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lycanslament's review
dark
emotional
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 was genuinely gorgeous, I was hooked instantly. The pacing feels exactly like flying and falling from the sky and it's exhilarating. The characters are complex and feel human, and you end up cheering them on as you read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Medical trauma
agentmozell's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to. I was worried seeing it kinda poem style since I haven’t had much luck with poem style stories before, but this one was so addicting to me!
I loved that it wasn’t a straight up retelling of the myth and that the author took a lot of liberties with everything. I really loved him realizing the abusive situation he was in and how the author depicted him being unable to truly leave. I loved seeing him interact with the others and make some genuine friends.
“I had to learn how to hug from my friends!”
That hit me so hard and I almost started crying at that.
Icarus and Helios’ relationship was so cute and I would love to see another book with them in the future. Hell, I’d take a short story too! I want to see them work through each others traumas and I need more cute supportiveness from each other, Celestina and Luca (who are the bestest friends?!).
Just, this book itched what I needed. I didn’t know I was missing anything until this book came along.
I loved that it wasn’t a straight up retelling of the myth and that the author took a lot of liberties with everything. I really loved him realizing the abusive situation he was in and how the author depicted him being unable to truly leave. I loved seeing him interact with the others and make some genuine friends.
“I had to learn how to hug from my friends!”
That hit me so hard and I almost started crying at that.
Icarus and Helios’ relationship was so cute and I would love to see another book with them in the future. Hell, I’d take a short story too! I want to see them work through each others traumas and I need more cute supportiveness from each other, Celestina and Luca (who are the bestest friends?!).
Just, this book itched what I needed. I didn’t know I was missing anything until this book came along.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
Minor: Drug abuse
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
4.5
I actually haven't read a K. Ancrum book before this, but perhaps now I'll go back and check out her backlist because I basically listened to this entire book in one sitting. A modern re-imagining of the Icarus myth with an art thief twist, I was hooked from the beginning.
There is so much emotion in this book; at it's core, it's about Icarus learning to let people in and lean on them when he needs help. His and Helios' relationship is raw and emotional and definitely one of the strongest aspects of the books. But so are the friendships that Icarus makes with Luca and Celestina. Icarus goes through it in this book, and shows that it is okay to be vulnerable at times.
If you like Greek mythology inspired books, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out!
There is so much emotion in this book; at it's core, it's about Icarus learning to let people in and lean on them when he needs help. His and Helios' relationship is raw and emotional and definitely one of the strongest aspects of the books. But so are the friendships that Icarus makes with Luca and Celestina. Icarus goes through it in this book, and shows that it is okay to be vulnerable at times.
If you like Greek mythology inspired books, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Addiction
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Drug use
quinnyquinnquinn's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
stormeno's review
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
arcadiabaes's review
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse and Violence
pastlifetragedy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Child abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Alcohol, Grief, and Domestic abuse
samanthachen's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
What a unique writing style. I loved this book. It was a challenging read in parts (see TW), but so beautiful. To me, it all comes down to love. In any form. This book represents love and what it means to have loving support.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
j_the_human's review
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