The Fever King
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.
Genre: YA Fantasy / LGBT
Author: Victoria Lee
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published: March 1st, 2019
Publishing House: Skyscape
My Review
The Fever King is a diverse and gripping sci-fi thriller of suspense. The fast-paced political intrigue between the two major factions in a post US apocalyptic world and the main protagonist tangled up in it all had me glued to the pages.
The former US has been befallen with a virus that destroyed most of the population and left two major metropoles. Atlantia in the southeast, a nuclear wasteland comprised of refugee camps, a place where all the sick people were dumped into; and Carolinia, the elite and knifing power of the rich, healthy and wealthy.
Noam’s mother was the first in the family to die of the virus. Now, working hard to support his sickly father, Noam works double shifts, cooks and cleans in the shackle among shackles that comprise his neighborhood. Noam’s father used to be an activist for human rights and helped as many people as he possibly could. No one knows how the outbreaks started exactly. It could have been a tank coming from the quarantined zone that wasn’t hosed down properly or residing dormant in the blood of their hosts for a while.
REFUGE RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS (Revolt of June 2018)
Noam begins a fever and wakes up in the hospital. His body fought the virus and conquered it. This makes him a witching and the ability to control technology. There are only a few of those, it is rather rare and special and he becomes of interest to the minister of defense, Mr. Lehrer (ironically that means teacher in German). Noam will house with other students in a facility where he will be taught to handle his powers in a secret plot against the government. This is where he meets the elusive Dara who is way ahead of his game in his abilities.
Torn between the factions of good and evil, and missing his dad, Noam still wants to secretly help the cause in aid of refugees. Shifting political powers and agenda’s make it difficult for him to know who is truly working for whom. A collision in action with Dara spikes a different kind of connection to his classmate. One, that opens up personal wounds among a backstabbing revolt that needs sorting out. How will Noam fare and whom can he trust? Will he be able to make his contributions to society or will he just be used as a pawn in the dangerous game between the factions? As high ranking officials die in questionable circumstances, Noam will make the most daring and costly move of his life at the brink of termination.
***
This YA novel feels so timely and checks off all the boxes of a great read. The premise, background, and plot were intriguingly crafted and provided a rush that had me read this novel in one day. It differs from other YA novels I have read, as it tackles current political and historical parallels with the added bonus of diverse characters.
I really liked this book and am so glad I picked it up. The first 2/3 rds. of it were a straight 5-star read but then it tethered a bit for me. Now, a disclaimer on my part, I do not read romance novels of any kind, and this one contained romance and the angst of love both physically and heartfelt between two characters. I was more interested in the overall plot. Again, just me. I know many that will enjoy those components.
The Fever King is part of the Feverwake series. Not sure if it will be a duology, trilogy or more. I could not exactly find that out, but the author’s blog has a lovely post about the inspiration for this novel referring to the Holocaust.
Again, a very timely fictional YA book. I think anyone looking for the “and then some” will find it in The Fever King.
