So many people loved The Serpent King, but here I am, not at all enamored, my heart intact. I read one book from Zentner earlier this year, that being my introduction to his work, and found it rather mediocre. Unfortunately, that’s also the case this time around.

The plot was incredibly slow. I feel like nothing significant happened until the second half, by which point I was already beyond caring. Only one thing happened that I truly cared about, and while it did pack a punch, the feeling had worn off by the time I resumed reading. Zentner’s story had the potential to be heartbreaking and poignant and memorable, but the abysmal pacing and flat characters prevented that outcome.

Before I rant about any other characters, I want to say that Travis was by far the best and deserved better. One of three protagonists, he was a gentle giant with a passion for a series of fantasy books and in general, so wholesome.

If I’m being honest, Dill was a severely boring protagonist. He was about as interesting as a pickle, and that’s coming from someone that dislikes pickles. While his depression was very well-written and did resonate with me, I can’t think of anything special about him. His situation sucked and I did feel bad for him, but I didn’t like him. He’s a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, stuck in a small, backwards town that hates him because of his father’s actions. I just didn’t care.

Possibly my biggest issue with the story was the third protagonist, Lydia. She had moments of decency, of being a good friend, but for the most part, she got on my nerves. She’s a famous fashion blogger, and while I don’t have a problem with the concept, the execution left much to be desired. Her follower count doesn’t need to be mentioned more than once, at random moments when she’s tweeting something. I believe her blog made her a bit of a snob; she didn’t post about her two best friends because they didn’t fit her brand or whatever, instead claiming to be friendless. Being embarrassed by your friends because of your popularity is a sure sign that fame has gone to your head.

Somewhere in the first half of the book, Lydia is writing a FAQ blog post. One of the questions is if she’s a lesbian, to which she said that “the answer depends on who’s asking”. Some famous women, yes. Some famous men, no. Then there’s this:

”If the asker is yet another random Internet troll who literally believes, in this day and age, that it’s an insult to call someone gay–in a passive-aggressive manner no less–then the answer is whatever makes you the most uncomfortable, threatens your sense of self, and throws your tiny brain into a tizzy. So the answer is probably yes, I am a raging lesbian. All other askers I take on a case-by-case basis.”

I’m not sure what Zentner intended by having Lydia respond this way, but as a lesbian, it bothered me. As far as I’m aware, Lydia is straight. And while I can’t speak for all lesbians, I don’t see my identity as a question to take on a case-by-case basis. Maybe I’m overreacting, or maybe there’s a meaning here that I didn’t pick up on. But I read that passage, and read it again, and when I read it a third time to copy it here, it made me uncomfortable each time.

My next point can be applied to both Lydia as an individual and the novel as a whole — to me, it felt like Zentner was trying too hard to be amusing. When any of the three protagonists were being mocked at school, Lydia’s comebacks weren’t witty. The Pathetic Prom wasn’t really funny, either. I’m not sure what the goal was with these lines, these scenes, but unless it was to make me cringe, they missed the mark.

One of this novel’s only redeeming elements, in my opinion, was the message. At its core, this is a story about overcoming what’s thrown at you, no matter how daunting. Each of the three teens have their own obstacles, two more so than the third, but despite the physical and emotional pain, they persevere. There are undeniably dark moments throughout the story, but every time, hope shines through. The end, in particular, emphasizes this, and if I had to pick one thing Zentner did well, this would be it.

The other element I enjoyed wasn’t nearly as deep, and that was Lydia’s parents. Both her mom and dad had a great, loving, fun relationship with Lydia, and they welcomed Dill and Travis into their home with open arms, willing to provide love and safety the boys’ respective parents didn’t. I especially liked the way Lydia’s dad was there for Dill. It warmed my heart.

I didn’t hate The Serpent King, but I also didn’t find many reasons to like it. Though I liked a couple of aspects, all in all, I found this novel to be overhyped and ultimately, nothing special. I don’t think I’ll be picking up anything else by Zentner.

CW: abuse, poverty, ableist language, homophobic slurs, attempted suicide, gun violence, depression, death