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A review by sabreenareads
The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
5.0
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Wicker King, told from August’s perspective, is about August and Jack, and how they deal with Jack starting to hallucinate a new, fantastical world. Is that world real? What happens when he no longer sees the world that August sees? Will August disappear too?
“But — like every disaster they’d gotten themselves into through the history of their friendship — it hadn’t started all bad. Things were actually pretty fun until that last bit with all the screaming and the flames and the ambulances.”
I’m not entirely sure how I am going to write this review. First, if you are thinking about picking up The Wicker King, do it. It’s amazing and devastating and remarkable and horrifying and heartbreaking and so much more. It is full of complex, triggering themes though, so please be safe while reading it.
Trigger/content warning for: mental health issues, depression, anorexia, self-harm, abandonment, abuse, codependency.
“Are you seeing things now?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“You.”
I was lucky enough to read this with the Dragons and Tea Book Club, and the amazing hosts, Melanie and Amy, were even able to get the author, K. Ancrum, involved to answer questions! This was so special, and made the book even better. Hearing (reading) her insights and thoughts about certain scenes and characters was truly amazing, and I am grateful that she agreed to do that.
It is hard to talk about the book without giving away spoilers, so I will just say there are several scenes that broke me. There were pages where, after reading them, I had to stop. August and Jack are teenagers. They are in high school. And the adults around them failed them. August and Jack did nothing wrong. They did their best with what they were given. And they struggled. It is hard to read and not see them get the support they deserve.
The author’s dedication at the beginning and the author’s note at the end strongly emphasize this. Her note at the end actually made me tear up, and every single child/youth/teenager deserves to hear/read those words – in fact, many adults could benefit from reading them as well.
“Perception is relative. So is sanity, if you think about it. It’s totally a Minority vs. Majority thing. If you fall on one side of the line, take a ticket and proceed. If you fall on the other, shit gets real.”
The story was fantastic, and I think the format of the book helped with that. The pages (in the physical copies at least) literally turn from white to black as Jack falls deeper into his magical world. There are also photos and notes, some of which will tear your heart out. You don’t always know right away who is writing the notes, but when you do, it hurts.
The side characters are almost all teenagers as well, and it is interesting to see how they try to cope with what August and Jack are going through. Let me be absolutely clear here, the children/teenagers/youth are NOT at fault in this book or in real life. They did the best they could with what they were given.
Some of the characters become invested in August and Jack’s well-being and try to help; others know they can’t help, so they step away; others find they are enabling them, and then force them to either get help or stay away. All of these are valid choices. They did not know what else to do, so they did the best they could. It should be the responsibility of the adults around them – parents, teachers, counselors, etc. – to recognize that these kids are struggling, and that they need to help them.
“The world was so big and they were very small and there was no one around to stop terrible things from happening.”
I will forever love this book for making it so clear that people struggle, and THAT IS OKAY. It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to need help. It is okay to not know what to do. It is okay to be sad, mad, angry. Please keep trying anyways. Get help. Talk to someone. Know that there are always people around who will be there for you.
“In this world and the next. They could take everything away and leave us with nothing, and I would still love you.”
Have you read The Wicker King? If yes, what did you think?
The Wicker King, told from August’s perspective, is about August and Jack, and how they deal with Jack starting to hallucinate a new, fantastical world. Is that world real? What happens when he no longer sees the world that August sees? Will August disappear too?
“But — like every disaster they’d gotten themselves into through the history of their friendship — it hadn’t started all bad. Things were actually pretty fun until that last bit with all the screaming and the flames and the ambulances.”
I’m not entirely sure how I am going to write this review. First, if you are thinking about picking up The Wicker King, do it. It’s amazing and devastating and remarkable and horrifying and heartbreaking and so much more. It is full of complex, triggering themes though, so please be safe while reading it.
Trigger/content warning for: mental health issues, depression, anorexia, self-harm, abandonment, abuse, codependency.
“Are you seeing things now?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“You.”
I was lucky enough to read this with the Dragons and Tea Book Club, and the amazing hosts, Melanie and Amy, were even able to get the author, K. Ancrum, involved to answer questions! This was so special, and made the book even better. Hearing (reading) her insights and thoughts about certain scenes and characters was truly amazing, and I am grateful that she agreed to do that.
It is hard to talk about the book without giving away spoilers, so I will just say there are several scenes that broke me. There were pages where, after reading them, I had to stop. August and Jack are teenagers. They are in high school. And the adults around them failed them. August and Jack did nothing wrong. They did their best with what they were given. And they struggled. It is hard to read and not see them get the support they deserve.
The author’s dedication at the beginning and the author’s note at the end strongly emphasize this. Her note at the end actually made me tear up, and every single child/youth/teenager deserves to hear/read those words – in fact, many adults could benefit from reading them as well.
“Perception is relative. So is sanity, if you think about it. It’s totally a Minority vs. Majority thing. If you fall on one side of the line, take a ticket and proceed. If you fall on the other, shit gets real.”
The story was fantastic, and I think the format of the book helped with that. The pages (in the physical copies at least) literally turn from white to black as Jack falls deeper into his magical world. There are also photos and notes, some of which will tear your heart out. You don’t always know right away who is writing the notes, but when you do, it hurts.
The side characters are almost all teenagers as well, and it is interesting to see how they try to cope with what August and Jack are going through. Let me be absolutely clear here, the children/teenagers/youth are NOT at fault in this book or in real life. They did the best they could with what they were given.
Some of the characters become invested in August and Jack’s well-being and try to help; others know they can’t help, so they step away; others find they are enabling them, and then force them to either get help or stay away. All of these are valid choices. They did not know what else to do, so they did the best they could. It should be the responsibility of the adults around them – parents, teachers, counselors, etc. – to recognize that these kids are struggling, and that they need to help them.
“The world was so big and they were very small and there was no one around to stop terrible things from happening.”
I will forever love this book for making it so clear that people struggle, and THAT IS OKAY. It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to need help. It is okay to not know what to do. It is okay to be sad, mad, angry. Please keep trying anyways. Get help. Talk to someone. Know that there are always people around who will be there for you.
“In this world and the next. They could take everything away and leave us with nothing, and I would still love you.”
Have you read The Wicker King? If yes, what did you think?