i haven't been talking about it as much as i planned because of the whole *gestures* everything, but i really can't stress enough how good the feverwake duology by @sosaidvictoria is - starting with THE FEVER KING and closing with the recently released THE ELECTRIC HEIR

it's a clever and careful debunking of the myth of the perfect victim, a thoughtful, nuanced look at the figure of the charismatic abuser, set against the backdrop of some rad scifi magic shit and the political complexity of military coups, revolution, and inter-country diplomacy

and when i say 'nuanced' i don't mean 'we forgive the charming man', i mean, we are shown how the villain can be horrific and still charming, how a victim can refuse to acknowledge their trauma for what it is out of a need to protect themselves--

the damage gaslighting does to a person, how society will refuse to believe victims in favour of powerful men - and the slow, difficult, hopeful process of beginning to heal from that, of falling in love, of taking power in your own truth

it has one of the most realistic takes i've seen since probably the hunger games of on-the-ground revolutionary action, of the difficult choices people have to make for the Greater Good, of the realities of asking a child to sacrifice for the cause

it's an intensely personal series set against a broader political struggle and so clearly makes the statement that the political IS personal, that policy affects people, and is particular poignant in a time of charismatic dictators

anyway i cried over these books and i yelled about them and i wrote several thousand words worth of meta about them, and i really truly think they are an example of what the YA genre can do when it's at its best, and I'm so excited to see what Victoria does next

you can start with THE FEVER KING ebook for 499 cents here: https://www.amazon.com/Fever-King-Feverwake-Book-ebook/dp/B07F2MJNW1/

or if you've read that already, THE ELECTRIC HEIR is out now for the same amount of cents here! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N2NXKCD

a cursory google tells me you can also purchase it from places that are not amazon also! as an international reader, that's just the most accessible link for me personally