Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

9 reviews

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I love the short chapters and the way K. Ancrum blends fantasy into realism, especially with the devotion between Jack and August. They are codependent and delusional to varying degrees.

having Jack's delusions caused by an easily and completely curable tumor is an ending I wasn't expecting. Jack and August are the type of couple you can root for only in fiction. They are codependent in a bad way, craving causing harm to each other and devoted enough to allow it happen to themselves. One thing I hate is when adopted sibling characters kiss and/or close friends who are in love play off the queerness of situations by claiming a sibling relationship. The latter happens once in this book. However: I loved this book enough that this is a 5 star read despite that moment. I adore the secondary characters very much, especially the group of Alex, Gordy, Peter and Roger - Alex especially for her muffins and awkward love in tough times. Reena is also very cool, though I take issue with a 19ish year old meeting and starting a sexual relationship with a seventeen year old.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

marisasbooks's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Violence

kittkin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm

basementofbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, and Self harm

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Toxic friendship

notpresent22's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is complex and not for the faint of heart. But in the end it’s a fascinating love story between two young boys as they struggle with a world that is letting them down. It’s the kind of story that makes you desperate to learn what happened after the final page but will likely never get an answer to. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, and Addiction

Pyromania

fromlindenmere's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Violence

calicot's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

Minor: Homophobia

emmamarybeth's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I didn't know that I would he crying at the end of this book. It hit surprisingly close to home. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

booksthatburn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

THE WICKER KING is a tale of compulsion, mental illness, loyalty, love, and consent; finding how far a king and his knight can go to save the world without burning up.

I loved reading this. The two main characters are so intertwined, so vivid and resonant that it took me half the book to realize that only one of them was actually a POV character. The way the story is told in one to two page sections made it feel like I could take a break anywhere if I needed to, if it ever got too intense for me. Instead I barely paused, inhaling it in a single sitting. 

The story is very focused on the MCs and their intense relationship, but has a few secondary characters and devotes enough time for them to feel like full characters. In a book so focused on the interior worlds of just two people it would be easy to have other characters be ill-defined and mere window-dressing. Instead their reactions to the MCs both established the secondary characters in their own right and helped to build up the MCs by commenting on things they were unable or unready to consider. Some of the secondary characters are also love interests, and they're handled in a way that maintains their agency even as they are allowed less and less space in the MCs' world. The photos, documents, and slowly darkening pages helped with world-building and mood, but even without that assistance this story is absorbing and fascinating. There were two worlds to build, and both were excellently laid. 

This is primarily about someone having difficult telling apart fantasy and reality, and the best friend doing his best to help. There are voices of reason trying to provide stability at various points, but the extent to which they do or do not succeed is crucial to the story, so take care of yourselves and check the CWs before proceeding. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Mental illness

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Self harm and Ableism

CW for child neglect, depression, drowning, self harm, mental illness, confinement, forced institutionalization, pyromania, panic attack, violence.