*** Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a free, honest review. All opinions are my own. ***
“…there was something about these walls that he didn’t like-walls that closed in on him, that had teeth.”
The Fever King Review
By: Rae
To start, I will reference the quote above, specifically – “that had teeth” – because I felt this entire book had teeth and was just waiting to devour any shred of acceptance and understanding I had from start to finish. And let me tell you…the ending still bites (pun intended) at me. What was real? Honestly, I have no idea.
From the beginning, Noam was connectable. As a teenager struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world thanks to magical outbreaks and a fallen United States of America, he stuck to his beliefs regardless of the consequences. Did I doubt his mentality at points? Yes. Did I think he was too naïve during bigger moments of information reveal? Yes, of course. Did I continue to root for him? Obviously. Throughout I did some complaining because of his decisions, the roundabout of his thoughts and yet that was the beauty of him – he was real, he made mistakes, he cried, he got angry. He followed his heart – I hope. The fact that his magic ties with technology, leaving him surviving a magic outbreak with the ability of technopathy is an added bonus that seems almost too convenient at times yet fitting too as he struggles to deal with the murkiness of the game he decided to play.
Then there was Dara. I can’t say too much about this character purely because the entire review would become about him. Needless to clarify – though I will – I adored Dara. He is complex, intriguing, and 99.9% of the time maddening in his actions and communications. I was getting gray hairs even as I swooned. When some bigger character reveals for him happened, I was broken and hadn’t seen those reveals coming.
As for Dara and Noam together… well, you’ll have to find out on your own.
Backtracking to the plot and storyline itself. Admittedly I found it tedious and slow – for about 85% of the book. Then BAM everything’s happening and leaving me with the feeling of being punched in the gut. I got boggled down with the politics and political backstory of the creation of Carolinia which goes hand in hand with Noam and his story. Minor characters provided humor or relief from the politics but it all played back to the political endgame.
Two quick comments: First, Lehrer was overall a bigger entity and not fully explained. Secondly, the same could be said for the villain of this story, Sacha.
Therefore the end left me doubting everything I learned. I have no idea what was true and what wasn’t and cannot speculate what could or will happen based on the fact I don’t know what is real.
Based on all the factors above, I’m giving The Fever King 3.5/5 stars and will wait anxiously for what happens next.
Raven C. Eckman 