Spent my Saturday settling into another great book – The Serpent King – about three outsider kids growing up in a small town in Tennessee. Dillard Early, son of a snake handling preacher recently imprisoned, Travis, a huge gentle soul with the heart of Tolkien, and Lydia, a fashion blogger who has always had dreams too big to contain in a small town. Excellent characters, all very strong and distinctive. This was a beautiful story of that transitional time in life where you know you’re going to lose things in the gamble to gain other things.

Let me just say… MY SOUL WAS SHREDDED BY THIS BOOK.

I’ve only cried over a few books in my life. Fault in Our Stars, Bridge to Terabithia, maybe a few others. This book had me sobbing. Gross, snotty, inconsolable sobbing. Anyways, other than being a knife into my heart, it was also incredibly good. It reminded me, in many ways, of Where Things Come Back, one of my all time favorite YA books. Wow. Just… bravo, Jeff Zentner. I look forward to reading whatever you write next.

RATING: FIVE STARS