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.

A powerful sequel. The book is loaded with the topics of abuse, so be warned. The author gives this disclaimer as well. That being said, be sure to read book 1 first. The story is a powerful look at abuse, survival and how those things look different for each person. Noam and Dara are great characters. Outside those themes lies a unique world where a virus kills most and gifts magical powers to survivors.

This book was everything that the first one was but more. More drama. More action. More gore. More discomfort. The Electric Heir was heavy in its scenes of abuse and mental illness, yet still rich in its beautiful prose and creativity. The plot was fast-paced and although some scenes walked along the edge of being too terrible and raw and sickening, they were important ones all the same. You couldn’t help but sympathize for your heroes, even when you wanted to reach through the screen and shake them until they realized that they were wrong, and you couldn’t help but hate your villains, regardless of their small moments of compassion. And although every second of this book had me frustrated, tense, angry and engaged and on the edge of my seat, I was gifted a perfect ending that made the whole thing worth it. Read The Electric Heir. Do it. Commit yourself to this world, because it’s the best way to spend your time.

I have scrapped and rewritten this review so many times it’s ridiculous, how can I review a book that is so good and so personal? None of my words can possibly do this book justice. Every time I try to say what makes this book what it is my mind either blanks or what it comes up with just isn’t enough to convey why I love The Electric Heir so much. So this is a short review not for lack of this to talk about but because this book renders me speechless. I’m writing this with tears in my eyes.

“The boy in this mirror was steel and frost and a bloodied knife. And he wasn’t afraid of anything.”

Part of the reason why it’s hard to a proper review is that as a survivor reading this was such a personal thing and a gift. It may not have always been an easy ready given what it deals with but fuck if it wasn’t cathartic. It’s hard to put into put into words how much it meant to see Noam and Dara fight and survive and ultimately get their happy ending. To know that they are – we are – worthy of it.

I know ultimately this review isn’t really much of one so I guess that I can only ask that you take my word for it. This duology is fantastic and if you thought The Fever Kings was good, The Electric Heir is out of this world. It reads like fanfiction in that it is everything you could possibly want out of the sequel and more.

“I’m staying with you,” Dara said. “Until the end.”

there are too many thoughts circulating about this book. i was dying to read it after the fever king, and it didn't disappoint, character-wise. victoria lee really placed her heart and soul into the electric heir and it shone through beautifully. for one, noam and dara were both abused by lehrer, and, although they fought to acknowledge their abuse, they were able to overcome it and come out on the other side. this tale of hope is so inspiring. their relationships with ames, bethany, and taye were so wholesome: i love them so much. the plot might have been lost to the characters, as it wasn't airtight and felt repetitive and anticlimatic, but that wasn't the point of the book. the point of the book was survival and it was magnificently breathtaking. i'm glad dara and noam survived, and at first i wasn't too happy about them ending up together because they fought all the time and didn't seem healthy for each other, but i'm so glad that lee decided to make them resolve their issues - dara apologized to noam for being selfish and rude (although explainable, not justifiable). another interesting point was dara loosing his magic; it was fascinating to step into his head - yay, dara's point of view was refreshing! - and learn the struggles he faced not knowing what other's were thinking or who was behind him. i don't know why the character of calix leher is so complex because nothing is more wonderfully frustrating to a reader than a complex character. was his torture so psychologically damaging to him that it made him cruel and a pervert or is it something deeper? what was his true relationship with his brother? none of this justifies his actions, but maybe a step deeper into his head will make us understand the true shadows of what makes up calix leher, especially since he is one of the villains you love to hate and yet still don't entirely understand his motivations. maybe he really is sick and disgusting, or maybe not: he's a character that enfolds too many layers, each darker and more twisted as you peel them back, but it might be worth it. anyway, this was a shining star in the sea of books nowadays, and it was inspiring to hear victoria lee's voice shimmer through the book as she told not only noam and dara's story, but also weaving in her personal story of survival.

An electrifying and thrilling continuation in the series! Lee succeeds in upping the stakes by exploring the life outside of North Carolina and what dangers exist as Noam and Dara struggle to survive. While the dual-POVs might take readers a while to adjust, the payoff in this satisfying sophomore novel is so worth the wait and anxious nail-biting.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Victoria Lee's writing is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to read more from her.

This duology is one of my favorite series. I think Lee tackled the hard hitting subjects of sexual abuse and other mental health issues very well and although some parts were hard to get through, I appreciated the way she handled it all.

In the first book, I completely fell in love with Noam and Dara both as individuals and as a couple. They remind me of me and my husband a little bit because we were brought together by trauma and helped each other through it and still deal with struggles. They want to help each other but aren't co dependent. I love them both so much and am so happy they had their happy ending. I would really love an extra story about them a few years after the events of The Electric Heir.

I think the ending felt a bit rushed and that is really my only critique. I'm happy that this was a duology but Lehrer's end just seemed to happy too quickly and too easily. I wasn't really satisfied with it.

The Electric Heir is the dark and thoughtful sequel to The Fever King. The Fever King gave us the first look into the daily horrors that those in Carolinia must face.

Within The Electric Heir we learn more of the ways in which Lehrer abuses his power and begins a relationship with Noam. Noam has to grapple with very difficult questions. How much is Lehrer's persuasion and how much is a need for connection? Is is going to be able to do the things asked of him as a part of the resistance or will the feelings he has for Lehrer stand in his way?

As mentioned by Victoria Lee there are some harmful opinions characters have in the beginning when it comes to their abuse but those ideas are confronted.

Lee has crafted a moving duology about the depths of survival.

I absolutely adored The Fever King, and I was so anxious to read the sequel. The ending of the first book left me heartbroken, but The Electric Heir left me filled with hope. It's a stunning sequel, one that tells a story of healing and overcoming your abusers.

I suppose this is technically a spoiler for book one, but there's no real way of reviewing it fully, so here goes: Dara's alive, bitch! And thank goodness for that. I cried at the ending of The Fever King and never stopped.

Having Dara's point of view really opens up the story. Living in Noam's head gives us a very skewed perspective on things, and Dara provides a clearer view. We also learn about the extent of his experiences of abuse under Lehrer's thumb, a cycle Dara tries to stop with Noam.

This is just as much a story of survival and healing as well as the rebellion plot to overthrow Lehrer. Noam is playing a double agent, but he's having trouble telling what's real and what's not with Lehrer. He enters a sexual relationship with him, telling himself that it's only natural because they have so much in common. Of course, this is abusive; Lehrer will always have a position of power over Noam. There will always be an imbalance of power, and they will never be equals. Again, Dara tries to make him realize this because he's been in Noam's position.

Both Noam and Dara really grew as characters, as well as Bethany and Ames. While it's a long process, they all grow and develop healthier habits. Honestly, I would read another book of just them, living peacefully and happily!

And we need to talk about the gay angst! I hate them (I love them). Communication has always been a fuzzy thing between Dara and Noam, even more so because they know that Lehrer can find out anything they say to each other. However, they eventually learn how to communicate more openly.

The worldbuilding was really cool, particularly the magic system. We learn more about the territories outside of Carolinia and visit Texas (yeehaw, babey!). I really love the principle of the magic and how it's based on what you're interested in.

It's really hard to say anything more without spoiling the entire book, but know that Victoria Lee has written a quiet, beautiful story of healing and growing. This is a survivor's tale. If you haven't read The Fever King yet, I can't recommend it enough.

This is a fantastic sequel to the first novel! It took me a bit longer to give this review as I had to go and read the first novel ! I don’t want to give anything away but anyone who reads this will be obsessed and left hoping there was more !

This is an incredible sequel to The Fever King that deals with some pretty heavy topics in a gripping but sensitive way. As most of the magic and political universe was built up in the first book, there is very little scene-setting here and it rolls straight into the plot. I absolutely adore Dara, who was the standout character for me in this book. I only gave the first book 3 stars, but I absolutely fell in love with this universe in this book and am a little gutted it's just a duology! Looking forward to more work from author in the future.

“The only thing worse than the wrong choice was complacency.”

(This review will contain minor spoilers for The Fever King, which I highly recommend you read!)

After the events in The Fever King, Noam Álvaro knows he’s been betrayed by the nation’s leader. Under Calix Leher’s persuasion magic, he doesn’t know if his actions were his own or under the direction of Leher, but now that he’s figured out how to protect his mind from persuasion, he’s realized he messed up. After he sent Dara Shirazi, the boy he fell in love with, to the quarantined zone, it’s likely he’s dead, leaving Noam to handle Leher by himself, a task no one can take on by themselves.

Yet when Dara shows up to a gala intending to kill Leher, all hope isn’t lost for Noam. Dara is alive, and he wants Leher dead. Acting as a double agent, Noam has to fight and grapple with his desire to overthrow the government, all while figuring out his complicated feelings for Leher and Dara.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel. It was carefully crafted and showed the characters’ flaws well. I would honestly die for Dara Shirazi, my sweet cinnamon roll. With this sequel, we shifted from just Noam’s POV to include Dara’s as well, and I thought Lee did a wonderful job crafting their voices. Having Dara’s insight helped remind readers that Leher isn’t to be trusted, even as we see his interactions with Noam. Which reminds me…

Calix Leher may be the worst villain ever created in a young adult novel. His evil isn’t obvious or overstated. He acts in what he considered the best interests, but his actions are despicable. He’s carefully crafted to make you want to like him, but then you’re reminded of the atrocities he’s committed and you hate yourself for thinking of him as anything better than pure evil. His character is important for teen audiences to see, to recognize the signs especially, if they have figures like this in their lives.

I did find some scenes to be confusing, the switch between battle and talk was disjointed and didn’t mesh well. The talks of strategy in the bar felt less of a plot point than a way to gather the characters together. The new side characters also didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me, which was disappointing, but also understandable. They weren’t as important to Dara or Noam and didn’t have the history with either of our main characters.

When I first started reading The Electric Heir, I thought it to be the second in a series, not the finale. So when it finished, I was left a little bereft. I wanted more, which is how I know I loved a book. And I’ll just mention that I loved the ending. Our characters got what they deserved.

Overall, I enjoyed this duology a lot. The characters, plot, and atmosphere were all unique and interesting, blending together in a rich, detailed storyline. I am eager to see what Victoria Lee comes up with next.

The Electric Heir is the sequel to The Fever King by Victoria Lee and is set to release on Match 17th, 2020.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

Content Warnings: sexual assault, child abuse, pedophilia, domestic violence, references to suicide, depictions of substance abuse and eating disorders.

This duology may be the best dystopian series I've read. I'm honestly so impressed with the sheer psychological depth and the way it handles several important themes. Yes, this novel is a dystopian focused on overthrowing a corrupt government, like there are many others, but I've never read anything like this. At its core, it's about learning to recognize and getting out of an abusive relationship, and about how the end can justify the means, but only to a certain extent. All this made it heavy to read at times, and I would definitely urge you to look up the trigger warnings that are included at the end of the book, but it's so worth it, and I absolutely loved the main character.

***make sure you all read the trigger warning on this book because it deals with some seriously heavy stuff*

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to review this book ahead of its release date.

The sequel to THE FEVER KING follows both Dara and Noam as they fight for survival on both sides of the Carolinia. Dara has survived his fevermad condition and has aligned himself with a rebellion. Meanwhile, Noam has shacked up with Lehrer, the now chancellor whose intentioned for Atlantians are skewed. Noam's relationship with Lehrer, whether under persuasion or not, borders on brutal and heartbreaking while Dara does his best to illuminate Noam on who Lehrer truly is.

THE ELECTRIC HEIR focuses mainly on the abuse that Noam takes while living with the effects of his choices, and the fact that the story relied on that as a whole was something that made my stomach churn a lot of the time. The subject matter of domestic sexual abuse saturated the story, and while it is an important matter, I felt as though it overshadowed the book so much that I'd forgotten that who Noam was. The situation made him weak to a point where we didn't see much of his strength until the very end, and that wasn't an excellent payout for me. Noam saddened me. I rooted for him, but his choices, despite knowing what Lehrer was doing, caused me to not only lose my focus but to feel as though he might be a lost cause.

Dara, on the other hand, had my complete and utter faith. But even he got me a tad pissed. I wanted him to knock some sense into Noam. If he loved him so much, he should have fought harder. But this is me wanting him to kill Lehrer in a fit of passion and from page one, but these are all ME problems.

Overall, I do love these books, mostly because they are different from all the saturated sci-fi and fantasy books YA has to offer, and Victoria Lee is the bravest author out there as she takes these difficult subjects and gives them light. Although I did feel this book needed more magic and more twists to keep me truly hooked, I still quite enjoyed it. I appreciate who Lee is as an author and I can't wait to see what else she has to offer.

the first half of this book was really hard to read. lehrer is fucking noam. noam hates himself for it, and doesn't think it's abuse. dara accuses noam of consensually having sex with lehrer even though noam was a 16-year-old kid and lehrer is old as fuck. this is all challenged half-way through the book, but it doesn't make it any less difficult to read.

so, all the many, many scenes and mentions of rape of a minor aside, i was just bored.

i thought the fever king was fine. i didn't love it or hate it, so i thought i'd request the electric heir because i usually enjoy sequels more. this let me down though. there are a lot of boring political discussions going on, and a sudden war, followed by more boring politics. i don't know. i just didn't care. and i realized i didn't care about any of the characters.

and i know this story is all about survivors but i got super tired of the repetitive thoughts and actions of noam in regards to lehrer.