Dustin Street's Reviews > The Wicker King

This book was beautiful...and haunting. I read it in one sitting after getting sucked in and not realizing how quickly I was making my way through it. Even for a shorter book, it felt so full and rich, with characters that do not seek permission to be the messy, real characters they are.

This story is achingly human. I found myself stopping to say, out loud, “DAMN, I want to write stories that make other people feel the way this one makes me feel...”

The concept here is so unique and intriguing—and so different. This is the kind of narrative that I wish the publishing industry would take more chances on. It was a painfully honest examination of the human condition, of our society’s dismissal of mental health, and of the ways in which people cope with their demons.

I don’t want to say too much about the book beyond that, because it honestly speaks for itself, from the first line to the last. This author’s prose is both lyrical and realistic, but grounded and full of fancy. It’s all of the best elements of Benjamin Saenz and Patrick Ness, with a dose of Maggie Stiefvater, but ultimately a whole new style that is this author’s very own.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough.