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Book Reviewed by:Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, this suspenseful queer YA romance from critically acclaimed author K. Ancrum reimagines 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—think Portrait of a Thief for YA readers.
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 bay: 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 choose: 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.
The titular protagonist of K. Ancrum's young adult novel Icarus lives a double life that mixes the mundane and inexplicable. By day, he is like any other high school senior, managing his classes, navigating student cliques, and preparing for the frightening and exhilarating independence lurking just beyond graduation. By night, his life dips into the bizarre and even outlandish — Icarus is a thief at the behest of his art restorationist father, Angus, breaking into nearby Mr. Black's mansion to replace genuine artwork with Angus's forgeries. But his isolation ends when, during one of his routine break-ins, navigating the expensive-art-laden, gothic dimensions of the mansion, he is caught by Mr. Black's entrapped son, Helios, who only asks for company and friendship. An unlikely intimacy forms between these two young adults as they find warmth with each other away from their broken family backgrounds — a sense of belonging that naturally progresses into star-crossed romance. Icarus is an ode to intimacy. Ancrum's writing is unafraid to get up close and personal — as Helios "caught [Icarus's] arm quick and pushed him bodily up against the bookshelf," Icarus realizes that he "had never had someone this close pressed along every inch of him, and it was more than he could take."..continued
Full Review
(956 words)
(Reviewed by Isabella Zhou).
The titular protagonist of K. Ancrum's young adult novel Icarus denies that his name is an allusion to the famous character from Greek mythology and reveals that his mother christened him after the scientific name of a beloved fern, Icarus filiformis. Nonetheless, Icarus's denial of this reference only draws more attention to the resonance of his mythological namesake throughout the book.
In the original myth and Ancrum's retelling, Icarus's story is inseparable from his father's. Like the art restorationist Angus in Ancrum's book, Icarus's father in the myth, Daedalus, is an artist. According to Socrates in one Platonic dialogue, Daedalus's sculptures had to be tied down because they so captured the essence of life that they ...
If you liked Icarus, try these:
The Corruption of Hollis Brown
by K. Ancrum
Published 2025
From acclaimed author K. Ancrum comes a queer romantic thriller in which the lives of Hollis, a boy in search of meaning, and Walt, a spirit with unfinished business, collide when Walt takes possession of Hollis's body...and maybe his heart. For fans of Adam Silvera and Aiden Thomas!
Last Night at the Telegraph Club
by Malinda Lo
Published 2021
Acclaimed author of Ash Malinda Lo returns with her most personal and ambitious novel yet, a gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s.
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Aiden Thomas, Three-Time New York Times Bestselling Author of Cemetery Boys, The Sunbearer Trials, and Lost in the Never Woods
Beautiful, brilliant, and bold, K. 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!
