REVIEW||The Feverwake Duology- Victoria Lee // A Must Read Duology for all Sci-fi Fans

THE FEVER KING

Synopsis: In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good. (Goodreads)

Publication Date: March 1st, 2019 (Skyscape) 

Genres: YA, Sci-fi, Fantasy 

Trigger Warnings:

Genocide, Rape, Child Abuse, Mentions of Human experimentation, parental death

 

Ratings: 5/5

The Fever King was a book I was very excited to read and when I got approved for The Electric Heir, I knew it was the right time to read it. I read both the books in a span of 3 days I think and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this duology.

The Story:  The story follows Noam, Dara and Lehrer. Noam is a sole survivor of a viral magic and he wakes up to realize that he has control over technology which makes him a technopath. He is then taken by Minister Lehrer to the elite magical school to educate him and work for the government. Noam is the son of immigrants and hence has always been against the government. He thinks to use this opportunity to get more insider information. But then he meets all the different students and he meets Dara, the son of the Minister and he is instantly intrigued by him. Along with his schooling, he also learns a lot about the world around him and he questions a lot of his beliefs and actions. There is a lot of suspense and twists which keeps you hooked to this story and it is really hard to keep this book down once you start.

The Characters: Noam is the son of immigrants who discovers that he is a technopath. He is then taken to the elite magical school for further education. Noam is a very sweet and understanding guy albeit a little complicated. He has a lot of questions and his ways don’t always make sense but as a reader we know he means well. He is trying hard to stay true to his roots and make a place for himself is this world.

The next character is Dara, who is the son of Minister Lehrer. He is a troubled and brooding soul who does not get along with Noam at first. He always keeps to himself and only trusts a handful of people. At first, he comes across as rude but as the story progresses we get to see and know more about his life and the reasons behind his actions. I absolutely adored him and he was definitely my favourite. His character had so many layers and you always learn something new about him.

The other character was Lehrer, the Minister and the main figurehead of the government. His character was extremely suspicious and his motives and actions will keep you hooked.

The Social Commentary: This is a book based on a post apocalyptic US and the parallel to real world is really beautifully written. The political and historical parallels are really good. It also talks about refugee crisis and the poor responses of the government towards it. It shows both sides of the story and it is realistic too. It was a well-written world with a really interesting magic system.

After reading this, I was super excited to dive into The Electric Heir because the whole book was truly awesome.

THE ELECTRIC HEIR

Synopsis: In the sequel to The Fever King, Noam Álvaro seeks to end tyranny before he becomes a tyrant himself.

Six months after Noam Álvaro helped overthrow the despotic government of Carolinia, the Atlantians have gained citizenship, and Lehrer is chancellor. But despite Lehrer’s image as a progressive humanitarian leader, Noam has finally remembered the truth that Lehrer forced him to forget—that Lehrer is responsible for the deadly magic infection that ravaged Carolinia.

Now that Noam remembers the full extent of Lehrer’s crimes, he’s determined to use his influence with Lehrer to bring him down for good. If Lehrer realizes Noam has evaded his control—and that Noam is plotting against him—Noam’s dead. So he must keep playing the role of Lehrer’s protégé until he can steal enough vaccine to stop the virus.

Meanwhile Dara Shirazi returns to Carolinia, his magic stripped by the same vaccine that saved his life. But Dara’s attempts to ally himself with Noam prove that their methods for defeating Lehrer are violently misaligned. Dara fears Noam has only gotten himself more deeply entangled in Lehrer’s web. Sooner or later, playing double agent might cost Noam his life. (Goodreads)

Publication Date: March 17th, 2020 (Skyscape) 

Genres: YA, Sci-fi, Fantasy 

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 language

 

Ratings: 5/5

I was super pumped to read The Electric Heir and this book lived up everything I expected and so much more.

The Story: The story follows six months after the events of the first book. Noam is now like Lehrer’s protege and he also knows everything Lehrer is trying to hide from him. But there is nothing much he can do so he is trying his best to find ways to overcome that. The story is this book is completely full of suspense of what will happen next. There are twists and turns and uncertainties which makes it a nail-biting experience. The ending was like literally sitting on the edge of the seat and I am so in love with it! I would have liked the ending to be a little longer because it felt a little rushed but honestly the high of finishing the book was so good that it did not make much of a difference to me.

The Characters: I loved Dara even more in this book if that was possible. He was healing and trying to make things right and his journey was heartbreaking but also so emotional and beautiful. I feel so proud of how far he has come and it was the best arc.

Noam’s journey was..complicated. He was definitely trying to do good but at the same time a lot of his actions and decisions were questionable. Overall, his character arc was good and despite everything you are always rooting for him. The other characters from the first book also play an important role in this and there are a few new characters as well.

The social commentary is good in this one and it gets a lot more dark with some of its themes than even The Fever King. It touches upon war and war brutality and also the impact of trauma and hoe different people deal with it differently. It was harsh but also well-written. It is highly suggested to read the trigger warnings once.

Overall, this book and this series were awesome. It is dark, suspenseful, mysterious, interesting with morally grey characters and it is a duology which must be on all your TBR because this is not a book you want to miss out on. This series is about people fighting back against the system and the corruption which exists in the society. The other good thing about this series is a charismatic and super smart villain who is also one of the best villains I have ever read about. So this series is highly recommended for all sci-fi fans.

I thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own. 

Have you read this series? Did you like it?

Who is your favourite character?

Are you planning on reading this duology?