Proceed With Caution:
This book contains death, suicide, murder, and grief.
The Basics:
The Electric Kingdom follows a group of teens (aged 12-18) as they trek across New Hampshire in search of safety, community, and promises eighteen years after a plague has overcome the planet. Nico is our main narrator as she goes in search of an "anomaly" her father told her about. Was this the rambling of a mad man or is there really something there?
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed The Electric Kingdom. Yes, I picked it up because plague. I'm one of those weirdos who likes reading about pandemics during a pandemic. This one wasn't just straight plague fiction though. There are some very interesting Science Fiction elements to this one.
The Electric Kingdom has three POVs. Nico who sets off with her dog to find this supposed portal, Kit who is a twelve-year-old artist who is heading to a settlement with his found family, and The Deliverer who has been dropping off supplies to Nico and her father, as well as helping the kids out on their journeys. They all sounded unique and were never confusing. Kit was a little harder to warm up to because he is very young and sounds it, but as I got to know him, I really liked him!
Most of The Electric Kingdom is a cross-state journey between a group of teens. Three groups hesitantly team up since they're heading in the same direction. Friendships (and more) are formed, lives are lost, lives are saved, adventures are had. There really isn't that much going on, just survival. I found myself completely invested though, since these kids are on their own and they're making this epic trip on their own.
The last third of The Electric Kingdom was a wild ride though! We meet some unsavory characters. We find out whether Nico's dad was right or not. We learn who The Deliverer is (I thought it was fairly obvious, but the what and why and how was awesome!). We get to the fun sci-fi stuff! I couldn't get through it fast enough to know what happens and why it happens and how it happens!
I just really enjoyed The Electric Kingdom. I read it straight through and definitely recommend it if you like post-pandemic fiction.