"The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Zentner, Jeff. (2016). The Serpent King. New York, NY: Crown
Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-553-52402-4
I was
reluctant to read this book and I’m not sure why. Something about the title had
me fully mislead and I didn’t feel like reading something that was completely
fantasy. I squinted suspiciously at it for a while before finally giving in and
reading it. I was immediately draw to Dill and his very mysterious background
(later Lydia explains that certain women find brooding men attractive) but not
so much Lydia, who I pictured as a perky, pretty, smart, almost perfect type. I
liked her better once I got to know her and her socially awkward, wittiness and
her crooked teeth. Travis completes the protagonist trio and I adore him. He is
his own person and doesn’t care that people might think he’s odd, which he is.
This book
shows three very different possible life-paths for seemingly normal teenagers.
I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll warn you not to adore Travis. Just stop that
real quick before you hurt yourself. Love Dill and Lydia and Lydia’s parents. That’s
a safer bet with fewer tears.
With
Lydia, we learn pretty much all we need to know about her early on in the plot,
but with Dill, we are given snippets of detail from page 1 all the way to page
296. Things get very real for him and Travis and the very-serious topics of alcoholism,
physical and psychological abuse, parental pressure, prison life, cults and murder
run rampant through the novel.
I think
this would be an inspirational read for a lot of young adults because there are
so many aspects readers could potentially relate to. Small town life, being an
outcast, losing a friend, having a loved one in prison etc. All in all, it was a wonderful book that I
will very likely have to read again (and cry over again).
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