I don’t normally read this kind of book, but Lily Sparks, the author of one of my favourite series, The Teen Killers Club, wrote it, so I thought I would give it a chance. I ended up really enjoying it, and I hope there will be a sequel.

This book was strange, intriguing and magnetic. I was so giddy with the the “what the actual hell?!!” feelings it gave me. One of my favorite genres of media is an apocalyptic / lord of the flies / end of the world type story. Not sure what this says about me, but all things aside this book is ALL OF THAT WRAPPED IN A BIG BOW.

In the town of Brockton Connecticut, all of the adults morph together into bloodthirsty monsters and all of the teenagers are holed up in their high schools trying to survive. One of the schools is on the brink of starvation while the other has flourished into a shocking royal hierarchy with a king, dukes & wizards. Our story starts when one character crosses over into the opposite world causing a chain reaction of events (read: every single twist and turn is CRAZY)

This was my first read by Lily Sparks (and my first ever ARC!!) and it did not disappoint!!! I want to read all of her books now!! So grateful for the chance to read this one!

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

I really wanted to like this as the concept sounded fun. But if I didn’t get this as an arc I would have DNFed.

The characters all felt fairly one-dimensional and flat. I really didn’t like Kay, who is the main character. She was whiny and disliked by those who she lives with. But nothing about her personality made her an underdog that you could root for. Rather I was shocked she was still alive with how childish and reckless she was.

The book got mildly better when we got other POVs, but the motivations behind the other characters made little sense, especially Nirali. She is meant to be a very intellectual character and one of the more mature ones, yet her actions at the end of the book are incredibly short sighted and frankly stupid.

The book did have good tone differences between our POVs and their personalities (what little we got) was clear in their chapters. I also think the idea of the Growns was very cool and honestly a horrific monster. I was the most intrigued by the Growns and how the world got that way. I would have liked more background/world building as that’s where a lot of the potential was.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Not gonna lie, this book was bizarre. It took some intentional suspension of belief for me to track with the plotline (what entire school of teenagers, after an apocalypse, would be totally on board with a guy crowning himself their king and styling their lives after a medieval video game?), but once I allowed myself to buy into the premise, this was a wild ride and... I liked it? A lot?

Fast paced with lots of double-crossing and secrets and conspiracies, it kept me guessing/totally unaware of where the author was taking things, which was a total blast.

I'm ready for book two!

The Merciless King of Moore High takes place in a modern day Connecticut where adults have morphed into terrifying monsters (called Growns by the kids of Jefferson High, where we begin our story). Kay, Student Council secretary, runs afoul of the school's current leadership and is abandoned in a nearby town, where she's scooped up by cheerleaders from Moore, another local high school. Moore feels like a paradise to Kay, but things are far more sinister than they appear on the surface.

This had so many unexpected twists that I felt like I had whiplash, in a good way. Rather than leaning on the usual "love triangle during the apocalypse" approach that is common in young adult dystopian science fiction, this was more political than romantic. These are teenagers, so it's not surprising there's some relationship drama, but it's more Lord of the Flies than The Hunger Games. I was so wrapped up in what would happen that I binged it in just a couple of days. Definitely recommended for fans of this genre.

It's a very interesting YA dystopian book and the theme and drama is light-hearted enough so I think it will fit young readers nicely. Love the angst and all the settings. However, I do wish for a little more insight going in? Like maybe more background story because it was kind of confusing in the first few chapters. But overall, it was good!

First, thanks to NetGalley and Flux North Star Editions for the free eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

A beautiful cover got me started on this novel, which combines horror, high-school politics, and budding love in a dizzying, suspenseful, and entertaining concoction.

Something happened last year. Something really awful that took out all the adults and left in their place large conglomerate monsters with a murderous hate for their former students, children, fellow humans. The kids at Jefferson High barricaded themselves in the school building when it happened. The Student Council have been working to keep things together, but food is getting short, and class secretary Kay Kim just can't keep a secret.

Which is how she ends up with her wrists zip-tied, outside the school, at the mercy of the "Growns." But Jefferson is not the only high school with survivors: Moore High, one of the rougher schools in Brockton, Connecticut, seems to be doing great: they have food, light, a plan for expansion, and the skills to kill what they call "Dragons." They also have a king, and he allows Kay to come to Moore, but she and her inability to dissemble are on a collision course with more trouble.

This novel was a pure delight for me: wonderfully novel monsters, a sort of Lord-of-the-Flies flavor with believable young people trying to do the best they can in choosing their own form of governance, action, double-crossings, a variety of romantic entanglements, and an ending that we can hope hints for a sequel...

When the adults of Brockton, Connecticut, morphed into gigantic, bloodthirsty monsters nine months ago, the students at Jefferson High barricaded themselves inside their school.

This is a really fun Y.A. dystopia/sci-fi book. The world-building is really well done and the characters are great. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this book so much! I flew through this book and I was so upset when it was over. The plot was fast paced but not much which is what I really enjoy. I am obsessed with the characters and can not wait to read more by this author. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

The Merciless King of Moore High by Lily Sparks is the Ren-Faire love child of the Netflix shows Daybreak and The Society.
It is an apocalyptic survival story, rom-com, and action/adventure with equal parts teen-drama, politics, and body-horror. If that seems like a lot of proverbial plates to keep spinning, fear not- Sparks handles them all masterfully.
The novel starts out in media res after all the adults in town (and presumably the world) have dropped dead and melded into bloodthirsty monsters leaving only teenagers stranded in their high schools. The action and intrigue kick off right away with the protagonist, Kay, being rescued after her exile from Jefferson High. I was immediately hooked, and my interest after meeting the cheerleaders, Brick, and the titular King Max, did not lag.
While the entire premise of all the adult corpses morphing together like a rotting megazord that brings about a Lord of the Flies-esque apocalypse is fantastical, and that one school was able to create a “Spring Break” paradise on the ashes of civilization is, dare I say it, less likely, there were moments within all the zany fun that rang true to me. Kay and Nirali especially had real moments of grief for the people that they had lost before the world as they knew it ended, and I wish there had been more glimpses of that.
It is, however, refreshing for a dystopian novel to have a main character who isn’t naturally gifted at everything after one training session. Kay has her skills, but is not enveloped in plot armour. She is relatable, and a character I found myself rooting for. In fact, all of the characters were multifaceted- the villains weren’t comically evil, and the heroes weren’t incorruptibly good- which made all the reveals along the way surprising, and kept me wondering who we could really trust.
There are some topics, like murder, starvation, familial death, and suicidal ideation, that might be upsetting for some readers, but I have still pre-ordered it for my library and will be promoting it with the same fervor I promote Teen Killers Club.
If you liked Lily Sparks’ Teen Killers Club trilogy, this is a departure from that, for sure, but still has a lot of “Teen Killers” heart shining through. All I can say is there BETTER BE A SEQUEL!

Absolutely loved this book! It was intense and heart breaking and gripping and I was completely gutted when it ended. I desperately need to go back to Brockton to find out what happens next! I will be recommending this book to everybody I know.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

All the adults are dead. The teenagers (not sure about the children?) are holed up in their various high schools, just trying to survive. But when Kay finds out a secret that leadership at Jefferson High are keeping from the populace, she is abandoned outside at the mercy of the monsters that the adults have become.

This is such a gruesome and gripping story! Loved the characters and the twists and turns and the world building ... in fact, there was nothing that I didn't love! Definitely one I'll be recommending to people.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Oh lily sparks, you are a queen! I went into reading this thinking I wouldn’t like it but give it a chance. I promise you will love it as much as me! This story begins with the Growns aka dragons invading the town and follows Kay Kim, who was recently exiled from Jefferson High and has found her way to Moore High. Moore high is everything Jefferson is not, they are obsessed with Kings and medieval titles. Kay meets King Max and the lies and secrets begin. The story has it all, romance, humor and murder! It ends open ended and I can’t wait for a sequel.

Hot dog! Was this a tense action packed ride all the way to the last page. I couldn't be more impressed by Sparks newest work. She created a world that puts most mainstream writers attempts at YA apocalypse/dystopian fiction to shame. I loved how she focused on the kids and the world they built to survive.

I would scream to the rafters if this became a TV show. Highly recommend.

Thank you to North Star Editions, Flux, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

I unhinged my jaw and swallowed this book whole. Once again, Lily Sparks has written the kind of book that made me fall in love with reading in the first place. This story is so daringly griping and brutal, that it's impossible to put down.
This feels like Euphoria meets Game Of Thrones in the most interesting way possible. The political intrigue and the backdoor scheming everyone seems to be pulling are much more vibrant and angst-riddled with the high schools as the backdrop.
Loved this so much, and crossing my fingers for a sequel!

I like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at this really interesting read!

Do you remember the show, The Tribe? If you didn't, let me clue you in: Australian show, took place in the 90's, adults were wiped out by a disease leaving teens and younger kids / babies alone on the earth. With no one to guide them and say no, the world became theirs for the taking and they mad-max'd out and formed tribes. Went on for a while.

In this, adults became infected / taken over by some strange sickness that makes them converge into monsters the size of schoolbuses. Very blob like things that absolutely tear you to bits.

We meet our protagonist, Kay, trying to outrun one. When she thinks all hope is lost, she is saved by some 'cheerleaders' who belong to a different school. They take her back to their school and she and you realize, this school is run by different rules. Their lifestyle / hierarchy is dictated by the rules of court, based on video game played by the first person to kill one of these creatures. And that's how the story begins.

I think this book is a 3.5 in terms of story / world building and character. The biggest problems is that while everyone is playing court very little time is focused / spent on the creatures and trying to understand what they are and why they are. I'm not saying that one of these kids can find the solution (because I don't think I could figure out the solution), but I think I would have liked more time spent killing these things. On the other hand, I loved the court intrigue / political stuff going on.

The end has one of those endings that has me absolutely needing book two. I need to know what happens to Max, "Kyle", his queen, and Kay. I feel that things are going to get much more complicated from here on out.

The adults in Brockton, Connecticut are turned into monsters one day out of nowhere. Now Kay is one of the Student Council members of Jefferson High trying to keep her classmates from starving after they were forced to lock themselves in their school. When Kay stumbles onto a secret from the other leadership at the school she is left for dead. But she is saved from cheerleaders from another school, Moore High. Moore High has taken a different approach to the new world they live in when she finds they have a king and actively fight the monsters instead of hiding away. But can Moore High be trusted any more than Jefferson High?

“The Merciless King of Moore High” by Lily Sparks is a unique YA fantasy with dystopian vibe. I liked how ridiculous some of the characters and their actions were because it was realistic to how some teen would act given their immaturity. I liked kay a lot though because she was smart but also not needlessly brave. It was not like any other story I’ve read which was nice. I give a 4 out of stars.

This book was different, in a good way. I honestly enjoyed way more than I thought I would. It was fun and all over the place but I was intrigued by the political games and tension and the fast pace of the plot really kept me hooked. There was definitely an aura of mystery surrounding every situation and it was quite fun trying to figure the situations out.
The characters could’ve been a little bit more developed but at least they were relatable, I really liked Kay she wasn’t annoying or over the top dramatic or unrealistically brave.
overall 3.5 stars.

The Merciless King of Moore High by Lily Sparks was a joy to read. Captivating at every turn, it never lagged and had excellent pacing. But where it truly shines is its entirely unique premise. Going in knowing the success of Lily Sparks’ previous series, I was concerned that we’d see a similar cast of characters with names switched around. We see this too often with authors who have had success in the past, and I was worried that the titular character King Max would just be Erik from Teen Killers in a crown. This couldn’t have been further from the truth.

This book cemented Lily Sparks, in my mind, as an automatic buy for me. Anything she writes, I will purchase and tirelessly recommend to others. Sparks is a breath of fresh air in YA fiction, a much-needed voice who doesn’t pull her punches for the audience’s comfort but still manages to write the stories of survivors (of various types of abuse, sexual assault, etc.) with respect and verisimilitude. I can’t wait to see what she writes in the future.

This is definitely a twist on other fantasy books that I've read. The youngsters are the ones in charge and it's interesting to see their plans.