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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
[3.5 stars rounded up] i love the thought that went into the design of this book as a physical item: all the fun ephemera, and the progressively darkening pages to reflect the descent of jack and august as they keep on spiraling... mwah. chef's kiss.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
oh these motherfuckers are INSANE! like so mentally ill. annoying and cringe at times but i also loved it. probably going to be incoherent here. this book had a lot of extra fluff with unnecessary extra characters, poor pacing, lots of over the top aspects that overshadow the good stuff, and did a poor job of setting up/following through with expectations. BUT the good stuff was GOOD! like hear me out!!! the final act sealed the deal for me. these two make me crazy; this book made me feel like i was going crazy. read if you love toxicity and codependency and insane people in love (like me)
ah yes just boys being boys. specifically yearning cluelessly for your best friend so hard that you commit arson to try to stop their hallucinations. it’s a universal experience really
disclaimer: I am friends with the author of this book :) That being said, I stopped thinking about that fact about 20 pages in as I got so engrossed in this dark, frustrating, haunting story.
I read this book in one sitting and I'm still processing it. The story begins grounded in reality and slowly falls into a blurry and imaginative examination of mental illness and an (extremely) codependent relationship. I previously used the word frustrating because as an adult reader, I badly wanted to intervene in Jack and August's lives and get them some help.
side note: I didn't cry reading the book, but I definitely teared up at both the dedication and authors note. Definitely a first for me.
I read this book in one sitting and I'm still processing it. The story begins grounded in reality and slowly falls into a blurry and imaginative examination of mental illness and an (extremely) codependent relationship. I previously used the word frustrating because as an adult reader, I badly wanted to intervene in Jack and August's lives and get them some help.
side note: I didn't cry reading the book, but I definitely teared up at both the dedication and authors note. Definitely a first for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wish we got more from the ending.
“They were only seventeen. The world was so big and they were very small and there was no one around to stop terrible things from happening.”
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
“The Wicker King” was a phenomenal book. I wouldn’t rate it 5 stars but it made me feel a way that most books haven’t. This book follows two characters August and Jack. Both boys have been severely neglected and failed by everyone around them.
August cares so deeply about Jack that he tries to do everything in his power to help, becoming a constant to the other boy, even if that means diminishing his own sanity. Jack, who is severely mentally ill, takes on an authoritative roll once August is in no place to do so anymore.
Both boys have been failed by every adult. Their parents, the teachers, the police, and even the clinical psychologists who are tasked to save them from themselves. This book dives very deeply into the dynamics of abusive, codependent, love. Both August and Jack deserve their happy ending, whether it be apart or together.
Sanity can only mean so much when you accept pain as a replacement for care.
Why kiss your homies when you can descend into madness with them instead?