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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I genuinely have no idea how to rate this book. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read before and the characters just had such a messed up co-dependent relationship but then I also found myself rooting for them? I don’t know, I just have no clue how to feel about this book. It’s an addictive read (which feels weird to say given the characters’ addiction to each other) but also a very strange one. Maybe I’ll be able to sort myself out to rate this later though for now I’m just left feeling a little wtf but also I’d like to know what happened next with August and Jack???
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautiful 😍
Would give this 4.5.
I came by the physical version of this book while killing time in a Waterstones when I was in London last week and the plot sounded interesting so I took a picture of the cover and then ended up buying the ebook on a whim 10 minutes before getting onto a flight home and I proceeded to read the whole thing during my 7 hour fight and it was great!
I came by the physical version of this book while killing time in a Waterstones when I was in London last week and the plot sounded interesting so I took a picture of the cover and then ended up buying the ebook on a whim 10 minutes before getting onto a flight home and I proceeded to read the whole thing during my 7 hour fight and it was great!
Review to come but: wholesome, codependent boys with a penchant for trouble? Sign me tf up. I adored every bit of it and read it in one afternoon. Jack Rossi you soft beautiful boy. 4.5 stars.
In many ways, this is the most unique Young Adult book I've ever read, and one of the more unique books in any genre or age range.
First and most obviously, one of the two protagonists is dealing with increasingly vivid and unexplained hallucinations that cause him to see and believe in an entirely parallel world to our own. That in and of itself leads to a narrative unlike any other as August tries to keep up with what Jack is seeing and we learn the players, rules, and prophecies of this imaginary place.
Another immediately obvious aspect that I really loved was how visually interesting the physical copy of the book itself was. There are illustrations of concert tickets, detention slips, mix CDs, notes passed in class, and other ephemera which are so fun to see. Then there is the way that the pages begin as the usual white with black text like you'd find in most other books, only to slowly become more and more suffused with grey and black at the edges as the story progresses and Jack's hallucinations increase. By the end of the book, both boys are fully subsumed by their codependency and insistence on dealing with Jack's world on their own that the pages themselves are fully black with white text. I love novels that utilize art like this in their pages, and I think it worked incredibly well here.
Then, we get into the more nuanced, complex, and truly unique aspects of this story that make it unlike anything else I've ever read.
[Thematic/Interpretive spoilers ahead]
This book deals with several aspects of the teenage experience that I think a large majority of YA books would be too afraid to ever touch. True, a lot of YA does focus on the realities of mental illness like depression or anxiety, but this book does so much more than that, and in such a raw way. This book deals with codependency, neglect, and the often-underestimated lengths and depths that children and teenagers can and will go to in order to craft safe spaces for one another outside of the eyes of parents, teachers, and even other friends. It deals with queerness in an era when it wasn't as easy for teenagers to express those identities and feelings (the book is set in 2002 and 2003). And, most pleasantly surprisingly for me, it deals with fledgling Dom/sub dynamics and perfectly illustrates the ways in which teenagers with little to no access to healthy communication or education about those types of things will often find themselves creating toxic relationships through no fault of their own. As I said, a lot of YA books wouldn't dare to venture into these waters for fear of being too controversial or out-of-the-norm. But speaking from personal experiences of myself and many, many of my high school friends, these feelings and experiences are far more common with teenagers than a lot of people want to admit, and they can lead to things exactly as dramatic as what happened in this book, if not more so.
I think it is so incredibly important and brave that Ancrum was willing to represent that aspect of August and Jack's relationship. These characters felt so familiar to me in so many ways - they were myself and so many of my friends. And the author's note at the end just brought it home how emotional this book is for someone who has experienced feelings like this.
First and most obviously, one of the two protagonists is dealing with increasingly vivid and unexplained hallucinations that cause him to see and believe in an entirely parallel world to our own. That in and of itself leads to a narrative unlike any other as August tries to keep up with what Jack is seeing and we learn the players, rules, and prophecies of this imaginary place.
Another immediately obvious aspect that I really loved was how visually interesting the physical copy of the book itself was. There are illustrations of concert tickets, detention slips, mix CDs, notes passed in class, and other ephemera which are so fun to see. Then there is the way that the pages begin as the usual white with black text like you'd find in most other books, only to slowly become more and more suffused with grey and black at the edges as the story progresses and Jack's hallucinations increase. By the end of the book, both boys are fully subsumed by their codependency and insistence on dealing with Jack's world on their own that the pages themselves are fully black with white text. I love novels that utilize art like this in their pages, and I think it worked incredibly well here.
Then, we get into the more nuanced, complex, and truly unique aspects of this story that make it unlike anything else I've ever read.
[Thematic/Interpretive spoilers ahead]
This book deals with several aspects of the teenage experience that I think a large majority of YA books would be too afraid to ever touch. True, a lot of YA does focus on the realities of mental illness like depression or anxiety, but this book does so much more than that, and in such a raw way. This book deals with codependency, neglect, and the often-underestimated lengths and depths that children and teenagers can and will go to in order to craft safe spaces for one another outside of the eyes of parents, teachers, and even other friends. It deals with queerness in an era when it wasn't as easy for teenagers to express those identities and feelings (the book is set in 2002 and 2003). And, most pleasantly surprisingly for me, it deals with fledgling Dom/sub dynamics and perfectly illustrates the ways in which teenagers with little to no access to healthy communication or education about those types of things will often find themselves creating toxic relationships through no fault of their own. As I said, a lot of YA books wouldn't dare to venture into these waters for fear of being too controversial or out-of-the-norm. But speaking from personal experiences of myself and many, many of my high school friends, these feelings and experiences are far more common with teenagers than a lot of people want to admit, and they can lead to things exactly as dramatic as what happened in this book, if not more so.
I think it is so incredibly important and brave that Ancrum was willing to represent that aspect of August and Jack's relationship. These characters felt so familiar to me in so many ways - they were myself and so many of my friends. And the author's note at the end just brought it home how emotional this book is for someone who has experienced feelings like this.
I’m not very good at reviews anymore, I don’t think. I can’t really put into words how I feel about books, but this one? I feel like it deserves something.
I loved it, so much. Every part of it. It’s hard to describe, really. But I love both worlds in The Wicker King, I love August’s narration and his feelings. I love the way the story is written and is told. I don’t usually reread books, but I think this one might be a good one to reread. It’s such a ride, of humor and trauma and everything.
I loved it, so much. Every part of it. It’s hard to describe, really. But I love both worlds in The Wicker King, I love August’s narration and his feelings. I love the way the story is written and is told. I don’t usually reread books, but I think this one might be a good one to reread. It’s such a ride, of humor and trauma and everything.
✨Don't sleep on [b:The Weight of the Stars|36952571|The Weight of the Stars|K. Ancrum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517514322l/36952571._SY75_.jpg|58752349], [b:The Wicker King|33158541|The Wicker King (The Wicker King, #1)|K. Ancrum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499702888l/33158541._SX50_.jpg|53851691]'s companion novel! Preorder it here✨
Upon closing The Wicker King, I opened my eyes and I just... blinked, in that forlorn way we do when we're so affected that the real world around us has stopped making sense. It's the kind of novel that fails to be contained in any kind of genre, but honestly, it delivers just the kind of weird, dark atmosphere that never fails to enrapture me. Think Charm & Strange. Teeth.
I swear I'm going to do my best to write a real review but it's hard alright?? I just need you to know that. It's fucking eating at me. This story is like a cockroach trying to erase my all being and I'm fighting but in a good way? I'd be like aw cockroach why are you that way I love you, let me pet you - and that's when you know I lost it because I'd more likely yell die bitch!! if a cockroach ever talks to me?? I mean??
Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm even starting this """review""" by inflicting such creepiness on you but really, it makes sense. I swear it does. The Wicker King is like this adorable puppy who really is a cannibalistic zombie, who lures you into a fake sense of security, breaking your heart at your feet before slowly trying to make it whole again. I loved it so, so much.
So. What does The Wicker King do?
The Wicker King makes you care about characters who're so neglected and lonely that you want to wrap them into a blanket and protect them but you CAN'T. These two glorious boys who deserve the world and who are just trying to do the best they can, damn it, and you, useless witness you cannot help but be affected and your heart is just squeezing randomly? Like a fucking entity that will not slow the fuck down and you're struggling to breathe? If only they stopped being so fucking precious perhaps you could stop falling in love with them and avoid the heartache?
me : i just want to feel good
book : okay but have you tried smashing your heart on the floor
Trust me, I've read my fair share of unhealthy relationships, but never before was co-dependency addressed in text in such a raw and honest way.
Never before did I feel so strongly that it wasn't my role to judge the characters but rather, to let them figure it out on their own and did I say that they were just trying to cope? Yeah? It's important to me to point this out because that's something I've been guilty of in the past, that is to say, judging teens characters through my adult eyes when really, I should know better.
I should remember how it feels when you're 17 and none of your actions seem to break through the fog draped around the adults around you.
I should remember the intense sentiment of exhilaration one might feel around this someone who sees you.
Granted, I've often ranted about teen characters who try to handle things they clearly aren't equipped to, screaming in the void, where are the adults?
But you know, these neglected kids exist. They're all around us, and it's so, so easy to close our eyes and fail to see them. So fucking easy. One of the hardest lesson I've learned as a teacher is that sometimes, the system doesn't allow you enough place to... not make a difference, because we can, and I wouldn't be a teacher if I didn't believe it, but sometimes, even if you know in your core that something isn't right, the system won't help you - it will fight you, because stability is more important to the system than the lives of children. And trust me, I know how that sounds, and I'm not saying that the system is full of selfish individuals. But rather, that for individuals to get things done, a fight is needed and that yes, some adults are not willing to jump into it. And that breaks my heart. Paperwork will be filled, jobs considered done, and meanwhile, kids will be hurt. Then people will whisper, wide-eyed, how could that have happened? and I'll want to punch them in the face because they refuse to see when it matters. Adults, please don't be strangers. Please.
Told through short chapters that suit the story perfectly, one of most impressive quality of The Wicker King lies in its ability to make us connect so thoroughly with the characters that we evolve along with August, more and more trapped in Jack's hallucinations, until the dark atmosphere envelops us completely. Kayla Ancrum's gorgeous and compelling writing allows us to take part in their whimsical quest and when the end comes, we're shocked by the prickling awareness that we might as well have built our golden prison ourselves. We're there, with them, for better and for worst. If my heartbeat is some kind of judge, mostly, for the best.
Now, I've seen questions about a possible queerbaiting and I wanted to address it : I understand that readers who read the arc were put off by the open ending regarding August and Jack's relationship, especially because queerbaiting is real and still so prevalent in young adult fiction. However, 1) August and Jack's romance is canon in the finished version (Jack is bisexual, August is still questioning) and 2) I strongly believe that portraying questioning youths (and adults) is important, because they exist and hence deserve representation.
Finally, what are you waiting for? 398 ratings on Goodreads in a world in which All the Bright Places gets hundreds of thousands? I think the fuck not. I'd rather quit this site than see thisok not really because Goodreads is more or less my diary but that sucks? See what i mean?
[b:The Wicker King|33158541|The Wicker King (The Wicker King, #1)|K. Ancrum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499702888l/33158541._SX50_.jpg|53851691] is The Glorious Thing I Will Never Forget. Period.
Now I need the paperback because the color gradient looks gorgeous.
TW - abuse, neglect, mental-illness (Jack has a degenerative hallucinatory disorder), codependency, anxiety, panic attacks, violence, use of ableist words like cr*zy.
The Author's Note was everything. Read it.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
Upon closing The Wicker King, I opened my eyes and I just... blinked, in that forlorn way we do when we're so affected that the real world around us has stopped making sense. It's the kind of novel that fails to be contained in any kind of genre, but honestly, it delivers just the kind of weird, dark atmosphere that never fails to enrapture me. Think Charm & Strange. Teeth.
I swear I'm going to do my best to write a real review but it's hard alright?? I just need you to know that. It's fucking eating at me. This story is like a cockroach trying to erase my all being and I'm fighting but in a good way? I'd be like aw cockroach why are you that way I love you, let me pet you - and that's when you know I lost it because I'd more likely yell die bitch!! if a cockroach ever talks to me?? I mean??
Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm even starting this """review""" by inflicting such creepiness on you but really, it makes sense. I swear it does. The Wicker King is like this adorable puppy who really is a cannibalistic zombie, who lures you into a fake sense of security, breaking your heart at your feet before slowly trying to make it whole again. I loved it so, so much.
So. What does The Wicker King do?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The Wicker King makes you care about characters who're so neglected and lonely that you want to wrap them into a blanket and protect them but you CAN'T. These two glorious boys who deserve the world and who are just trying to do the best they can, damn it, and you, useless witness you cannot help but be affected and your heart is just squeezing randomly? Like a fucking entity that will not slow the fuck down and you're struggling to breathe? If only they stopped being so fucking precious perhaps you could stop falling in love with them and avoid the heartache?
me : i just want to feel good
book : okay but have you tried smashing your heart on the floor
Trust me, I've read my fair share of unhealthy relationships, but never before was co-dependency addressed in text in such a raw and honest way.
"They were breathing in tandem now."
Never before did I feel so strongly that it wasn't my role to judge the characters but rather, to let them figure it out on their own and did I say that they were just trying to cope? Yeah? It's important to me to point this out because that's something I've been guilty of in the past, that is to say, judging teens characters through my adult eyes when really, I should know better.
I should remember how it feels when you're 17 and none of your actions seem to break through the fog draped around the adults around you.
I should remember the intense sentiment of exhilaration one might feel around this someone who sees you.
"It started small, but it bubbled bigger every minute. Rising black and ugly through the veins in his feet, up and up, bursting through his cells and filling his lungs, encasing itself around his bones and finally spilling from his eyes, tacky like tar. It tumbled from his mouth in a howl of rage so deep it shook his teeth. The hairs rose on the back of his neck.
It was a shout of pain so pure and hot, he could have sworn it was burning out his eyes."
Granted, I've often ranted about teen characters who try to handle things they clearly aren't equipped to, screaming in the void, where are the adults?
But you know, these neglected kids exist. They're all around us, and it's so, so easy to close our eyes and fail to see them. So fucking easy. One of the hardest lesson I've learned as a teacher is that sometimes, the system doesn't allow you enough place to... not make a difference, because we can, and I wouldn't be a teacher if I didn't believe it, but sometimes, even if you know in your core that something isn't right, the system won't help you - it will fight you, because stability is more important to the system than the lives of children. And trust me, I know how that sounds, and I'm not saying that the system is full of selfish individuals. But rather, that for individuals to get things done, a fight is needed and that yes, some adults are not willing to jump into it. And that breaks my heart. Paperwork will be filled, jobs considered done, and meanwhile, kids will be hurt. Then people will whisper, wide-eyed, how could that have happened? and I'll want to punch them in the face because they refuse to see when it matters. Adults, please don't be strangers. Please.
"Even as the sky falls and the only thing I can hear besides your voice is the screams of the dying and the thundering of horses?"
Told through short chapters that suit the story perfectly, one of most impressive quality of The Wicker King lies in its ability to make us connect so thoroughly with the characters that we evolve along with August, more and more trapped in Jack's hallucinations, until the dark atmosphere envelops us completely. Kayla Ancrum's gorgeous and compelling writing allows us to take part in their whimsical quest and when the end comes, we're shocked by the prickling awareness that we might as well have built our golden prison ourselves. We're there, with them, for better and for worst. If my heartbeat is some kind of judge, mostly, for the best.
"August didn't realize he was crying until his sobs began to choke him. "Is it over? Is it over? Is it over?"
Now, I've seen questions about a possible queerbaiting and I wanted to address it : I understand that readers who read the arc were put off by the open ending regarding August and Jack's relationship, especially because queerbaiting is real and still so prevalent in young adult fiction. However, 1) August and Jack's romance is canon in the finished version (Jack is bisexual, August is still questioning) and 2) I strongly believe that portraying questioning youths (and adults) is important, because they exist and hence deserve representation.
Finally, what are you waiting for? 398 ratings on Goodreads in a world in which All the Bright Places gets hundreds of thousands? I think the fuck not. I'd rather quit this site than see this
[b:The Wicker King|33158541|The Wicker King (The Wicker King, #1)|K. Ancrum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499702888l/33158541._SX50_.jpg|53851691] is The Glorious Thing I Will Never Forget. Period.
Now I need the paperback because the color gradient looks gorgeous.
TW - abuse, neglect, mental-illness (Jack has a degenerative hallucinatory disorder), codependency, anxiety, panic attacks, violence, use of ableist words like cr*zy.
The Author's Note was everything. Read it.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
What a huge surprise this was.
A true hidden gem
I was invested from chapter 1 and couldn't stop until I was done.
The writing is so smart yet still simple
It's haunting but beautiful.
Highly recommend.
A true hidden gem
I was invested from chapter 1 and couldn't stop until I was done.
The writing is so smart yet still simple
It's haunting but beautiful.
Highly recommend.
I’d planned to read a chapter and then.... three hours later I’d finished the whole book. It wasn’t what I expected but still amazing.