Icarus

by K. Ancrum

Icarus Gallagher is a thief. He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man—the wealthy Mr. Black—has been their target in revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught.

Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous—a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.

As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the gilded cage that has trapped both their families for years. One Icarus is determined to escape. But his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love. Reaching for both could be his greatest triumph—or it could be his downfall.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Queer, LGBT, Contemporary, Mythology, Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2024

About the author

K. Ancrum, is an author of award winning speculative contemporary YA notably THE WICKER KING, DARLING and most recently the critically acclaimed ICARUS. K. is a Chicago native passionate about diversity and representation in young adult fiction. She currently writes most of her work in the lush gardens of the Chicago Art Institute.

Reviews

[jessica yeung · Rating 5 out of 5]

im a reader who loves stories. but, every once in awhile, i pick up a book that helps me remember i also love language. this is one of those books.

KA has such a beautiful writing style. i suspect some might describe it as pretentious, in the same way john greens stories and characters often are, but i simply cannot get over the imagery the sentences construct and the emotions the words conjure. its the kind of poetic writing you absorb with both mind and heart as you read it.

so effortless. so tender. and the perfect way to tell this kind of story.

↠ 4.5 stars

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm not saying i condone art theft.

but i AM saying...it's pretty cool.

and i wish this book had more of it.

this just felt too unrealistic. every book needs something to ground it, and this was so absurd: indescribable mansions, teenage art thievery prodigies, john green-esque dialogue, friends at school who act more like obsessive fans, rare disorders diagnosed by nearby ballerinas, insta- and life-defining love.

it was too much, and all of it felt dramatic and heavy, and because there was nothing to make any of it feel lifelike it just felt annoying.

i don't even know what this book is about.

but it wasn't art theft.

bottom line: i think many, many people will like this book. i am sad to learn i am not among them.

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)

[Aiden Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, brilliant, and bold, Kayla Ancrum proves once again that not only is she one of the best storytellers of this generation, but a true poet, as well. ICARUS is the perfect blend of an exciting heist, poetic prose, and an aching romance between two star-crossed lovers. Absolutely unputdownable!

[mina reads™️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

#2 in my top ten books of 2024 list
https://youtu.be/zJyzeRjxsxM

“I was yours before we even met, I’ll be yours until we die”

This book made me ache someplace deep in my chest and the emotions I experienced cannot be easily summarized in this review. I have loved K. Ancrum's work for years and this is just one more example of her genius. Her short, evocative passages sharply render the loneliness and the struggles of what is it like to be a strong independent child who craves nothing more than to be soft and vulnerable and able to rely on someone for once. Icarus was a fantastic protagonist, fascinating and charismatic, with a vibrant cast surrounding him, a night job that requires some suspension of disbelief and a beautiful love for a boy trapped in the highest room in the tallest tower. Ancrum's work always features fierce friendships that leave me breathless and a true sense of community. The love and strength that can be found within a collective in her work that never fails to make me sob. I could write somewhat endlessly about this book and what made it work for me but I want you to read it for yourself so I will leave things here. Please read it if you're looking for a touching, heavily poetic, YA novel.

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The church has laws, yes. But the god I believe in would never embrace a man who turned his face from his son in shame. The god I believe in gave Titian and Donatello their talents and they used them to celebrate the world in His beauty. The god I believe in gave me you.”

i feel like every time i sit down to write about a k ancrum story, i end up just wanting to talk about how much of a gift she is to the literary world. her books are everything, absolutely phenomenal, with some of the best prose i’ll ever read in my life, and icarus is no different. but from dedication to acknowledgment, the magic that is her and what she is doing for readers, especially young readers, just means everything to me as someone who is very invested in bookish spaces. i don’t know what kind of long winded preamble this is, but i just truly wish the best for her and her stories and i truly feel so much joy that the world has her books.

i am sure a lot of people know icarus and helios in greek mythos, but this story is such a fascinating take on those characters and the sins committed by their fathers. icarus is an art thief, taught and mastered by his artist father, to steal art and to replace it with replicas that his father has created. helios is a boy locked away in the house that icarus’s father likes him to steal from most, so one night their paths cross and their future changes from that meeting. they are both trapped by very different prisons created by their fathers, but together, maybe, they can actually look at the sun and have it be okay.

this is a beautiful story about how love can be messy, so messy, but it can always be so vast. it should be so vast, we all deserve it to be vast and welcoming and safe, always. this book really showcases how that love can look so different - from a conversation you were scared to have, to a safe bit of sleep and knowing you’re going to open your eyes safely too, to being allowed to be yourself and not have a door shut on you immediately after. truly, the friendships and love depicted in this book? some of the best i’ve ever read.

ahhhh, i feel like i want to say so much else, but reading this book truly felt like being enveloped in a warm light, even with this book having so much darkness for content. you will see my holding this up in my pfp for 2025, and it really is such a highlight of my reading year. i loved it with everything i am. please pick this one up, or request it from your libraries, and if you are able - please also purchase this for your local library, too. i think the world deeply needs more reminders that we are all deserving of outstretched hands.

content warnings from the author: Swearing, Underage Drug and Alcohol Use (moderate: cigarettes, drinking, heroin dependance mention-character is in recovery), Child Neglect, Sexual Scenes (Moderate), Child Abuse, Physical violence, Imprisonment, Severe Depression, Cancer Mention, LGBT Themes, Criminal Activity. This book would probably not be best for people who have sensitivity to parent/child domestic abuse.

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The Wicker King ★★★★★
The Legend of the Golden Raven ★★★★★
The Weight of the Stars ★★★★★
Darling ★★★★★

[Snjez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Such a unique story – beautiful, whimsical, and heartbreaking at times. I loved the author's writing style, the short chapters, and the way she writes relationships and friendships. The author's note at the end of the book is wonderful.

There are a lot more little things I liked about this book, but I don't want to give anything away. I feel it's better to go into it not knowing much about it.

Great narration by Kirt Graves.

[anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

rep: achillean mc with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, achillean intersex li, achillean side character, Black side character
tw: child abuse, cancer, past off page death, drug addiction, violence

the whole book could be summed up by that one siken quote:

you're in a car with a beautiful boy, / and you're trying not to tell him that you love him, and you're trying to / choke down the feeling, and you're trembling, but he reaches over and / he touches you, like a prayer for which no words exist, and you feel your / heart taking root in your body, like you've discovered something you / don't even have a name for.

[annes_mesmerizing_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Climbing into my house, into my bed, touching everything except for me. I was yours before we even met and I’ll be yours until we die.”

Imagine an outgoing, athletic, popular boy who seems to have it all. Imagine that same boy being put in a box. Not allowed to have friends. Sleeping in a closet. Not used to touching. Stealing for his father like an apprentice is instructed by his master. This is Icarus' life. Until he meets Helios, who is in his own prison; the boy with skin like milk, his hair a bright red, and his eyelashes flax-gold in the sun.

This beautiful story is about loneliness and friendship and about finding freedom and your way to happiness. Kayla Ancrum's writing is unique, with chipped-off, very short chapters—sometimes only a paragraph. It almost feels like a book written in verse, and the blunt writing and cut-off paragraphs give the story tension and immediacy that made goosebumps dance over my skin.  

I loved how Icarus slowly crawled out of his box and spread out his wings by befriending teens at school. I cherished those precious moments between him and Helios and how they started to build on each other. My heart jumped up when Icarus flew higher and higher until he began to melt. Because of the kindness around him. Because of the friendships he built. And eventually because of all the love that fanned out on him like rays of sunshine. And, of course, because of his love for the boy with hair like the rising and setting sun.  

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children's Books and Edelweiss, for the ARC.

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[Teru · Rating 4 out of 5]

K. Ancrum does it again, I’m not even surprised anymore! Well - maybe a little bit. I’ve learned to go into her stories with a mix of excitement and trepidation for a reason.

I tried to think of the best way to describe what the book is about, and then I read the Author’s Note.
”There are so many books written about the weak learning to be strong and not many about the strong opening themselves up to weakness and vulnerability. Hardening yourself to survive has a cost, and it takes incredible bravery to begin removing that protection to allow yourself to grow.”

And that’s it, that’s the core of Icarus’ story. The boy who was forced to grow up way too soon, was robbed of his childhood, pushed into the kind of life that prioritized responsibility over human connections. My heart hurt for Icarus so much, this kid who was trained to be a thief and a forger by his grieving father. It hurt for Helios, the kid still battling addiction, who was being locked up by his own abusive father. And meeting each other led to something inevitable that could have ended up in ruins for everyone, yet the risk was still worth it.

I just love Ancrum’s signature vignette style, making the story fly by while still being able to stun with out-of-this-world descriptions. Couple that with the sensuality and intense intimacy between the characters, and I’m bound to get a bit feral over the boys. It’s definitely a bit gentler read when it comes to an all-consuming obsession with each other (it doesn’t really hold a candle to Hollis Brown and The Wicker King), so I’m not gonna pretend I’m not a bit sad about that.

Because it’s not just about Icarus and Helios, it was mostly Icarus and all the connections he made because people around him did notice and did care, which was beautiful to see. Celestina and Luca especially, were great friends to him and I’m genuinely glad he found them (or more like they coaxed him to them).

BUT. I’m afraid I loved Helios too much not to feel threatened by both Luca and Celestina. Ancrum tends to write friendships with certain intimate undertones that feel like they could turn sexual any second (which they did in some of her other books). And I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me uncomfortable, because I was here mainly for Icarus and Helios and them making each other their top priority (yes yes it’s not very “healthy” and I don’t really care 🙈). And I actually think, if it weren’t for Helios, this could’ve just as easily ended up as a poly relationship between Icarus, Celestina and Luca. Nothing bad about that, rationally, but in my head? Not good enough.

Still! Despite making me possessively hiss at the pages at times, it’s a beautiful story filled with meaningful bonds and yearning for a better life - and actually gathering the courage not only to reach out for it, but to ask for help while doing so.

(Also how insane is it to read about the rare kind of queer rep two times in a row?? First, The Great Dane, now Icarus. I’m a bit floored, wow 😳)

[Alexia · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

This book was mostly a disappointing experience for me. I’ve always been fascinated by the Icarus myth, so when I discovered this was a reimagining, I was genuinely excited. Unfortunately, the execution fell short.

While I expected elements of thievery, forging, and a compelling love story, those aspects were delivered in only small doses. Instead, the narrative focused excessively on Icarus’s school life and his bizarre friendships.

I did appreciate the relationship between Icarus and Helios; it was beautifully portrayed, but that was the only redeeming quality in this book. Icarus himself came off as a character that made me uneasy, for reasons I can’t fully articulate. The friendships portrayed felt incredibly strange. It seemed as though Icarus was caught in a polyamorous situation with Celestina and Luka, while simultaneously being unfaithful to Helios.

The author appeared indecisive about the nature of these relationships, constantly shifting their dynamics throughout the story. This ambiguity left me confused and frustrated. By the end, it felt as if he was cheating on Helios with Celestina and Luka.

The narrative would have benefited from either establishing a clear polyamorous relationship or focusing on a single partnership without ambiguity. The way the author depicted their interactions didn’t help clarify things at all.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if this book was good, or I was gaslighted into enjoying it because Kirt Graves read it to me 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 but either way, I still had a good time!



The Ehlers-Danlos rep even if it wasn’t perfect…to some people….🙄🙄🙄🙄 (I saw some people complaining about it being incorrect or self-diagnosed, whateverrrrrr, it’s fiction STFU, do you really wanna read a book about how he goes to the rheumatologist appointments to get diagnosed?? Chill out or go read some EDS non-fiction ya boring ass.)
It was nice to see a syndrome that you don’t often hear about much, being mentioned in a queer YA.
Because having my world of having EDS, and my silly goose world of books intertwine even in a minute way, just felt nice.



My brain enjoyed the way each chapter in Icarus was 1-3 mins long, it felt like a brain scratch, and each chapter written was like… a snapshot of the scene?? and then it would move on but it was just enough to form these nice friendships and images in your head cinema.



I felt something missing between Icarus and Helios. But I couldn’t put my finger on what. I just wanted more cuteness in the beginning.

[ivanareadsalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Edelweiss and HarperTeen for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

☀️This will probably be one of the more sweet and endearing and impactful reads i will have all year. not only is the narrative itself utterly sincere and engaging, but the Author's Note is a gentle, loving-kindness call for emotional integrity and compassion that I 100% VIBE with on an intrinsic level! When the Dedication makes you cry, you know you're about to read something special. And it really and truly was!☀️

🪽Icarus, the book, was a breadth of arresting and deeply moving narrative. And Icarus, the character, was a magnetar. A captivating, secretive, broody, brilliantine wearing star, with a skillset born and nurtured in the spirit of revenge. Icarus, the son, forged by the forger for the sole purpose of retaliation. Icarus, the child, cat burgling the cruel Mr. Black, whose vindictiveness (which cost his mother her life) claimed his childhood, by extension.🪽

🎨There was a lot to FEEL in this, even though this serious story was wrapped up in a narrative that read light and youthful and airy at times. The swirl of new friends and old focus, ebbed and flowed in a push and pull, like the competing forces of a current and a wave. I was scared to want for him, Icarus the young man of 17 going on 18, just as much as he was afraid to want for himself! Because lurking throughout was the heavier, more poignant, emotional underbelly, sitting beneath the surface of a fresh faced pond of bright and tender yearning. a tension with claws in wait, that the lonely young (who desire beyond the limits of that holding) have little power over, once awakened to want.🎨

💓Icarus the precious boy, who tried to go unseen through his last year of HS, but who was seen by all whose lives he touched by simply being himself.💓

🪽This was a beautiful story about friendship! Icarus thought he was alone, and then discovered another sweet and lonely boy who needed his help. and while all up in his head about it, his friends sensed his secrets and were ready to throw down for him! And all of this open intimacy and love just overwhelmed him constantly, and here i was just aching for him from page 1 through to the very end!🪽

❤️‍🔥Icarus may have been his father's son, but when he climbed and scaled walls and heights for love, and when he stepped up to BE a saviour, when he kicked and clawed the beastly Mr. Black to save Helios, and when, needing to be saved, he fell trusting in the arms of true friendship, he became something infinitely greater.❤️‍🔥

💙this story was so wonderful to read, bold and brutal, but also brave and hopeful! this was my first K. Ancrum but it most assuredly would not be my last!💙

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is...weird, by which I mean that it has a lot of different moving parts that don't really coalesce. The family story, the art heist stuff, the friends, school, the romance...it feels like a lot of different stories mashed together, and it reads sort of incongruous and strange. The pacing is really odd, it needed another pass or two of line edits for sure, and the connection to the myth is pretty tenuous, not that that's a big offense or anything. It's just a bumpy and off-putting reading experience.

And, separately, it's incredibly obvious that this author came up in fanfiction. You'd be forgiven for missing it except for the romance, which is straight out of any middling wolfstar fic on AO3. There are so many turns of phrase, so many specific interactions, so much influence from fanfic that it's impossible to miss. I don't know anything about this author but I'd stake my life on it. And as we all know, writing fanfic and writing actual fiction are different skills that require different things, and while the non-romance parts of this book have an interesting dreamy, poetic quality, any scene with Helios falls entirely apart because the only reference point for writing romance that this author has appears to be johnlock (or some shit equivalent, etc). There's also a weird part where Icarus maneuvers Helios' body so that they're touching "like girls" which I think was meant to be scissoring?? "touching like girls???" This will be living in my head for a while because what does this MEAN. In general all of the touch-sensitivity stuff was a LOT, perhaps very overdone, and also very fanfic-feeling.

So it's a four star story with a two star romance, ultimately.

[ahana ⊹ [ ia ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

⌗ ˖ ⁺ 4.5 stars — 🪻◞

you're so art deco, out on the floor

                   ⤿ art deco, lana del rey

im having trouble putting my incoherent thoughts together into words ohmygosh i love this so much. about to go ask force everyone to read this <3

icarus could feel helios’s breath on his face, even though they were more than a foot away from each other. the proximity was dizzying. it was indescribable. he was like a sunflower stretching toward the light.

my precious babies please im going to cry 🥹 this book was everything, hit me like a force all at once. i cant believe i didnt read this sooner but oh i am so glad i did now. i think this book found me at the right time and i couldnt have asked for more.

“climbing into my house, into my bed, touching everything except for me. i was yours before we even met and ill be yours until we die”

[talia ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was so certain that this would be 5 stars and usurp the wicker king as my ever favourite ancrum novel.

alas.

------------

WE HAVE A COVER AT LAST WE HAVE A COVER

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pitched as a romantic YA thriller that reimagines the myth of Icarus, and described to be reminiscent of The Goldfinch

i. am. going. to. die.

k. ancrum is back on the magic crack that created the masterful The Wicker King 😭

this is everything i ever wanted. godbles.

[Ditte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Icarus is an achingly beautiful story about loneliness, love, trauma, friendship, and growing up.

“If you’re such a good thief, then why haven’t you stolen me yet?”

17-year-old Icarus is leading a life parallel to his peers. He's in the world, he goes to school, he talks to a few people in class, but he's always on the periphery. He's not allowed friends, or to do sports. He's not allowed to invite people over, or to tell them why he's always tired. He's lonely, and angry, and sad, but keeps it to himself because he has no other options. Watching Icarus realize that someone sees him, someone cares, someone thinks he's important is both devastating and hopeful. This is a story about Icarus becoming a person, about choices and freedom, about abusive parents, and about humanity - the good and the bad. It's a love story, too, and not only a romantic one.

"He wondered at the picture they made. Icarus dark and small, in the water, head tilted back in devout wonder. Helios, red like the sun, gold in the light, standing above him."

The book had a slow start but once I got past the first 20% ish, it really picked up. As someone on GR said, it's more of a reimagining than retelling. It's beautifully written and has great diverse representation when it comes to disability, sexuality, gender, and race. Specifics might be considered spoilers but my dms are open if you want more info.

"The air is prickly with possibility, but the ground is magnetic and heavy. Going anywhere or doing anything feels like running in a dream. It’s an open-air prison.”

Icarus is reminiscant of Ancrum's The Wicker King in some ways. The short chapters, the ominous and anxious feeling while reading, young boys forming a bond only they can fully understand. However, Icarus feels lighter, more hopeful, and it's a very different book, though I think fans of TWK will enjoy this one, too. As with TWK, the author's note at the end of Icarus made me cry ❤️

"If they tried, maybe it would be okay."

Icarus by K. Ancrum // ⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/Harper Teen for the ARC. Icarus is out March 26, 2024

NOTE: quotes are from the eARC I was provided and may be changed for final publication

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

​✰ 3 stars ✰

“I guess. It’s like two artworks in one. But it’s not . . . worth anything. You could probably argue that it isn’t even art.”

“It’s still beautiful.”

Icarus shrugged. “It’s a job. My job, sometimes.”

Helios’s eyes were hard and dark when he faced him. “That doesn’t mean it’s worthless.”

K. Ancrum's Icarus is a character-driven portrait of seventeen-year-old high school senior who has followed in his father's footsteps of stealing precious artworks from a one Mr. Black's residence in the depths of the night - an art form they have got down to perfection. It is during one such planned heist that his plans do go awry when he unexpectedly stumbles upon another residence of his manor - his son, Helios, thus, opening up a whole other world of feelings and truths that he had never known before. And much like his namesake of ancient lore, there will come a time when Icarus will fly a little too close to the sun and where he has to decide if it is worth his own life or not.

​“He was funny and outgoing, girls and guys liked him, he got invited to parties. He just wasn’t allowed to go.

It was lonely. He hated it.”

This line deeply resonated with me of how close it home to the school life I had growing up; how I grew up in a strict household, but it didn't mean that I didn't have friends. And as much as I wanted to have a social life - I just couldn't​ - that when I got home, I left behind all the drama, all the angst, all the conversations that I had lived that school day - '​he had never felt so lonely in his​ life.'​​ 😔 Maybe that's why I turned to reading - a passion that isn't quite on the same wavelength as the art theft that Icarus dabbled with, but it made his ​own feelings of loneliness and hesitancy of interacting and the longing for interaction with his friends - matter to me ​more​.​​ 🪷

One of the major themes that Icarus explores is how vital friendship is in growing up - teenagers who can recognize the signs when something is wrong and express their concern - even when it may not feel like they aren't paying attention.​ 😥​ Seeing Icarus' classmates care about his well-being jolted me with a memory of my own from my freshman year. When there were some troubles at home that were affecting me so deeply, a girl in my class - who, while we may have known each other since Nursery, we were never really quite friends - looked at me and noted how sad my eyes were and asked if I was okay.​

Just as I was touched by my friend's concern for me, I do not fault Icarus for feeling overwhelmed by the kindness and consideration his friends gave him. It is in noticing the little things that shows how a friend cares - gives it's unmitigated support without ever asking.​ 🫂 He's never been on the receiving end of such kindness that he has to learn how to feel love and appreciated - that he is worthy of belonging. It is with their soft and tender affection of him that inadvertently strengthened Icarus' resolve to be more proactive in his efforts in saving Helios.​ 😟

​“I was yours before we even met and I’ll be yours until we die.”

There is a certain wistfulness to the prose - not so much lyrical, but remorseful; a loneliness of time that has been lost to you. I know how that feels - missed opportunities and a longing of regret was what made Icarus a character that I ​empathize with. 'It’s not stupid, Icarus. That’s more than half your life that you can’t get back. That’s developmental opportunities ruined. You never got to be normal.' 😞​ His outgoing mask is a facade to the desire for more - a yearning to break free that certainly does resonate with the Greek myth of how Icarus longed to fly to his freedom. The twisted irony ​here that I liked was how it was his father was as much responsible for his own imprisonment that made his story that much more tragic.​ 💔💔

But, I think for me, the character I was more drawn towards was Helios, who, in my opinion, had lost just as much time as Icarus had - someone who was almost preordained to be destined to be in Icarus' life without any basis of their own free will. It is this heartbreaking example of how sins of the fathers are visited on the hands of the children - where past grievances are still being acted upon. In that respect, their attraction for each other, albeit rather abrupt and sudden, ​did make sense​. 😔​ 'If you’re such a good thief, then why haven’t you stolen me yet?' That they recognized in each other that shared burden - that need to reach out to someone who understands what they've been through - the emotional trauma and desire to be accepted. As Icarus inched closer towards him, I liked how their relationship deepened with each vulnerable touch, each tender and hopeful truth that defined the suppressed yearning in both of them.​ 🥺

Helios was - such a bright light - it hurts to think that he's unable to shine, except with Icarus. He taught Icarus so much about himself - this tenderness of affection paired with this fierce desire of understanding what want feels like.​ 🥹 Even when his own life holds no future - trapped in a darkness, Icarus gives him an escape that actually helped Icarus more than just him. 'Can I call you ‘my friend?’ It is heartbreaking how it takes seeing someone else's heart breaking for Icarus to finally allow himself to feel - to let his emotions and his own well-being matter - that they have both been hurting - both starving for affection, but choosing to ignore doing something about it, because no one existed to ever care about them - until now.​ ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

“I don’t think home has the same impact unless you’re returning to it after a long time away.

The air is prickly with possibility, but the ground is magnetic and heavy. Going anywhere or doing anything feels like running in a dream. It’s an open-air prison.”

Despite the points that resonated with me, sadly ​there were some parts that didn't quite leave me satisfied. The story is told in short chapters - and I mean, really, really short chapters; this format of story-telling did not bother me in The Wicker King, where it was also previously used​; this time​, however, I think it affected the overall tone and pacing of the story. It did not grate on me that each moment felt like a break in time, it was that each chapter had a title - a title that, at some parts, did not really even apply to the happenings of the chapter, itself. Or maybe it was something I was unable to pick up on.​ 🤔

I was ​disappointed with how it concluded, with an equally rushed climax that didn't capture the same level of emotions that the build-up had. It was ​all very anti-climatic and rushed; most of all, the utter disregard Angus had about his son and the dismissive way Mr.Black in his violent abuse was treated frustrated me and angered me. It angered me a lot. The parting - the resolution - the eventual fall-out - it was so flat and uncaring that it ​really upset me. 😢​ 'Like​ Icarus being a sacrifice was an acceptable ending to any plan.' After all that trauma, after all the sacrifice, this was the way it was going to end? 😞 But, the part of me that hates myself as a reasonable reader argues with me that, in the smallest of ways, their reaction is very much similar and fitting to the Greek gods themselves...

When I reread The Wicker King earlier this year, I was confused as to why I had rated it so highly, when it was shaping up to be a read that deserved a much lower one. But, then that moment came which proved to me why it earned the rating it did. That moment never came here. I respect and appreciate the story the author wanted to convey, but that emotional train of feels that makes me invested in the character's relationship - sadly did not land with me this time around. I don't deny that it was a beautiful story, with a meaningful and relatable message, it just failed to capture me entirely. 😔

[elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

everyone say thank you kayla ancrum for somehow ruining my life and saving it at the same time

[Brenda Waworga · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Aging is a strange thing—a wild thing—slow and strong and merciless.”

My 1st time read this author and i’m in awe!! what a stunning writing style K Ancrum has 😍 it tugs all my heartstring, it’s gentle and poetic and ughhh i feel like i was spellbounded though out the story

Not to mention the characters are also amazing!! i want to root for them and their friendship

I honestly want to read this because i love the sad story of Icarus from greek mythology, i thought this will be somehow a retelling of it, even tho i was not completely wrong this is such a unique and beautiful YA slice of life about friendship, love and how we human as a community need to help each other, to notice if something was off from our friends and people near us and try to help as long as we can

Written with no numeric chapter and each chapter was very very short, i love how Ancrum told the story about this 17 years old boy name Icarus Gallagher who is a student at day and a freaking Art Thief at night, Icarus actually didn’t want to be a thief but he was helping his father and his personal vendetta to stole precious arts from The Black mansion and replace those things with replicas.. turn out one day he met Helios who is the son of Mr. Black (well starcrossed romance will always has my heart and an immediate guarantee i will love the story)

Highly recommend it if you love beautiful writing style that can plug your heartstring & sliceoflife genre

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥]

I’m on BookTube now! =)

This was amazing!
Icarus and Helios were both so precious and I loved the prose in this story so much. <3
Just beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

Full RTC soon! I’m too much in my feels right now! T_T
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I’ve heard so many great things about “Icarus” and I’m extremely curious about it now!
I mean a thief who steals art and replaces it with forgeries from his father gets caught by the son of the man they are stealing from.

Helios doesn’t tell his father Mr. Black though, and asks Icarus for friendship instead. Well, and that friendship seems to turn into more?! I’m so here for it, but I’m scared of the ending because we all know how the legend of Icarus ends. >_<
Let’s hope this retelling will have a better ending. XD

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[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

silly me going into this thinking I’d feel normal by the end and not be emotionally destroyed !

[Lance]

Oh, I just know this one is going to be so well-written it's absurd.

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You're very beautiful," he said, eyes opening, hazy.
Icarus laughed at Helios, louder than was safe. "You don't have to flatter me. I'm already starting to want you."

Art theft, a hint of greek mythology, and touch-starved teenagers learning how to love? Finally some good food. This was one of the sweetest, most heartbreaking coming of age novels I’ve read, with the protagonist living through a strange home life of forced thievery and rules against forming close friendships. Getting to watch Icarus slowly break away from the things he’s been taught to do, and finally let himself have those precious relationships his father warned him against had my heart aching the entire way through this book. Truly a beautiful story.

Full review to come!

[Jo⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the things to make me choke up, it was the author's note that got me.

Beautiful writing, wonderful characters, and a meaningful story about helping others.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this but I wasn't really sold on the format where chapters were super short? I also didn't really agree that this was suspenseful in any way - I kept waiting for something interesting to happen and then when it finally did, it was over so quickly and the book ends!?

I did like Icarus and how he started to let people in and build friendships. I actually felt like he had more chemistry with Luca though, rather than Helios. The friends he made were all so different, but they each gave him something different and taught him something different. I think the friendships were my favourite part of the book.

Helios kind of felt like a spare part? I wasn't sold on the way Icarus changed all of his plans for him. It felt more convenient than romantic, and I felt like they made better friends than boyfriends. It did feel very obviously YA.

I would have liked to have seen the actual aftermath though. What happened to Mr Black? What happened to Angus? Did Helios's mother have any involvement? Did they graduate? There were a lot of loose ends, so I didn't feel happy rating this any higher.

I'm also confused as to why this has been described as a romantic suspense story, or mythology related? It references the Icarus myth at the beginning and end, but it's not part of the actual story in any major way, other than some references to falling, and the fact that Icarus is following in his dad's footsteps. If you changed Icarus's name, it's basically just a contemporary YA romance...

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HRCYED2: All The Adaptations / The Even Bigger Rainbow

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘍𝘰𝘯𝘥,” 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦.
“𝘍𝘰𝘯𝘥,” 𝘐𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘥.

This book left me aching in a beautiful sort of way. I want more and yet I don’t feel like I need more. It’s soft. It’s painful. It’s lovely. It’s experimental. It’s ballet and art and love and stealth. It’s full on hugs and yelling at your dad and running away from home and learning. It’s family and friends and the sheer want of being alive and the agony of being unable to.

Icarus has had to go his whole life alone but for his dad. Friendless, being strong in the face of everything his father expect of him, he still manages to be charismatic and well liked amongst his peers.

When he does at last reach out, it’s hard, harder than anything. Harder than thieving and climbing three story buildings and the cold aloofness of his father. Opening himself up to the vulnerability of love and chosen family for the first time is such a Massive undertaking. It takes a different kind of strength to show your weaknesses to those who mean the most to you. I love the force of doing the little things. It’s as small as a hug. As much as just bringing someone a cup of coffee everyday before class. A running partner in gym. An ear to listen. Young people can’t do everything, but sometimes the small things like simply noticing something’s wrong, is enough.

And the characters were so good and so relatable. I loved how immediately latched on and persistent Luca and Celestiana were with Icarus. They are the truest of true friends. Helio and Icarus together is a star circling the sun. They dance around each other and poke and prod, slowly learning each other’s secrets and hardships. Icarus truly has the weakness to his sun.

Overall an absolutely wonderful story. I loved every second of the tears and the warmth and the love. 10/10 will be reading again.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴”

[Maëlys · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I was made for you; I was born for you, and you’re still standing before me acting like you’re not worthy […] Climbing into my house, into my bed, touching everything except for me. I was yours before we even met and I’ll be yours until we die.”

they were a bit insane for this

[vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was ready to make this book my favorite book of the year based off of the promising premise: art heist, Icarus retelling, and queer love. To my disappointment there were a number of things that made the reading difficult to enjoy. Nevertheless I refused to put the book down and was determined to finish it out of desperation to find any glimpse of hope in saving the book. And I think I gave the book one too many chances because that satisfaction never came.

Writing style: This was the area I found hardest to make peace with. It feels stunted at times, awkward and cringy in others. It would be interesting if it was intentional to fit with Icarus's inexperienced social cues but I think in this case it was not. One noticeable example is when sentences are ended as if to create a reaction from the reader. However the expectation becomes too obvious, resulting as a dull spark. Another example is the use of adjectives that lacks depth (the one that bothered me the most was describing someone's hot breath in your face as indescribable???). The last bit is the dialogue and I hate to say it but it does feel like it's something out of a Netflix romcom and not in a good way. And [please please please] don’t make teenagers give official diagnoses of health problems… I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that.

Worldbuilding/setting: I was intrigued with the amount of tiptoeing Icarus and his father had to go through their entire life as duo art forgerer and art thief. How scary it must be for if there is one misstep then their whole operation will be brought to ruins. There were darker topics involved unexpectedly such as child abuse and drug abuse that I would be cautious about if that makes you feel uneasy.

Characters: There is an intentional juxtaposition showing Icarus's friends in high school vs his friendship with Helios. In school there's a list of tick marks that he would always have to keep in check: be nice but not too nice, don't bother with any social gatherings, and most importantly don't invite anyone home. But with Helios the barriers around him begin to soften. Meeting someone else who not only shares an entwined past but grew up with a horrible father figure pushed Icarus to think that perhaps it was about time to break those set of rules he's lived so long with.

Overall enjoyment: I really tried to like this book. I really did. The constant nitpicking I had to go through was just distracting. The found family in the book was probably the best part. The ending did not feel realistic to me with the character ages and there were deeper psychological problems associated with them that weren’t resolved. In another lifetime (maybe years younger than now) I would’ve enjoyed it. But at the current moment it is not so much for me.

[hiba · Rating 4 out of 5]

"if you're such a good thief, then why haven't you stolen me yet?"

3.5-4/5

an art thief falling in love with the son of the man he's stealing from - a premise doesn't get any better than this and the book delivers pretty well on it. icarus and helios's romance was definitely the highlight of this book and i'm so glad the author spent a satisfying amount of page time showing their developing feelings. i loved how gentle they were with each other, i love seeing two people being soft and kind to each other when the rest of the world has been so harsh to them. and yeah i'm a sucker for romances that feel fated.

i really appreciated the portrayal of different types of parental abuse - the physical kind and the emotionally neglectful one - and that they're both equally damaging in their own ways. the author also shows the importance of friendships and community and that's always great to see, especially in queer books.

the plot, i have to say, is extremely unrealistic and you're just gonna have to suspend your disbelief a little and go with the flow (trust the process).

i did have a few gripes along the way - the dialogue at times felt like it was trying too hard to be deep and meaningful, and sometimes the way these teenagers interacted with each other didn't feel entirely natural - but the final third of the book was so worth it.

the last 10-15% was absolutely brilliant, beautifully written suspense and tension that had me on the edge of my seat. i only wish the ending was a bit longer - if ever a book needed post-canon fanfiction, it's this one.

(also, if anyone's wondering how to write conflict into a romance without including a third-act break-up, please read this book).

[Fadwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well fuck me for doubting myself and this book.

The last time I read a K. Ancrum book (one of my favorite authors btw) my taste in books was vastly different than it is now. So to not break my heart (or so I thought) i have been putting off reading this book for the major part of the past two years.

I mean Icarus still broke my heart, it wrecked me. But in the best way possible. Kayla writes teenagers like no one else does. She writes teenagers in the most fucked up situations finding hope and solace in each other, find family in each other, saving each other when adults fail them over and over again and she does so beautifully.

The love and intimacy between Icarus and his friends was so tender, it made my heart ache. His relationship with Helios just the same. But one of the book’s biggest strengths is its portrayal of abuse. The nuance and care with which it is done blew me away. The author shows that yes being beaten and held against your will is abuse but you don’t have to be beaten within an inch of your life for it to count. That there are other ways too. That those count too. That they hurt too and that you don’t have to forgive the abuser just because they’re not a bad person, they didn’t mean to, or they didn’t see what they were doing. And without making any form seem less than.

I want to etch so many quotes from this book into my brain. It is simply stunning.