About this item
Highlights
- When the adults of Brockton, Connecticut, morphed into gigantic, bloodthirsty monsters nine months ago, the students at Jefferson High barricaded themselves inside their school.
- 368 Pages
- Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Description
About the Book
After adults morph into monsters and everyone under eighteen barricades themselves inside their schools to survive, a political exile seeks asylum from her school's hard-partying crosstown rival, which has adopted the neo-feudal trappings of a popular video game and all the competing factions, love triangles, and palace intrigue that go with it.Book 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 things: 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.Review Quotes
"An action-packed adventure." --Story Monsters Ink
"In this post-apocalyptic high school rivalry full of revolting human monsters, Sparks does a fantastic job showcasing the internalized and sometimes violently decided questions teens have about trust, loyalty, and friendship." --School Library Journal
"Original, deftly crafted, and a fun read from start to finish, The Merciless King of Moore High by novelist Lily Sparks is action/adventure fantasy fiction at its best. . . . [A]n especially and unreservedly recommended pick for middle school, high school, and community library YA Fantasy Fiction collections." --Midwest Book Review
"High school gossip becomes court intrigue with fatal implications in this fabulous hybrid-genre world of medievalism, teen social dynamics, and survival horror, which explores the twisted power games that occur in all three. . . . Sparks deftly--mercilessly--explores what it means for teens to survive systemic oppressions, one another, and the end of the world." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"[A] unique take on survivalism for fans of Michael Grant's Gone series." --Booklist
"Thematically intriguing with shocking twists." --Kirkus Reviews