Icons

              Ro murmurs into my ear. "Don't be afraid, Dol. They're not coming for us." Still, he slips his arm around me and we wait until the sky is clear. 

              Because he doesn't know. Not really.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the Icon appeared in Los Angeles. 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 with fellow survivor Ro-safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

They're different. They survived. Why?

When the government discovers their secret, they are forced to join faint-hearted Tima and charismatic Lucas in captivity. Called the Icon Children, the four are the only humans on Earth immune to the power of the Icons. Torn between brooding Ro and her evolving feelings for Lucas, between a past and a future, Dol's heart has never been more vulnerable. And as tensions escalate, the Icon Children discover that their explosive emotions-which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses-may actually be their greatest strengths.

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

Author: Margaret Stohl 

Page Count: 448

Genera: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Romance

Series? Yes (Book 1)

Aliens, teenagers, rebellions, and a talking computer. What could go wrong with that mix, right?

Icons is Margaret Stohl's first adventure in writing solo. She is a co-author of the Beautiful Creatures Series. (which I have yet to read!) This is the first book of a new series, the next installment, Idols, will be released this year.

Before starting this book, I had a different idea of what it would be. Yeah, I kinda got that aliens invade Earth and these teens are special...but that was it. Cracking open the book and actually beginning to read this story I found it to be something a bit different than what I had pictured. 

Like most books these days, this story is a bit dystopian. Is that a bad thing? Not really. We have a world trying to cope with the invasion of aliens that control them. A bit sci-fi, a bit dystopian. But I personally like that combination if it's done well.

I enjoyed the characters, but to be honest, I can't say any are my favorite. The main character Dol, while interesting, could have those moments when she got on my nerves. (But everyone has those moments, right?) If anyone was picked to be my favorite, I would say Tima. Why Tima? To me she was the character with the most mystery. Everyone else seemed to be almost like an open book, but Tima didn't open up too much. We learn a bit about her, but not a lot. She is mysterious, and a good mystery pulls me in. Fortis was also a likable character to me. Besides Tima, he would be my favorite. Doc was fun, but do you count the computer as a character? He's funny and has a personality not known in most computers. (If any.)

The world building wasn't too heavy. Since this story takes place on Earth, we didn't have any kind of fictional lands and worlds. However, the cities and grasslands that are formed after the Icons fall are pretty well done in my opinion. Slightly familiar, yet different. We have different people living in different areas. Each unique to their area. This helps add diversity to the characters. 

The only major problem I had with this book is the following 2 things: 

1. Love triangle. I know most books we read today have some form of love triangle to them. But, personally I didn't like this one. While most can work, I just didn't feel this one. The four main characters are split into a boy-girl pair at the start of the story. Growing up with each other and learning about each other. They already pretty much have their loves chosen. But, then their seems to be an instant love between two of the main characters right when they meet. I personally would love to see them stay with their original pairings, but maybe this will work better in the long run. Maybe it's just me.
2. Little bit of a slump. The beginning of the story is fast paced and exciting. For the first few chapters I couldn't put this book down. I had to know what happened next. After about the first 100 pages, things seemed to slow down. I kept an interest in the story, but I no longer had to stay up late to finish it. I could put this book down and not pick it up again for a few days. Was it terrible? Not at all. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Was it my favorite? Probably not my all time favorite. I recommend this to anyone who likes these type of books. One of the problems for me might be the fact that I read The 5th Wave directly before reading this one. After riding the high from one story, this one fell short with the same thrill. If I would have switched the order, I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more. 

The next one, Idols, comes out soon and I will be reading it! I can't wait to see what happens to the characters and where the story will take us. Over all, I give this a good 4.0 rating. Certainly worth the read! 

If you have read Icons, let me know what you thought about it! Or what you didn't like, either one will work!