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alyssa_simard's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
s4ily's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
based on the synopsis alone, i imagined a story about a thrilling theft that may or may not go horribly wrong, but in the end, i got the story of a teenager finding love, support, and understanding for the first time in his life, and instead of being disappointed, i thought it was beautiful !!
the story was very entertaining from beginning to end. i found the characters compelling, though i was left wanting a bit more of them by the end, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
by the way, the author's note almost made me cry, so i'm quoting it here:
the story was very entertaining from beginning to end. i found the characters compelling, though i was left wanting a bit more of them by the end, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
by the way, the author's note almost made me cry, so i'm quoting it here:
Community is humanity's greatest strength and community at its core, is just love, comforts created out of love, bonds fed by love—or at least for the desire of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction
booklifeisthelife's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
It was an okay book, I suppose. I didn't really enjoy this but there wasn't anything bad bad about it. Just couldn't get invested. I didn't love the writing which is a first for me. The way it was written isn't poor, it's just a weird style that I can't really explain? But I also wasn't really invested in the story. The characters were nice but I also didn't super care about them. Some of the interactions were a bit strange. The romance also wasn't really captivating. I did like how Lucas and Celestinea were good friends to him. But I also didn't fully understand the background with the father's and mother's. Was confusing. I also didn't like how open ended the ending was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Physical abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
pey333's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, and Sexual content
loisjay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is an ode to the strong ones—the ones who have had to harden themselves to survive and now long to open themselves up to weakness and vulnerability. It is also a love letter to the ones who notice and pay attention, the ones who witness, and the ones who choose tenderness.
I have always thought that maybe I had aged out of YA novels, but this book showed me that I just haven't read a great one in a long time. 🥹 I found the sparse prose delightfully refreshing, proof that books don't always have to be so verbose to be poignant. Icarus stole my heart!
I have always thought that maybe I had aged out of YA novels, but this book showed me that I just haven't read a great one in a long time. 🥹 I found the sparse prose delightfully refreshing, proof that books don't always have to be so verbose to be poignant. Icarus stole my heart!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
somelesbianwriter's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
adamagoesit_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Everything about this book gives me such heart-yearning joy. Icarus is a book that felt like a labor of love and an ode to belonging. It has opened my massive heart and these characters have left me speechless. Icarus is a well crafted queer YA novel that now has a special place in my heart.
Icarus is a thief and his father is an art restorer that orders him to steal the art from Mr. Black’s residence & replace it with fake art. While he executes that, he meets Helios, who happens to be Mr. Black’s son that is locked up in this cage of a home. Everything changes for Icarus after that first meeting.
If it weren’t for the guardian angels (Julian & Celestina), I don’t think Icarus would have understood how terrible his situation was. How expressionless and guarded he was toward the world simply because his world was different from everyone else’s. I think meeting Helios completed that, completed him in where he was finally able to understand the human experience that he was supposed to have vs. what he learned. I think above else, friendship and love captures the meaning of care, community care at that.
This book was very different to me in the way it was formatted. It made it easy to follow along while executing its creativity. It’s unique in its own way. At first, I felt like I wasn’t understanding that this is Greek mythology retelling until clues and phrases were said in a way that made me thing “OH, I get it”. That is what I love about reading, simply put. Everyone should read this book and now this author has gained a new fan out of me.
Icarus is a thief and his father is an art restorer that orders him to steal the art from Mr. Black’s residence & replace it with fake art. While he executes that, he meets Helios, who happens to be Mr. Black’s son that is locked up in this cage of a home. Everything changes for Icarus after that first meeting.
If it weren’t for the guardian angels (Julian & Celestina), I don’t think Icarus would have understood how terrible his situation was. How expressionless and guarded he was toward the world simply because his world was different from everyone else’s. I think meeting Helios completed that, completed him in where he was finally able to understand the human experience that he was supposed to have vs. what he learned. I think above else, friendship and love captures the meaning of care, community care at that.
This book was very different to me in the way it was formatted. It made it easy to follow along while executing its creativity. It’s unique in its own way. At first, I felt like I wasn’t understanding that this is Greek mythology retelling until clues and phrases were said in a way that made me thing “OH, I get it”. That is what I love about reading, simply put. Everyone should read this book and now this author has gained a new fan out of me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Addiction
packedjam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Medical content, and Death of parent
moniquewrites's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I loved this book so much. So soft. Short, single scene chapters make the moments seem much more present. First time friendships. First love that feels inevitable. And the author writes the hard stuff with dignity and care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
craftysnailtail's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I wasn't prepared for how sad this book was, but I still enjoyed it. It's not something I would usually pick for myself strictly because of the tense label. There were times where it felt uncomfortable to read because it made me so anxious, but that's just me personally. I have a low stress tolerance lol
Overall, I connected with and loved almost every character. The style of extremely short chapters got a bit on my nerves, but maybe that's because I listened to it rather than read it. This book definitely tugs at heartstrings and reminded me of what it's like to be a teen. My only real gripe is I wanted more at the end. I went hunting for epilogue style fanfiction and was shocked there wasn't even a section for this book. If I had the writing skills, I'd be rectifying that!
Overall, I connected with and loved almost every character. The style of extremely short chapters got a bit on my nerves, but maybe that's because I listened to it rather than read it. This book definitely tugs at heartstrings and reminded me of what it's like to be a teen. My only real gripe is I wanted more at the end. I went hunting for epilogue style fanfiction and was shocked there wasn't even a section for this book. If I had the writing skills, I'd be rectifying that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Chronic illness and Drug abuse