[ARC Review] Icons by Margaret Stohl

Monday, May 13, 2013



Title: Icons
Author: Margaret Stohl
Series: Icons #1
Format: Hardcover, 428 Pages
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Source: ARC received for honest review

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 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?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future.




I have always loved Margaret Stohl, especially after reading the Beautiful Creatures series. And when I saw that she was going solo with Icons, I knew I had to read it.

Aliens are getting very popular these days in the YA genre, with I am Number Four and the recent release of The 5th Wave, but it can be very hard to get it right, and I am sad to say that this one fell a little flat for me. It took me a long time to figure out why I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to, and to be honest, I still don't have a specific answer.

When I first started reading the story I was very intrigue because the world was amazing and I really felt like it was being explain well. I wanted to know where the Icons came from and why they chose Earth in the first place. I also thought the plot was very unique (and still do), especially for a theme that has been done many times before.

What I think fell flat for me were the characters. Although complex, they felt flat and lifeless. I wanted to connect with them, invest in their futures, but I found no opportunity to do so. I think this is the reason I didn't like this book so much. The two main characters were actually really interesting until they were merged with other characters. It was after their merge that I thought the story took a turn. It felt like they were written as plot devices and to connect with the reader. For example, the love triangle that was included felt very fixed and unnecessary. It might have worked better if the author had waited until the second book to introduce it because when we don't really understand the characters in the first book, involving something like that undermines the,. And that was exactly how i felt at the end.

Overall, the story was well done and entertaining. I am intrigue to see where this story goes, but the characters ultimately fell flat for me and they left me wanting much more from them.

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3 comments

  1. I actually haven't read anything by Margaret Stohl! But I am so glad to hear that you really liked Icons! I cannot wait to read this book, when I go to the public library :D

    Great review!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  2. I've got to admit, I didn't enjoy Beautiful Things but I've had this one on my wishlist since I first read the blurb. I may get it from the library though.

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  3. I just read The 5th Wave and now I REALLY want to read this because I hear they have similar themes!

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