Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The Wicker King

Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

43 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.

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braveprincess11's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I still don’t understand how much of the plot actually happened to the boys & how much was a hallucination…

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redus_reuse_recycle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Love wins actually. ESPECIALLY for toxic codependent gay bitches.

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hbocking's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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louisallama's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is beautiful and tragic and poetic and cathartic and so incredibly sad. It's one that I just know I'm going to be thinking about for a very long time. I sincerely wish that I had the opportunity to read something like this as a teenager, because adults never truly understand the weight of the things that teenagers carry, and teenagers never truly understand that there are people out there who care about them, and that it's not a betrayal to tell someone when a friend is struggling.

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toriwatson's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-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

3.5

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ysterrd's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

This book made me feel miserable. 10/10 would read again.

Jokes aside, it's hard to find the proper words to express my feelings right now, but this book really hit hard. Getting deeper into the story was a grueling experience considering the way it developed, and on multiple occasions I thought "God, no, I know what's coming and I don't like it", but I couldn't stop because the way this book was written made me blaze through it (I usually take much longer to read 300+-page books in written format).

And man, the characters. They felt hopeless in a way that hits home, with that feeling of being entangled into something that is just too big for you to manage— especially when you're a teenager with barely any guidance who has to fend for themself. August especially made me feel like I was being sucker punched by my reflection on a couple of occasions with the way he acted in this book, but it felt oh so cathartic for that part of me that remembers what I've done as a teen and how it impacted me in the long run.

I also love how in the physical edition of the book, the pages get darker and darker as the story progresses, reflecting August and Jack's downward spiral. A really neat detail that makes the reading experience that much more impactful, in my opinion.

Overall, a great book with a story and characters that made me feel miserable but that was very cathartic to read. Definitely earned a spot in my list of favorite books!

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