**Disclaimer: I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. Please also note, the below post contains spoilers for the first book in this series, The Fever King.**
I’d like to begin by thanking The Fantastic Flying Book Club and Skyskape for choosing me to be a part of this tour. Please check out the other stops along the tour for other reviews, playlists, and other fun posts about this book and the author, Victoria Lee.
Check out the full tour schedule here!
Giveaway
Prize: Win (1) copy of THE ELECTRIC HEIR by Victoria Lee (US Only)
Starts: March 11th 2020
Ends: March 25th 2020
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86472/?
Title The Electric Heir (Feverwake #2)
Author Victoria Lee
Release Date March 17, 2020
Publisher Skyscape
Description from Amazon
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.
Initial Thoughts
Full disclosure, The Fever King, was not my favorite read of 2019. However, there were some really interesting world building concepts that Victoria Lee used and when I saw the chance to read / review the sequel, I was excited to apply.
Some Things I Liked
- Parallels to the real world. Ok, so unless Victoria Lee can see into the future, there’s no way she could have possibly known that COVID-19 was going to basically throw the world into chaos mode in 2020. However, that being said, she describes the events of late 2019 and early 2020 in flashback scenes with eerie familiarity to what we are seeing today in the news. I’ll be honest, I really enjoyed that feature.
- Dual POV. I really like that this book is told from both Dara and Noam’s perspectives. Before I started reading, my first thought was, I hope we get to hear from Dara’s POV, and then, BOOM, there he was. I think the alternating points of view added a richness to the distrust between the characters.
- Moral grey-ness. There is a lot of distrust between the characters as well as manipulation and Stockholm Syndrome felt by several characters. Not every character’s actions are their own nor can they be trusted. I really liked the mystery of unravelling the characters intentions as well as being on the edge of my seat not knowing who was going to betray who.
One Thing to Note
- This book is super dark. There are a lot of scary and disturbing themes in this book and they’re not for everyone. Themes such as addition, rape, overtones of Stockholm Syndrome, detailed battle scenes, and more are seen throughout the story. While I do believe that these events and their descriptions are necessary to the character and plot development of this story, I wanted to note it here for readers who might not find subject matter of that type to their liking.
Series Value
I’m glad this was a duology. I liked the way the series wrapped up. However, I would revisit this world in the form of a prequel or spin-off. I’m picturing something along the lines of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – a villain-centric book.
Final Thoughts
Amid the chaos caused by the recent COVID-19 news, this book felt incredibly close to home. I thought it was dark and scary in all the right ways and it represented so many problems that exist in the world today. I also really enjoyed the morally grey characters as well as the political plots. I can easily see Victoria Lee expanding on this world she created and I’m glad I decided to read this one, despite not loving the first book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Scythe by Neal Shusterman – if you liked the dystopian setting as well as the themes of revolution and immortality / death – try this series by Neal Shusterman.
- The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano – if you liked the blend of sci-fi and fantasy and you enjoy themes of political intrigue, check out this duology by Lauren DeStefano.
- The Beholder by Anna Bright – if you liked the idea of alternate American history, give this book a try. They have totally different stories and themes, but if you liked the history aspect in The Fever King and The Electric Heir, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.
Author Bio
Victoria writes early in the morning, then spends the rest of the day trying to impress her border collie puppy and make her experiments work.
She is represented by Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.
AUTHOR LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17959878.Victoria_Lee
Website: http://www.victorialeewrites.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sosaidvictoria
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sosaidvictoria/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorialeewrites/
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40382231-the-electric-heir
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2R72A9m
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-electric-heir-victoria-lee/1131482511?ean=9781542005074#/
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Electric-Heir-Victoria-Lee/9781542005074?ref=grid-view&qid=1579378412834&sr=1-1
Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Electric_Heir.html?id=yWp2xQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
March 11th
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club – Welcome Post
March 12th
Nay’s Pink Bookshelf – Review + Favourite Quotes
A Dream Within A Dream – Review
Jinxed Reviews – Review + Favourite Quotes
Book-Keeping – Review
A Bookish Dream – Review
March 13th
Utopia State of Mind – Guest Post
Pages and Pugs – Review
Fanna Wants The World To Read – Review
Hollibrary Books – Review + Favourite Quotes
My Bookish Escapades – Promotional Post
March 14th
L.M. Durand – Interview
Inky Moments – Review
The caffeinated reader – Review + Playlist + Favourite Quotes
Evelynreads – Review
To All The Books I’ve Read Before – Promotional Post
March 15th
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Review + Playlist
Bookishaestha – Review + Favourite Quotes + Dream Cast
Enthralled Bookworm – Review + Favourite Quotes
Popthebutterfly Reads – Review
Books Over Everything – Review
March 16th
BookCrushin – Guest Post
Ink & Myths – Review
Here’s to Happy Endings – Review
Playita Reads – Review
Bookriot_awesomeyou – Review
March 17th
Kait Plus Books – Interview
Sohinee Reads and Reviews – Review
Port Jericho – Review
YA on my Mind – Review
Indelible Ink Inscribes – Review
Quintessentially Bookish – Review + Favourite Quotes
One thought on “Blog Tour – The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee”