Books like the serpent king

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. 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. The serpent king by jeff zentner is one such book that has reached down. 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. Morris award finalist speech given by jeff zentner about the serpent king. 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 is one of those books that just came out of nowhere. I ended up loving it despite everything and i am really glad to see you didnt hate it either. Find books like the serpent king from the worlds largest community of readers. 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.

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. The serpent king author jeff zentner on his new book goodbye days. Named to ten best of the year lists and selected as a william c. A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself. Whether it was fellow book blogger friends or other authors, i kept seeing the serpent king everywhere i turned. Graduation feels more like an ending to dill than a beginning. This gorgeous paperback edition with a fullcolor stepback cover will have teens everywhere. The heartrending story focuses on three high school seniors and best friends in rural tennessee. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to the serpent king. Alls faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laughoutloud romcom from debut. The southern boy in me savored every syllable and the reader in me fell in love with every page. 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. In order to finish by the new year, well be packaging two genres together in this onceaweek series. Im looking for something similar to the serpent king by.

The serpent king gripped me in its coils and kept me turning pages late into the night. The serpent king author jeff zentner on his new book. 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. The serpent king by jeff zentner is among the best books ive read so far in 2016, debut or no. 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. 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. 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. The story is being told from each characters perspective, and each one of them taking this story forward with their own. I used to pride myself on not crying during emotional scenes in books, though as. 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. This book is beautiful, heart breaking, and ultimately affirms the power.

The synopsis failed to interest me, and i tend to like more of the fantastical young adult books rather than those based on reality. This is an alternate cover edition for asin b00zne17d2dill ha. The serpent king is a difficult book in my opinion. 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. 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. I feel like jeff zentner was channeling my inner spirit into three. 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. However, there was something about zentners the serpent king that really spoke to me on a deeper level. The serpent king was the hype or like friday selection for the month of january, and i can honestly say that i would not have picked this book up had it not been the book of the month.

Dill fears his heart will break when she escapes to a better life. The serpent king takes the reader through the three friends senior year, from the high points to the darkest lows. 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. As dills story comes to a close and he reflects on all hes overcome, he admits, ill miss this. Dill, a musician with a tendency towards melancholy and poetic observations. The serpent king by jeff zentner the serpent king by jeff zentner effervesces with the warmth and darkness of a small southern gothic town. The serpent king author jeff zentner on his top 10 southernset.

The serpent king is a mesmerizing piece of fiction one full of heartbreak and wonderment. 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. 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. In jeff zentners gorgeous southernset debut, the serpent king, three. Parents need to know that the serpent king is a realistic contemporary novel by musicianturnednovelist jeff zentner. Its a brutally honest portrayal of teen life on the spectrum of realism, most ya novels these. It shows us that life, even one full of struggle, is still worth living. 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. 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. 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. The serpent king is a book you wont be able to resist or forget.

Goodreads members who liked the serpent king also liked. 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. Created by young adult library services association yalsa read the pdf share. The serpent king was published by crown books for young readersrandom house on 8 march 2016. 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. Im looking for something similar to the serpent king by jeff zentner. Looking for something like the serpent king by jeff. This gorgeous paperback edition with a fullcolor stepback cover will. John corey whaley, national book award finalist and printz award winner.

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. The serpent king by jeff zentner overview named to ten best of the year lists and selected as a william c. But even before then, he must cope with another ending, one that will rock his life to the core. Here are 6 reasons you should read the serpent king. For some reason i thought the serpent king by jeff zentner was about videogames prior to starting it. Looking for something like the serpent king by jeff zentner and eleanor and park by rainbow rowell. 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. 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. 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. 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. Theyre unpopular but intelligent, creative, caring, and loyal to one another. Birth of the serpent king chapter one keira marcos. The serpent king named to ten best of the year lists and selected as a william c. I had heard nothing about it prior to its release, but the second it came out, everyone started talking about it.

Jeff zentner, the serpent king, published by crown books for young readers, march 8th 2016. This is a three star title, and had some conversation in the comments of our initial list post. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the serpent king. This book is complex, hilarious, sad, poignant, and lyrical, and it brims with the atmosphere of the rural south. 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. Jeff zentners debut novel, the serpent king, deserves all the praises and hype it has been receiving. The serpent king is set in smalltown tennessee, and alternates between the perspectives of three friends going through their final year of school.