Review: Icons

Author: Margaret Stohl
Edition: HarperVoyager Paperback
Released: 16th May 2013
Series: Icons #1
Pages: 429 approx.
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book!

[following is a diluted version of the synopsis. click goodreads link to read longer one.]
[my review's rather lengthy... so feel free to skip parts! just had too much to say!]

Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol′s family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn′t know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside - safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can′t avoid.

She′s different. She survived. Why?

Despite being excited for this book, I was really hesitant to start it. I hadn't been able to finish Stohl's other book, Beautiful Creatures, so was scared the same thing would happen again with this one. And I really didn't want that to happen. Icons had way too much of a promising storyline to not be good and I was dreading such a unique concept going to waste. Thankfully, it didn't. I adored it.

Don't ask me how I can love this book but not her other series. I'm just as stumped as you are. Maybe it was the mood I was in whilst reading this book that did it... or maybe the storyline of Beautiful Creature's just wasn't for me. I guess we'll never know. One of the major factors that'd led to me setting down her previous novel had been the pace. It had been far too slow for me. But in Icons, the pacing was neither too slow or too fast. It was perfect. Something or another was always happening and I was never bored.

I've got to say, I think the main reason I liked this book so much is all down to the storyline. I've never read anything like this before. And that's becoming rarer and rarer for me to say now concerning the dystopian genre. Sure, it still has the whole corrupted government thing going on but that didn't deflect from how I felt of the plotline as a whole. I loved the idea of Dol, Ro, Tima and Lucas all being linked and able to affect each other in different ways. *taps nose signalling she will go no further into the matter* I hope, in the rest of the series, the author further develops their relationships with each other and the group as a whole. I think it could make for some really bittersweet, heartwarming moments.

So since, for me anyway, the plotline took most of the spotlight, I didn't care too much for the characters like I normally would. However, that's not to say they were bad characters. Not at all. In fact, I adored them for one reason in particular. They were all flawed. Lucas more so than the others maybe... but that just made him all the more relatable! Some people may see him as selfish and compulsive at times, but not me. I empathised with him and knew his heart was always in the right place, even if it wasn't all that obvious. Which is one of the main reasons I was - and still am - Team Lucas. However, I'm not completely sure if this book has a love triangle as such... I'll just have to wait for the sequel to find out!

As for our main character and narrator, Dol, she was also very likeable. Maybe not as likeable as Lucas but her voice and opinions were perfect for leading me through the story. Ro and Tima also added a little something extra to the group with their very different personalities. Ro was all fire while Tima, hard steel. I can really see potential for a great sequel if Stohl focuses on developing, not only the storyline and the relationships between the characters, but all of the main characters separately.

If I were to say anything against this book then it would be that the terminology confused me at times. Every once in a while I'd have to take a step back and think about who or what was being talked about. I caught on pretty quickly, however, so it didn't prove to be too much of a problem. Overall, despite the mixed reviews, I adored this book and think it was a great kick-off to Stohl's solo career. I loved the storyline and the flawed characters and am now super excited for book two as I can see so much potential in it.

FOUR AND A HALF STARS FOR ICONS! :D

Huge thanks to HarperCollins for sending me out a review copy of this book!

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo