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.