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stormeno's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
j_the_human's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
I loved this. So much. Will be reading again and again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse
tandewrites's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
K. Ancrum is someone who I always describe as a 'once in a lifetime' kind of author, and the release of Icarus continues to prove it.
This is the story of Icarus Filiformis Gallagher, named after the plant rather than the Greek figure, the loneliest boy Ancrum has ever written, and Helios, the sun in his sky. It's an intimate reimagining of the tale of Icarus as a star-crossed love story between a young art thief and the son of the man he's been stealing from. It's part suspenseful thriller and part contemporary romance, and it's a return to the unconventional vignette chapters and sparse lyrical prose that made many of us fall in love with Ancrum through The Wicker King. This book is presented with such sincerity, consideration, and a deep understanding of our relationship to history and art. It's about found family, neglect, generational curses, and figuring out a way to escape your circumstances and chase the freedom you deserve.
The most distinct #OwnVoices representation from Icarus in comparison to Ancrum's other works is the intersex character, and he's seen through the eyes of someone who loves and understands him instantly without explanation, cowardice, or confusion. Representation in love interests is so valuable and important to me, seeing all the odd and ugly parts of yourself turned into something beautiful because someone loves you anyway, someone saying that you were made the same way as angels. There's also a reference to an intersex statue without a known creator within the book, and Ancrum says she chose it because it belongs to humanity now, and she liked the idea of a pivotal piece of art in the story being an artist unknown. It's also the acknowledgement that there have been people who exist outside of the sex binary longer than we have had the words to describe them, and instead, they have been documented in art.
Icarus's character also suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which I believe is also #OwnVoices representation. He complains of pain throughout the entire book and abuses his hypermobility to be good at sports (and breaking and entering). He's spent his life watching his father essentially breaking down and has begun to wear braces himself, inheriting it. Both are in complete unawareness of the root of their problems and both use insufficient coping mechanisms and physical supports. Helios noticing these symptoms and simply telling Icarus that EDS is a thing that exists circles back to one of the key themes in the novel: the act of noticing. Teenagers always notice, and they're the first to see when something is wrong with their friends. Icarus notices what Helios refuses to say, and Icarus's friends notice the bruises under his eyes and see through his jokes about his tiredness. Icarus tries to save Helios, without knowing a rescue mission is brewing for him too.
Ultimately, Icarus is a book about opening yourself up to weakness and vulnerability. There are so many books written about the weak learning to be strong, and less so about how hardening yourself to survive has a cost, and the bravery of beginning to remove that protection and allowing yourself to grow. But this one is a love letter to the value of emotional intimacy and human connection, as all Ancrum books are, and it never gets less heart-wrenching to read about. Icarus gives his time and companionship to a boy in a cage, and he nearly gives his life, and he does so without hesitation. He's also a character who has to learn about tenderness and how to hug people for the first time in his teens from his friends, and they choose to love him over and over again, no matter how many times he tries to push them away.
I think BookBrowse said it best: "...flying too close to the warmth of the sun, to the unique light offered by each person, is not a matter of gross overreach but is, in fact, a necessity, a basic condition of humanity and interconnectedness, even at the risk of violent crash and burn."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Cancer
melaschnie's review
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Drug abuse
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Death of parent
booking_along's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
can’t even formulate the words for this right now.
beautifully written, impactful story and memorable characters!
filled with heartbreak and hope, love and loss and hate and grief and dreams.
a story that has LGBTQ+ characters, chronic illness rep and so many other representations and moments that are beautiful!
beautifully written, impactful story and memorable characters!
filled with heartbreak and hope, love and loss and hate and grief and dreams.
a story that has LGBTQ+ characters, chronic illness rep and so many other representations and moments that are beautiful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Confinement, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual content
ferniesanders's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual content
sargjo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this from NetGalley and was very captivated. The prose is spare and even timeless even as the author is able to pepper dialogue with phrasing that indicate the teen world-very J.D. Salinger. The plot grows subtly, the characters deepen and then the twists start arriving. This is a love story and a thriller and a work to think on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
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