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kathrynkao's review against another edition
5.0
This was a recent OwlCrate book, but I put off reading it because the inside jacket description made it sound very summer-before-senior-year-coming-of-age, and since The Love That Split The World was very, very much that, I needed a break. When I did pick it up this week, I was happy to find that The Serpent King is...kind of that...but completely different.
The book takes places over the senior year of Dill, Travis, and Lydia, and these are full, complex characters. This is a debut novel, and at times it shows: the writing at times is a little repetitive, and the subtext is explicit at times when it'd be far more powerful unsaid. The story is so engaging and the characters feel so real, though, that none of that was enough to pull me out.
The book is about the three of them, but it's really Dill's story, as he struggles with the certainty of Lydia leaving their small Tennessee town for potentially NYU. Dill and Travis have very different family situations from Lydia. Dill's father, a snake-handling preacher, is in prison, and his mother is struggling to pay his legal fees. Travis is a full-on epic fantasy nerd whose father has alcohol and anger issues, and whose football star of an older brother died in the military. Both Travis and Dill work to help their families make ends meet, and neither see themselves living any differently as adults from how their parents live now. Everything about Lydia's life, though, is in stark contrast to theirs. She lives in a four-bedroom house. She runs a very popular fashion blog, which involves her buying a lot of clothes. Her parents are highly educated and have an easy rapport with Lydia. College, for Lydia, is a given.
The difference isn't just wealth--although it's that, too. It's the way their parents view them and support them; it's the attitude towards possibility. Dill's mother is stuck in the present, viewing everything about their lives as Jesus' will. When Dill floats the idea of college, his mother is horrified; Dill going to college is Dill abandoning both her and their faith. Travis' father hates that Travis is nothing like his football hero older brother, Matthew, and makes that clear at every opportunity. Lydia's parents are focused on her future; Dill's parents trap him in the status quo; Travis' father hounds him with his brother's past.
Like The Love That Split The World , a character's impending departure for college, leaving her small town and classmates behind, is a big part of The Serpent King. However, the fact that Lydia is going to NYU, and not an Ivy League school, makes the contrast between her and her friends--and the world she lives in--much starker. Dill isn't freaking out because he thinks Lydia now thinks she's better than he and Travis because she's going to a fancy school. He's freaking out because he was always worried he and Travis embarrassed Lydia, with her fashion blogger friends and internet fame, and now that the countdown to her leaving is on, his fears are slowly being realized. The sheer fact that Lydia has options is what threatens Dill; the fact that Lydia has options and Dill never felt the did is where his jealousy comes from. How Dill handles his insecurity--and Lydia responds to it--is a critical part of the story.
The best part of the book for me is the fact that there are exactly two small references to Lydia being overweight. It's not a defining part of her character at all, and she's totally unlike a lot of overweight female characters in YA and middle grade books. She's not a sad, pitiful monster who doesn't know how to bathe, dress, or not carry cake around with her at all times. She's a normal, ambitious teenager who runs an incredibly successful fashion blog. And it's actually an incredibly successful fashion blog, full stop: not a plus-size blog, and there are not qualifiers about her success or her internet fame. To see an overweight teenage girl excel in an area that actively shuts fat women down and excludes them is incredible. To make things even better, Lydia later has a healthy romantic relationship, and there's acknowledgment that she'd have plenty of romantic options at NYU. I wish her weight were slightly more explicit, to make it impossible for readers to overlook or ignore, but I do love that her weight is not who she is.
The book goes to a lot of very dark places, and I became so attached to the characters I teared up in the middle of the book, but it's ultimately very uplifting. Lydia, Travis, and Dill are fantastic character studies, and there is a lot of nuance in the book's handling of religion, small towns, tension between teenagers and their parents, mortality, and college. Overall, the book is about autonomy and choice, particularly in regards to place and circumstance. Are you defined by the circumstances you were born in? What are the costs of trying to determine the course of your own life yourself, and what are you willing to pay those costs? How to you balance your personal success with remaining friends with the people you leave behind--and do you have to leave them behind?
There's no AR quiz for this book--it's too new--but I sadly wouldn't give this to anyone below 8th grade, due to the language and content. But this is an amazing book for high schoolers, especially since a lot of the characters' issues are ones that high schoolers can more easily relate to. I'm excited to read what the author does next.
The book takes places over the senior year of Dill, Travis, and Lydia, and these are full, complex characters. This is a debut novel, and at times it shows: the writing at times is a little repetitive, and the subtext is explicit at times when it'd be far more powerful unsaid. The story is so engaging and the characters feel so real, though, that none of that was enough to pull me out.
The book is about the three of them, but it's really Dill's story, as he struggles with the certainty of Lydia leaving their small Tennessee town for potentially NYU. Dill and Travis have very different family situations from Lydia. Dill's father, a snake-handling preacher, is in prison, and his mother is struggling to pay his legal fees. Travis is a full-on epic fantasy nerd whose father has alcohol and anger issues, and whose football star of an older brother died in the military. Both Travis and Dill work to help their families make ends meet, and neither see themselves living any differently as adults from how their parents live now. Everything about Lydia's life, though, is in stark contrast to theirs. She lives in a four-bedroom house. She runs a very popular fashion blog, which involves her buying a lot of clothes. Her parents are highly educated and have an easy rapport with Lydia. College, for Lydia, is a given.
The difference isn't just wealth--although it's that, too. It's the way their parents view them and support them; it's the attitude towards possibility. Dill's mother is stuck in the present, viewing everything about their lives as Jesus' will. When Dill floats the idea of college, his mother is horrified; Dill going to college is Dill abandoning both her and their faith. Travis' father hates that Travis is nothing like his football hero older brother, Matthew, and makes that clear at every opportunity. Lydia's parents are focused on her future; Dill's parents trap him in the status quo; Travis' father hounds him with his brother's past.
Like The Love That Split The World , a character's impending departure for college, leaving her small town and classmates behind, is a big part of The Serpent King. However, the fact that Lydia is going to NYU, and not an Ivy League school, makes the contrast between her and her friends--and the world she lives in--much starker. Dill isn't freaking out because he thinks Lydia now thinks she's better than he and Travis because she's going to a fancy school. He's freaking out because he was always worried he and Travis embarrassed Lydia, with her fashion blogger friends and internet fame, and now that the countdown to her leaving is on, his fears are slowly being realized. The sheer fact that Lydia has options is what threatens Dill; the fact that Lydia has options and Dill never felt the did is where his jealousy comes from. How Dill handles his insecurity--and Lydia responds to it--is a critical part of the story.
The best part of the book for me is the fact that there are exactly two small references to Lydia being overweight. It's not a defining part of her character at all, and she's totally unlike a lot of overweight female characters in YA and middle grade books. She's not a sad, pitiful monster who doesn't know how to bathe, dress, or not carry cake around with her at all times. She's a normal, ambitious teenager who runs an incredibly successful fashion blog. And it's actually an incredibly successful fashion blog, full stop: not a plus-size blog, and there are not qualifiers about her success or her internet fame. To see an overweight teenage girl excel in an area that actively shuts fat women down and excludes them is incredible. To make things even better, Lydia later has a healthy romantic relationship, and there's acknowledgment that she'd have plenty of romantic options at NYU. I wish her weight were slightly more explicit, to make it impossible for readers to overlook or ignore, but I do love that her weight is not who she is.
The book goes to a lot of very dark places, and I became so attached to the characters I teared up in the middle of the book, but it's ultimately very uplifting. Lydia, Travis, and Dill are fantastic character studies, and there is a lot of nuance in the book's handling of religion, small towns, tension between teenagers and their parents, mortality, and college. Overall, the book is about autonomy and choice, particularly in regards to place and circumstance. Are you defined by the circumstances you were born in? What are the costs of trying to determine the course of your own life yourself, and what are you willing to pay those costs? How to you balance your personal success with remaining friends with the people you leave behind--and do you have to leave them behind?
There's no AR quiz for this book--it's too new--but I sadly wouldn't give this to anyone below 8th grade, due to the language and content. But this is an amazing book for high schoolers, especially since a lot of the characters' issues are ones that high schoolers can more easily relate to. I'm excited to read what the author does next.
nklosty's review against another edition
5.0
This wasn't what I expected. The writing drew me in and the characters with all their excentricities kept me interested. 97
reddyrat's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite book of the first half of 2016. It may end up being my favorite book of the entire year. It's the whole package - well-written prose, superbly drawn characters, and a plot that makes you think, celebrate, and mourn. Marvelously it manages not to be one of those books where the teenagers are 1000 smarter and more eloquent than real life people. It celebrates the beauty of realistic characters and hard, but realistic stories.
Despite what I just said about plot, this is not a book to read if you're looking for a page-turning plot. It is hard to put down, but that's all due to the characters. Things definitely happen in this book, but it's secondary to getting to know the characters and seeing how they develop.
Dillard, Lydia, and Travis are all delightful people - in different ways. Dill is depressed - his world was torn asunder when his pentacostal, snake-charming preacher father was arrested for child pornography. Not only his life, but his faith was thrown apart. Dill wants more out of life (like going to college), but isn't sure if he deserves to seek it.
Travis is a lovable giant. He's intimidating and huge, but all he wants to do is re-read his favorite fantasy series (I'm guessing it's like GoT or Wheel of Time) and sink into that world. He doesn't care what others think of him. He's fiercely loyal to Dill and Lydia, but I got the feeling he also would be okay on his own.
Lydia is the most "normal" of the three. She's a quirky fashion blogger who can't wait to get out of town. She has an air of superiority over these rural hicks that is frustrating, but I understood it. It is sad to see Dill and Travis be included among the people she's embarrassed by. She loves her best friends, but still intends to drop them the second she finishes high school. Lydia seems the most mature, but in many ways, she's the youngest acting of all three.
Family is an important element of the book. Travis and Dill's families are horrible. Travis's father is abusive. He's a stereotypical man's man and hates when Travis does anything that violates his idea of masculinity (like carrying a staff and obsessing over books). You see his family and understand why Travis needs to escape into books. Dill's mother blames Dill for not taking the fall when his dad was caught with kiddie porn. And she doesn't even want him to finish high school or get "too good." It's truly horrific how you can be so brainwashed that you expect your child to take the blame for you horrific husband.
I loved Lydia's parents. Especially her father. They're well-off, educated, and provide a stable life for Lydia. They're also great mentors for Dill and Travis. I loved the relationship that developed between Dill and Lydia's dad. He provided a listening ear and served as an example of a good man for Dill.
So far I've just talked about characters and hardly about plot at all. I don't want to give away some of the major things that happen. Aside from a very big twist, Lydia, Dill, and Travis grow up in this book. They learn to be more comfortable with who they are and their circumstances, as well as how they can rise above their stations (or in Lydia's case, not get too cocky).
It's a beautiful book that has so many lovely quotes that it is one of those stories you want to highlight, underline, and re-read.
Recommendation: Buy before anything else this year.
Despite what I just said about plot, this is not a book to read if you're looking for a page-turning plot. It is hard to put down, but that's all due to the characters. Things definitely happen in this book, but it's secondary to getting to know the characters and seeing how they develop.
Dillard, Lydia, and Travis are all delightful people - in different ways. Dill is depressed - his world was torn asunder when his pentacostal, snake-charming preacher father was arrested for child pornography. Not only his life, but his faith was thrown apart. Dill wants more out of life (like going to college), but isn't sure if he deserves to seek it.
Travis is a lovable giant. He's intimidating and huge, but all he wants to do is re-read his favorite fantasy series (I'm guessing it's like GoT or Wheel of Time) and sink into that world. He doesn't care what others think of him. He's fiercely loyal to Dill and Lydia, but I got the feeling he also would be okay on his own.
Lydia is the most "normal" of the three. She's a quirky fashion blogger who can't wait to get out of town. She has an air of superiority over these rural hicks that is frustrating, but I understood it. It is sad to see Dill and Travis be included among the people she's embarrassed by. She loves her best friends, but still intends to drop them the second she finishes high school. Lydia seems the most mature, but in many ways, she's the youngest acting of all three.
Family is an important element of the book. Travis and Dill's families are horrible. Travis's father is abusive. He's a stereotypical man's man and hates when Travis does anything that violates his idea of masculinity (like carrying a staff and obsessing over books). You see his family and understand why Travis needs to escape into books. Dill's mother blames Dill for not taking the fall when his dad was caught with kiddie porn. And she doesn't even want him to finish high school or get "too good." It's truly horrific how you can be so brainwashed that you expect your child to take the blame for you horrific husband.
I loved Lydia's parents. Especially her father. They're well-off, educated, and provide a stable life for Lydia. They're also great mentors for Dill and Travis. I loved the relationship that developed between Dill and Lydia's dad. He provided a listening ear and served as an example of a good man for Dill.
So far I've just talked about characters and hardly about plot at all. I don't want to give away some of the major things that happen. Aside from a very big twist, Lydia, Dill, and Travis grow up in this book. They learn to be more comfortable with who they are and their circumstances, as well as how they can rise above their stations (or in Lydia's case, not get too cocky).
It's a beautiful book that has so many lovely quotes that it is one of those stories you want to highlight, underline, and re-read.
Recommendation: Buy before anything else this year.
rmarcin's review against another edition
3.0
Coming of age book about 3 teens living in rural Tennessee. They are outcasts, but grow in courage with the help of each other.
syndi3's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dillard is a young man who stuck. Stuck inside his mess up family. Stuck with his own guilty feeling. Stuck with his shitty town.
I feel sorry and heartbreak for dillard. I feel his frustration. I feel his feeling toward lydia. His shyness and his guilt toward his mother. His heartbreak over Travis.
This book is telling a story of journey from young man and becoming a man. What a beautiful journey. What a beautiful story.
I especially loves Lydia. I wish I have best friend like her. She rocks. She is smart, talented, independent, brave young woman. She takes no shit from anyone who mess up with Dillard.
I feel sorry and heartbreak for dillard. I feel his frustration. I feel his feeling toward lydia. His shyness and his guilt toward his mother. His heartbreak over Travis.
This book is telling a story of journey from young man and becoming a man. What a beautiful journey. What a beautiful story.
I especially loves Lydia. I wish I have best friend like her. She rocks. She is smart, talented, independent, brave young woman. She takes no shit from anyone who mess up with Dillard.
lily0843's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
jahoo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
imys's review against another edition
3.0
idk how i feel about this but all i know is: the writing style was absolutely not for me but this book wrecked me and i really appreciate that. like i said, it did take some getting used to the writing which is why it took me a long to get into the actual story itself.
levzies's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my heart ♥️ this book is one that I’ve made Dearly special in my heart shelf. I’d be proud with a debut like this gem.
gggina13's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful and engaging book. It was very well written and the characters were so, so easy to latch onto. I loved the portrayal of parents and the vast difference between good and bad parents, and bad parents who think they’re being good parents. The big comparison is relatable, I’m sure, for many people. Alcoholic parents can be triggering for me in books and this one brought up some unpleasant feelings but it’s real and raw and that part of the story needed to be told. It’s rare that a book can be so painful yet so hopeful but this one was a perfect combination of the two.