Scan barcode
amullen03's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mthomson's review against another edition
5.0
This book floored me. One of the best Southern novels I've read in years. It's like if the TV series Friday Night Lights was a big, beautiful novel that swallowed you up and changed you.
megangraff's review against another edition
4.0
A quick read but with lots of things to think about. I don't want to say more for fear of spoilers...
I wondered about some of the references that could easily be lost on YA readers - Joy Division, New Order, etc
I wondered about some of the references that could easily be lost on YA readers - Joy Division, New Order, etc
4saradouglas's review against another edition
3.0
Absolutely average. I was not surprised or moved or anything. There was a part that I think was meant to be shocking, but it was obviously coming since the beginning. Sure, the method and timing was surprising, but that was it. The whole "Serpent King" thing wasn't really part of the story at all, and even the snake handling was never even seen. What you had were a few average teenagers doing average teenage things. There was nothing new here.
julieabe89's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book broke my heart so much. It's a story of loss and pain and growth and faith. Three teenagers in one small town on the verge of adulthood with family expectations and their own fears holding them back. I loved it.
steph01924's review against another edition
5.0
It's hard to unpack my thoughts on this book. I really loved it. I feel like it's one of those books that should be included in a primer set that's delivered to every person when they enter their teen years. For the person who feel likes Lydia, Dill, or Travis and shouldn't be alone in that, and for the person who has never met anyone like them and needs to expand their worldview just a bit. I'm not saying it's the height of "the" teen novel, but it grabs a little slice of small-town life and makes you feel it.
This book made me alternately smile with joy (Lydia and her family are the best), rage with righteous anger (Travis and Dill's fathers are the worst), and decimate part of a box of tissues (for reasons I obviously won't spoil, but keep in mind that you may need to have a friend on hand who's read the book because you are going to want to rant to someone).
There's nothing like people using religion to try to control, demean, berate, and belittle other people that gets my goat more. I'm not that into organized religion myself, though I do believe in a God, and I'm more of "a live and let live" mentality. So when someone tries to force their twisted version of belief on someone else, to make them feel less than for not believing the same way...that is not "God's will". I'd rather you believe in nothing than believe in that. So to sum up, I really wanted to punch all the people from Dill's old congregation, including his mother and father.
Now I can wholeheartedly agree that this was one of the best books of 2016.
This book made me alternately smile with joy (Lydia and her family are the best), rage with righteous anger (Travis and Dill's fathers are the worst), and decimate part of a box of tissues (for reasons I obviously won't spoil, but keep in mind that you may need to have a friend on hand who's read the book because you are going to want to rant to someone).
There's nothing like people using religion to try to control, demean, berate, and belittle other people that gets my goat more. I'm not that into organized religion myself, though I do believe in a God, and I'm more of "a live and let live" mentality. So when someone tries to force their twisted version of belief on someone else, to make them feel less than for not believing the same way...that is not "God's will". I'd rather you believe in nothing than believe in that. So to sum up, I really wanted to punch all the people from Dill's old congregation, including his mother and father.
Now I can wholeheartedly agree that this was one of the best books of 2016.
beckimoody29's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this -- the characters, the tone, the storyline -- so much so that I finished it in one day. The story focuses on three friends from a small town in Tennessee. They are not the most popular so a lot of their daily energy is spent surviving their senior year of high school. Lydia is the leader, an internet influencer (with a small i) but she has plans to turn her interest in fashion into something bigger. She is frustrated that the boys don't seem to share her ambition. Travis escapes his dad's drunken fury by immersing himself in medieval fantasy novels.
Dill is the main character (although the story is told in alternating first-person chapters). He has grown up in the shadow of his father, a snake-handling preacher. the shadow looms even larger and darker after his father is sent to prison. Tasked with supporting the family, Dill struggles with both his religious faith, and the knowledge that he will never earn the approval of his parents. Secretly infatuated with Lydia, he doesn't know how he can survive when she leaves, but feels powerless to change what he feels is preordained for him.
This novel eloquently captures the small-town feel and the inertia that can set in when it seems like there are no realistic alternatives. One of my favorite parts of the book is the visit to a college campus where Dill sees a world that is so different from anything he had imagined. There are good adults in the story, a problem in many YA novels. Lydia's dad is a perfect TV father, supportive but not saccharine. Dill's boss is helpful, as well as some of the townspeople. But it is the teens who will touch your heart and they perfectly capture that mixture of innocence and jadedness of adolescence.
Dill is the main character (although the story is told in alternating first-person chapters). He has grown up in the shadow of his father, a snake-handling preacher. the shadow looms even larger and darker after his father is sent to prison. Tasked with supporting the family, Dill struggles with both his religious faith, and the knowledge that he will never earn the approval of his parents. Secretly infatuated with Lydia, he doesn't know how he can survive when she leaves, but feels powerless to change what he feels is preordained for him.
This novel eloquently captures the small-town feel and the inertia that can set in when it seems like there are no realistic alternatives. One of my favorite parts of the book is the visit to a college campus where Dill sees a world that is so different from anything he had imagined. There are good adults in the story, a problem in many YA novels. Lydia's dad is a perfect TV father, supportive but not saccharine. Dill's boss is helpful, as well as some of the townspeople. But it is the teens who will touch your heart and they perfectly capture that mixture of innocence and jadedness of adolescence.
debbiebarr's review against another edition
5.0
This was so, so, so good. And the audio version was amazing! Definitely the best contemporary YA books I've read in a good long while.
bethany6788's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I have never, ever been let down by Jeff Zentner. His novels bring me so many feelings. He is without a doubt one of my favorite authors. His words are passionate. He makes you feel. He lets you inside the world of his characters and they feel so very real. I literally sent him a message that after a part in this book I cried for 15 minutes. Then I basically cried the whole rest of the book.
The Serpent King is a YA lit novel that follows Dill, Lydia, and Travis. It’s told from each of their perspectives during their senior year. Dill’s father is in prison. Travis’s father is abusive. Lydia dreams of leaving the small town behind.
*Beware of spoilers below*
Things I loved about this book:
The triple POV was perfection. Each character had their own voice and I was in love with all of them.
Dill - he just wanted to do his best and be happy. He struggled with guilt and fear, and some religious scares. He didn’t want to disrupt anyone else’s life but also thought he didn’t always deserve the opportunities that he got. The scene with Lydia’s dad and him had me tearing up. His promise to Lydia. How he kept his promise.
Lydia - she dream of big city life and growing her fashion career, but she also loved Travis and Dill, her two best friends. She had a supportive and loving family and her dad definitely reminded her of this. Her belief in Dill was so strong and full of love and how she surprised Travis with the best day of his life!??
Travis - he is every loner kid. So relatable and as a fellow book nerd - I get it! I loved how he found his place online with friends and even a girl.
I was so excited when Lydia got into NYU and made her dreams come true.
Travis’s death shocked me and had me sobbing into my book. There are literal tear drops on the pages from that part on. How Dill reacts. The day that Lydia finds him in his bed… my heart hurt. HURT!
When Dill thought about killing himself and went to Lydia for help instead, I cried so hard.
When Lydia and Dill took the final book to Travis’s grave.
Pathetic prom.
I love that Dill got into college.
Lydia and Dill saying goodbye to Travis had me sobbing.
The ending was so perfect.
I loved it.
The Serpent King is a YA lit novel that follows Dill, Lydia, and Travis. It’s told from each of their perspectives during their senior year. Dill’s father is in prison. Travis’s father is abusive. Lydia dreams of leaving the small town behind.
*Beware of spoilers below*
Things I loved about this book:
The triple POV was perfection. Each character had their own voice and I was in love with all of them.
Dill - he just wanted to do his best and be happy. He struggled with guilt and fear, and some religious scares. He didn’t want to disrupt anyone else’s life but also thought he didn’t always deserve the opportunities that he got. The scene with Lydia’s dad and him had me tearing up. His promise to Lydia. How he kept his promise.
Lydia - she dream of big city life and growing her fashion career, but she also loved Travis and Dill, her two best friends. She had a supportive and loving family and her dad definitely reminded her of this. Her belief in Dill was so strong and full of love and how she surprised Travis with the best day of his life!??
Travis - he is every loner kid. So relatable and as a fellow book nerd - I get it! I loved how he found his place online with friends and even a girl.
I was so excited when Lydia got into NYU and made her dreams come true.
Travis’s death shocked me and had me sobbing into my book. There are literal tear drops on the pages from that part on. How Dill reacts. The day that Lydia finds him in his bed… my heart hurt. HURT!
When Dill thought about killing himself and went to Lydia for help instead, I cried so hard.
When Lydia and Dill took the final book to Travis’s grave.
Pathetic prom.
I love that Dill got into college.
Lydia and Dill saying goodbye to Travis had me sobbing.
The ending was so perfect.
I loved it.
mimi_chartier's review against another edition
5.0
I am not a contemporary reader, I tend to prefer fantasy reads. I got this book in an Owlcrate box and put it aside saying one day. For April I joined a read-a-thon and one of the challenges was pick something you don't usually go for. Perfect occasion. Oh my goddess, what a book. It ripped my heart right out of my chest. I laughed, I cried, I got angry (oh boy did I get angry). Those are the best kind of stories, when they make you feel. So glad I picked it up, I wished I would've read it earlier.