The Serpent King

The Serpent King is by debut author Jeff Zentner.

Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life- at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattle snakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father's extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it thought their senior yer of high school without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self.  Graduation will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out their rural Tennessee town.  And Travis is content where he is thanks to his obsession with an epic book series and the fangirl turning his reality into real life fantasy.

Their diverging paths could mean the end of their friendship.  But not before Dill confronts his dark legacy to attempt to find a way into the light of a future worth living.

The Breakdown:
1. I got this book in my March Owl Crate, which if you are a lover of YA lit like I am, you should totally look into it.  I probably would not have picked up this book on my own, which is sad, because I would have never have known how awesome it is.  This book deals with the very real situation of moving on to a different stage in life, in this case from high school to college/adulthood. And this book will definitely punch you right in the feels, but it is worth it.

2. I love that the are very different, both in personalities and home situations, but still have formed this amazing friendship. They are definitely the kind of friends that can always count on each other. Their friendship is what proves you don't need a lot of friends, but the right ones make life much brighter.

3.  Dill is the main focus of the book, but Lydia and Travis both get their own chapters.  Zentner does a great job of make the different chapters for the different characters reflect their unique personalities and voices. Dill's chapters have a darker undertone that really reflect his life situation, and his struggle with depression.  Lydia's are definitely more quirky and hopeful.  And Travis's chapter are more of an neutral with reality, but happy with his book-verse.  I want to say so much more, but I don't want to give away any spoilers.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read