Trying to find words is hard. Because really, I want you to just be on your way and go fall in love with it yourself. I had read positive reviews, but when I tell you that nothing can properly explain my feelings about this book, I mean it. Clearly I do not possess the eloquence that the book does, so how about a GIF? I possess the ability to search for GIFs, if nothing else.
See, this kid is excited, and he also doesn't know how to process his emotions. Just like me!
So okay, a few thoughts on things I loved. Let's do this.
The Characters, I Adore
There are three main characters in the book: Dill, Lydia, and Travis. Let's start with Dill, because he is the main main character. Dill is a dude with a really shitty home life. Dill is lost, he's confused, he doesn't know who to give his loyalties to. He's questioning basically everything he has ever known about his family, his faith, his friends, his life path. He's not charming and witty like Lydia, or endearing like Travis. But he is the one I think people will relate to the most. Who among us hasn't lost our way in some aspect? Dill is just going through a lot of it, and at a really pivotal point in his life. Which is why he needs Lydia and Travis so badly.
You might want to slap Lydia a few times, but it's okay, because she's also freaking fabulous. She is just one of "those people"- you know, the kind who people gravitate toward? She has a presence that is undeniable. She's a blogger too, so there's points right off the bat. She comes from a much better family and home life than both Dill and Travis, but her parents... I am in love with them. Their relationship feels so honest to me, and I loved how caring and involved her parents were. But Lydia won me over with her character growth and her wit and snark, which made me smile.
"Lydia appeared to be pondering. 'Back to the snakes. Do you think that's what Jesus really meant? Maybe he was like 'And theoretically, you could probably pick up the snakes,' and Mark's over there writing and he's like 'You should literally pick up snakes. Cool, Jesus, got it!'. And Jesus is going 'Well, calm down with the snake business. Don't be weird; just be a decent person. It's really more of a metaphor'. And Mark is writing, 'Definitely pick up actual literal snakes and drink actual real poison like rotten grape juice or other Bible-y poison.'"
I mean, I was cracking up. And yes, there is a religious element, I will get to that. Later. Anyway. So she's super fun, but she hasn't always been/isn't always the best friend to Dill and Travis. She's worried about her online image, and her future in college, and she has a lot of growing to do, changes and decisions to make, about the kind of person she wants to be.
Travis is just... you want to give him the biggest hug and never let go. He's extremely quirky, and has had arguably the hardest home life of them all, and yet he is still so good. His father is abusive, his mother is passive, and his brother is dead. And yet Travis still has a heart of gold, despite it all. He loves books and games, and is so delightfully nerdy, but would do anything for his friends.
There's also an author in the book, one who Travis is obsessed with, and when I tell you, this man is absolute #AuthorGoals. He is hilarious, and down to earth, and I don't want to give anything away, so I will leave you with this, which speaks to me on a spiritual level (from one weird ass Polish name to another):
"My real name is Gary Mark Kozlowski, but who wants to read a fantasy novel by a Polish serial killer, right?"
Goodness, there is so much more to these characters, but alas, we must move on.
The Other Stuff
And here's where I am going to be extra vague. There are a lot of topics discussed in this book- I mentioned before religion, abuse, death, just to name a few- but it's more how the characters handle these things that makes the book so poignant.
I think the big thing most people will be iffy about is the religion. As someone who absolutely loathes religion in books generally, I promise this is not a problem. It's not preachy, and it isn't telling anyone what to believe. It's handled very well, and even though I personally am not religious, I know many people are, which is why it's even more important to have this kind of thing discussed. Dill is absolutely questioning his religious upbringing when his father, a former pastor, commits (and is jailed for) an atrocious crime. And I think that has to be something that tons of young adults go through- the questioning, not necessarily the incarcerated pastor father thing. It's like any other topic in a young person's life that is written about, and it's done very well, with thoughtful discussions by both young people and the older generation.
The story is intense, and there are feelings. So many of them. But it's written in a way that even during the darkest times, there is hope. The characters may not always know it, but there's a feel about this book that is never devoid of hope, even when I didn't think my own heart could even handle it.
Bottom Line: I simply can't praise it enough to do it justice. This book blew me away. Completely consumed, all in, The Serpent King stole my heart.
*Quotes taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.
**Copy provided by publisher for review.