♥Milica♥'s Reviews > The Boy who was King

Oh my God, I HATE this book! Hate, hate, hate. If I wasn't reading on my phone I would've chucked it at the nearest wall repeatedly for causing me so much pain. THIS BOOK HAD NO REASON TO BE SO GOOD.

I had a bit of a problem shelving it. While the main character starts off as a kid, and is slowly growing up as we go along, I couldn't shelve it as middle grade. It's not exactly YA either, but I think it could be more appropriate for that age range.

There's trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. Normally these don't really affect me in books, the things are pretty mild and not that triggering. BUT HERE? I'm prepared to throw my phone just thinking about them. HEED THE WARNINGS, THEY ARE REAL AND THEY WILL HURT YOU.

This story follows a nameless boy who's found himself in an unfamiliar location with zero clues as to how he got there. By the help of a stranger he meets on the way he's introduced to Rivka, his new mother who gives him the name Azure (on account of his eyes).

As he grows, Azure learns to do chores, makes his first friend, finds a pet, falls in love, starts to dream...DO NOT BE FOOLED. THIS IS NOT A HAPPY BOOK. That however, doesn't mean that there aren't happy moments. There are, and they're sweet.

I really love the writing style. It's beautiful and easy to understand. I had no problems getting into the story from the get go.

The characters are real and the situations they're in are also very authentic. A lot of the things described are still happening today.

Of course, I cried. Especially when (view spoiler)[THE DOG DIED (hide spoiler)], that was cruel. And *cough* unneeded *cough* I will never sleep soundly again *cough*.

The ending straight up made me mad. YES, I WAS STILL EXPECTING A HAPPY ONE AFTER ALL THAT, SUE ME.

Read this book if you feel like you're up for some pain.

*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*