Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: North star editions
Publishing Date: April 23, 2024
Synopsis:
When the adults of Brockton, Connecticut, morphed into gigantic, bloodthirsty monsters nine months ago, the students at Jefferson High barricaded themselves inside their school.
Now eighteen-year-old Kay Kim is one of the Student Council members trying to keep her classmates from starving. Kay has no poker face and can’t keep her mouth shut when she knows she’s right, so when she accidentally learns a secret that threatens the delicate power balance at Jefferson, she’s dragged out of the school in the dead of night and dumped in the middle of town in a secret assassination attempt.
But when a raiding party of cheerleaders from crosstown rival Moore High comes to her rescue, Kay finds herself among ruthless, hard-partying road warriors who have adopted the feudal trappings of a once-popular video game. Life at Moore is violent and cliquish, but everyone is thriving. Everyone, that is, who survives the kingdom’s periodic monster hunts.
For Moore’s beloved King Max demands only two absolute fealty and that everyone at Moore help kill the “dragons.” If Kay wants to survive, she must be granted asylum at Moore–which means slaying dragons, not asking the wrong questions, and navigating the rival factions, love triangles, and political intrigues at court.
But when Kay discovers a deadly secret that reaches all the way to Jefferson, her inability to hide the truth might spark the revolution that burns both schools to the ground.
Content Warning: murder, violence, death, gore, body horror, starvation, suicidal ideation
My Review:
Top 5 reasons to read The Merciless King of Moore High
Post-apocalyptic world. I love that the story actually started months after the apocalypse. The survivors were past the process of recovering and were now trying to survive in the new world.
Plot. This is such a unique and intriguing plot. The grown-ups were mysteriously infected, and the teens barricaded themselves inside high school. There are lots of questions that arise around the plot, but you will have no time to think about them because the story will definitely hook you up until the very end.
Politics. I haven’t read many books that involve politics, or even if they do, politics that doesn’t interest me this much. The political dynamics in this book are what glued me to the pages.
Characters. Every character is just brilliantly written. There are a few gray characters in the book, which is just awesome. I loved the story even more because of the multiple POVs.
Brick. Yes, the male protagonist. Protective, possessive, and caring—I mean, what else do I need? Absolutely nothing.
The title couldn’t be more perfect. If you love zombie fights, complicated love, a post-apocalyptic world, and a thrilling storyline, then this book is for you. I really hope there will be a sequel to this book.
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with the arc of this book.
Click here for Tour schedule to see more reviews.
Book links:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
About the author:
Lily Sparks grew up hiking, writing, and counseling summer camp in Norwalk, Connecticut. She went to UCLA for an art degree and ended up spending all her time writing. She’s developed TV projects for MTV, FX, and Amazon and written for the CW’s Reign and Paramount’s Heathers.
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