The pages progressively get darker, as Jack sinks deeper and deeper into his delusions. It is a very bleak, twisting tale, reminiscent of and old epic with Kings, knights and quests. The side quest of Jack's delusions is intriguing, with him as King and August as his knight. At first, everything seems beautiful, mystical, but slowly as the delusions become more and more intense, they begin to rot and fester. They very much seem to be a coping mechanism, for all that Jack is going through, and some of the secrets he is hiding. Slowly, they shift, as he becomes more and more scared of what is going on, of what he might do to August or his friends, when he believes his world is falling apart. August and Jack's relationship is complex and, while being unhealthy, completely captivating. The two are devoted, they sense each other's emotions and know what to do to help. They find a little assistance from friends, but they prefer to try to handle things on their own. This is a way to protect their tight knit relationship, to keep everyone else at arms lengths. I would have liked a bit more in terms of build up to the reveal at the end. I mean, I loved what we did get, but I wanted so much more (having been waiting). It was at times hard to simply follow August's point of view. His story was very stunted, short, and made me yearn for other perspectives throughout the story. I do understand this lent to the mystery, the unknown, the darkness swirling about the story. I also like that Jack's point of view was revealed in the short story, The Legend of the Golden Raven. I liked the short story, but it was just that, too short; and, because it was Jack's point of view it was confusing. The sad fact of this story is the failure of all the adults within August and Jack's life. Both boys were spiraling out of control and not a single adult seemed to notice or care. August's mother lived in a haze of depression, Jack's parents were never home, and their school teacher's were more interested in doling out detention slips than trying to find the motive behind the boys erratic behaviour. All of these factors lead these two teenagers to try to cope on their own, which seems so reminiscent of real life. Specifically, those stories of teenagers becoming embroiled in trouble, or hurting themselves because they feel alone and lost.
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