The Electric Kingdom

The Electric Kingdom was by far my favourite book I read in May. It was such an adventure to read, and I loved the entirety of it.

            The Electric Kingdom tells the story of Nico, an eighteen-year-old girl travelling across the dangerous world to find a mythical portal, eleven-year-old artist Kit, and the strange and mysterious Deliverer who lives many Lives in a desperate attempt to put the world back together. As their paths converge and grow apart, the terrifying Flies threaten to attack and end their lives right along with the world.

            This is the first story that I’ve read by David Arnold, and I fell right in love with his prose. It’s melodic and frightening. Arnold wove a beautiful and circular narrative around Nico, Kit, and the Deliverer.

            Speaking of our protagonists, each one was so real and tied to their surroundings. Nico grew up in the Farmhouse, rarely going outside and never meeting people other than her parents for fear of the Flies. When she finally ventures into the world in search of the mystical portal from her childhood stories, she finds herself stuck travelling with Kit and his family. She is understandably wary, but I thought she would be less sociable than she was. Maybe that was just me, but I felt like she adjusted to other people easily.

            I won’t say much about Kit as I found he was a very relatable and real character, but the Deliverer is an interesting character and plot device. The Deliverer brings Nico and her family food as she grows up, and we see that the Deliverer is a watchful, necessary presence in this strange world.

            I find myself unable to talk about much more without spoiling things, so I’ll give a few final thoughts. The Electric Kingdom is a very worthwhile read that gives the reader a sense of hope, love, and adventure all while weaving a tangible world that’s easy to place the characters in. The plot is a lovely ride of joyful ups and terrifying downs that test both the characters and the reader with each new chapter. This is a wonderful novel for fans of dystopian, post-apocalyptic, or adventure stories. There is also a crazy little sci-fi element to The Electric Kingdom that brings everything full circle.

            Thank you for reading! The month of June is going to be full of book reviews, so watch out for new reviews on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5