Book Review: The Serpent King by Jeff Zentnr

Whoo Hoo! The Serpent King is the Morris Award Winner! I wrote this blog post two weeks ago it was a nominee! Now I'm happy to say it won! Check back here tomorrow for more information on the ALA Youth Media Awards!

Life is not easy for Dill. First off he shares a name with his incarcerated father, who before being incarcerated was better known as a preacher who practiced snake biting. Money is tight, due to the legal fees, and later his mom's accident. She works hard, and expects him to work harder. There is a little light in his life in the form his friends Lydia and Travis.

Lydia can not wait to get out of her small Tennessee town, and on to bigger and better things in the world. She is an Internet famous fashion blogger, who doesn't quite fit in. She has supportive parents, and friends beyond her small town. Dill and Travis are good friends, but she wants so much more.

Travis would rather live in a world of heroes and dragons. The  Bloodfall series has become his life, since his brothers death. The Bloodfall series put him in touch with a girl who might be his girlfriend, and his friends don't seem to care that he only wears black.

Three friends, all outcasts, set to navigate their senior year at Forrestville High, face more than just your normal teen drama. Dill has demons placed on him from his family, and Travis is dealing with a life at home that warrants escape into fantasy worlds. Lydia's longing for something more makes her a target, but at least she has an escape plan.

Realistic fiction does not get more real than The Serpent King. Jeff Zenter's first novel is worthy of it's Morris Nomination, and readers will be cheering for these characters as they try to figure out who they are and how they fit into this world, both inside and outside this small town. Fans of John Green's Looking For Alaska or John Corey Whaley's Where Things Come Back will enjoy this emotional book.

I'll see you @ the library!
Katie

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