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dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
If I can count on anyone, I KNOW K. Ancrum got me. My girl NEVER fails to deliver soul-soothing, emotionally bankrupt stories that make me TRUST in the promise of good times to come. Of love and hope and happiness and security in the worst of times from the least expected people, or even one's self. Icarus barely tops The Corruption of Hollis Brown as my favorite K. Ancrum novel. Both novels do the impossible in daring the reader to change from the protection they may have built around them. Both Hollis and Icarus are characters who appear ideal in their stoicism and perfection to respective degrees. Young men who have potential and popularity and yet roam through life devoid of... something. A hollowness that feels unnecessary to fulfill until they meet someone who, as the story progresses, makes that hollowness whole.
In Icarus, we have Helios. An encaged ballet dancer and son of Mr. Black, the lustrious man, Icarus and his father, Angus, steal from. A curious boy, a brave boy, a broken boy clipped of his wings by his abusive father. (It's on sight for both Angus and Mr. Black. Prison can't hold Angus from ME.) At the heart of this story is the connection and empowerment of Icarus's and Helios's relationship. What Ancrum does so well with her love stories is make the characters (and readers) understand why vulnerability is the most fundamental part of falling in love. And I'm not talking about breaking down brick walls, no, no. Rather, falling in love with someone means comfortably allowing another person to dismantle your barriers brick by brick. That "slow-burn" effect is what makes love feel genuine and warm and whole.
Icarus, our thief and not named after that Greek guy, but a freaking plant, is afraid to fall because he believes his loneliness is but a matter of state which he can only run away from. He wants to fly away and never come down. But one can never stay afloat forever. It's thanks to the surprising existence of Helios and the persistence of cousins Lucas and Julian, Celestina, and others that Icarus can confront his selfish, cowardly father about exploiting his son as a tool for vengeance against his old best friend, who monetarily weaponized Angus's artistic skill against his dying wife. More importantly, however, these individuals helped Icarus accept their kindness and love and FINALLY recognize that He. Was. Never. Alone. In Celestina's, Lucas's, and Julian's cases, they were always there for him, whether that was bringing Icarus caffeine because he was visibly exhausted, supplying comfort touches, or even curating a chill and accepting vibe. They were always his friend. As for Helios, his mother shipped him and Icarus from the start because of her unrequited love for Angus, so as Icarus puts it, Helios is his birthright.
In the end, what I love about this tale called Icarus is that it condemns the original warning of the Greek myth: don't be too ambitious, too selfish, too far from the ground. Ancrum encourages her readers to be ambitious, to be a little selfish, and to be okay with flying and falling to the ground because the right, good people will be there to help you from the fall.