A review by sharron_joy_reads
The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

August is a misfit, Jack is the golden boy, together they are the closest of friends. As Jack loses touch with reality, August joins him in his delusions and increasingly elaborate fantasy world. As they alienate all those around them eventually they both have to choose a path to truth. 

This is speculative realistic micro fiction, it is like reading a stream of thought, events happen in bursts with no definitive plan or direction. There are also multimedia elements throughout, drawings, reports, playlists. Told in short snappy chapters the pages physically darken as the mental health of both characters disintegrates so by the end of the book the pages are pitch black and harder to read, such a tangible way of showing the breakdown of the mind. 

This is not a comfortable read, August and Jack’s relationship is obsessive and toxic, there is an underlying intimacy that is really quite abusive and yet I liked them both. A compelling piece of realistic fiction that is a thriller at heart but pushes the boundaries of perception. How do you know the world you see is real? 
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