Icons by Margaret Stohl

Icons by Margaret Stohl

Release Date – May 7, 2013

Publisher Website -  Little Brown Books For Young Readers

Publisher Social Media -  Twitter

Pages -  448 pages

My Rating- 4/5

**obtained for review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

The synopsis of Icons is a little misleading. Yes it’s about a horrific day that decimates a large part of the population. Yes, it’s about seemingly alien type beings, and the aftermath of a devastating attack. However, it’s also about family, belonging, and secrets that can cause more damage by remaining hidden.

My issue with the Beautiful Creatures series is how long they felt. I felt some tightening would have helped the plot move along more with that series. The same feeling plagued me here. The storyline is interesting, well thought out, and engaging. However, I would have preferred a little tightening, but otherwise it is solid writing you would expect from this author. 

The characters were hit and miss for me. I wasn’t as drawn to Dol as much as I wanted to be. Lucas, Tima and Ro however captivated me. Lucas most of all. A confused young man who has been taught the same thing his whole life is quickly learning that everything he thinks he knows is a lie. Conflicted, and confused his motives are fuzzy and he’s always on the cusp of betraying everything.

Tima was illusive, and hostile. She’s  rather protective of her bond with Lucas. She has walls built up that don't let people in easily. I found myself wanting to know more about her as I think she's the most unwilling to show who they really are.

Ro is an inferno of anger. It consumes him. His temper is unyielding. His bond with Dol was interesting as she is the only thing that can bring him back from the brink. Nothing else stops the waves of fury that wash over him blacking out everything else. He's self destructive, and it will be interesting to see how his moods influence the rest of the story.

The emotional connection between these four teenagers was the main focus of the book. Bonding over their shared past created intense feelings between them. This has the potential to muddle how each of the characters really feel about each other, especially where Lucas is concerned. The reader is kept on their toes because you are never quite sure how much is being influenced by their abilities.

The romance in the book is more a square than a triangle. Each girl likes both boys, and vice versa. There is potential for each coupling, and I think readers will walk away with their own preferences. I like the sparks between Dol and Lucas. Their romance was hesitant, and unsure. Not being able to fully trust Lucas kept Dol on her toes, and made letting him in an even bigger risk. I am anxious to see if the risk is worth it, and which of the feelings are genuine.

Doc, a wonderfully funny character that I enjoyed immensely. I don’t want to give too much away about him, but I adored him. His role is rather unique, and I LOVE how literal he takes everything that is said to him.

I was intrigued by the reports, autopsy, and other documents that came after each chapter. The information appears to lead in a certain direction and there is a nice payoff at the end that comes with a little bit of a twist. It’s the unanswered questions, and what is to come that excites me. I know the world, and what the stakes are, and feel like we can finally get to the real story.

A decent start a new series that while different than expected still delivered. A novel that overall felt like a set up to a larger story that really just kicked in during the later half of the novel.