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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Ebook, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5
The first 1/4 of this book I was confused.
The other 3/4, I would literally screech like a banshee at anyone who interrupted me reading.
This book is weird,
And fanciful,
And sad,
And oddly compelling...
It's a story that I'll keep coming back to in my head, over and over.
It feels as otherworldly as Jack's sight.
I loved it.
The first 1/4 of this book I was confused.
The other 3/4, I would literally screech like a banshee at anyone who interrupted me reading.
This book is weird,
And fanciful,
And sad,
And oddly compelling...
It's a story that I'll keep coming back to in my head, over and over.
It feels as otherworldly as Jack's sight.
I loved it.
Read this on kindle so I didn’t get the darkening pages sad
Interesting premise, I like how it all tied together and I liked the authors note at the end. The book itself felt very campy which was fun, though the little notes and photos were a -little- too much for me. (The bad photoshop in some of the pictures got me 🤣) I actually liked the writing style with the short chapters tho! Got riverdale vibes (I really think that’s just because this is a story about high schoolers though ((and the main character sells drugs without like 😭 any critical thoughts about it. Very riverdale))).
I think what keeps this from having a higher rating for me is that there’s not too heavy of a plot and the characters weren’t enough to carry my interest. I felt like this story really wanted to have a certain message and it focused so much on that it lost the storytelling aspect, leading it to be a little surface level. (Maybe it was too self aware? I’m not sure.) I feel like the message is a good one to tell too, but it felt like the writing existed to tell me something instead of the messaging coming out through the characters naturally. Very YA, which is to be expected.
But I liked the codependency and I liked that they stayed together in the end. Even though they were toxic I was very much rooting for the main couple. The twist didn’t surprise me too much but the end was sooooo sweet. The whole part with them in the asylum was the most interesting part for me to read (though I’m not sure it was realistic . . . Why couldn’t he call home or why didn’t they just put them in different facilities if they didn’t want them to be together?? Alas it doesn’t really matter) Also I feel like there could have been a lot more interesting angles they could have taken with the cancer twist, felt like a bit of a cop out. (There are so many interesting things to say about cancer. . . None of which was said) And when Jack stood by what he learned in the other world and they finally kissed WAH. I will probably check out this authors other books.
Interesting premise, I like how it all tied together and I liked the authors note at the end. The book itself felt very campy which was fun, though the little notes and photos were a -little- too much for me. (The bad photoshop in some of the pictures got me 🤣) I actually liked the writing style with the short chapters tho! Got riverdale vibes (I really think that’s just because this is a story about high schoolers though ((and the main character sells drugs without like 😭 any critical thoughts about it. Very riverdale))).
I think what keeps this from having a higher rating for me is that there’s not too heavy of a plot and the characters weren’t enough to carry my interest. I felt like this story really wanted to have a certain message and it focused so much on that it lost the storytelling aspect, leading it to be a little surface level. (Maybe it was too self aware? I’m not sure.) I feel like the message is a good one to tell too, but it felt like the writing existed to tell me something instead of the messaging coming out through the characters naturally. Very YA, which is to be expected.
But I liked the codependency and I liked that they stayed together in the end. Even though they were toxic I was very much rooting for the main couple. The twist didn’t surprise me too much but the end was sooooo sweet. The whole part with them in the asylum was the most interesting part for me to read (though I’m not sure it was realistic . . . Why couldn’t he call home or why didn’t they just put them in different facilities if they didn’t want them to be together?? Alas it doesn’t really matter) Also I feel like there could have been a lot more interesting angles they could have taken with the cancer twist, felt like a bit of a cop out. (There are so many interesting things to say about cancer. . . None of which was said) And when Jack stood by what he learned in the other world and they finally kissed WAH. I will probably check out this authors other books.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-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
I've read over 400 books in the past 3 years and this is my favorite. Sometimes less is more and I loved every minute of this book.
Interesting premise, but the short vignette chapters made it hard to get invested in the story and the characters. Also, I was not the biggest fan of the book pages getting darker as the story progressed - going from white to grey to black - as it made it hard to read (especially the black lettering on grey background).
Before I started this book, I really thought it was going to be another generic YA book, hyped to the heavens by BookTube and Goodreads users. I’ve been burned before. I went in jaded, prematurely disappointed, and pessimistic.
Good Lord, was I wrong.
This book was unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this. First of all, I will say that this book might not be for everyone. The writing style is unusual. There are drawings, scribbles, pictures, page breaks, and nonsensical elements. But I felt like this writing style was MADE for me. The Wicker King is the MM book that I wanted Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe to be...AND I GAVE THAT BOOK A FIVE STAR RATING.
What I Liked:
- The pseudo-magical realism elements: One of the protagonists, Jack, is living in a dual world, which is never seen by our main protagonist, August, but is experienced nonetheless. The reader gets to experience Jack’s world exactly like August experiences it. It made me anxious and full of wonder and I LOVED IT. It was just enough to keep me absolutely hooked.
- The friendship: Jack and August live and breathe “ride-or-die”
- The artistic elements: As Jack becomes more frenetic, so does the art on the pages, including the color of the pages, moving from white to gray, and then finally to black
What I Didn’t Like:
- Not a whole lot
- It could have been longer (but the pacing was superb)
Needless to say, this book moved me. I’ve thought about it often since finishing the last page. I am so pumped for K. Ancrum’s new release this spring.
Good Lord, was I wrong.
This book was unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this. First of all, I will say that this book might not be for everyone. The writing style is unusual. There are drawings, scribbles, pictures, page breaks, and nonsensical elements. But I felt like this writing style was MADE for me. The Wicker King is the MM book that I wanted Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe to be...AND I GAVE THAT BOOK A FIVE STAR RATING.
What I Liked:
- The pseudo-magical realism elements: One of the protagonists, Jack, is living in a dual world, which is never seen by our main protagonist, August, but is experienced nonetheless. The reader gets to experience Jack’s world exactly like August experiences it. It made me anxious and full of wonder and I LOVED IT. It was just enough to keep me absolutely hooked.
- The friendship: Jack and August live and breathe “ride-or-die”
- The artistic elements: As Jack becomes more frenetic, so does the art on the pages, including the color of the pages, moving from white to gray, and then finally to black
What I Didn’t Like:
- Not a whole lot
- It could have been longer (but the pacing was superb)
Needless to say, this book moved me. I’ve thought about it often since finishing the last page. I am so pumped for K. Ancrum’s new release this spring.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You have to be prepared, this is not an easy or happy book. It's unsettling, uneasy, and beautifully written. You want Jack and August to be together and you simultaneously want them as far apart from each other as they can possibly be.
Reread in 2023 because of the reference in Weight of Stars that I completely missed/forgot because it had been six years since I first read an ARC of Wicker King. It hits very differently, years later, I still feel the same about their relationship but Ancrum's Author Note at the end made me cry.
Reread in 2023 because of the reference in Weight of Stars that I completely missed/forgot because it had been six years since I first read an ARC of Wicker King. It hits very differently, years later, I still feel the same about their relationship but Ancrum's Author Note at the end made me cry.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing and pacing of this book is fantastic. I don’t know if this has been mentioned in other reviews but one other cool thing I noticed is how the edges of the edges of the pages get darker as Jack further decends into madness. Even though the codependency of August and Jack’s relationship is problematic they are are a very sweet couple.
Thank you to Riley Marie & Sarawithoutanh for this reccomondation.
Thank you to Riley Marie & Sarawithoutanh for this reccomondation.