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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.
hayleybeale's review against another edition
3.0
Three social outcasts go through their high school senior year and their unlikely friendship is the heart of this book. Zentner creates likeable well-drawn characters and a vivid portrait of a dead end blue collar town. See full review here.
mk_pagano's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book, but I am not happy about the thing that happened in the middle that I never saw coming. . Otherwise I really loved this book, beautiful setting and prose and unforgettable characters. Read it! (And write me a different entering!)
Spoiler
I am really upset Travis had to die. He was by far my favorite character I wanted to see Travis get together with Amelia and see him stand up to his dad again and see his mom get a better life and see his writing career take off. I wish there was an alternate version of this book where Travis could have lived and they ALL could have gotten outlivinliterary's review against another edition
4.0
Oh man, this book. Once I started reading I was hooked. Get the book. You won't regret it.
figsonrye's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
natidelgadov's review against another edition
4.0
Al principio me costó enganchar con la historia, pero después de unos capítulos pude darme cuenta que más que una historia era un libro enfocado en el desarrollo de los personajes. Le bajé una estrella porque me molestaron mucho algunas altitudes que tenía Lydia.
matiel72's review against another edition
I got 19% through this novel and decided to DNF it, for now. I thought it was interesting and well written but not what I am in the mood for currently. I will hopefully pick this up again in the coming weeks and enjoy it more than I am now.
pewterwolf's review against another edition
5.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
Set in the deep South of the USA, Dill's father is the prison for an unspeakable crime and with everything and everyone judging him over it, Dill finds comfort in his friends, Lydia and Travis. Travis who is obsessed with the Bloodfall series and Lydia who is planning to leave for New York as soon as she can. Dill fears if she leaves, the darkness within his family will consume him completely.
But Dill's not the only one with worries. Lydia is worried about her friends once she leaves and Travis is hiding a secret about his family. All three need to confront their demons, but will they have the strength to do it?
Even though this sounds and looks like an urban fantasy novel, it is very much a contemporary coming of age novel and this is a strong debut. I love the writing style that Jeff showed - and to discover he is a songwriter, the lyrical style makes sense. There are some sentences and paragraphs that were just glorious! Plus, this book felt Southern. When you read a book that is set in Southern USA, I always find it discover feel right. It feels off somehow. But with Serpent King, it felt just right. The way characters acted, spoke about religion, and (from some characters), the narrow-mindedness and the landscape. It felt right, somehow.
With chapters changing POV between Dill, Lydia and Travis, it was good to see each character and fall in love with each of them separately and together. Each has their story and, because the writing was solid, I felt bored with any character and their stories. Which, in one or two cases, was parents who believed that if their lives after bad, so must their kids - yeah, there were times I got angry at the parents.
Religion is a part of this story and, as someone who isn't very religious, I did worry that it might be overwhelming and possibly forced down my throat. And while it is there and it didn't feel overwhelming.
Some people will feel that this book is predictable but I was sucked into this to noticed. This is one strong debut and I can't wait to read the next book from this author (and to annoy him over maybe getting a Bloodfall novella...)
I will leave this review with a quote that ran throughout the book, spoken by Dolly Parton: "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."
Set in the deep South of the USA, Dill's father is the prison for an unspeakable crime and with everything and everyone judging him over it, Dill finds comfort in his friends, Lydia and Travis. Travis who is obsessed with the Bloodfall series and Lydia who is planning to leave for New York as soon as she can. Dill fears if she leaves, the darkness within his family will consume him completely.
But Dill's not the only one with worries. Lydia is worried about her friends once she leaves and Travis is hiding a secret about his family. All three need to confront their demons, but will they have the strength to do it?
Even though this sounds and looks like an urban fantasy novel, it is very much a contemporary coming of age novel and this is a strong debut. I love the writing style that Jeff showed - and to discover he is a songwriter, the lyrical style makes sense. There are some sentences and paragraphs that were just glorious! Plus, this book felt Southern. When you read a book that is set in Southern USA, I always find it discover feel right. It feels off somehow. But with Serpent King, it felt just right. The way characters acted, spoke about religion, and (from some characters), the narrow-mindedness and the landscape. It felt right, somehow.
With chapters changing POV between Dill, Lydia and Travis, it was good to see each character and fall in love with each of them separately and together. Each has their story and, because the writing was solid, I felt bored with any character and their stories. Which, in one or two cases, was parents who believed that if their lives after bad, so must their kids - yeah, there were times I got angry at the parents.
Religion is a part of this story and, as someone who isn't very religious, I did worry that it might be overwhelming and possibly forced down my throat. And while it is there and it didn't feel overwhelming.
Some people will feel that this book is predictable but I was sucked into this to noticed. This is one strong debut and I can't wait to read the next book from this author (and to annoy him over maybe getting a Bloodfall novella...)
I will leave this review with a quote that ran throughout the book, spoken by Dolly Parton: "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."