2019/13: The Fever King -- Victoria Lee

They ought to walk into that camp with the ground soaked in blood and magic and look Bea King in the face as she died alone and frightened at eight years old, at eight years old, and tell her she didn't deserve to stay in their country because her parents brought her here illegally. Because she was a refugee. [loc. 2565]

The world has moved on: it's the twenty-second century, and the former United States has fragmented. Noam, growing up in Carolinia (rich and Northern) is the son of undocumented immigrants from Atlantia (poor and Southern) and has been fighting for refugee rights since he was old enough to understand that Carolinia didn't welcome him or his family. Now he's woken up in a hospital bed, survivor of the magical attack that killed his father -- and made Noam, aged sixteen, a technopath.

Noam's new talent allows him to exercise some control over technology, and it attracts the attention of the minister of defense, the charismatic and unnaturally preserved Calix Lehrer. Noam is inducted into a government training programme for 'witchings' like himself, though each of his fellow students has different skills and talents. Most intriguing to Noam is Dara Shirazi, Calix Lehrer's adopted son, who's devastatingly attractive, brittle and opaque. Noam would really like to trust Dara (and indeed to kiss him) but he can't be sure which side Dara's on: chances are that he'd betray Noam's plan to use his new skills for Atlantia, against Carolinian policies, laws and expectations.

It doesn't help that Noam still doesn't understand what Dara's power is. Or, for that matter, Calix Lehrer's.

This is a novel about discrimination, exclusion, control and rebellion, and the author has posted about how it's rooted in her experience as a Jewish American. There is also a post about content warnings which I strongly recommend that you read if you're likely to be adversely affected by descriptions of genocide, physical or sexual abuse, violence, murder, parental death ...

It is quite a dark novel, but Noam is a likeable -- and believably teenaged -- protagonist, and Dara a fascinating cipher. (And I find that I would quite like to read Calix Lehrer's backstory.) Despite the darkness, there is loyalty, affection, friendship and romance. The worldbuilding is intriguing, and you will be pleased to know that the effects of climate change have been moderated. (Though not in a way that anyone with sense would recommend.)

I selected this as my free Amazon Prime book for February, and enjoyed it enough to pre-order the second volume (due 2020).