All the great tension and intrigue the plot set up throughout this book ultimately resulted in an undeniably anti-climactic ending.

Fun read, but disappointing (albeit not terrible) conclusion

edit: Also I keep accidentally reading the title as The Electric Chair ( )

CW: depictions of sexual assault and child abuse, domestic violence, references to suicide, and depictions of eating disorders and substance abuse. For more detailed information, please see the author’s website: http://victorialeewrites.com.

As soon as I finished The Fever King, I knew I had to read this sequel because that was a great ending. Even though I’ve gotten used to waiting an year for every sequel, I won’t deny that binging a series is always more fun. And this one was both fun and intense af, and I really wasn’t expecting it.

I thought I knew where the author was going to take this story but wow was I wrong. They managed to surprise me at every turn, both with an interesting plot that kept me engaged and with the sheer brutality of everything. The world is expanded upon a little, and we get to know more about life outside Carolinia, but I kept wanting more - not that it in anyway lessened my enjoyment of the story itself. We also get two POVs this time, so it was finally good to be in Dara’s head. There are also many instances in the story where the author makes us question if there are any good sides in this conflict, forcing us to realize that war and conflict is usually much more messy and even people with good intentions end up having to do destructive things. However, it was their decision to end the story in the way they did that really surprised me but upon reflection, I think it was just the right choice.

But it was the depiction of abuse and domestic violence, the perpetrators and the survivors that was most impactful about this book. I don’t think I can talk more about it and do justice, but the author’s note about how this book is for survivors who have been gaslighted incessantly into believing that somehow it’s their fault, and that there’s a right and wrong way for “victims” to act, really felt right. We get to read about different kinds of survivors, how they cope and behave and just try to get through one day after another - and it’s a lesson to us all to not judge anyone in real life for doing the best they can.

Noam... I really don’t know what to say about him. He is still brave and strong but he is also stubborn in a way that prevents him from realizing how much of a deep shit he is in. But being in an abusive environment, trying to play both sides, figuring out constantly what is true and what is manipulated takes a lot of toll on him and I frankly kept waiting for the book to be over so that he could get some reprieve. He suffers a lot throughout the book and it just pained me that he was going on a path that he might come back from.

Dara on the other hand is the clear headed one this time around, constrained by other factors but more or less in control of his thoughts and actions. Distance has given him a new perspective on the kind of abuse he has suffered and how he was a destructive path using his addiction and eating disorder as coping mechanism, but he is trying to be better now and I admired him.

Noam and Dara’s relationship is very fraught in this book - Dara pleading Noam to open his eyes and see the truth about his abusive situation, while Noam insisting that he had everything under control. Even when they couldn’t see eye to eye, it was obvious that they were agonizing over each other’s safety, and it really pained me to see them be so painfully in love but unable to truly articulate their feelings. This is a couple who’ve been through immense suffering and all I wanted was for them to finally be able to escape it all.

We also get to meet some new and old characters and I enjoyed all of them, though my slight complaint from book one remains that we don’t get to know most of them that well. It’s Lehrer instead who gets more time, both on the page as well as in the characters’ heads and I think the author’s depiction of this highly intelligent, charismatic, powerful and manipulative abuser was just perfect and maybe a cautionary tale to all of us that unfortunately many such people exist in real life.

In the end, all I have to say is that I’m very impressed sans affected by this story. It’s a dark and brutal but ultimately hopeful story of survival, fighting back and reclaiming your life. If you enjoyed The Fever King, I promise this will impress you even more. And if you haven’t read this series but enjoy YA sci-fi stories about young people fighting back against systems of oppression, charismatic villains as well as the demons in their heads, this is the perfect choice for you. This book really is for survivors and I hope, just like the author, that someone out there feels seen and understood within these pages. ( )

I loved Fever King, but just could not get through this book. I felt like I should, but I'm still only half way through and nothing seems to have happened. It seems dark and sad and it's just not gripping me. ( )

This second book in the duology of the Feverwake series finds our main character, Noam, learning to deal with the loss of love and the secrets he must keep to win a war. Lehrer still has the power over Carolina, and with his powers, he has manipulated minds to remember and do what he wants them to. Noam is one of those manipulated but has broken free of Lehrer’s grasp. Noam can not let Lehrer know he has remembered what Lehrer has made him forget or that Noam is part of a rebellion. Even with all the darkness surrounding Lehrer, Noam still has lingering feelings for him since he has in some way replaced the role Dara use to have. Dara who Noam truly loved. Dara who Noam believes dead.

Things start out quite dark unlike what I remember from the first book, The Fever King. Noam’s excitement of learning magic is gone and is replaced with a heavy burden of how to bring down the chancellor. I missed the funloving roommates and the joy Noam felt when learning new magic. There was not much happiness for the characters in this book. There was so much manipulation, gaslighting, and abuse. Not a book to read when depressed.

Jumping back into the Feverwake world was pretty easy. It was plain to see that Noam and the other characters had grown and changed since the first book. Even with all the darkness in the character’s current world I still felt comfort and curiosity about what would happen next. I loved every character well... except for Lehrer.

I enjoyed this series and I am sad that at the moment there are no more books in this world coming. I am interested in what Victoria Lee will write next. ( )

trigger warnings: intergenerational trauma, genocide, violence, abuse, attempted rape, mental health and suicide, slut-shaming, victim-blaming, emetophobia, drug and alcohol abuse, parental death, ableist languag.

This book was dark, raw, disturbing, painful, real, messy, difficult, scary, marvelous, traumatizing.

If I thought that [b:The Fever King|39897058|The Fever King (Feverwake, #1)|Victoria Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1536786369l/39897058._SY75_.jpg|61730276] was dark and hard to read, the electric heir laughed me in the face while eating my heart for lunch.
After finishing this, I doubt I still have a heart.

While the first book was more focused on the characters and the action, this book was about surviving the trauma, growth and dealing with recovery, learning to move on.

The Electric Heir starts six months after the last events of book 1, and let me tell you, from the very start it was difficult. Seeing all the things Noam had to go through, him not realizing his abuse and pretending it was okay hurt me like nothing else.

Dara is and always will be a piece of me. I've never connected more with a character before. I love him, I want to protect him and shield him from all the pain of the world. It was both a delight and a curse to see the story from his eyes.

Before reading this series I thought: "oh it must be a nice ya sci-fi story with a lgbtq relationship" but no, oh no, was I wrong. This is a story about survival.

Victoria Lee's writing is compelling, it doesn't let you stop reading, no matter how hard it is to go on. She wants to open your eyes, to show you the reality of this world.
Victim-blaming, slut-shaming is still so much present in our society. We rush to blame victims and not the people who do the abuse.
The fear of speaking up, the fear of not being believed, of being judged.
There is not a perfect victim, not everyone can speak up, not everyone is ready to admit what they went through, not everyone thinks and accepts that they've been abused. And this book shows you exactly that.

Dara and Noam aren't just victims. They're not just survivors either. Their story, their journey will destroy you, make you feel like every bone in your body is aching.
And then it will heal you, it will make you smile between the tears. You'll never be the same, but you will be okay. ( )