bookishneena 's review for:

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

4.0

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I am extremely conflicted??? Going into this book, I was reasonably excited about reading it but I did not expect it to be so haunting. It was painful and beautiful, raw and captivating. I'm honestly quite blown away. The themes it discussed are sadly the reality for so many teens, and it was harrowing, to say the least. Part of me loved it and another part of me was sickened by it. It's so difficult to put into words. August and Jack's relationship was so profound and twisted and messed up in their continuous cycle of relying upon each other - as if physically eating away at each other. And this relationship manifests itself into something that they can no longer control. I think in her author's note, Ancrum put it quite well as they were an ouroboros. I think she really captured how this codependency plays out and how even if he wanted to, August couldn't leave Jack. The writing itself wasn't anything special, simple in fact but given the topic it covered I think this simplicity was what was needed. Anything more complex would've either distracted from the emotion in the story or just confused the reader. By no means was it perfect and I wouldn't go so far as to say it was an "enjoyable read" but it definitely leaves a resonating impact and chills in your bones. 4/5 stars