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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This was a pretty unique book. It was hard to read at times because of how upsetting the interactions were. But I think it's an important book because of how unabashedly it shows mental illness.
This book was such a unique and interesting read. The mixed media elements were a great addition, and I loved how the pages got darker as Jack increasingly lost touch with reality until you're on fully black pages. Something about the pacing stopped me from being sucked into the book completely, but otherwise I fully enjoyed all the elements and I'm excited to read more of K. Ancrum's books.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book was an experience.
It was strange and interesting and left me questioning the entire time what was real and what was not. Was this world real or was it all in Jack’s head?
Jack and August’s relationship was definitely an unhealthy one which had me concerned at first but I am so grateful for how the author handled it. It was addressed and emphasized on how unhealthy and co-dependent the boys were towards each other and I am so relieved that for once in a story the characters got some type of therapy and help by the end (I cannot count how many characters would benefit from some much needed therapy).
I also LOVED the way the book was written with mixed media- the drawings, the notes, the CD’s, just everything. I especially loved how as they book and the characters spiraled into darkness the pages themselves faded to black to emphasize that. It was just such a creative choice and it just enhanced the experience overall.
Definitely an intriguing story and so very different than most books you will pick up.
It was strange and interesting and left me questioning the entire time what was real and what was not. Was this world real or was it all in Jack’s head?
Jack and August’s relationship was definitely an unhealthy one which had me concerned at first but I am so grateful for how the author handled it. It was addressed and emphasized on how unhealthy and co-dependent the boys were towards each other and I am so relieved that for once in a story the characters got some type of therapy and help by the end (I cannot count how many characters would benefit from some much needed therapy).
I also LOVED the way the book was written with mixed media- the drawings, the notes, the CD’s, just everything. I especially loved how as they book and the characters spiraled into darkness the pages themselves faded to black to emphasize that. It was just such a creative choice and it just enhanced the experience overall.
Definitely an intriguing story and so very different than most books you will pick up.
**Full Disclosure, I was friends with the author throughout our college career. Expect some bias, but this is generally an impartial review.**
I saw many reviews of this book that said that readers picked up this story and couldn't put it down until they were finished. For me, I needed to take breaks because of how genuinely tragic and haunting the events in the story were. Our tragic hero, August, wants nothing more than to care for and serve his 'best friend' Jack. Jack, however, is losing his mind. As August tries to keep Jack grounded in reality, August loses his own foothold and the two teens spiral into the world of Jack's madness.
What stands out to me from this book is the strong emotions it evokes and the raw pain that the characters share. August struggles with the reason of his devotion to Jack throughout the book, crediting it to Jack saving his life when they were kids, but in reality he is genuinely in love with Jack. You spend the whole book wanting to grab August by the shoulders, shake him, and say "Just admit you are in love with Jack and get him medical help" But they are two teens that believe they can handle anything together. Eventually, reality catches up to their delusions of grandeur, and the two get a surprisingly happy ending.
My favorite element of this book is the stylized format of the pages. Each page looks as though it was taken from someone's journal, with stains, crosshatching and mix cds thrown in between chapters. Halfway through the book the pages turn black, which intensified the action in the story. In all honesty, my absolute favorite part of this book was the author's note at the end which gave context to the story and encouraged readers to seek help if they or a friend were having any issues similar to the characters in the story.
I would whole heartedly recommend this book for Young Adults 14 and up, for some graphic thematic material. Especially in the realm of LGBT books, this is one that stands out, as the main characters don't even know what they are feeling for each other but feel a strong need to be together.
I saw many reviews of this book that said that readers picked up this story and couldn't put it down until they were finished. For me, I needed to take breaks because of how genuinely tragic and haunting the events in the story were. Our tragic hero, August, wants nothing more than to care for and serve his 'best friend' Jack. Jack, however, is losing his mind. As August tries to keep Jack grounded in reality, August loses his own foothold and the two teens spiral into the world of Jack's madness.
What stands out to me from this book is the strong emotions it evokes and the raw pain that the characters share. August struggles with the reason of his devotion to Jack throughout the book, crediting it to Jack saving his life when they were kids, but in reality he is genuinely in love with Jack. You spend the whole book wanting to grab August by the shoulders, shake him, and say "Just admit you are in love with Jack and get him medical help" But they are two teens that believe they can handle anything together. Eventually, reality catches up to their delusions of grandeur, and the two get a surprisingly happy ending.
My favorite element of this book is the stylized format of the pages. Each page looks as though it was taken from someone's journal, with stains, crosshatching and mix cds thrown in between chapters. Halfway through the book the pages turn black, which intensified the action in the story. In all honesty, my absolute favorite part of this book was the author's note at the end which gave context to the story and encouraged readers to seek help if they or a friend were having any issues similar to the characters in the story.
I would whole heartedly recommend this book for Young Adults 14 and up, for some graphic thematic material. Especially in the realm of LGBT books, this is one that stands out, as the main characters don't even know what they are feeling for each other but feel a strong need to be together.
"And suddenly, with a jolt of horror, he realised that he couldn't live without it anymore. It was as much a part of him as anything now. He couldn't run from it any more than anyone could run out of their own skin. It would just keep coming back, over and over, curling up out of him, growling like hunger.
He would crave the burn until he was dead.
August curled up against the wall and put his head in his arms.
He gripped the lighter so tightly that his knuckles went white."
What happens when a pair of best friends cross the line of living in tandem to unhealthy codependency? How is this worsened when one is having life altering hallucinations and the other is a budding pyromaniac?
These are the questions asked by this emotionally straining and draining wisp of a novel. This book handles a friendship that is both life saving and endangering to the boys involved. Reality teeters dangerously between what is real and what is imagined. Of all the glorious words in the English language, this book begs to be dubbed equally unsettling and enrelenting.
Pairing quick prose with unsettling documents, photos, and scraps of paper, this book begged to be devoured in a single setting.
"My mom once told me that being alone makes you feel weaker every day, even if you're not." he said quietly. "But it's not as bad if you're with other people who are alone, too. We can hold each other up like a card tower."
With all the glowing reviews of this book floating around Goodreads, it was only natural for me to impulse buy this while on vacation. What are vacations for if not impulse buying books, right?
Little did I know that this would be one of those books that bound me to the couch until the whole novel had been completed. I didn’t even bother to get up for a snack.
This book was like a tsunami; every time I thought to myself, “ah yes, that looks like a spot where I can stop and take a breath,” a huge wave of emotion, whether sadness, dread, or something else entirely would hit me in the chest and keep me reading.
"If you drop the weight you are carrying, it is okay. You can build yourself back up out of the pieces."
Carve a few hours out to read this book. This one doesn’t allow time to be left on a table or in a backpack; it begs to be binged and pondered.
All hail The Wicker King.
He would crave the burn until he was dead.
August curled up against the wall and put his head in his arms.
He gripped the lighter so tightly that his knuckles went white."
What happens when a pair of best friends cross the line of living in tandem to unhealthy codependency? How is this worsened when one is having life altering hallucinations and the other is a budding pyromaniac?
These are the questions asked by this emotionally straining and draining wisp of a novel. This book handles a friendship that is both life saving and endangering to the boys involved. Reality teeters dangerously between what is real and what is imagined. Of all the glorious words in the English language, this book begs to be dubbed equally unsettling and enrelenting.
Pairing quick prose with unsettling documents, photos, and scraps of paper, this book begged to be devoured in a single setting.
"My mom once told me that being alone makes you feel weaker every day, even if you're not." he said quietly. "But it's not as bad if you're with other people who are alone, too. We can hold each other up like a card tower."
With all the glowing reviews of this book floating around Goodreads, it was only natural for me to impulse buy this while on vacation. What are vacations for if not impulse buying books, right?
Little did I know that this would be one of those books that bound me to the couch until the whole novel had been completed. I didn’t even bother to get up for a snack.
This book was like a tsunami; every time I thought to myself, “ah yes, that looks like a spot where I can stop and take a breath,” a huge wave of emotion, whether sadness, dread, or something else entirely would hit me in the chest and keep me reading.
"If you drop the weight you are carrying, it is okay. You can build yourself back up out of the pieces."
Carve a few hours out to read this book. This one doesn’t allow time to be left on a table or in a backpack; it begs to be binged and pondered.
All hail The Wicker King.
the kind of dynamic jack and august have is my absolute favourite to read and this didn't dissapoint. i can tell this book is going to live in my head rent free from now on
That felt like a wild fever dream and I'm kinda in love with everything about it I am obsessed?!!
Was four but I can't stop thinking about this and rereading sections so 5 stars it is. Love love love this.
Oh the thousand pieces of me scattered on the floor. IT HURTS. And somehow this book was perfect. The writing, the pictures/extra content, the pace, format and structure, the details and subtle nuances, the rawness, the suspense, … and the heartbreaking tenderness layered all over it. Sure, it was godawful, the relationships were horribly broken, and the characters wounded to their core. But aren’t we just. Can’t say I didn’t find myself on the pages sometimes. Either way, I was somehow completely consumed by this from beginning to end. ✨✨✨✨✨