This will be the Jeff Zentner edition!
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner ● Young Adult, Contemporary
Audiobook ● Read by Michael Crouch, Ariadne Meyers, and Ethan Sawyer ● 8 hours and 51 minutes
Goodreads ● Amazon ● Barnes and Noble
I’m not crying – YOU’RE CRYING! Seriously, this book is freaking beautiful. I’m not going to be able to say enough good things about it, so just take my word for it and go and read it, okay? No? Alright – well here is a bit more. This book features three insanely unique and interesting characters that you will fall instantly in love with. Your heart will then proceed to break for each of those three characters, because they’re fighting battles that are deep and difficult. This book has so much to offer and is about so many things that it’s almost mind blowing. It was a story of true friendship, about loving your friends, being there for your friends, and accepting your friends at all costs. It’s about accepting and owning who you are, and that includes your history, which may be strange, difficult, and/or embarrassing. It’s about finding the courage to break the chains that restrict you, whether those chains are real or are just in your mind. Even more than that, it’s about feeling an obligation to your family and struggling to balance supporting them and making them proud while also growing into the person that you are meant to be, and recognizing that sometimes that balance just can’t exist. Heartbreakingly raw, right? Believe me now? Good! Now go and read it so we can all suffer together.
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner ● Young Adult, Contemporary
Audiobook ● Read by Michael Crouch ● 10 hours and 44 minutes
Goodreads ● Amazon ● Barnes and Noble
I’m still not crying – YOU’RE STILL THE ONE CRYING! Man, Jeff Zentner truly knows how to break my heart, but also how to deliver ridiculously beautiful and outstanding stories. This focuses on loss and grief, and is a great representation that grief doesn’t have one form and can be felt and worked through in many, many ways. It’s about moving past the grief, honoring those lost in a productive way, and finding a way to move past it all and continue to live. I appreciate that this wasn’t sugarcoated and that there were demons to battle for many of the characters as they struggled through their grief, because from my experience, loss is very rarely smooth and tidy. I loved the unique approach to learning more about each character through flashbacks and their individual goodbye day that Carver participated in. I also found that to be an excellent way to learn about Carver, not just the on the surface stuff, but his real history. I would have to say that Georgia, Carver’s sister, is my favorite character, though (sorry Carver). I immediately related to her temper and attitude (I’m fairly certain that she may be my twin). After reading The Serpent King, I’m not surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Another amazing story that captivated me until the very end. Last thing: DEARLY!!! ❤
Do you have a favorite Jeff Zentner book?
No Time for Tiny Bookshelves 