Shut your eyes and trust in me
Author : Jeff Zentner
Title : The Serpent King
Published : 04/01/2018
Pages : 384
Genre : Young Adult
Publisher : Andersen Press
Dill is a misfit in his small, religious Tennessee town. His dad is in prison for a shocking crime, and his mom is struggling to make ends meet. The only things getting Dill through senior year are his guitar and his fellow outcasts, Travis and Lydia. Travis is an oddball who finds comfort from his violent home life in an epic fantasy book series. And Lydia is like no one else: fast-talking, creative and fiercely protective. Dill fears his heart will break when she escapes to a better life elsewhere. What Dill needs now is some bravery to tell Lydia how he feels, to go somewhere with his music – and to face the hardest test of all when tragedy strikes.
For me, i can always feel the pull of a book which is set down south in America. There is a certain atmosphere that is brought into a story in this setting. Most of the books that I have previously read set in the south tend to deal with some fairly heavy topics. And you can see why as to say that it has had a troubled history would be a fairly big understatement. Reading the description for this I was reminded of the books of john green. A group of teenage friends dealing with the ups and downs of life when tragedy strikes.
And on that note, the author gave me an interesting band of teenagers. They are all outcasts in their own way trying to fit into a world that has very rigid definitions of what they should be. Dill is the son of a very religious family, which you would think means he should fit right in in Tennessee. But when you daddy is a disgraced preacher in prison for having indecent images of children life ain't so easy. I couldn't help but feel a great deal of sympathy for him, for Dill it's defiantly a case of the sins of the father. I think his major deficit is in knowing his self-worth and his lack of confidence. This is where Lydia come in. This is a girl who has more confidence that can be contained in one body. For me she was a fish out of water, Place her somewhere like New York or L.A and she would be right in the middle of her people. she is also fortunate enough to have parents who are willing to support her in whatever she chooses to do. And to round out the group is poor Travis, In a lot of ways, he feels like the faithful watchdog of the group. He is loyal to his friends and will do anything to help them. He is someone whose life is not easy, and for someone so likable you really feel it should be.
There is a colorful supporting cast from the snake-handling preacher and the Alcoholic abuser to gas station attendants and a famous writer. All fleshing out a somewhat dark coming of age story that shows life can be beautiful and truly unfair all at the same time. For me, the author managed to encapsulate small town living showing just how suffocating it can be sometimes. And an ever growing need to escape and see the bigger world. But what he also shows is that for some that small-town life in such places are all they need to be happy. I liked this balance through the first part of the story it allowed for a slightly more rounds viewpoint. But this is not to say any of our heroes total fit in.
The plot moves along at a steady pace picking up towards the end of the middle. The characters and plot gave enough to keep me reading. This book is soaked in the atmosphere of the south and with that certain events are a given to take place. Such as the jocks picking on the outsiders and a hearty dollop of religion. With that being said the story comes across as a heartfelt tale of adolescent, and I found my self-bonding with these people. The ending is a mixture of wish fulfillment and a slight side dish of realism.
I think this book will appeal to fans of John green looking for a change in location if not the character type. It's easy to get drawn into there world and to care about what happens to them. And when tragedy finally strikes I was invested enough in them for it to have the desired impact.
And on that note, the author gave me an interesting band of teenagers. They are all outcasts in their own way trying to fit into a world that has very rigid definitions of what they should be. Dill is the son of a very religious family, which you would think means he should fit right in in Tennessee. But when you daddy is a disgraced preacher in prison for having indecent images of children life ain't so easy. I couldn't help but feel a great deal of sympathy for him, for Dill it's defiantly a case of the sins of the father. I think his major deficit is in knowing his self-worth and his lack of confidence. This is where Lydia come in. This is a girl who has more confidence that can be contained in one body. For me she was a fish out of water, Place her somewhere like New York or L.A and she would be right in the middle of her people. she is also fortunate enough to have parents who are willing to support her in whatever she chooses to do. And to round out the group is poor Travis, In a lot of ways, he feels like the faithful watchdog of the group. He is loyal to his friends and will do anything to help them. He is someone whose life is not easy, and for someone so likable you really feel it should be.
There is a colorful supporting cast from the snake-handling preacher and the Alcoholic abuser to gas station attendants and a famous writer. All fleshing out a somewhat dark coming of age story that shows life can be beautiful and truly unfair all at the same time. For me, the author managed to encapsulate small town living showing just how suffocating it can be sometimes. And an ever growing need to escape and see the bigger world. But what he also shows is that for some that small-town life in such places are all they need to be happy. I liked this balance through the first part of the story it allowed for a slightly more rounds viewpoint. But this is not to say any of our heroes total fit in.
The plot moves along at a steady pace picking up towards the end of the middle. The characters and plot gave enough to keep me reading. This book is soaked in the atmosphere of the south and with that certain events are a given to take place. Such as the jocks picking on the outsiders and a hearty dollop of religion. With that being said the story comes across as a heartfelt tale of adolescent, and I found my self-bonding with these people. The ending is a mixture of wish fulfillment and a slight side dish of realism.
I think this book will appeal to fans of John green looking for a change in location if not the character type. It's easy to get drawn into there world and to care about what happens to them. And when tragedy finally strikes I was invested enough in them for it to have the desired impact.
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