The Wicker King (The Wicker King, #1)

by K. Ancrum

[roundtableknight]

"I'm right here," he said. "I've always been right here."
~
What I expected from this book: mental health issues, maybe some angst (maybe a happy ending).
What I got: a heart wrenching story of two broken boys who only have each other, and try to make due as their world falls apart.

I ordered this book from my library on a whim due to a recommendation I had from someone, and so my knowledge of the context of this book was next to none besides the synopsis given. This book isn't terrible complex, but what it doesn't have in complexity it makes up for fully in emotional anguish. Jack is one of the main characters, but you never get to see his point of view; you see instead August's, his best friend, point of view as the story goes on and the danger of the situation gets progressively worse. And because of that, you get to essentially see both characters. August knows Jack so well that it feels like what is happening to him we see through August, as well as learning about August's own troubles and past.

The ending of the novel had me scrambling for context of what was going to play out between the two boys and their imaginary world. I won't spoil anything, but it was amazing. The only reason that this doesn't get a five star review is due to the limited knowledge we actually have of not only the side characters, but also the August and Jack. I wish it could have gone into more detail, and I felt like some friendships were rushed. But other than that, it was an amazing read.