The Wicker King
The Wicker King, by K. Ancrum 
Blurb: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. My ReviewHow to review this book..? So, by the end I loved it, but at first I honestly thought it was just plain strange, which I guess was kinda the reason I liked it... Also, I found the writing style very abrupt, which, at times, worked perfectly and I loved it, but at other times more information and more fleshing out of a scene would have been appreciated.Since it was told from August's point of view, not Jack's (who is the one having the delusions) the fantasy world felt strange and flat, not at all fleshed out and there wasn't really enough information about it to draw me in to that aspect of the story. What kept me interested though was Jack and August's relationship, which was confusing, brutal, unhealthy in so many ways, and yet it felt so vital and important and I found myself rooting for them despite the way the sometimes treated each other. I actually enjoyed the last fifty odd pages the most. I liked the ending; it was both realistic and it left the characters with a chance for happiness despite everything. I also liked the author's note at the end and I felt more informed and understand of the book and it's characters after I'd read it. All in all, a book I wasn't sure about to begin with, but ended up loving! I'd definitely recommend it if you don't mind reading a book with quite a few 'what the hell?' moments! 
My favourite quotes from 'The Wicker King':'My mom once told me that being alone makes you feel weaker everyday, even if you're not.' ' "But your best is not good enough sometimes," she said, deflating a bit. "Sometimes... you have to stop trying and just let someone else try their best. In order to survive." ' 'They'll learn how to love each other with fingertips, instead of claws.'
Blurb: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. My ReviewHow to review this book..? So, by the end I loved it, but at first I honestly thought it was just plain strange, which I guess was kinda the reason I liked it... Also, I found the writing style very abrupt, which, at times, worked perfectly and I loved it, but at other times more information and more fleshing out of a scene would have been appreciated.Since it was told from August's point of view, not Jack's (who is the one having the delusions) the fantasy world felt strange and flat, not at all fleshed out and there wasn't really enough information about it to draw me in to that aspect of the story. What kept me interested though was Jack and August's relationship, which was confusing, brutal, unhealthy in so many ways, and yet it felt so vital and important and I found myself rooting for them despite the way the sometimes treated each other. I actually enjoyed the last fifty odd pages the most. I liked the ending; it was both realistic and it left the characters with a chance for happiness despite everything. I also liked the author's note at the end and I felt more informed and understand of the book and it's characters after I'd read it. All in all, a book I wasn't sure about to begin with, but ended up loving! I'd definitely recommend it if you don't mind reading a book with quite a few 'what the hell?' moments! My favourite quotes from 'The Wicker King':'My mom once told me that being alone makes you feel weaker everyday, even if you're not.' ' "But your best is not good enough sometimes," she said, deflating a bit. "Sometimes... you have to stop trying and just let someone else try their best. In order to survive." ' 'They'll learn how to love each other with fingertips, instead of claws.'
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