survivor of abuse are tackled here and for once we’re shown an immortal x teenager relationship in the creepy light it deserves.

Victoria Lee has also crafted one of the best YA villains I’ve read about. He is charming, loved, makes some points but is still despicable, vicious and terrible. I just loved the exploration of his character, where he came from and how that played out later in his life. But it’s never given as an excuse for everything he’s done.

Through this story, the author opens up the discussion of “does the end justify the means” and puts forward a tactful exploration of the endless cycle of violence and abuse.

This was an amazing series and it filled the void of YA Dystopia I had in my heart. I hope a lot more people will pick it up and give it a chance.

I read a lot of reviews from the first book saying there were tough things to read and I didn't really think so. But I thought this one was tough just because Noam does a lot of stupid things and trusts a certain someone to much.
It was a good ending.