The Fever King

Feverwake, Book 1

By: Victoria Lee

Narrated by: Michael Crouch

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.

©2019 Victoria Lee (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Lee thoughtfully gives the subject of refugee and immigration policies center stage...the setup of this new world and planned series is genuinely compelling, and it’s filled with striking moments.... Readers will be absorbed as the book melds fantasy and action with psychology and political intrigue."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"This fast-paced, issue-driven thriller will collect readers, who will eagerly anticipate the sequel. With references to the Holocaust as well as present-day issues of immigration, deportation, martial law, and racism, Lee has worked philosophical and current-day realities into a promising series opener."--Booklist

"[A] standout. Diverse characters, frank discussions about sexual and mental abuse, and reasonably plausible science-based magic elevate this above many dystopian peers."--Kirkus Reviews

Amazing

Fantastic story with magic, politics, pain, revenge, and love. Expertly performed by Michael Crouch - a must listen.

This is a must listen!

In 2018, the United States fell apart. In the aftermath, several different countries were formed. One of the main reasons was the emergence of a deadly virus, the survivors of whom end up developing various powers.

Noam Alvaro is the lone survivor in his family when they get the virus. With a powerful presenting power, Noam is quickly catapulted to living among the magical elite of Carolinia. Noam, whose parents were undocumented immigrants from Atlantia, has long been working against the elite of Carolinia because of the country's treatment of immigrants. So when Noam is provided the opportunity to work directly with the Defense Minister who seems to agree with Noam's own views on immigrant rights and the actions Noam wants to take. But then he meets Dara, Minister Lahra's son, and his pathway seems much less clear.

But, when it comes time to carry out the plan, just how far will Noam go for the greater good? And just whom will Noam trust?

The twists and turns in this book are so good, information coming in so fast, that it was hard to determine what end was up. When you take away the magical abilities, the issues over immigration and the treatment of immigrants are very applicable to today. With the political intrigue of a coup serving as the backdrop for the love story, there were so many threads to the story that it was almost difficult to keep up by the time they had all gotten going. That said, the first half of the book was somewhat slow.

Still, the plot was interesting enough that I kept listening, and I'm glad I did. The narrator, Michael Crouch, gave a solid performance - the tension and emotion he gave to Noam's inner thoughts, particularly as he was struggling with his beliefs and his feelings, who he could trust, and what he really thought should be happening, are what carried this book, and Michael Crouch knocked that out of the park.

With the way this book ended, I am definitely looking forward to reading/listening to the sequel. Especially with the revelations at the end.

Good story, bad performance

I found the performance to not make sense at many points. Everytime a chapter curses, the narrator sounds like he’s never heard anyone say the word before in is life. I like the book itself, but I found the performance to be very difficult to get through.

Don't read this ONLY for the gay rep and sci-fi...

... if you love tension, political intrigue, and watching in horror as a character gets manipulated, you'll love this book! Seriously, I see how that could be thrilling.

Personally I found the tension and depictions of manipulation stressful to listen to. Don't get me wrong -- I think this is really well done! The magic system is intriguing, as is the world and the villain. Noam is a frustratingly dense but well-characterized protagonist. I'm invested enough to get the sequel, I think. I hope Dara and Noam end up happy. I want to see more of this hundred-years-later world. I wanna see how they get out of this.

But right now I'm specifically looking for escapism to carry me through hours of dull work. I guess it wasn't so on the nose in 2018, but right now the talk of protests and plagues and radicalized teens and old men hanging onto power... Well, that's not escapism.

Still, the intrigue of this story outweighs the stress, most of the time. I hope the next installment has happier moments.

Incredible story telling and characterization

This is my 3rd reread and its still one of my favorite books of all time. Such great writing and twists and recontextualize everything especially rereading. Im usually not a big narrator fan but the way this book pulls it off is masterful. And dont get me started on the characters theyre great! I just love this story.