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juliemawesome's review
4.0
If you're going to buy this, it's important to note it's a short novel at 100 pages. But it's good, with a steampunk (more clockworkpunk) element that steampunk fans will like, but non-fans shouldn't mind.
endemictoearth's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
Very interesting shipwrecked historical with a dash of steampunk. First person narrative was particularly well-employed here, it reads like a journey diary. Short, but lovely.
james6b846's review
5.0
Island of Icarus by Christine Danse is a gay romance with a bit of steampunk mixed in. The novella follows Jonathan, a man who recently lost a portion of his arm and most of his previous life with it. He is sent by the Dean of his University to recuperate on the Galápagos Islands, as he hasn't been himself since the accident. On the boat to the Galápagos, Jonathan falls overboard in a storm and wakes up on the shore of a small island with an unknown man tending to him. Soon he learns that this man, Marcus, was also stranded on the island but actually prefers to stay on the island in solitude and be true to himself rather than returning to society and living a lie. Jonathan finds himself attracted to Marcus, and romance ensues.
A touching story
This is the perfect novella. It could be expanded into its own novel, but it's also fine as it is. The story of Jonathan's development and self-realization is executed very well, and I enjoyed how it was well-paced without being too swift, as most novellas tend to be. It was a little risqué at times—in fact, there are two very sexual scenes—but they were tastefully done and I felt that they developed the story well.
Lack of character definition
Jonathan is given a wonderful backstory, which makes sense as this story is told from his point of view, but Marcus is given very, very little. There is one point in this story where he says that he preferred to stay on the island instead of living a lie in 'proper' society, and he mentions a previous lover, but that's it. I find him to be an incredibly intriguing character, and the only thing that we really know about him is that he has a fascination with birds and wings and a related obsession with wanting to fly, but... it just wasn't enough for me.
Why should you read this book?
Island of Icarus has a very limited audience—unless you're a person who enjoys gay romance, tinged with erotica and set in a slightly steampunk world, this probably isn't the novella for you (which is unfortunate, because it pretty much is the perfect novella). It's beautifully set up and told, and it's by far one of the most enjoyable novellas I've read in a very long time.
Written for http://www.rantingdragon.com
A touching story
This is the perfect novella. It could be expanded into its own novel, but it's also fine as it is. The story of Jonathan's development and self-realization is executed very well, and I enjoyed how it was well-paced without being too swift, as most novellas tend to be. It was a little risqué at times—in fact, there are two very sexual scenes—but they were tastefully done and I felt that they developed the story well.
Lack of character definition
Jonathan is given a wonderful backstory, which makes sense as this story is told from his point of view, but Marcus is given very, very little. There is one point in this story where he says that he preferred to stay on the island instead of living a lie in 'proper' society, and he mentions a previous lover, but that's it. I find him to be an incredibly intriguing character, and the only thing that we really know about him is that he has a fascination with birds and wings and a related obsession with wanting to fly, but... it just wasn't enough for me.
Why should you read this book?
Island of Icarus has a very limited audience—unless you're a person who enjoys gay romance, tinged with erotica and set in a slightly steampunk world, this probably isn't the novella for you (which is unfortunate, because it pretty much is the perfect novella). It's beautifully set up and told, and it's by far one of the most enjoyable novellas I've read in a very long time.
Written for http://www.rantingdragon.com
hartd's review
3.0
3.5 stars. There were a few really beautiful moments in this book. I thought Jon's breakdown was very well-written and believable. The first sex scene was great. The plot (the wings, I mean) was okay, not good or bad, really. The question of whether Jon would stay on the island was not really compelling. Both characters were likeable. I rarely mind an overemotional MC, but I would advise anyone who doesn't like that kind of thing to steer clear of this one.
I was afraid I had accidentally stumbled on GFY here, which I avoid reading, but it isn't. It's more that Jon has never acknowledged his orientation to himself.
I was afraid I had accidentally stumbled on GFY here, which I avoid reading, but it isn't. It's more that Jon has never acknowledged his orientation to himself.
Spoiler
But there's a line in the second sex scene that really bothered me - Marcus tells Jon something about how no woman can ever satisfy Jon this way. I mean, that's technically incorrect, but that's not my problem with it. I was really caught up in this whole sexual awakening theme, and I thought the way Jon remembered his ex-fiancee (once he actually confronts the memories in his own mind) was excellent. But that line was the opposite of romantic to me. If someone said that to me during sex (no matter their gender), I would kick them out of bed. This is behind spoiler tags because it's such a small (and probably idiosyncratic) thing, but I had a strong negative reaction to it. Oh well.
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