The Wicker King

By: K. Ancrum

Narrated by: Charlie Thurston

Jack once saved August's life...now can August save him?

August is a misfit with a pyro streak, and Jack is a golden boy on the varsity rugby team - but their intense friendship goes way back. Jack begins to see increasingly vivid hallucinations that take the form of an elaborate fantasy kingdom creeping into the edges of the real world. With their parents' unreliable behavior, August decides to help Jack the way he always has - on his own. He accepts the visions as reality, even when Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy.

August and Jack alienate everyone around them as they struggle with their sanity, free falling into the surreal fantasy world that feels made for them. In the end, each one must choose his own truth.

Crafted in vivid micro-fiction with a stream-of-consciousness feel and multimedia elements, K. Ancrum's The Wicker King touches on themes of mental health and explores a codependent relationship fraught with tension, madness, and love.

©2017 Kayla Ancrum (P)2021 Tantor

Unique story

Thought this was a quick easy listen, with a pretty unique YA story dealing with mental health.

Yes, buy this book!

It’s haunting, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
This one will stay with me for a while.

Excellent narration.

Stunned in the best possible way

This went from a slow descent to a full on free fall into madness. No parachute in sight. I honestly could not even fully unpack this story. I love Jack and August. Their story that will stay on my mind and heart for more than a minute. I was not expecting the ending I got, but was deeply satisfied. This was my second book by K.Ancrum and I definitely find this to be a style of writing that I'm starting to enjoy. This is a book I will return too.
Charlie Thurston did a great job with all the characters, but especially Jack and August!

Broken people assisting broken people

writing this review, I'm struck by a decision, is K. Ancrum attempting to craft a story where Jack and August are failed repeatedly by those around them or a story where Jack and August are the anti heroes who are their own worse enemy? as is "the Wicker King" is filled with characters who make it hard to care about them with the Characters who seem the most likeable are surrounding students who are broken and grinded down by the main characters.

Mental health

Deals with mental health and codependency. It’s written in a style that gets right into it, which I do like.