Books like the serpent king

The son of a pentecostal preacher faces his personal demons as he and his two outcast friends try to make it through their senior year of high school in rural forrestville, tennessee without letting the smalltown culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self. I have no idea why i thought that, because it couldnt have been further from the truth. In order to finish by the new year, well be packaging two genres together in this onceaweek series. The serpent king by jeff zentner is one such book that has reached down. The serpent king by jeff zentner the serpent king by jeff zentner effervesces with the warmth and darkness of a small southern gothic town. It looks at how friends and love can carry you through the dark times and how following your dreams can take you to new places, but leaving your past behind can be hard. I used to pride myself on not crying during emotional scenes in books, though as.

Zentner explores difficult themes head onincluding the desire to escape the sins of the father and the fragility of happinesswhile tempering them with the saving grace of enduring friendship. I had heard nothing about it prior to its release, but the second it came out, everyone started talking about it. It shows us that life, even one full of struggle, is still worth living. Named to ten best of the year lists and selected as a william c. The serpent king is a book you wont be able to resist or forget. However, there was something about zentners the serpent king that really spoke to me on a deeper level. The serpent king is one of best books released on 2016 containing 384 pages, this book written by jeff zentner whom known as an author and have wrote many interesting books with great story telling. Goodreads members who liked the serpent king also liked. Dill fears his heart will break when she escapes to a better life. Instead, it was a beautifully told story of three friends trapped in the prejudices and ignorance of a smalltown in tennessee, the pain of broken families. 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. In jeff zentners gorgeous southernset debut, the serpent king, three. This is an alternate cover edition for asin b00zne17d2dill ha.

This is a three star title, and had some conversation in the comments of our initial list post. Looking for something like the serpent king by jeff zentner and eleanor and park by rainbow rowell. The synopsis failed to interest me, and i tend to like more of the fantastical young adult books rather than those based on reality. The serpent king gripped me in its coils and kept me turning pages late into the night. I feel like jeff zentner was channeling my inner spirit into three. This book is beautiful, heart breaking, and ultimately affirms the power. Birth of the serpent king chapter one keira marcos. Melissa hibbard the lazy son of a good king makes an oath to the devil disguised as a wizard that leads him on a path of murder and cruelty until a prophecy foretelling his demise is fulfilled. 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 rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his fathers extreme faith and very public fall from grace. Of course, im unable to say definitively whether or not its at the table for realcommittee, but im always intrigued by religious themed or even slightly religious flavored fiction for teens.

The serpent king author jeff zentner on his new book. On the one hand, the title totally had me fooled for a fantasy novel, but more importantly, i didnt feel like it was a book i could instantly connect to. This is the book that made me see there was a place in young adult literature for a story like the serpent king, and so in addition to this books considerable merits, it will always be one of the most important books ive ever. The serpent king is a difficult book in my opinion. Paperback crown books for young readers dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole lifeat home, as the only son of a pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for. The southern boy in me savored every syllable and the reader in me fell in love with every page. For some reason i thought the serpent king by jeff zentner was about videogames prior to starting it. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. This gorgeous paperback edition with a fullcolor stepback cover will have teens everywhere. The serpent king author jeff zentner on his top 10. Created by young adult library services association yalsa read the pdf share. Parents need to know that the serpent king is a realistic contemporary novel by musicianturnednovelist jeff zentner. The serpent king takes the reader through the three friends senior year, from the high points to the darkest lows.

I suppose it is a bit premature to proclaim this already in march. Im looking for something similar to the serpent king by jeff zentner. The serpent king is one of those books that just came out of nowhere. The serpent king is a mesmerizing piece of fiction one full of heartbreak and wonderment. Im looking for something similar to the serpent king by. I ended up loving it despite everything and i am really glad to see you didnt hate it either. Here are 6 reasons you should read the serpent king.

Dill has always been branded as an outsider due to his family heritage as snake handlers and poison drinkers, an essential part of their pentecostal faith. John corey whaley, national book award finalist and printz award winner. As we countdown to 2020, we re going t o publish a series of ten of the best books of the past decade in ten different genres. This story, its writing, is so powerful that from the very first page, it makes you feel like you are there, witnessing everything happening to the main characters, crying and laughing with them, getting your heart broken if i might add, a. Graduation feels more like an ending to dill than a beginning. The heartrending story focuses on three high school seniors and best friends in rural tennessee. Dill, a musician with a tendency towards melancholy and poetic observations. The serpent king is set in smalltown tennessee, and alternates between the perspectives of three friends going through their final year of school. Alls faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laughoutloud romcom from debut. The legend of the serpent king, created by iranian awardwinning artist and filmmaker hamid rahmanian and meggendorfer prizewinning paper engineer simon arizpe, is an impressive popup book like youve never seen before. Jeff zentner, the serpent king, published by crown books for young readers, march 8th 2016.

What i liked like the love that split the world, a characters impending departure for college, leaving her small town and classmates behind, is a big part of the serpent king. Its a brutally honest portrayal of teen life on the spectrum of realism, most ya novels these. However, the fact that lydia is going to nyu, and not an ivy league school, makes the contrast between her and her friendsand the world she lives inmuch starker. 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 rattlesnakes, and at school, where. Request im looking for something in which a crush turns into friendship which evolves into a relationship amd both the protagonists live through any crisis together. The story is being told from each characters perspective, and each one of them taking this story forward with their own. The serpent king was published by crown books for young readersrandom house on 8 march 2016.

The serpent king author jeff zentner on his new book goodbye days. For the most part this book is beautifully written and just doesnt feel like a debut novel. The serpent king author jeff zentner on his top 10 southernset. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the serpent king. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to the serpent king. The serpent king by jeff zentner the son of a pentecostal preacher faces his personal demons as he and his two outcast friends try to make it through their senior year of high school in rural forrestville, tennessee, without letting the smalltown culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self.

Jeff zentners debut novel, the serpent king, deserves all the praises and hype it has been receiving. He writes in forums, has online fandom friends, owns multiple copies of the books, and even dresses like one of the characters. The serpent king named to ten best of the year lists and selected as a william c. The most captivating aspect of this novel for me was the friendship between lydia and dillardusually pointless friendship in novels make me sick but not this one because they had every intention of. Dill, lydia and travis are all small town kids and high school outcasts for a variety of reasons who are either dreaming of bigger lives or feeling that theyre stuck in the lives their parents and families made for them. This gorgeous paperback edition with a fullcolor stepback cover will. Whether it was fellow book blogger friends or other authors, i kept seeing the serpent king everywhere i turned. Looking for something like the serpent king by jeff.

But even before then, he must cope with another ending, one that will rock his life to the core. It retells the persian tale of prince zahhak who was easily convinced by the devil angra mainyu to murder his father king merdas and take over the throne. The serpent king is a captivating tale of three friends, who are different from each other in every way possible, but still manages to form a strong and beautiful friendship. Theyre unpopular but intelligent, creative, caring, and loyal to one another. The serpent king by jeff zentner overview named to ten best of the year lists and selected as a william c. Find books like the serpent king from the worlds largest community of readers. Zentner creates an atmosphere that is both stiflingly oppressive and starkly beautiful a landscape where both ramshackle homes and restored victorians can coexist, where theres dignity in both wanting to leave a small town and wanting to stay. The serpent king by jeff zentner is among the best books ive read so far in 2016, debut or no. Morris award winner, the serpent king is the critically acclaimed, muchbeloved story of three teens who find themselvesand each otherwhile on the cusp of graduating from high school with hopes of leaving their smalltown behind.