really loved this one. I feel like it was a great sequel to book one, and answered questions that I feel like book one left off a little rocky. the way Lee writes this world is enthralling, I can’t get enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy.

I read the first book in this series last year and it just an okay read for me. With the second book, I could not get into it and decided to put it down.

Friends, Victoria Lee has done it again! This book is nothing short of incredible; it took me 6 weeks to process and write this review and to be honest there is no way that I will find the words to give this book justice. If you're sick of my incessant screaming about The Fever King... sorry (not sorry), but I won't ever shut up.

"Maybe both governments did terrible things. Secret things. And the majority of the population continued on with their lives blissfully unaware, convinced of their own government's benevolence in contrast to the evil of everyone else."

The Electric Heir picks up six months after the events of The Fever King I re-read The Fever King before diving in to refresh my goldfish brain, but there was no need! Lee masterfully catches the reader up with the events of the prior book and the subsequent 6 months with a brief historical document at the start.

The Feverwake duology is intricately woven and excellently plotted. I never found myself lost or missing necessary information. The historical documents included randomly through the two books provide so much additional context that comes into focus upon a re-read; breadcrumbs of information that leaves the reader questing to fit everything together.

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

The world Lee crafted feels lived in and tangibly real; the world-building is vast and expands in this book as we get a glimpse of how other regions live. But the characters are what will rip your heart into pieces. I was so emotionally invested in the struggles of these characters that I was in a constant state of Anxiety for like the majority of this book. This book has high stakes, so my reading experience was largely screaming in DMs to Holly because I couldn't keep my thoughts in and just needed to talk to someone about it.

I greatly appreciate that The Electric Heir has a dual perspective narrative. If the events of The Fever King left you wanting to act as bodyguard to Noam and Dara, you'd better prepare now. Both Noam and Dara are struggling to overcome their trauma and heal - and they have very different ideas of how to accomplish their goals. Despite the dark themes, this is not a bleak story. Hope is threaded throughout the narrative and acts as a driver for their actions.

"Maybe it was okay to admit helplessness. Maybe it didn't make them weak. Not at all."

Power is central to this duology and appreciate the exploration of power through the juxtaposition of political power with the ability to acknowledge personal vulnerability. In The Fever King, Noam and Dara seek to gain power; whereas in The Electric Heir they realize that power was kind of an illusion. Leher wields all of the power: both politically and personally. The patterns of abuse are explored as Noam and Dara come to terms with and learn not to blame themselves for their abuse.

"The only thing worse than the wrong choice was complacency."

One of my favorite aspects of The Fever King is how it explores activism. Power corrupts, and The Electric Heir really delves into that nuance. Idealism gives way to a pragmatic utilitarianism as the realities of revolution and rule set in. Is it possible to maintain values in a world of compromise? And where does one draw the line for what values you will budge on? "Noam Álvaro seeks to end tyranny before he becomes a tyrant himself."

"Anger was better than fear. It made people just as predictable, without making them liable to run."

I swear, I didn't know who to trust the entire time and my anxiety was running wild while reading this book! I had to put the book down multiple times to take a break, and thank goodness for Holly letting me screech to her in DMs because I had some feelings. I cried some big ugly tears while reading this one and honestly it's hard to say goodbye to characters I've come to love so deeply.

Overall, Feverwake is a powerful and painful duology of processing both personal and intergenerational trauma, one which will stay with me for a long time. I'll admit that reading books about a fictional plague during an actual worldwide pandemic is a little close to home, but it is such a beautiful story of healing and hope that I honestly cannot recommend enough.

Representation: bisexual main character, m/m relationship, racially diverse
Content warnings: (full list on author's website) abuse, ableist language, attempted rape, drug and alcohol abuse, genocide, intergenerational trauma, mental health and suicide, slut-shaming, violence

eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect the contents of my review. Quotations are from an uncorrected proof and may be changed upon final publication. I have since purchased a finished copy.

I think that this is probably an important book for a lot of people. Like The Fever King, it has metric tons of representation. There’s LGBTQ rep. There’s Jewish rep. There’s Latinx rep. There’s rep for alcoholism and PTSD. But it wasn’t enough. And it was too much. All at the same time.

The thing is, I’ve read a few times in other reviews that this is a love letter to survivors. I don’t really agree with the use of the term ‘love letter’. It feels more like being stabbed repeatedly in the heart, desperately gasping for air as you drown in your own blood. I found both books incredibly difficult to read from an emotional standpoint, and I just couldn’t take any more. I felt physically ill because of the abuse. And every interaction between Noam and Dara was just angst and brokenness and anger. I couldn’t see a romance, because I was too overwhelmed by all the other stuff was going on.

I want Lehrer to be defeated, but I don’t have it in me to reach that point, even if it’s coming.

The pacing seemed to be a lot faster, which was an improvement. I also liked having the dual narrative from both Noam and Dara’s perspectives. The writing was excellent, and I really felt like both MCs had distinctive voices. And on that note I’m going to end this review here.

I really enjoyed the first book, this follow-up was descent as well! The writing was good, but I got lost at some parts and had to re-read things to make sure I fully grasped them. I will continue giving this author a try—hasn’t reached auto-buy quality yet.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyscape for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was really excited to read this as I really enjoyed The Fever King last year and I'm sad to say I was disappointed with this. I think I have an unpopular opinion.It took me a long time to sit down and write this review as I don't like writing negative reviews. 

I also want to point out that there are a lot of content warnings for this and you can find the full list here.

I liked the dual POV's in this as we got to see what both Noam and Dara were feeling as well as finally being in Dara's head. I liked the writing style as well. I think the talk of grief and trauma were done well. I really love these characters but not the direction this story went in and some of the choices they've made.

I really liked that the world was explored a lot more and we got little bits of history in between the dual POVs in terms of interviews and news clippings. We got to learn more about the quarantine zone as well as Texas. 

It took me a long time to get into this book as well complete this.This is partially my fault as I didn't remember bits of the first book but once I started,it did come back to me. I felt that it was too long and I felt it didn't focus on what I wanted it to. It could have easily been 100 or so pages less and I would have enjoyed it a lot more. It just dragged on for me which made me not want to read it. The pacing was off in some places as some parts felt too long and other parts too short. I also wanted more action in this and there wasn't much.

I didn't like reading about Noam and Leher together but I think that it was done very well. It was very hard to read because of the subject matter.There was a lot to explore in that relationship and all the trauma and messiness to do with it. I just didn't want to read those parts and wanted to put the book down.I think that might have been the point but still.I wanted their to be more interaction between Noam and Dara and there really wasn't much until the end.

I didn't like the ending we had. It felt too rushed and the lead up to it took a long time. I would have liked the lead up to it less and the actual ending to be a bit longer. I also felt that the ending didn't resolve anything and could be undone very easily. If you've read the book,you'd get what I mean.

All in all,it was very difficult for me to finish this book and I would have probably DNF'd it but I don't like to do that as well as this was an eARC so I felt compelled to finish it. I feel if I reread the whole duology back to back,I might enjoy this more. I will still be reading more books by this author.

2/5

4.5 Stars

'The Electric Heir' is the second and final book in an amazing YA fantasy duology that fans of the first book are definitely going to want to get their hands on ASAP. If you haven't read the first book yet, I highly recommend doing so before reading this one. There's a lot of background info on the characters, the history, and everything else leading up to the events that happen in this book. You'll be pretty lost and not nearly as invested if you don't read the books in order. The second thing I want to mention is the obvious trigger/content warnings. The author has been very open about some of the tough topics that happen in the series and I love that readers are given a huge heads up about everything they're going to encounter so they can decide for themselves if they still want to read the books and also to prepare them for what they'll be reading about. A lot of books touch on some of these topics but don't really mention it in the description, so the reader is caught off guard when they stumble upon them. I'm obviously uncomfortable reading about these topics, but the fact that I was well prepared and knowledgeable about what was coming made it much easier to digest.

This story picks up a few months after the first book ends, so it feels like you never left once you start reading. I was sucked back into this crazy world right away and it felt like no time had passed since I'd been there. The characters continued to be incredibly realistic and easy to connect with. I loved getting to know them all better, especially Dara and Noam - the main characters. Their strengths and weaknesses are out there for everyone to see which made them so easy for me to empathize with. I grew to really love these characters over the course of the duology and found myself very invested in both of them and their lives. They change a lot over the course of the book and the series, and I loved watching it happen. There are definitely a lot of diverse characters throughout the book (and series) which I thought was awesome. The author didn't overshadow the plot of the book or the characters themselves with their diversity, like I've seen with other stories. They are all well rounded and complex, and that includes their strengths, flaws, diversities, and everything in between.

The plot was fantastic and didn't disappoint in the least. A lot of times the second and/or final book in a series doesn't live up to what the first book delivered and that sucks. Happily, that wasn't the case here. The story line is layered and deep with a quick pace that kept me on my feet and reading as fast as I could to see what would happen next. There were a few twists and turns that blew my mind a bit and definitely threw me for a loop. I can't go into much more detail because I don't do spoilers, but I felt like this was a fantastic ending to a powerful, multi-layered fantasy duology. I highly recommend it to fans of YA fantasy, readers who enjoy LGBT and other diverse characters, and don't mind some heavy and disturbing topics amid a vivid landscape and story line.

This book may not be for everyone and is a slight departure from the initial book in the series, but it is both highly enjoyable and effective. The story told here is one not often seen with the a contemporary fantasy backdrop. There is no doubt that this book is about survivors of abuse; even the author has said as much. And those wishing for a simple, easy, continuation upon the story from the first book may be disappointed. However, if you are a reader who throughly enjoyed the world, magic system, and carefully crafted characters of the first book, then you'll definitely enjoy this one. It may seem a little slow in some areas and the ending may not wrap absolutely everything up with a tight bow but all the scenes matter in telling the story of two young men trying to escape the clutches of their terrible abuser; whether they're currently ensnared by him or trying to cope with life after him.

A perfect sequel to an excellent start of a duology, The Fever King. With Dara & Noam's point of views, this science-fiction & fantasy blend gives you more than you can ever wish for. Picking up from the separation these two had to endure since the last book, The Electric Heir delivers precisely on the rebellion themes, righteous squad, and the need to set things right to make the world a better place. Though, this sequel doesn't just ponder over the political consequences and bring societal themes like discrimination to the table; it also dives into emotionally demanding but worth rendering themes like pedophilia, abuse, trauma, and suicide. An impressive conclusion that leaves you wanting more yet satisfied.

The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee is book two in the Feverwake duology, the first of which being The Fever King (released in 2019) I was a huge fan of the first book, and the sequel was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I was overjoyed to be able to obtain a copy of the ARC!

What initially drew me into this story was the characters. I’m much more of a character-driven story type of person -- I can get behind just about any sort of plotline as long as I can connect with or attach myself to one or more of the characters. I was immediately drawn towards the characters of Noam and Dara. Noam was the central focus character in The Fever King, but we get more of Dara’s perspective in The Electric Heir. Both boys are very flawed and dealing with their own forms of trauma, but it’s their resilience and deep love for each other that makes them such strong and compelling protagonists. There was nothing more that I wanted than for them to both reach a happy ending where they can be together (and Dara can have a pet goat).

The books take place in a dystopian-esque America in which a virus spreads that kills nearly everyone that catches it, except for a select amount of people who obtain magical powers instead. Noam was one such survivor, having obtained technopathy (the ability to control technology). He is offered by Carolinia’s minister of defense, Calix Lehrer, to be taught how to control his powers in order to help him reclaim power over the Carolinian government. Noam is willing to help him because he is resentful of the Carolinian government, who frequently deports the Atlantian immigrants attempting to flee from magical virus outbreaks (as he himself came from a family of Atlantian immigrants).

But Lehrer isn’t exactly as he seems…

The Electric Heir, even more so than The Fever King, deals heavily with abuse and what it means to be a survivor of abuse. Both Dara growing up as Lehrer’s adopted child, and then Noam as a teenager being groomed by Lehrer, are forced to deal with their own individual traumas in this book in very different ways. The process of dealing with trauma is always messy and confusing, and it’s reflected in this book in a realistic and respectful manner (though could still be triggering for some readers, so tread carefully before picking it up!)

One of the highlights of The Electric Heir is the dialogue -- some of the best scenes are the ones in which two or more of the characters are just sitting down and talking. These scenes are always very impactful, even when they’re just chatting about small, mundane things, as it all helps to develop their characters and their individual relationships. And if you’ve also read this book, or at least have read The Fever King, you will understand why any scene in which Noam and Dara are in a room together is equal parts wonderful and heart wrenching to read. (I just love these boys so much and want them to be happy gosh darn it!!)

This is a dark and sometimes difficult read, but also achingly beautiful and unabashedly queer and thus something I highly, highly recommend to anyone comfortable reading something dealing with darker subject matter.

Please note: this book contains trigger warnings. Make sure to read them before diving into this masterpiece!

When I first read ‘The Fever King’ last year I knew that this duology is going to carve out a space in my heart and live there forever. The reading experience is unlike anything else I’ve experienced. When reading these books, all you can think about are the characters and their stories and how they weave in and out of each other. I thought about Noam, Dara, Ames and Lehrer floating in a constellation together in my brain. I dreamt about them and they just would not leave my thoughts. I was warring with myself in my brain, thinking through Noam’s thoughts, feeling Dara’s feelings, seeing Ames’ anger and grappling with the character that is Lehrer.

Lee’s world is intricate and alive with possibility and already fleshed out in the first book. In ‘The Electric Heir’ she builds on top of that foundation and creates layers to the world by introducing other nations and, of course, new political and emotional challenges for Noam to come to terms with.

At the centre of the book is something darker: the nature of Noam’s relationship with Lehrer and how it is perceived by each of the characters in turn. Age, consent, manipulation and abuse are topics so excellently portrayed in this book.

This book is for the survivors, for the ones who were in the dark and have finally been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The character development is fantastic and I am so glad I took the time to read this series because it’s eye-opening and will stay with me for years and years to come.

Read the full review at mousethatreads.com.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and Skyscape for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Lee wasn’t joking when she said that this book was going to be darker than the first. Legit, she wrote that on her review on Goodreads here. A common theme in this novel surrounds abuse, its effects on its victims, manipulation from the abusers. It can get pretty dark and triggering, so please be aware of that before getting into this novel, even if you read The Fever King and didn’t feel that same vibe.

So while speaking on that, I was super hurt while reading this novel, and honestly I really had to compartmentalize certain things while reading this so that it didn’t have a super negative reaction on me. I knew a little bit of what I was looking forward to, but I don’t think I was expecting to feel that emotional while reading this one. Even though it’s a fantasy and usually I can feel less of a connection to fantasy worlds, it still hurts.

I also like that Lee made this into a duology – apparently duologies are becoming way more popular lately when trilogies or sagas were the thing back then – and that we get a complete story after this is all said and done. I feel like there could be other stories involved in this world, and that would be cool to see and experience, but I like that she didn’t drag on the story just have a longer series, I guess. Either way though, I think that Lee is a great writer and I look forward to reading more of her books.

It was a standard fantasy/sci-fi. I liked it, but not great. It does have LGBT representation if that appeals to you. I have nothing bad to say about it, it was an enjoyable read. I would rate it 3.5 stars.

4⭐️ not much to share since this is the sequel to The Fever King (and I don’t want to spoil the first book), but a great conclusion! Content Warning for sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, violence against a minor, victim-blaming. But this is all handled really well and the story focuses on conversations of how harmful all of these things are.

Review for The Fever King:
4⭐️ Even though I spent the majority of my time reading this book, suuuuper frustrated with the main characters … I couldn’t help rooting for their success! I loved this really unique-feeling concept of magic being a contagious virus that either kills you or leaves you with powers you didn’t have before. At its simplest form, this is a story about corruption and privilege and doing what is right, even when it is difficult (maybe especially when it is difficult). A really great fantasy-based dystopian that had my nostalgic for old dystopian favourites, while still being completely its own thing.

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 The Fever King 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.

DNF @ 10%.

So I’m gonna be honest, I was VERY disappointed by the first book, but was willing to give this one a chance after being approved for the e-arc. I just couldn’t get into this, unfortunately. I didn’t care about the story at all, so I had to DNF 😕

The Electric Heir is the sequel to the The Fever King, and we follow Noam who believes Dara dead is Lehrer new protegee. He is trying to find a way to stop the magical disease from spreading. Dara is however alive, and is coming back to kill Lehrer once and for all.

There was a lot of shocking turns in this book and it really starts with a bang. It has a lot of darker themes in this and if you intend to read it I recommend looking up content warnings on the author’s website. I liked this much better than the sequel, I was used to the world and I really enjoy the characters. However I found myself questioning characters choices and the plot. There are parts of the plot were I really questioned why it was even in there, because it didn’t really affect anything else happening in the book. And then we have the end… it was very quick and very unsatisfying! I was very disappointed haha. But! I still love the characters and the magic is awesome. Overall a fun, diverse and intense dystopia duology! 3.5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this second installment! The first book was decent, nothing I was too excited about, but towards the end - maybe the last 30% - I actually got a lot more invested in the storyline. I liked Dara a lot more this time; without his powers, he had no choice but to be humble and dependant on others. Noam grew into a powerhouse, one who rivaled Lehrer, and it was definitely hard to stomach the relationship Lehrer had with both boys.

Overall, I would give this series a full 4 stars. The first book was okay, confusing at times and often frustrating because of Dara's insufferable attitude, but this second installment was so well-written and fleshed out, the relationships so heartbreaking and moving, that it helped redeemed the series.

This is only a dualogy (as far as I understand it), and I thought the ending was perfect - a little bittersweet but mostly happy and optimistic. I'll be sure to look for more of Victoria Lee's novels in the future!

This series is amazing. I was so lucky to reciever this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


This book takes place after Noam helpes overthrow the government in Carolinia and Lehrer is chancellor. Noam soon remembers that Lehrer is responsible for the deadly magic infection that killed innocents all over Carolinia after being forced to forget. Soon after he starts playing the double agent to bring Lehrer down with help of Dara who is still alive but no longer has any powers.

This whole book was so great to read especially with the relationships between Noam and dara and dara and Lehrer. It was fast paced and the character development that Victoria Lee is able to bring about is truly remarkable. The themes in this truly speak to what it meant to be a survivor and move past the fear and manipulation that a victim has when they speak up against their attacker. Victoria Lee also speaks to the LGBTQ community with all the different relationships that are portrayed in this series.

The Electric Heir is Victoria Lee's second book in the Feverwake series. Though I really wasn't the biggest fan of her first book in the series called The Fever King and it received a 3 star rating from me; this one was so much better! This book was dark but in a way very uplifting because we see the longevity of survival. A lot of content warnings if you are sensitive to depictions of domestic violence, child abuse, drug abuse, suicide, and many more. I can not express how many emotions this book brought forward and the experience of reading this book will linger after.