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peachani's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The ending felt so rushed. It really could have used room to breathe and let us feel the full weight of the final action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Classism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It is nearly impossible to discuss THE ELECTRIC HEIR without minor spoilers for THE FEVER KING, so here's the short version if you are trying to figure out whether this is the duology for you. THE FEVER KING is the story of Noam, an immigrant kid in a post-apocalyptic version of the former Carolinas in the USA where a plague is killing many and bestowing the few survivors with magic, gaining powers and favor from the ruler of the region as he slowly gets closer to him and becomes more and more entangled in his political games, while also learning how to use his new abilities. Along the way he gets close to the ruler's ward, Dara, and must decide what to do after a series of devastating revelations and some pretty brutal choices. THE ELECTRIC HEIR picks up six months later and deals with how Noam lives with himself and deals with the fallout from his actions in THE FEVER KING, with less of a focus on learning powers or building comradery with his fellow students, and more of a focus on figuring out that what is happening to him is abuse. If this sounds like a great story then I recommend pausing here and reading THE FEVER KING, because spoilers for that book will abound from here.
This is technically a story about revolution and toppling a dictator, but at its heart it's a story about two kids and their friends helping each other take down their abuser who's running the country. This series deals with child abuse (including but not limited to incest) where there is a massive power imbalance due to the age gap, mentor/student relationship, and the fact that the abuser is legally in charge of the government. There are many discussions between the previous and current victim where we see the viewpoint of someone who has escaped and never wants to be back there again, and someone who hasn't yet figured out how to leave. Some of my favorite sections were between these two characters, whether or not the particular conversation dealt with the abuse specifically, because it shows an immense amount of care from the author to spend so much time showing these characters trying to process and maybe even heal.
Where THE FEVER KING appeared at first to be a heroic teamup/ensemble story before slowly becoming... not that, THE ELECTRIC HEIR has no pretense that Noam will maintain a normal existence. Its focus from his perspective is entirely on his personal interactions with the antagonist, his mentor/abuser, and his work with the resistance to try and topple that abuser from power. While he is technically going to classes and undergoing training, the mentions of these slices of normality gradually disappear, replaced with the descriptions of the flimsy excuses which are increasingly all he has to offer to his friends. The narrative bends towards his attempts to get back any sort of control in his life, and his sense of powerlessness when every attempt keeps being predicted, foiled, or somehow stymied. In the first book Noam was watching as what he thought might be abuse was happening to someone he was getting to know, here it becomes harder and harder to avoid the notion that he now occupies the same position Dara once did. Speaking of Dara, this time around we get Dara's perspective in alternating chapters with Noam. I love Dara as a narrator, he feels very different from Noam and helps to shake up the sense that Noam is right all the time, since he demonstrably is not but is so resolute that it can be easily to feel like he must be right since he's narrating. The dynamic between Noam and Dara is layered and complex, as Noam is torn between maintaining a pretense of loyalty to his abuser (who is not Dara, to be clear), and the unavoidable notion that he is helping his abuser exert power on others even as he is making moves to get out. It makes explicit the abuse first implied and partially shown in THE FEVER KING, and, just as importantly, discusses how the abuse is not his fault, it's neither his nor Dara's fault.
I found this to be empowering and cathartic without trying to be happy, which was welcome because it left space for things to be bad and then also hope that they could get better, but not pretending that everything is magically fixed when the abuse stops. Dara offers a vision of what Noam could look like with a little time free but still not all the way better yet, while Dara sees some of his past self in Noam and keeps trying to get him out. It's not sugar-coated or joyous, and they'll have a long road ahead when the book is done, but it feels like they have a chance.
This is technically a story about revolution and toppling a dictator, but at its heart it's a story about two kids and their friends helping each other take down their abuser who's running the country. This series deals with child abuse (including but not limited to incest) where there is a massive power imbalance due to the age gap, mentor/student relationship, and the fact that the abuser is legally in charge of the government. There are many discussions between the previous and current victim where we see the viewpoint of someone who has escaped and never wants to be back there again, and someone who hasn't yet figured out how to leave. Some of my favorite sections were between these two characters, whether or not the particular conversation dealt with the abuse specifically, because it shows an immense amount of care from the author to spend so much time showing these characters trying to process and maybe even heal.
Where THE FEVER KING appeared at first to be a heroic teamup/ensemble story before slowly becoming... not that, THE ELECTRIC HEIR has no pretense that Noam will maintain a normal existence. Its focus from his perspective is entirely on his personal interactions with the antagonist, his mentor/abuser, and his work with the resistance to try and topple that abuser from power. While he is technically going to classes and undergoing training, the mentions of these slices of normality gradually disappear, replaced with the descriptions of the flimsy excuses which are increasingly all he has to offer to his friends. The narrative bends towards his attempts to get back any sort of control in his life, and his sense of powerlessness when every attempt keeps being predicted, foiled, or somehow stymied. In the first book Noam was watching as what he thought might be abuse was happening to someone he was getting to know, here it becomes harder and harder to avoid the notion that he now occupies the same position Dara once did. Speaking of Dara, this time around we get Dara's perspective in alternating chapters with Noam. I love Dara as a narrator, he feels very different from Noam and helps to shake up the sense that Noam is right all the time, since he demonstrably is not but is so resolute that it can be easily to feel like he must be right since he's narrating. The dynamic between Noam and Dara is layered and complex, as Noam is torn between maintaining a pretense of loyalty to his abuser (who is not Dara, to be clear), and the unavoidable notion that he is helping his abuser exert power on others even as he is making moves to get out. It makes explicit the abuse first implied and partially shown in THE FEVER KING, and, just as importantly, discusses how the abuse is not his fault, it's neither his nor Dara's fault.
I found this to be empowering and cathartic without trying to be happy, which was welcome because it left space for things to be bad and then also hope that they could get better, but not pretending that everything is magically fixed when the abuse stops. Dara offers a vision of what Noam could look like with a little time free but still not all the way better yet, while Dara sees some of his past self in Noam and keeps trying to get him out. It's not sugar-coated or joyous, and they'll have a long road ahead when the book is done, but it feels like they have a chance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Genocide
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
CW for ableist language, alcoholism, eating disorders, intergenerational trauma, genocide, emetophobia, alcohol abuse, drug/substance abuse, domestic violence, violence, slut-shaming, victim-blaming, sexual assault, attempted rape, child abuse, abuse, suicide (not depicted), parental death (backstory), death (not depicted).azrah786's review
4.25
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that since this is a sequel there are spoilers for the previous book.
Recommencing 6 months after the final events of The Fever King, The Electric Heir kicks off with Noam and Lehrer laying siege to a lab that has been developing a vaccine to the Magic virus. After their successful coup, Lehrer has become Chancellor of Carolinia and under his rule the Atlantian refugees now have the citizenship that Noam was so desperately fighting for.
The loss of Dara has left Noam in an ever present state of grief yet, it has also landed him in a much closer and more… twisted relationship with Lehrer. Together they have been working to jeopardise the State of Texas – the state with the biggest opposition to Witchings - in their efforts of developing and weaponising the cure to Magic. However, Noam has slowly broken free of Lehrer’s mind control, and all that he was forced to forget by and about Lehrer has resurfaced. So doing everything he can not to be found out, Noam ever the hero decides to use his position as a means to destroy Lehrer.
Meanwhile Dara is very much not dead. Cured from his Fevermadness and as a result no longer a Witching, Dara returns to Durham as part of a rebel group called The Black Magnolia also determined to bring down Lehrer for good. And with Dara back in the picture Noam is further determined to keep up his role as double agent, never mind the danger it puts him in.
The Electric Heir is as high stakes and captivating as its predecessor however, the overall action is dialled down and the story focuses much more on the characters and their self-reflections. The underlying theme for both books is one of survival. Where the first book essentially looks at this theme in a broader and societal sense, the sequel addresses it on a much more personal level.
If the content warnings haven’t cautioned you already this book is hard-hitting and it is dark, and I wholeheartedly applaud Lee for writing it. For not shying away from writing with such brutal honesty about uncomfortable topics that are still too often blindsided. From sharing a narrative that challenges the harmful assumptions that surround said topics. There were instances when I had to put the books down to take a breather and it’s safe to say my emotions were all over the place.
The characters are again very much the heart and soul of this story and their individual arcs make me feel as though I have known them for so much longer than a mere duology. All credit of course going to how skilfully Lee has voiced each of them.
Noam’s teenage naivety is still there but an evident layer of matureness has been added to his character too. It physically hurt to witness the situations he was undergoing and all his accompanying emotions and actions. His adamant tendency to throw himself into any situation with no self-preservation frustrated me just as much as it did Dara – I wanted to jump into the book myself and save him.
One of my favourite parts in particular was the fact that we got a dual perspective and were finally able to see the world through Dara’s eyes. His perspective was very much a journey of recovery both from his past and trauma, as well as the loss of his telepathic powers which were such an integral part of his life.
The parallels between the two protagonists was really interesting to see, though what was equally heart-breaking was Dara being torn apart on observing his past being reflected through Noam. Their relationship was much more complicated and angst ridden than before, riddled with anguish, longing, guilt and Lehrer.
Speaking of which, let us take a second to appreciate the villain in the room, and when I say appreciate I mean just how well written of a character he is. You know they’re a good villain when you love to hate them and my abhorrence for Lehrer grew with EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE. His masked nature that both intrigued and unnerved me in The Fever King was slowly etched away to give a very realistic portrayal of how people with power can so very easily get away with abusing it.
It was great to be exposed to more of Lee’s dystopian world as well as to see the secondary characters – in particular Ames, Bethany and Taye - having a much bigger involvement overall too. I outlined my fascination with the magic system of this series in my review for book one and I really appreciated that we were able to learn a little more about it.
The political side of the storyline was something I have also thoroughly enjoyed throughout this series. Though it was not as forefront as in The Fever King, it was all well integrated with the ploy to defeat Lehrer. I did feel that there were some elements of the plot that felt repetitive as at a point we were basically following Noam going forwards and backwards from one place to another however, there was a constant tension of not knowing who to trust that keep me on edge. Of not knowing if and where Lehrer’s influence was lurking. Honestly the storytelling is phenomenal and I look forward to reading Lee’s future works.
All in all I feel like my words can’t do justice to how powerful and important this duology is. So just like I have been doing over the last year I’m going to continue to recommend it whenever and to whoever I can. If you’ve made it this far and have yet to pick up this series, please do!
Final Rating - 4.25/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that since this is a sequel there are spoilers for the previous book.
Recommencing 6 months after the final events of The Fever King, The Electric Heir kicks off with Noam and Lehrer laying siege to a lab that has been developing a vaccine to the Magic virus. After their successful coup, Lehrer has become Chancellor of Carolinia and under his rule the Atlantian refugees now have the citizenship that Noam was so desperately fighting for.
The loss of Dara has left Noam in an ever present state of grief yet, it has also landed him in a much closer and more… twisted relationship with Lehrer. Together they have been working to jeopardise the State of Texas – the state with the biggest opposition to Witchings - in their efforts of developing and weaponising the cure to Magic. However, Noam has slowly broken free of Lehrer’s mind control, and all that he was forced to forget by and about Lehrer has resurfaced. So doing everything he can not to be found out, Noam ever the hero decides to use his position as a means to destroy Lehrer.
Meanwhile Dara is very much not dead. Cured from his Fevermadness and as a result no longer a Witching, Dara returns to Durham as part of a rebel group called The Black Magnolia also determined to bring down Lehrer for good. And with Dara back in the picture Noam is further determined to keep up his role as double agent, never mind the danger it puts him in.
The Electric Heir is as high stakes and captivating as its predecessor however, the overall action is dialled down and the story focuses much more on the characters and their self-reflections. The underlying theme for both books is one of survival. Where the first book essentially looks at this theme in a broader and societal sense, the sequel addresses it on a much more personal level.
If the content warnings haven’t cautioned you already this book is hard-hitting and it is dark, and I wholeheartedly applaud Lee for writing it. For not shying away from writing with such brutal honesty about uncomfortable topics that are still too often blindsided. From sharing a narrative that challenges the harmful assumptions that surround said topics. There were instances when I had to put the books down to take a breather and it’s safe to say my emotions were all over the place.
The characters are again very much the heart and soul of this story and their individual arcs make me feel as though I have known them for so much longer than a mere duology. All credit of course going to how skilfully Lee has voiced each of them.
Noam’s teenage naivety is still there but an evident layer of matureness has been added to his character too. It physically hurt to witness the situations he was undergoing and all his accompanying emotions and actions. His adamant tendency to throw himself into any situation with no self-preservation frustrated me just as much as it did Dara – I wanted to jump into the book myself and save him.
One of my favourite parts in particular was the fact that we got a dual perspective and were finally able to see the world through Dara’s eyes. His perspective was very much a journey of recovery both from his past and trauma, as well as the loss of his telepathic powers which were such an integral part of his life.
The parallels between the two protagonists was really interesting to see, though what was equally heart-breaking was Dara being torn apart on observing his past being reflected through Noam. Their relationship was much more complicated and angst ridden than before, riddled with anguish, longing, guilt and Lehrer.
Speaking of which, let us take a second to appreciate the villain in the room, and when I say appreciate I mean just how well written of a character he is. You know they’re a good villain when you love to hate them and my abhorrence for Lehrer grew with EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE. His masked nature that both intrigued and unnerved me in The Fever King was slowly etched away to give a very realistic portrayal of how people with power can so very easily get away with abusing it.
It was great to be exposed to more of Lee’s dystopian world as well as to see the secondary characters – in particular Ames, Bethany and Taye - having a much bigger involvement overall too. I outlined my fascination with the magic system of this series in my review for book one and I really appreciated that we were able to learn a little more about it.
The political side of the storyline was something I have also thoroughly enjoyed throughout this series. Though it was not as forefront as in The Fever King, it was all well integrated with the ploy to defeat Lehrer. I did feel that there were some elements of the plot that felt repetitive as at a point we were basically following Noam going forwards and backwards from one place to another however, there was a constant tension of not knowing who to trust that keep me on edge. Of not knowing if and where Lehrer’s influence was lurking. Honestly the storytelling is phenomenal and I look forward to reading Lee’s future works.
All in all I feel like my words can’t do justice to how powerful and important this duology is. So just like I have been doing over the last year I’m going to continue to recommend it whenever and to whoever I can. If you’ve made it this far and have yet to pick up this series, please do!
Final Rating - 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
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