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b_tellefsen_rescuesandreads 's review for:
The Wicker King
by K. Ancrum
The Wicker King follows August and Jack, two boys with an intense friendship, perhaps bordering on something more. When Jack starts exhibiting symptoms of a degenerative mental disorder that causes hallucinations, August is determined to support Jack and help him cope, even if that means keeping his secret.
But soon, as Jack's condition worsen's, August finds himself deeply planted into a fantasy world Jack has created and it is affecting his own mental and physical health. Together they will soon have to hit bottom before they can try and dig themselves out of the hole they have dug.
I am having a hard time pinpointing my feelings for this book, because it seems that every aspect I appreciated about it, also lent itself to a negative which I disliked.
For example, this book is an extremely quick read. At just 300 pages it is short enough on its own, but the font is fairly large with large margins, meaning each page can be read quickly. Furthermore, this is not traditionally formatted. By that, I mean it is not told in chapters, rather each page or two is a different snippet of information. This was intriguing and made the story fly.
But this same aspect also made it harder to connect with the story. Because of the way it is formatted, it is very chunky and clunky, not always telling a cohesive and consecutive narrative. This made it extremely difficult to connect with Jack and August as characters and to fully absorb what was happening.
Also, I had a hard time dealing with August's acceptance of Jack's disorder and willingness to indulge Jack's hallucinations. That it is a degenerative psychological disorder means it will only get worse. Finding entertainment and normality in Jack's hallucinations, does nothing to help the problem. This was acknowledged more at the end, but it was frustrating to see how August's intense and toxic codependency with Jack caused him to make stupid decisions.
And, I have to talk about the absent parent trope that existed here. It is obvious that was a major plot point as Jack and August are essentially neglected which is what causes and exacerbates their codependency. They have to fend for themselves which further cements their bond and friendship. It is probably what fuels August's loyalty and protectiveness over Jack, and his desire to keep his secret. But again, the absent parents were fairly convenient.
Despite this, I was fully set on a solid 3.5 stars. Though it took some time, I found myself invested in August and Jack and wondered what would happen to them....but then the ending happened and left me extremely underwhelmed. All that build up for nothing to happen.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty fast and intense read. But I think more could have been done with it and there definitely could have been a better ending.
But soon, as Jack's condition worsen's, August finds himself deeply planted into a fantasy world Jack has created and it is affecting his own mental and physical health. Together they will soon have to hit bottom before they can try and dig themselves out of the hole they have dug.
I am having a hard time pinpointing my feelings for this book, because it seems that every aspect I appreciated about it, also lent itself to a negative which I disliked.
For example, this book is an extremely quick read. At just 300 pages it is short enough on its own, but the font is fairly large with large margins, meaning each page can be read quickly. Furthermore, this is not traditionally formatted. By that, I mean it is not told in chapters, rather each page or two is a different snippet of information. This was intriguing and made the story fly.
But this same aspect also made it harder to connect with the story. Because of the way it is formatted, it is very chunky and clunky, not always telling a cohesive and consecutive narrative. This made it extremely difficult to connect with Jack and August as characters and to fully absorb what was happening.
Also, I had a hard time dealing with August's acceptance of Jack's disorder and willingness to indulge Jack's hallucinations. That it is a degenerative psychological disorder means it will only get worse. Finding entertainment and normality in Jack's hallucinations, does nothing to help the problem. This was acknowledged more at the end, but it was frustrating to see how August's intense and toxic codependency with Jack caused him to make stupid decisions.
And, I have to talk about the absent parent trope that existed here. It is obvious that was a major plot point as Jack and August are essentially neglected which is what causes and exacerbates their codependency. They have to fend for themselves which further cements their bond and friendship. It is probably what fuels August's loyalty and protectiveness over Jack, and his desire to keep his secret. But again, the absent parents were fairly convenient.
Despite this, I was fully set on a solid 3.5 stars. Though it took some time, I found myself invested in August and Jack and wondered what would happen to them....but then the ending happened and left me extremely underwhelmed. All that build up for nothing to happen.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty fast and intense read. But I think more could have been done with it and there definitely could have been a better ending.