Review: The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

Review by: Paige

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, LGBT

Synopsis: When August learns that his best friend, Jack, shows signs of degenerative hallucinatory disorder, he is determined to help Jack cope. Jack’s vivid and long-term visions take the form of an elaborate fantasy world layered over our own—a world ruled by the Wicker King. As Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy in this alternate world, even August begins to question what is real or not. 

August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth.

Review: This was one of the oddest, most intriguing books that I’ve ever read. It was genuinely eerie. I wasn’t sure what I expected when I picked it up, but I was surprised by the direction the story went in – and I’m very glad I was. The chapters were incredibly short, and I found myself completely unable to put it down. I raced through this book like lightning.

It was, however, genuinely confusing at times. One of my biggest hesitations here is that there was definite romanticization of mental illness going on. Though it was done with brevity, purpose, and an incredibly deft hand, the relationship was objectively unhealthy. I loved the dynamic between the two boys, and the representation was fantastic what with the discovery not only of romantic feelings but of themselves as well, but it was just a bit off-putting. I felt so disconnected from them, and I was craving more depth to all of the characters involved. But what I adored was the format of this novel – how the detailing on the pages followed the progression of the story as it got darker and darker, and the use of photographs.

This was a very intriguing, delicate take on mental illness and co-dependency. I’m not entirely sure if I loved it, but it was thought-provoking and engaging. Though this seems like the kind of novel I should have salivated over, for whatever reason, I didn’t.