This was right off the back one of those teen dystopian tv show vibes that needs to be visualized because the imagery was there in every short and anticipating chapter with lots of drama, love, and secret dynamics. I mean these are young adults who now have the power in there New England home town with adults now being monsters and they are doing what they believe is best for them in complete unlike power systems. The problem of course both Moore and Jefferson High have a king and leadership run by boys. And the dysfunction at Moore High is obvious to everyone in particular one of the female main characters Kay when she arrives there being a unknown person. And the relationships plus stories on how they formed are the best ya ones I've read in a almost fantasy dystopia drama since a popular fight to live series in the 2010's. While none of these characters are selfless in a world they are living in they are just as equal brave and smart but also willing to fight in even when it seems completely not worth it. By the end I could definitely say this is going to be or could be a series that makes young sometimes dumb teens worth believing in. That's everything you need to keep a story like this going in my experience.

I didn’t like this for a dystopian I felt like the plot moved to slow and the characters just felt flat and uninteresting to me

This is such a fun read and a fantasy twist on the "Lord of Flies"-esque story. Due to the nature of the set up, the violence comes off a little brutal for a contemporary setting, but it works. I liked watching Kay form relationships in Moore High and figure out the secrets of what is going on. Overall I really enjoyed this one!

My first thought is – I NEED A SEQUEL ASAP!

So, this book is a wild ride. There is so much happening on every page, but it works, the whole thing has a sense of urgency which aligns with the world the author has created.

We have a society rupturing catastrophe, coupled with the complexities of the still developing teenage psyche. We touch on so many themes, including but not limited to:

Family & Friendship, Love/Relationships, Sexuality, Mob mentality, Politics, Sovereignty, Ethics, The Greater Good, Belief, Perspective, Control & Mental Health.

I spent a lot of the book not being entirely sure who was a “good guy”, or “bad guy”, and I LOVED that, it really kept me guessing,
The groups within this story are complex, the side characters are multitudinous, but still individual and engaging (or enraging).

<3 Frank

The end BOTHERED me, but only because I have so may questions………

I need more Lily…. PLEASE.

This was such a unique dystopian fantasy that I couldn’t put down. I’m not sure what I expected when I first picked this one up, but I was definitely surprised. This book had a fast pace, multiple povs, as well as some King Arthur references. I found this to be a very well written read with so much packed into the story. I’m very curious as to what happens next in this dystopian world after how the epilogue left off.

Overall Impressions: I genuinely could not put this down. The horror/apocalypse/event is not explored super thoroughly, because the real terror is the dystopian set up created by teenagers in its wake. You almost forget at points that this isn’t just political intrigue/a murder mystery, and then a giant monster barrels in to remind you. I never knew who I could trust or who was “right” or “wrong” throughout the whole story and I found it absolutely fascinating. Really, really enjoyably weird read.

Worldbuilding: This book is hyper focused on a very small portion of the world and never zooms out to tell you more. The main characters don’t know what happened with the rest of the world (or even beyond their own high school) so neither do you. The main characters don’t understand what creates or motivates the Growns, so neither do you. I did wish for a lot more information on them but on the other hand, I LOVE that the story just plunks you down in the middle without a ton of exposition or info dumping.

Characters: Most of the characters were unlikable (on purpose!) and utterly untrustworthy but they always kept me guessing. I really liked Kay, even when I was shouting for her to just stop talking, and Brick was probably my second favorite character even if he clearly makes flawed decisions. I wish we had learned more about Starr but ultimately the book did a great job of keeping so many POVs distinct and interesting.

Plot: A million twists and turns, and yet it all made sense in a general way. I was shocked by some of the revelations but afterward they did make logical sense.

Pacing/prose: fast paced throughout, with constant action on action on action.

Recommend/Read More? Absolutely. I am hoping this gets a sequel because there is so much left to explore in this story.

This book had such a unique premise and was so much fun to read! I was drawn in right away and it had my attention at every turn in the story. This was a dystopian fantasy with quite a few characters to follow, but they all had unique voices and were easy to keep track of. I really enjoyed the focus the author put on the teens and the world they created for themselves to help them survive. I’m definitely curious to see how the story continues from here.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy.

THINGS I LIKED
•The overall premise was insanely creative.
•I liked that both Jefferson and Moore had pros and cons to how their schools were run. Moore was obviously thriving compared to Jefferson being on the brink of starvation, but being at Moore was contingent on participating in Expansion (killing the Growns/dragons and reclaiming more land) and basically feeding into the ego of a tyrant. Neither option was appealing but biting the bullet and tolerating some of the less than stellar aspects was what ensured survival.
•Kay and Brick’s romance was adorable, yes it was cliche for them to think the other wasn’t interested, no I don’t care because I loved it.
•Some of the twists were well-done and it literally left me guessing up until the very end what would happen.
•Leo’s murder was devastating and showed just how in over their heads these kids were. It highlighted that disconnect they had between real life and what they thought a trial by combat would look like; that mob mentality fell away for a moment to showcase their shock that someone had been killed right in front of them. They may be the authority in this new world, but they’re all still kids, or barely adults at least, and this scene was a brutal reminder of that.

THINGS THAT MADE ME GO “HUH?”
•Navigating politics and having next to no characters who were truly altruistic got to be exhausting after a while. I was okay with everyone having their own selfish agendas at first, but it just got to be a little much seeing so many people want others dead. (Max, Tyler, Stokes, Simon, Merlin, and Nirali especially all had my blood boiling from their choices and attitudes.) Maybe I’m just not cut out for a world like this, but Starr coming in and pointing out how messed up it was for no one to actually be looking out for each other made me realize how much I truly didn’t like most of the characters. The past four years has brought out the worst in humanity and seeing it echoed here in a dystopian scenario was uncomfortable, to say the least. I realize some of them were looking for someone to blame for their grief, and others were trying to maintain order, but ffs…everyone dogpiling Kay over and over again was annoying. Switch it up a little, at least?
•I would have loved more flashbacks about Before. The revelation that Brick and Max are half-brothers didn’t really get to sink in all that much due to it being at the end of the book.
•There were at least two other schools in Brockton that may or may not have had more survivors. What were their societies like? Starr had no interest in going back to either, but I need details!
•There wasn’t really an ending. The book just stops after the epilogue, which raises more questions that won’t be answered. If there are more books coming, then this wouldn’t bother me too much, but there was so much left that didn’t get a resolution. How long will Brick need to pretend to be Kyle? What is Moore going to look like with Max and Merlin still in power but with Jess still alive? Is anyone going to get their comeuppance? What in the hell did Leo turn into and does that only happen to the dead?

NITPICK CORNER
•A good nitpick this time: Frank the dog lived! Yay to this book for little to no animal cruelty!

My opinions are all over the place, so I think three stars is the closest rating I can give that lines up with that. If more books are planned, then I might come back and change my rating, but as is, this was interesting and very different from what I usually read…so there’s that, I suppose.

Thank you North Star Editions and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This one was an absolutely wild ride. You’re thrown straight into the action from the beginning and it’s entirely high stakes throughout the whole story.

This is a dystopian but not quite like any other I’ve read. It reminds me of some mix of The Society combined with a zombie apocalypse, only the zombies are giant beasts made up of multiple humans combined.

I don’t really know how to describe this plot without giving anything away but it’s one that keeps you guessing. You never quite know who to trust, who’s on whose side, which way is the ‘best’ or ‘right’ way. These characters are all so complex and I truly believe they all want what’s best, at the end of the day, but the chaos of their lives has skewed that idea for more than one of these kids.

And they are just kids. I think that’s what makes this story work the way it does. These teenagers are forced to grow up, to survive in a world designed to kill them, to find ways to govern and maintain order and keep hope alive. Of course they’re messy and scared and they make so many mistakes at every turn.

I’ve not seen this advertised anywhere as the first in a series but if it is, the ending is a little frustrating. I hope we get a sequel to tie off all the loose ends.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flux for the eARC.


CONTENT WARNING: blood, death, gore, body horror, alcohol and drug use.


OMG.

Lily Sparks has done it again, she wrote a book (the first of a new series, I hope!) that captured and captivated me within its pages from the beginning - so much so that I devoured it (pass me the term here because it takes on a rather macabre meaning given the contents of the book) in just two days because I couldn't tear myself away from the story and the characters.

I was attracted to this book primarily because it's written by Lily Sparks, who also wrote one of my favorite books of all time ("Teen Killers Club") and gave me one of the most psychopathic and attractive bookish boyfriends ever (hi, Erik), but also because the high school setting where the kids barricade themselves inside to hide from bloodthirsty monsters reminded me of another of my all-time favorite books written by one of my all-time favorite authors: "This Is Not a Test" by Courtney Summers.

But there are no zombies here, there is much more - and we never really know everything, we don't know why and we don't know how, but all the adults have turned into monsters and I won't say anything else so as not to ruin the surprise for you. Kay, the protagonist, tells us little or nothing because she is clearly traumatized, but we see some things about the day that changed everyone's lives forever through the points of view of other characters.

After a trilogy like "Teen Killers Club", there was the risk that some characters would end up resembling others - but that's not the case. Kay is not Signal, the titular King is not Erik, none of the male characters are Javier, and none of the female characters are Jada. But the way I was involved with all of them was the same.


The story begins exactly how the plot tells us: Kay is out of school, exiled in a coup for something she discovered, in the middle of nowhere and at the mercy of the monsters - the Growns, as Jefferson calls them. But a group of girls saves her and takes her to the other school in town, Moore High. In addition to being surprised that she and her classmates are not the only survivors, she is also amazed by the way they are all healthy and not starving like them at Jefferson. But what leaves her most dismayed of all is the difference between the two schools: while Jefferson has adopted a policy of seriousness, rationality and no nonsense where everything is discussed and approved or not by the Student Council during public assemblies, the Moore lives as if they were still in the Middle Ages based on an old video game - the boy who first killed a "dragon" is King, his best friend Captain of the Guards, the other friends Knights, the girl who takes care of treating the wounded calls herself Wizard Merlin and the rest of the school each occupies a room with a name defining their "clan" and they all form the King's court.

King Max doesn't trust Kay right away, believing her to be a spy and therefore entrusts her to the custody of his best friend - and if Kay wants to gain trust and asylum at Moore, she must train and go out with the others in the next Expansion to kill a dragon. If this doesn't kill her first.

And, between one training session and another, one driving lesson and another, she discovers that not everyone is loyal to the King and that there is a faction just waiting for the right opportunity to rebel against tyranny. But she also discovers something that links both schools and Kay, who is incapable of lying, must now guard the biggest secret of all.


What else could I tell you? I can't say more.
I can't tell you the names of the other characters because I risk spoiling big things and I certainly don't want to.

I can tell you that I turned my nose up at the idea of a love triangle, but in reality the triangle never comes together because of the feelings that two of the people involved have for other people and because in the end it was just part of a political intrigue.

I can tell you that it is difficult to identify a real villain within these pages because everyone thinks they are doing the best for their people, but then you see how the new reality they are forced to live in has brought significant changes in their personality. So yes, maybe in the end someone really is a villain.

I can tell you that the skepticism felt by Kay in having to bow before the King when the King in question is a boy of her age - and when in her school everything is decided together after being the subject of a discussion - is also real for the reader. But then the story moves forward and you understand why everyone has adopted that lifestyle - whether it's out of desperation, hope or because everyone else has already done it, but believing in something, believing in the power to defeat "dragons", gave all of them at Moore a purpose and the desire to continue living.

I can tell you that you will never be bored because there are twists and turns on almost every page, court intrigues, shadowy plots, changes of alliances, duels and betrayals - you'll be anxious sometimes.

I can tell you not to get attached to anyone because Lily Sparks - as I already knew - is not afraid to kill her characters if it serves the story. And I still cry when I think about a certain death in this book.

I can tell you that I loved Brick.

I can tell you that, although the story has its own conclusion, as was the case with "Teen Killers Club" there is still a lot of space, a lot of margin, a lot of unknown to explore and the story can only grow - this pun too refers to the content of the novel.

I can tell you that the epilogue is something illegal and that leaves the reader astonished because it does not coincide with what was known before about the Growns - or dragons, as you prefer. So we need other answers to just as many questions.

So Lily, give us a sequel!

While I really liked the concept of the book, the structure and prose made it not work out for me. I enjoyed the characters but the story felt very repetitive and got confusing at points. Some things were worded strangely and sometimes it felt like things were missing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc.
All opinions are my own. This is a no-spoiler review.

4.5 Stars

Oh wow, that was one hell of a ride!!! I knew that this was right up my alley only by reading the summary. And I was right. I loved it. This books genre is somewhere between horror, dystopian/apocalyptic ya, nerdy video game and highschool drama. That sounds like an absolut crazy mix, but it thoroughly worked for me. If you want a book that has a little bit of body horror, a touch of the fantasy-vibe with political intrigue, but make it highschool...this book is definitly for you.

I absolutely adored the characters and all of their weird storylines. Especially with the multiple pov's, you really get an inside view on why certain characters act/make decisions the way they do. However I found it a bit difficult at the end to follow exactly what was happening. BUT I think it's because English is not my first language...after reading it a second time, I got all the details;)))

The pacing of the book was fantastic. I did not feel bored for a second. I was hooked as soon as I read the first page and I finished the book in one and a half days. I simply could not put it down.

I also really appreciated the queer representation and just in general the diverse character cast.

I really hope that there will be a sequel! I don't want to say goodbye to these characters just yet...I feel like there's a lot more coming for them!

THE MERCILESS KING OF MOORE HIGH is one wild ride! I'm not sure what was more shocking: the grotesque dragon-like monsters comprised of the corpses of the grown-ups of the town, or the twisty deceptions of the teenagers fighting the monsters and each other for their very survival. What I do know is this book was completely unexpected, riveting, and unputdownable! But it's not just about the action. Sparks has created such authentic, relatable characters that I wanted to root for every one of them, even the ones making less-than-honorable decisions. With action, heart, and powerful storytelling, THE MERCILESS KING OF MOORE HIGH offers a completely fresh take on apocalyptic horror, and I'm excited to see what's next from this author.

oh my god. This book. Where do I start??

I've read 6 books from NetGalley until this one, and of course, all of them were special and good in their own ways, but none of them made me want to scream, push my face into a pillow, or put a countdown in my calendar so I can order this book asap when it comes in stores. This book though, this book did all of that.

I unhinged my jaw and swallowed this book whole. I Literally did not do anything today besides sitting in bed, holding my phone and reading this book with music in the background.

The Merciless King of Moore High is an apocalyptic survival story, rom-com, and action/adventure with equal parts teen-drama, politics, and body-horror. Basically everything I LOVE. Even if that's not your cup of tea specifically, I still don't doubt you'll love it as much as I did.

The story has several POVs but primarily we follow Kay and Moore High 'enforcer' Brick. There are a few other POVs, including from one of the student council leaders at Jefferson High, but for the most part, this is Kay and Brick's story. I always love when a book has different POVs, and this did not disappoint. Amazing.

God, and the writing? Where do I start. I don't think I've ever read a book that describes body horror and monsters as good as this one, and I've read A LOT of them. The writing was so clever and satisfying, a true reminder that I actually love reading. The characters, also, were simply amazing. Each one of them stood out for different reasons, but mainly because of their personalities. I legit fell in love with all of them. Well, maybe not all, if you know what I mean. But still. Even the "villains" of the stories were written so good that I might have sympathised with them half of the story, even without wanting to.

For the record, I just added the author's other books to my shopping cart, and I can't wait to read them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this truly outstanding book in advance!

3.5 rounded up

This book was a wild ride! When the end of the world as we know it arrives, who knows how we will act. This book looks at two high schools on the oppositive sides of town forced in to that very situation, and the way they respond is extremely different. There is political turmoil, action, deception, a bit of fantasy, and even romance all rolled into this one dystopian story. What happens next will keep surprising you until the final chapter. While the ending wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, it shows the chaos that surrounds the high-schoolers trying to survive when all the adults have combined into grotesque corpse monsters.

Lily Sparks' "The Merciless King of Moore High" is an adventurous and emotional delve into the post apocalyptic world where all adults have turned into mounds of flesh that ooze with death. Stuck with just their peers, the students of Jefferson High and Moore High take on differing political systems that both delve into chaos as their worlds collide. Forbidden romances bloom and hearts are broken as Kay fights to bring justice and peace to both schools, the twists and turns sure to bring you to the edge of your seat and rip your heart out.

The amount of love I feel for this novel is overwhelming. It was full of action from start to finish, tugging at my heartstrings and crushing my soul with wild forms of betrayal. I can confidently say that the epilogue has me pulling at my hair, desperate for more.

Thank you so much to North Star Editions and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy!

I enjoyed most of this book! I thought there was a good level of gore for a post-apocalyptic monster book, and the characters were all likable. The ending felt rushed though and was way too complicated. I'm all for things not being neat, but this was a little too messy even for my tastes. 3.5 out of 5 for me!

I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book. Goodreads categorizes it as fantasy, dystopia, and queer, none of which fit particularly well. It's hard to find words to describe the reading experience: somewhere between post-apocalyptic/court politics/survival horror/dark comedy/forbidden romance.

What I liked:
- After finishing, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be taking away from the story. Whose choices were justifiable? We're supposed to be rooting for Kay, but given the circumstances, I understand the choices that other characters made, even when they were horrible.
- The vibes are just. terrifying and there's such a good sense of suspense.
- The book starts right in the middle of the action, but it's pretty easy to understand what's going on. There's a lot to keep track of, but it's extremely well-done. I appreciated not being confused.
- brick brick brick brick

What I didn't like:
- I was a little confused by the Arthurian influences. It used names like Kay and Merlin, but none others, and wasn't overly consistent with their themes.
- The love triangle, which turned into more of a hexagon when you include all the marriage plots and past relationships, wasn't super convincing.
- Categorized as queer on goodreads. There is one queer ship tease but that's it.

I really liked this one! Blew through it in 24 hours and I thought it was a very fun romp through post apocalyptic suburbia through the eyes of teenagers. There was just something very playful about the visual of a bunch of cheerleaders riding a jeep through subdivisions looting houses and fighting monsters.

The book shows the pov of three characters: Kay, Nirali, and Brick. Kay -- exiled for uncovering a secret she couldn't keep, Nirali -- trying to find a beacon of hope for her school in trying times, and Brick -- navigating the balance of power between his best friend (King Max!) and Kay, the intriguing new rescue.

After all of the adults in the world morphed and merged into monsters, the children left behind were forced to band together to stay alive. When Kay, secretary of the student council at Jefferson High is kidnapped and dumped in the woods in the middle of the night, she is rescued by students from crosstown rival Moore High. After gaining sanctuary, she finds herself a part of the Court of King Max, a student who has styled himself after a video game character, and who rallies the students to kill the 'Dragons' terrorizing those still left alive.

Kay is quickly enmeshed in the court intrigue between King Max, Merlin, Brick (stoic and scarred knight of the kingdom), and those who wish to dethrone him. Add in the cross town school rivalry and you get one part mystery and one part political maneuvering which leads to a very entertaining read.

Again, I really had fun with this one, but I have two minor comments I want to share:
1. Given the title and the names of the characters, I really expected more King Arthur related content. There's a Merlin and a Kay and an Arthur, but it was sometimes hard to tell who else corresponded to the myth, and how the plot related to the old legends. This is only book one so perhaps time will tell but I spent a lot of energy looking for parallels I couldn't find.
2. The plot twist at the end was truly CW worthy. Which makes sense, given that this author is a former CW writer. I didn't love it because it's not a trope I'm particularly fond of, but it certainly will be exciting for some!

Still, very excited for the sequel!

This is one of the stranger books I read this year. It is a post apocalyptic book where all the adults turned into monsters, merged together. The survivors are high schoolers who survived inside their schools.
Kay is from Jefferson High, which is ruled by the student council (who were all elected before the apocalypse). Things aren't going well, they are starving, the school is dirty and infested with roaches, and Kay learns a secret the council has been trying to keep from the people.
The story opens in the middle of the action, which was a little confusing at first but I got the hang of it quickly. If anything, it worked well that we didn't get a lot of exposure beforehand, you figure everything out soon enough. Kay is kidnapped and dropped in the middle of the city so she doesn't spill the secret, and they presume the monsters will kill her. She is saved by a group of scavenging cheerleaders from Moore High, another high school.
Moore High functions very differently from Jefferson. The school is turned into a medieval video game. the titular character, Max, is King of the school and everyone must bow to him etc. And everyone in this school has to go out to slay dragons (which is what they call the monsters). And they're actually quite succesful! Killing a dragon keeps other dragons away until the corpse is decomposed, so they use this time to put up fences to expand their safe territory.

I thought the characterization of the two schools was so interesting. Jefferson seems very organized, run by the student council, but in reality it is a total shitshow. Moore on the other hand looks like a total shitshow, and in some ways it is, but they are also quite succesful at killing these dragons, expanding their safe territory.

What I also thought was great about this book is that none of the characters are truly good or evil. Everyone is trying to survive, of course, and some people are better than others, but there were absolutely times I thought someone really sucked and it turned out maybe they don't? Politically, it's a total mess.

I was not super fond of the love triangle, the romance itself was kind of cheesy, but I did like the political undertones within the love triangle. It's not just about love, it's about loyalty, survival and who supports who.

I did love Nirali and Merlin, I think they are my favorite characters so far. Both are complex, not fully good, but I can see where they're coming from and I hope to see more of them in the next book.

Going into this, I thought it was a standalone, but the ending does indicate it's part of a series, it ends very open, though it is a well rounded story on its own. I'm curious where it's heading next.

One thing I do want to mention that I'm a bit conflicted about: in the book, the characters use the phrase "From the dam to the beach, Brockton will be free", and I think the author included this in support of Palestine, which is great, but I'm honestly not sure if this is the most sensitive way to include a reference to this phrase in post apocalyptic fiction. I haven't lowered my rating because of this because I'm honestly not sure how to feel, I truly do think the author meant well and did it out of support, but I do think it worth mentioning.