buzzyreadingbee
After I've seen numerous people on the Internet hyping this up, I wanted to read this so badly. Unfortunately, this story was not for me. I had high expectations reading Kayla Ancrum's words on this story. I wanted an authentic story of mental health issues and I still believe that this is an authentic story, it was just not speaking to me or stirring any emotions. I did not like the short chapters because I wanted to really dive into the characters and story which became almost impossible because of them. Moreover, I found it quite unrealistic for August to be sent to the asylum for a total of SIXTEEN months "just" because he set fire to a building. His therapist in there even told him that he was not really mentally ill or "crazy", so why keep him there for such a long time?! The plot with Jack's brain tumor was just... so lame. A bit like a "and then he woke up and realized that it was a dream"-story. Furthermore, I'd loved to dive deeper into the Wicker King's universe. I know that the book is not about the world Jack sees but I still think it would have put a nice touch to the whole narration. See, I get that both of the boys were being neglected by their parents throughout their whole lives. That caused severe damage and I get what the author wants to tell with that story. But it simply did not speak to me the way it was intended. Still, the epilogue proved that Ancrum has a way with words. I honestly liked this part better than the actual story. It felt more real and authentic.
