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sunshinestark's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Violence, Grief, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
tigger89's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The execution of this book just didn't do it for me. The true meaning behind the fervor infection was clever, but instead of dropping the bomb and moving on with the story, the author lingered on the point, repeating it over and over again. Maybe this was meant to be artistic, but the vibe I came away with was that she didn't trust the reader to get it. That said, I did feel like, at the core, the message behind the plot was not only timely, but actually pretty solid. Each character stood in for a different population, presenting their perspective and demonstrating the good(and harm) possible. I just wish it had been conducted with a lighter touch and less repetition, you know?
I also felt like, while the yokai and jorogumo demon were teased in the description, they weren't the ultimate focus. This was disappointing to me, because I'd been drawn to the book specifically to explore the folklore in a horror setting. Instead, I was bait-and-switched with a completely different sort of horror. It almost seemed like the characters of Meiko and (especially) Aiko were wasted, given their vast potential in the other book that this one was pretending to be, before the white characters came in and made it all about their own feelings. While poignant, somehow I doubt that was the artistic statement the author was going for.
I also felt like, while the yokai and jorogumo demon were teased in the description, they weren't the ultimate focus. This was disappointing to me, because I'd been drawn to the book specifically to explore the folklore in a horror setting. Instead, I was bait-and-switched with a completely different sort of horror. It almost seemed like the characters of Meiko and (especially) Aiko were wasted, given their vast potential in the other book that this one was pretending to be, before the white characters came in and made it all about their own feelings. While poignant, somehow I doubt that was the artistic statement the author was going for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
Spiders.ten_telegrams's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Child death, Death, Grief, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Gaslighting, Hate crime, and Medical content
Moderate: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Toxic relationship
archaicrobin's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
This is my first book by Alma Katsu, and while I felt The Fervor was a bit repetitive and dragged on at times, I still enjoyed what the author was trying to accomplish. Meiko and her daughter Aiko are being held at a Japanese internment camp in Minidoka Idaho while her husband is off fighting the war as a pilot. Things are horrific at the camp but everyone there does their best to be what they call “good Japanese” in hopes of laying low and being spared the cruelty that the racist white peoples are capable of.
Despite being amicable, Meiko and Aiko are soon torn apart as a strange illness rampages through the camp, and it is soon revealed that this outbreak is not an accident. Katsu does an excellent job of tying in history and fantasy, while still managing to comment on the dangers of nationalism and white supremacy. It’s devastating to see what Meiko and Aiko are forced to deal with simply because they are Japanese, and even more devastating to know that this kind of racism is still around. That people today are following disgusting rhetoric like this in todays age. If you don’t understand why terms like “kung fu flu” and other derogatory terms for Covid spread by the disease that is Trump are problematic and disgusting, then pick up this book and you’ll see why.
While I do wish this was more supernatural and had more Yokai or Japanese lore, I do love that Katsu wrote a book that’s not only historical, but interesting, and provides a marginalized perspective.
I look forward to reading more by Alma Katsu in the future
Despite being amicable, Meiko and Aiko are soon torn apart as a strange illness rampages through the camp, and it is soon revealed that this outbreak is not an accident. Katsu does an excellent job of tying in history and fantasy, while still managing to comment on the dangers of nationalism and white supremacy. It’s devastating to see what Meiko and Aiko are forced to deal with simply because they are Japanese, and even more devastating to know that this kind of racism is still around. That people today are following disgusting rhetoric like this in todays age. If you don’t understand why terms like “kung fu flu” and other derogatory terms for Covid spread by the disease that is Trump are problematic and disgusting, then pick up this book and you’ll see why.
While I do wish this was more supernatural and had more Yokai or Japanese lore, I do love that Katsu wrote a book that’s not only historical, but interesting, and provides a marginalized perspective.
I look forward to reading more by Alma Katsu in the future
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, War, Confinement, Gaslighting, Murder, Death, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
thesaltiestlibrarian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Horror. One of the best ways to critique society in fiction.
A good chunk of this book takes place in the horrific Japanese internment camps during WWII, which (thank God) are having a massive resurgence in the public eye as of late. "AsIaN-tArgEtEd HaTe CriMeS aRe NeWw." Yes, hello? It's the 1850s calling. They'd like a word.
Anyway, we're introduced to a cast of characters who seem to be completely disconnected from each other, never having met before. There's Archie, the newly-minted pastor of a small Oregon town's church; Fran, the intrepid Nebraskan reporter fighting misogyny and trying to figure out what kind of explosives are falling out of the sky that also cause people to fall violently ill; Meiko and her daughter Aiko, unfortunate victims of anti-Japanese rhetoric stuck in an Idaho internment camp. Aiko is seeing ghosts everywhere. Archie is suffering a tragic loss. Fran is under scrutiny from a mysterious person.
I don't feel comfortable saying more, because you really need to go into this with as little as possible. The burn is slow, the action is packed, and the characters are just fantastic. This is my first Alma Katsu, even though I have a couple of her other books stashed in my admittedly enormous and unwieldy Kindle library. But I'll be coming for those puppies real soon.
I highly recommend reading this in low light, or with a single lamp on. Lately my reading has been on the infrequent side of things, so when I got to THE FERVOR, it was mostly as night was falling. The darkness intensified the claustrophobia of Katsu's atmosphere, and DAMN can she write atmosphere. Every horror fan should get their hands on this one ASAP.
Horror. One of the best ways to critique society in fiction.
A good chunk of this book takes place in the horrific Japanese internment camps during WWII, which (thank God) are having a massive resurgence in the public eye as of late. "AsIaN-tArgEtEd HaTe CriMeS aRe NeWw." Yes, hello? It's the 1850s calling. They'd like a word.
Anyway, we're introduced to a cast of characters who seem to be completely disconnected from each other, never having met before. There's Archie, the newly-minted pastor of a small Oregon town's church; Fran, the intrepid Nebraskan reporter fighting misogyny and trying to figure out what kind of explosives are falling out of the sky that also cause people to fall violently ill; Meiko and her daughter Aiko, unfortunate victims of anti-Japanese rhetoric stuck in an Idaho internment camp. Aiko is seeing ghosts everywhere. Archie is suffering a tragic loss. Fran is under scrutiny from a mysterious person.
I don't feel comfortable saying more, because you really need to go into this with as little as possible. The burn is slow, the action is packed, and the characters are just fantastic. This is my first Alma Katsu, even though I have a couple of her other books stashed in my admittedly enormous and unwieldy Kindle library. But I'll be coming for those puppies real soon.
I highly recommend reading this in low light, or with a single lamp on. Lately my reading has been on the infrequent side of things, so when I got to THE FERVOR, it was mostly as night was falling. The darkness intensified the claustrophobia of Katsu's atmosphere, and DAMN can she write atmosphere. Every horror fan should get their hands on this one ASAP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Grief, Death, Confinement, Hate crime, and Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
beersbooksandbooos's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Before I write my review I want to thank Putnam books for giving me a finished copy of The Fervor.
It was the cover that first drew me in, then I read the synopsis, and I knew right then I would love the book. Last year I read The Hunger and that is when I fell in love with Alma Katus. She is also the one who got me to read more horrors. Her writing is beautiful, the story telling makes it hard to put down.
With The Fervor you could tell it as a little more personal than her other books and that is what I really liked about it. Growing up I didn’t learn about the internment camps in school, it wasn’t until I graduated and started to really get into history that I learned about them. It felt like it was something America wanted to forget. There is a quote that really made me stop and think, am I doing this?
“Maybe he was afraid of the hateful nature of his fellow whites-well he could afford to pretend it didn’t exist because he was white, too.”
The theme of this book still can be seen today with all the hate going on in America with all the anti-Asian racism.
Alma Katsu has a wonderful way of drawing you in and making you feel like you are watching the story unfold. I started not liking spiders but now I can’t even look at them the same. I would definitely check the CW/TW before you read this book. There is a scene in the book that hit me a little harder than I thought because I am going through it right now. I really do highly recommend this book to anyone who loves horror and history, it was a great blend of both. My heartbroke and healed with the characters, I got attached to them all. I will be reading a lot more from Alma Katsu.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Xenophobia, Medical content, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, Racism, War, Death, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Murder, and Violence
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