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Friday, July 19, 2024

Once Upon a Fever

Walker, Angharad. Once Upon a Fever
June 4, 2024 by Chicken House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Payton, who is 13, and her younger sister, Ani, 11, live with their father in King Jude's Hospital near Lundain. Their mother is ill with water fever, caused by her grief over the death of an infant son. She is in a sort of coma, and Payton desperately wants to cure her, since she feels her father's research isn't effective. The hospital is filled with methics, who are devoted to curing disease. Ever since The Turn, disease is thought to be caused by emotion and feelings. Payton is trying to get into a closed lab to get a medicine she thinks will cure her mother. Ani also explores the hospital, and runs into Kitt, who is suffering from "Midas fingers"; gold fingers caused by greed. She burns her hand on the door, and refuses to take her medicine, which is meant to keep her anger in check. She develops "spark breath" which makes her a danger, since she can set things on fire. When her blood is analyzed by visiting Methic Jenipher Blake from Queen Cleo's Hospital, the anger levels are dangerously high, and her father says he will send her to Queen Cleo's to be cured. Ani doesn't like this, and is determined to run away. Payton tries to stop her, but the two end up in an ambulans (sic) on their way into Lundain. The girls are separated. Ani runs into children who live in an office of a financier and tend the plants, as well as Estin, a "wilder" who introduces her to Heinrich and Tally. They live in Hyde Garden amongst the plants, and tell Ani it is okay to feel, she just needs to learn how to manage her feelings. Payton ends up with Methic Blake, and turns out to be a human gwaidmesur, who can read other's blood without machines. This could make her the most powerful Methic of her time, but she soon realizes that Blake is running evil experiments on people in the Observatory. Ani enjoys being with the Wilders, and her emotions are kept in check by exposure to nature. When Payton has the realization that her mother's disease could be cured by Ani's blood, the two return to confront their father but learn that the cure might not be as easy as it seems.
Strengths: This had a very strong dystopian feel to it, even though it also felt like a medical drama. Ani and Payton are interesting characters, and I love that they don't mind living in the hospital, even though it has narrowed their view of their world. When they get to Lundain, they are able to survive, and solve a mystery that the adults in their world didn't even know existed. Methic Blake is rather evil, and it's somewhat surprising that everyone goes along with her. The range of diseases that are portrayed are rather fascinating, but I suspect that some young readers might WANT to have an incendiary disease so they could breath fire and set things aflame! Definitely an unusual and innovative book.
Weaknesses: I felt like I needed some more back story. What is The Turn? When and how did diseases start being caused by feelings? This is set in an alternate London, and I felt like I was missing a lot of references. (Although I got "Prydein", thanks to Lloyd Alexander!)
What I really think: This has the same odd, quirky feel of this author's The Ash House  and would be a good choice for readers who want a book that leaves them guessing, like Ocker's The Black Slide, or allegorical tales like Malinenko's This Appearing House.


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