Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Fever King by Victoria Lee

8 reviews

literallygriffin's review

emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

so much fucking happened in this book but i liked it. im saving any analysis for after i finish electric heir (even then analysis goes on my tumblr typically lol) but i think the commentary on socialism is interesting, or at least it could be depending on how its further elaborated upon --

the idea to take noam from a disgruntled/dissatisfies anarchist to an unhinged accelerationist doomer due to the manipulations of a power-hungry fascist, for instance, is a very interesting and resonant arc that im curious to see how it gets developed further in teh.

the characters are incredible and unique and so so fucked up. the plot is very compact, especially considering its like, what, 500 pages? or at least my ebook copy was lol, but anyways thats a pro for me because it shows that the author had a point and knew how to get there!
the main flaw isnt so much of a flaw as it is a personal preference. i hated the ya dystopia novel prose so much. which, obviously yes its ya dystopia the prose is gonna be befitting of the genre. that ones on me ! but you could see various glimpses of the authors ability to write genuinely good, sensorially & thematically resonant, creative prose shine through at moments before being swiftly crushed by genre and publishing expectations

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Deportation, Alcohol, Racism, Terminal illness, Classism, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Xenophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Sexual content, Rape, Police brutality, and Physical abuse

Minor: Eating disorder and Domestic abuse

theminnesotawitch's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The most phenomenal book I have ever read. A heartbreaking story filled with betrayal, connection, loss, and a wonderful world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Murder, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Deportation

yedikedi2k03's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Child abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Confinement, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Vomit, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Genocide, Xenophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Medical content, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Deportation, and Eating disorder

owenblacker's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 The Fever King is a YA dystopian postapocalyptic m/m romance, also about race & immigration. I’ll quote the blurb directly:

In the former United States, 16-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 founding revolutionary leader of the state] 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.

I quite enjoyed the book — the storyline was interesting enough and the characters are engaging and faceted without being too irritating, which I can sometimes find a problem with YA if I’m not in quite the right mood. But it definitely suffered from me reading it immediately after Mira Grant and I had forgotten quite how much I love her work.

CN list from the author: violence, intergenerational trauma and genocide, immigration, abuse, parental death, death of a child, mental health and suicide, slut-shaming, ableist language, drug and alcohol abuse, emetophobia. More details on her website. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia

CN list from the author: violence, intergenerational trauma and genocide, immigration, abuse, parental death, death of a child, mental health and suicide, slut-shaming, ableist language, drug and alcohol abuse, emetophobia. More details on her website: https://victorialeewrites.com/the-fever-king-content-warnings/

diifacto's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Grief, Pedophilia, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content

dani_c's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

The Fever King was chosen for my book club and is not something I would usually read, especially during a pandemic. That said, I was pleasantly surprised. While Fever King absolutely has its dark, morally grey moments (and a LOT of them), and was realistic in the ways people treat each other, it was unrealistic enough about the pandemic itself that I was able to appreciate it. The magic in this world isn't as developed as I would prefer, but perhaps how magic works is better explained in the sequel. 
Character wise, I struggled with Noam. There were many times where his angst absolutely read like a YA novel, even though there's plenty going on in the story itself that begs the attention of an older audience. That said, the confusion and uncertainty his character goes through was very realistic and imaginable if a kid similar to him found themselves in the positions he's put in throughout the novel. I just wanted MORE from him. 
I won't be reading the sequel, but for a YA fantasy dystopian novel I was pleasantly surprised that I finished the book and didn't hate it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Genocide, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder

Minor: Antisemitism, Confinement, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Medical trauma

xoodlebooks's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Kidnapping

Minor: Antisemitism, Torture, Medical trauma, Ableism, Chronic illness, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Racism

oliverthegame's review

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Vomit, Pedophilia, Rape, Grief, and Drug use