Review: The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee

Rating:

★★★★★

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy for an honest review.

TRIGGER WARNINGS (as found on author’s blog): intergenerational trauma, genocide, violence, abuse, attempted rape, mental health and suicide, slut-shaming, victim-blaming, emetophobia, drug and alcohol abuse, parental death and ableist language. These are just some of the general warnings, but for more info refer to the link: http://victorialeewrites.com/2019/10/01/the-electric-heir-content-warnings

I want to start by saying that it feels great to be back with these characters, but know what? There was so much left hanging from the last book that it is almost a relief to read about everyone again, still, all hell is broken loose and now Lehrer is in control, Dara is recovering from all the messed up s*** that his “father” put him through, and Noam… I don't even know what's going on in his head. Can just Dara and Noam ride into the sunset? Away from all the abuse and manipulation?

Like the author says, this story it’s at its core a survivor's story. Dara is learning to live with having survived all of the sexual abuse and violence he’d experience throughout his childhood, while Noam is just realizing that he is too being a victim of all of Lehrer’s disgusting manipulation. Reading all of this was very hard and taxing, it feels all so raw, almost like opening a door into this author’s soul. While I do admit it is hard, it is an important and poignant book to read. Well behind the politics, the schemes and magic, this story is about battling against the very reality of being abuse, about picking up the pieces after the suffering, and about not blaming yourself about being the victim.

I enjoyed the rhythm of the story, the descriptions of the fights were excellent, and I loved how we could see a growth of character with the ensemble characters as well. I did feel a bit let down by the ending, in the sense that it felt a bit rushed.

Overall, I love this duology. It’s a well thought out story with greatly developed characters, it’s action-packed, gritty, and heart-wrenching.

Book's release date: March 17th, 2020 by Skyscape

#Netgalley #TheElectricHeir #magic