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    The Serpent King
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    The Serpent King
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    The Serpent King
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Serpent King

    Written by Jeff Zentner

    Narrated by Ariadne Meyers, Ethan Sawyer and Michael Crouch

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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 father's extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

    He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it through their senior year 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 of 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.

    Includes the song "Birds Fly South," performed by the author and Elin Palmer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 8, 2016
    ISBN9780147521323
    Unavailable
    The Serpent King
    Author

    Jeff Zentner

    Jeff Zentner was a singer-songwriter and guitarist who released five albums and appeared on recordings with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He is now an appellate attorney for the State of Tennessee and lives in Nashville with his wife and son. He wrote his debut novel The Serpent King in a month, writing on his mobile phone on his commute and at night, weekends and lunchtimes between court cases.

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    Reviews for The Serpent King

    4/5

    206 ratings35 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I debated between two and three stars for this. I settled on three because there were a few things I thought the author did really well so I wanted to at least concede that.

      Oh I wish I could have liked this book.

      The writing style is fine. At times it transcends fine into beautiful.

      The characters are...for the most part...well-drawn. Which is good. But I felt like for the most part these well-drawn characters were wasted.

      First and foremost: for a contemporary book there was a lot of unreality here. For example, Lydia is a famous blogger and yet no one in her school seems to know this. Is she the only one with internet connection? Like...even if they're only interested in hanging around with her because she's famous, it's hard for me to believe every single person in the school hates her while she has hundreds of thousands of followers you know? Even in the deep south kids go online. Kids pay attention to the world around them. It was much more realistic that the kids would stay away from Dill because of his father, but Lydia's presence in this book was just...off-kilter to me.

      I thought about what I liked and I realized I liked Travis and Dill--two outsiders in their small southern town, living with family tragedies and trying to get through a world that wants to crush them. I thought their relationship, their friendship was true, and good, and important. And far be it for me to ever want fewer female characters in a book but I realized if you removed Lydia, you'd have a more cohesive, more cogent, and ultimately more affecting story. Lydia felt like she belonged in another book entirely, to be honest, and her scenes were completely lacking in comparison to Dill and Travis's.

      So basically I felt like there was tons of potential for this book but it ended up diluted entirely by a misuse of character and plotlines that dragged down what could have been a more meaningful, more powerful story.

    • 5/5
      Sad, funny, inspiring and beautifully written! I grew to love all three of the main characters quickly and went on the rollercoaster of emotions Jeff Zentner supplies with this story. I only wish that he had done an epilogue that maybe went like 4 or 5 years into the future so that I knew how well they turned out.
    • 5/5
      Three marginal teens form a triad of friendship and support in a rural town in Tennessee. But this is their senior year... how will they carry on when school ends? A searing look at poverty and class, as well as organized religion. Dill, the main character, must live with the guilt and instant poverty of a father behind bars (incarcerated when discovered with underage porn on the computer... if Dill had claimed it was his, the father would not have been convicted) Theirs is an evangelical home that believed in signs (the handling of snakes, hence the title of the book. Dill, who already doubted his faith, has his beliefs severely challenged as the year progresses. Travis is a big guy with a father who drinks too much and sometimes turns violent. His escape is a mythological novel series (think Lord of the Rings) but when he meets Amelia, a fellow gamer, his life appears to be turning towards something better. Lydia, by contrast, has money and love and a stable family but is too sophisticated for the small-town they live in. She's got her eyes set on NYU. The first few chapters are beautifully rendered and an incisive look at the differences between the three friends. Alas, there is a plot twist that sends the book down a more formulaic path. Overall, however, a great coming-of-age book and ultimately uplifting in its message that we can all grow and change-- with a little help from our friends. Caveat: a pretty strong indictment of organized religion may make it troublesome for some collections.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting book. I really liked the dybamocs betweent the main character Dill, and his best friends Lydia (probably my favorite of the 3) and Travis. The tension between Dill and his mother was nicely developed as well.
    • 5/5
      *Thank you for the ARC Penguin Random House*

      It's like playing a game of Jenga... With each word, you pull out a block to reveal the weaknesses. The tower starts leaning and eventually it comes crumbling down. More words rebuild the tower and the story finds a beginning from an end. That sums up The Serpent King. It is felt deep within the soul and opens your heart in ways you never knew possible.

      The story is about three friends. Three different individuals, with three different home lives. One is privileged and popular on the internet. One is abused by his drunk father and one has a tainted name. Together they work through their insecurities and push each other to reach for the stars. It's not always easy though. To be honest, it's punch in the gut. Some of the scenes will grasp your heart and have you gasping for air. I couldn't believe the ups and downs and how real each vivid scene felt. In some twisted way I felt connected to the characters. I could feel their personalities seep from the pages and I could just picture their stance and attitude with each word exchanged. Friendship is the theme, but trust, love, honesty, grief, hope, and anger all play a part in the story of Lydia, Dill, and Travis.

      I applaud the Author because the subjects (bullying, abuse, tough home life, suicide, death, first love) in this story are done a lot, but he took them and made them his own. Each one is thoroughly exposed and touched on with grit and pose. Nothing is sugar coated and for that I am thankful. To say I enjoyed this story is an understatement. I feel like this should be a mandated high school read. It's a book that opens your eyes to the bad and pushes you to find good.
    • 5/5
      This is the kind of book I wish was around when I was in high school. I was and still am floored by the content of this book. Zentner so ably built his characters that left you feeling as though they were a part of your soul.

      I laughed, I cried...ugly cried at one point, and I loved. This book...hands down one of my all-time favorites, and that's saying a lot as realistic young adult fiction is not my favorite!

      Great job, Mr. Zentner!
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written YA from three Nashville teens' pt of view & the friendship they'd forged over their school years. Heartbreaking, real, & ultimately upbeat - this Zentner reminds me of John Green.
    • 3/5
      3 Stars - One of those is just for location Second time around it wasn't nearly as strong for me guys. I know I loved it before, and I'll leave the review below but I guess perhaps my age and reading tastes have way changed in recent times. OLD Review~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I can't really express why I loved this book. I can say that I was able to connect and identify with each character, there was something in each of them and their struggles that struck something in me. This story is set outside Nashville, around Cookeville and while not exactly where I live it's close. So close my stomping grounds are mentioned briefly. That unique and shared way of life that comes from living and being raised in this area really bled through this in different ways. Jeff Zentner really captured it for me. The lifestyle, some of the struggles, all of it was clearly and very rooted in what actually exists. Anyway, this is just one of those 'perfect for me but maybe not for you' books. I loved it, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves contemporaries or who is from East TN.
    • 3/5
      Coming-of-age is the modifier that will likely get most attached to this book-- the main character Dill does indeed grow through the course of the story in many ways. Dill and his two friends are the most fleshed-out of the characters. Sadly, the others seem two-dimensional.
    • 4/5
      Dill, Travis, and Lydia have a strong, uncommon bond where they are misfits in their small southern town, Forrestville. Lydia has been planning to leave since forever, but her life situation is much different from that of her two friends. The book focuses on Dill, but the other friends have characters from their points of view as well. Dill's family has a strong religious connection and their form of worship also deals with snakes and poison. His dad is in jail and his mom is working but never quite makes ends meet. The quirky characters and the depth of their relationships drew me into this book about make choices and balancing obligations to family and self.
    • 5/5
      Three outcast teens find their saving grace in each other's friendship while attending high school in a small Tennessee town -- but what will happen when high school is over? There's Dill, wrestling with his demons: his father, a preacher at a snake-handling church, was arrested for child pornography, and Dill is afraid that shame will follow him for his entire life -- not to mention the crushing debt that presses on his family. Lydia, who comes from a more affluent background, is burning with ambition: she's already a successful fashion blogger with plans to attend NYU and never look back at her small-town upbringing -- but does that mean she has to leave her friends behind, too? And Travis, a gentle giant who is obsessed with a Game of Thrones-style fantasy series, dreams of nothing more than working at the lumberyard during the day and reading (and avoiding his abusive father) at night, but an online relationship starts him dreaming of more.This book had me crying more than a few tears. The writing is excellent, the characters engaging -- I wanted to spend more time with them. Looking back, I have a few questions about why certain things had to happen the way they did, but while reading, I was entirely caught up in the story. Highly recommended for readers of any age, particularly those who enjoy Southern small-town stories with a darker edge.
    • 5/5
      I received this book as part of the Early Review program through LibraryThing. I tend not to ready a lot of YA novels, and was honestly not expecting much from this novel. I was so wrong.This was a beautifully crafted story of loss, love, despair and hope. It brought me to tears and transported me from my own small town in the north to Forestville, TN (I borrowed the spelling from Lydia). This book is for anyone who has felt stuck in their life, who has dreamed of having something more and who has lost someone they love.
    • 5/5
      I received an ARC of Jeff Zentner's "The Serpent King" compliments of LibraryThing Early Reviewers and appreciated the opportunity.I will start by saying that I was left speechless and bursting with emotion after racing through this debut novel. This story is packed with heart wrenching, soul slicing, raw reality... it strikes where it hurts and lifts when you need some air... The tale of three friends, Dill, Lydia and Travis whose paths cross by sheer chance, forming impenetrable bonds. Told from their varying perspectives, the story follows the trio on their journey through innocence, vulnerability and despair. Does where you come from hand pick your destiny? This book represents risk, empathy, and perseverance. Intelligent and passionate writing that will rock you to your core. There is not a thing that I did not love about this book! I couldn't put it down... And what a fantastic cover! 5 stars for me and top recommendation for YA and Adult readers who want to be wow'd!
    • 5/5
      The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner is one of the most hauntingly beautiful novels I've read this year. It made me laugh, it made me cry, but most of all, it brought back memories of similar experiences when I was younger.It's a story about three teenagers from a small town who feel "stuck" by their respective circumstances. Dill, a talented musician, is ostracized because of his father's crime. Kind-hearted Travis immerses himself in the pages of his favorite book to escape his dysfunctional family. And Lydia, who runs a popular fashion blog, can't wait to escape their stifling hometown and make it big in the Big Apple. These three teenagers form a strong and lasting bond amidst ridicule, bullying, abuse and tragedy. They find their strength in each other to finally emancipate themselves from whatever it is that's holding them back.We all need a Lydia in our life. She's the type of friend who refuses to see you fail and will do everything in her power to see you reach your potential. I also fell in love with Lydia's parents, especially her dad. if all parents were like them there will be less troubled teens today.I just love everything about this book - the cover, the characters, the story, the writing style - everything. It's heart-wrenching but ends on a hopeful note. Told from the pov's of the three main characters, The Serpent King is a reminder to be more compassionate and accepting towards those whom society label as different.I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed The Serpent King. The characters felt familiar (everyone has known a Dill, a Lydia and a Travis) and the struggle to stay or move on will resonate with readers.
    • 5/5
      It's been a long time since I've been left so emotionally drained by a novel. While The Serpent King isn't to my usual taste in novels, I was attracted to it by its unusual blurb and it wasn't what I was expecting at all.I don't think that this story will suit everyone's taste. While it's message is ultimately uplifting, it's a pretty harrowing read for the most part. The subject matter covers some very dark and serious themes including pedophilia, abuse, depression and religious fanaticism. While it's not an overly graphic story (many of the horrors in Dill's backstory occurred long before the beginning of the novel), it's still very disturbing and really did wrench my heartstrings.The book takes the form of a snapshot - a year in the life of three very different teenagers before they graduate. The story follows them closely, showing how their situations and the attitudes of the people around them effect the way they view the world. The wealth of Lydia's parents offers her the freedom to choose her future but her entitlement blinds her to the fact that not everyone is as fortune. Travis suffers constantly at the hands of a violent father and seeks escapism by reading fantasy novels. Dill carries the weight of his father's crime and believes that he has no future, a belief furthered by his deeply religious mother's constant insistence that he must honour his father by paying off his substantial debts.The character arcs are filled with unpleasant happenings and lots of angst but the characters grow from their experience, finding the hope and courage to pursue the lives that they want to live, not those that others believe they should have. The metaphor of the Serpent King is very powerful, emphasising how we each make our own poisons, rather than inherit them from others, and the best we can do is find a way to remedy them so they don't eat us away from the inside. For all its darkness, the story really is hauntingly beautiful and has some magnificently sublime moments.I only really have one small issue with the plot and that is the death of a certain character. While I won't spoil things here, it felt very sudden and meaningless in itself - like the kind of stunt a TV tearjerker would pull. I'm a believer that death should be used sparingly in literature and this death was just a plot device. It's only purpose was to push the survivors closer together. Still, this one hiccup wasn't enough to make me dislike the story. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed reading it (a lot of time it made me deeply uncomfortable) but it was certainly powerful enough elicit an emotional response and make me care about the protagonists. I would certainly read more of this author's work in the future.
    • 4/5
      Growing up as one of the kids that never got picked for teams, always feeling like an outsider, it was easy for me to identify with the characters in this book on that level, even though their lives are so different from mine in nearly every other way. I realized that I was really invested in the story when I found myself crying not once, but at least four times through the course of the book.The writing wasn't perfect. I found the way he set scenes to be formulaic: the author would give us some quick surface details on appearance and compare it to something quirky, then tell us what it smells like, with more quirky details. A little clumsy, but not a deal-breaker. There were also a few unlikely wish-fulfillment scenarios, but they also weren't deal-breakers.I liked getting to know the three main characters. Being in their heads made it easy to get emotionally invested in their lives. Even with the wish-fulfillment scenarios, some of the predictable things I was worried might happen didn't, and the story did offer some surprises. As an atheist, I was pleasantly surprised by the way the main character explored his faith through the book, and how his family and friends informed and impacted his relationship to it.
    • 5/5
      Dill is no stranger to hardship. He's dirt poor, financially supporting his mother, and seems to have zero future prospects. His father, a snake-handling preacher, is in prison; many of his former parishioners blame Dill. Yet Dill has two things that keep him getting up in the morning - his friends Travis and Lydia. The three are strikingly different but are pushed together by their mutual status as social outcasts. This is a story about friendship, futures, and fighting. It's the first book in a long time that's made me just start bawling - I'm generally avoid crying if I can, but this book deserved a good cry. It was that moving. I didn't just feel for Dill and his friends, I felt with them - which is saying a lot since I personally have not experienced most of the hardships that Dill and his friends were going through. The characterization and mood of this book were what made it amazing. The characters were real. They were flawed. They got angry for stupid reasons or were sometimes bossy and blind to the needs of others. Yet they were perfect. They were just what good friends should be. They knew how to love, how to inspire, how to live. The mood of the book was remarkably well-kept. It somehow mixed the darkness of hardship with the light of an amazing friendship. Overall, I would recommend this book to anybody who likes gritty teen realism. Personally, I volunteer for a texting crisis hotline for teenagers, and I find reading books like these helps me to better relate to the teens that text in. I am currently collecting books that I think would either be good to recommend to troubled teens, or help others in the crisis center to empathize with teens in crisis. I consider this an important collection, and carefully think about each book that I include. This one is a definite yes. Issues that I consider important in this book - religious extremism (and how it impacts youths), family members in prison, bullying, grief, mental illness, and coping mechanisms.
    • 5/5
      The town I grew up in was just this side of rural by the time I hit high school: they put up the first full stoplight (not just a blinking red or yellow) when I was in eighth grade. Our first McDonald's came that year too, or the year after. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if we'd had the internet in high school. The internet was around when I was in high school, of course (I graduated in 2003). Everyone had an email address, and (more importantly) an AIM screen name. But the internet was dial-up, and unless you had two phone lines at your house, you couldn't be constantly online or no one would be able to make calls. What I mean was if we'd had the internet like today, constant availability and access. I used books and movies to escape the limits of my experience as a high schooler, but if I were in high school today, I have to imagine I'd have been an active blog reader and probably a blogger myself. Which is why I think I connected so hard with Lydia, one of the three rural Tennessee high school students at the heart of The Serpent King. Lydia reminds me of myself in high school...that feeling that you were destined for something greater than what Belle in Beauty and the Beast referred to as "this provincial life" (Belle's kind of a snob when I think back to that movie). Thinking that you were smarter than the people around you, and that somehow made you better than them. While I had a little bit of a hard time buying that Lydia wouldn't have at least some social interest from her peers solely by virtue of her fashion-blogger access to fancy things, she was such a well-drawn character and her emotional truth resonated enough to make this merely a quibble.Her two best friends and fellow outcasts: Dill, the son of a Pentecostal minister serving time for possession of child pornography, and Travis, a hulking, gentle soul who immerses himself in a Song of Fire and Ice-esque fantasy series, are trying to navigate their senior year. Senior year of high school is such an emotionally-charged time of life, where you start really thinking about The Future in a real way for the first time. The K-12 schooling that has been your entire life since you can remember is about to be over, and the future can feel both overwhelmingly wide and incredibly narrow at the same time. Everything is tinged with a kind of premature nostalgia because you know it's ending. The Serpent King captures the feeling of senior year with such assuredness and beauty that it took me straight back there mentally...I found myself pondering what senior-year me would think about the life I've ended up with, what I would have been like as a senior if I graduated ten years later, trying to figure out what ever became of people that I haven't even thought about in ages.This is the best high-school experience novel I've read since The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. Chbosky's novel has become a modern-day classic, and I don't see any reason why The Serpent King shouldn't do the same. Strong characters and a beautifully-told, powerful story. A must-read.
    • 5/5
      This is a perfect example why you should not allow labels like YA deter you from reading any book. Dillard Early, Travis Bohannon, and their snarky sweet friend Lydia Blankenship have been friends for years. The book begins just before the beginning of their senior year of high school. These three are are not members of the so called "IN" crowd, or any clique aside from their own. They are all more mature than their fellow classmates for various reasons. Lydia writes a blog called Dollywould and has a lot of followers there as well as on other social media. She is quirky and kind. Dillard, called Dill in the story is the son of a preacher. Not your typical preacher, but he's one of the ones you hear about who handle snakes and speak in tongues. Dill does not follow in his fathers footsteps, which is just as well. His father is in prison. And Travis is a sweet guy who finds escape in fantasy novels, particularly those of a particular author. He imagines himself in that world, to cope with his dysfunctional family What happens during their senior year, will make you smile, it will make you cheer and it may even make you cry. But whether you cry from joy or sadness is what you will find out in this extraordinary story of three friends who have each others backs. They embody the meaning of friendship. We could learn a lot from them. I cannot imagine anyone not loving these young people, or reretting the time spent reading this book. It will be on my re-read shelf for sure. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      I really liked this book about three kids who are seniors in high school in a small town in Tennessee. Lydia bas been planning for quite some time to leave and seek her fortune elsewhere but her two best friends, Dill and Travis, have less clear cut paths. The angst that fills these teens lives is pretty profound but their hopefulness and support of each other is terrific. I think this one is going to be a big favorite.
    • 5/5
      Dill's father, a Pentecostal preacher, is in prison for possessing child pornography. Barely getting by, and facing his mother's unhappiness and the town's scorn, Dill has two friends. Travis, obsessed with fantasy literature, works at a lumberyard owned by his violent father. Lydia, who Dill wishes were more than a friend, is heading for college. Dill sees no place for himself in the future.
    • 5/5
      A year in the life of three southern US high schoolers. They are close friends, social misfits and each with a unique, compelling story of their own to tell. Life in this small, Tennessee town has been difficult for Dill. His father, a former Pentecostal minister, has disgraced his family, destroyed their reputation and now spends his days in a nearby prison. Dill and his mother struggle to make ends meet and as graduation day approaches, he dreams of the day he'll go away to college and escape the poverty, bullying and disgrace. Lydia's well to do family supports her eclectic style and plans of college in New York. Her love of fashion and dedication to building her "Dollywould" blog are as much a part of her unique personality as the clothes she wears. Travis brings hope, determination and the will to move forward despite seemingly overwhelming odds. His calm nature, love of fantasy and deep inner strength are integral to the storyline. This is a beautifully written coming of age story. A story of deep friendships, family, poverty, religion, mental illness, obligation and abuse. Jeff Zentner brings this story to life in a very real way. The setting, characters and storyline are so relatable that you'll quickly find yourself caught up in their struggles to live in the moment, plan for the future and escape from the past. An excellent YA novel from an author that I look forward to reading more from!
    • 5/5
      You know those books that are so good you don't want them to end? Add The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. The book covers the senior years of three friends -- Dill, whose father is a serpent-handling minister now in prison for having kiddie porn on his computer; Lydia, a force of nature with a fashion blog that has caught the attention of the big city fashionistas; and Travis, a big lug of a man-child who loves his fantasy books, wears a dragon pendant and carries a wooden staff. The story takes turns with its centering on the three characters, but none of them are ever really left out. They are outcasts at school and their interactions with the bullies are documented, but thanks to Lydia the outcomes are not the usual slink-and-go-hide-in-the-bathroom. Zentner also includes the home life of each friend. Dill's mother works long, menial hours and is broken in spirit and body. The few scenes with his father in prison show a wicked man who twists words to make everything all about him. Travis's mother stays home and is still getting over the loss of his older brother, a Marine who died in service. His father also hasn't gotten over it and takes it out on both of them, especially after he's been drinking. Lydia's parents are amazing. He's a dentist who decided to stay in his family's small town to protect his beloved daughter from the evils of a big-city life, and who helps the boys. Her mother would be the kindest woman in any suburb. They're the kind of parents who sip wine and read their books out on the enclosed porch while the three friends have their usual Friday movie night Dill, who loves music, does fear his family's heritage. He not only carries his father's name, and all the weight that carries in a small town, but also knows his grandfather went mad and died of grief after a snake killed his beloved daughter. The sins of the father are a genuine burden. Both Lydia and Travis have online friends; one is honest and the other keeps major parts of everyday life hidden. One of the highlights is when the three friends climb a railroad trestle to inscribe words important to them to commemorate their senior year. They know Lydia will go off to college and that the boys will stay in town to work and help their parents. One of the great things about the novel is that there are events that make a reader think the worst is going to happen. Bad things do happen, but so do good things. And they feel real. Zentner's characters are complex human beings with hopes, dreams and sorrows. They are well worth knowing.
    • 4/5
      Being from the south this book kind of hurt to hear but it’s definitely glad I read it finally.
    • 4/5
      I am a long way from high school but I really enjoyed this story. Has a geat trio of main characters, family conflicts, love, tragedy, religous views, and especially becoming your best self. Some may not like what happens but that is how life often is. A really worthwhile read, but I would say it's for about 16 and above.
    • 3/5
      Coming of age book about 3 teens living in rural Tennessee. They are outcasts, but grow in courage with the help of each other.
    • 5/5
      Wow! This book started a bit slow, just another story of 3 high school kids and what their futures might hold, but about half-way through it picked up emotional speed and never slowed down. I know the whole play with snakes and drink poison is easy prey for a sensational story. I am a believer and I don't really know what to do, personally, with those verses. I was afraid this book would be very religion smashing, but it really wasn't. It was not kind to those who live to the extreme, but an extreme of any kind is usually bad.

      I loved Lydia, Travis, and Dill. Not only do I want them as my friends, I want them as friends for my kids. I want my kids to have friends who get them, who challenge them and love them well.

      I was surprised by how much I loved this book!
    • 5/5
      4.75

      Beautifully written. Powerfully moving. Characters I felt I knew. An atmosphere so real I could taste it, smell it and feel it suck me under. I have to say, I go into reading YA expecting to be entertained, and sometimes slightly moved, but rare is the moment when a YA book like this can touch me so deeply. It isn't a knock against YA, it is just I am a jaded, and nihilistic old ass adult. LOL. In any case, I can't wait to read more of Zetner's writing.

      PS. This is heading to my favorites shelf.
    • 5/5
      There is no way on earth I would have read this book had it not be recommended to me by a trusted friend. Neither the front cover nor the blurb on the back caught my attention, but I am so very glad I did. What a wonderful treasure was hidden inside! The author took me on an emotional roller coaster from the first page. At times I was angry, disgusted, frustrated, heartbroken, inspired and captivated. I laughed and I cried, and I quickly fell in love with the three main characters. I loved how they cared and supported each other, and I quickly became totally absorbed in their stories. While I admired Lydia's strength and determination, I just wanted to wrap Travis and Dill in a big hug and tell them everything would be okay.Heart-warming, heart-wrenching and beautifully written, I wanted to linger with Lydia, Dill and Travis for longer. I was amazed to discover that "The Serpent King" was a debut novel for this author because I have read many books by seasoned authors who can't write as impressively as this. A must read!