Icons

Icons is an excellent novel full of 'big feels' Icons is based p

Icons is an excellent novel full of 'big feels' Icons is based primarily on fear. Humans live in a post-invasion world were the the aliens only deal with the Ambassadors and can wipe out entire cities with a single pulse. The cities are remnants of the some of the most inhabited cities in the world. The landscape, described in vivid detail, is a character all its own.




The story follows Dol a grass girl who leads a simple life away from the Hole, what used to be Los Angeles. Dol is not a normal teen, she somehow survived The Day when no one else in her family did. Along with Ro, another orphan from The Day, she leads a simple life at the Mission in the grasslands. But not all is what it seems with Dol and Ro. They are a secret hidden away from the Ambassador and the rest of the world.




With quiet character moments and pulse pounding action Icons takes you on a journey of self discovery and revolution. The future of the people lays in the hands of four teenagers who have no idea just how powerful they really are.




This is a great book for readers of all ages and fans of Stohl's Beautiful Creatures will not be disappointed in the subtle romance mixed in with all the other cool sci-fi/dystopian themes.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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I started this expecting it to be slow paced like Beautiful Cr

I started this expecting it to be slow paced like Beautiful Creatures, boy was I wrong. Icons is a great dystopian/sci-fi book.

Dol is a character that grows throughout the book. At the beginning she's scared, and doesn't know what to do, or who to trust. She's also not sure what makes her so special to the government and rebels. She slowly begins to take on a strong persona. She wants to know the truth, and will stop at nothing to get it. She makes her closest friend mad at times, but knows that he'll get over it. She NEEDS to find out their purpose when it comes to the Icons. Ro is hot-headed. He lives off of being angry. It's not entirely his fault. It's in his DNA. Lima is probably my favorite character. She's fierce, and says what's on her mind. She uses her intelligence to help her, and her friends, as much as possible. Lucas got on my nerves, a lot. He's flighty, and downright annoying at times. He refuses to believe the facts laid out before him.

We are able to learn about how Dol and Ro were raised. They lived a very simple life. From there we are swept into the life of the Embassy. Though the kids are treated like "guests" they are guarded non-stop. Each day they are there more questions pop up about why they have the emotions they do. It seems the only one willing to help is Fortis. (Who is awesome by the way.) They piece together the information they receive. They still make mistakes about where they place their trust, but figure their way around the madness.

It's a quick and fun read. Even though there are many moments of uncertainty, you can't help but hope this group finds their purpose. I highly recommend it. And oh the end!!!! I need the next book NOW!!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Icons is a powerful and beautiful story that shows how feelings

Icons is a powerful and beautiful story that shows how feelings can heal. How feelings can change the world. How feelings - even 'bad' feelings like fear and rage - can be instruments of mass salvation.

I highly recommend this book. Icons is a fantastic read for fans of science fiction, dystopian, and for people who like books that make you feel good.

Here's the hook for me - it's not the alien invasion, although that's pretty well done, in a fresh way. It's not the love triangles or squares or lines or whatever. Icons is great because of Stohl's portrayal of four real teens who wrestle with real, messy, confusing feelings that seem to them more powerful than they know how to deal with.

Sound familiar? It does to me because it describes about every young person on the planet. And most adults! So even though the book is about teens, I, an adult, could relate to and learn from the characters and their struggles.

Is Icons slow-paced at times? Yes, but this is because Stohl is building a new world. Is it sometimes confusing? Yes, for the same reasons. Is Icons a good story, in an original setting, with lots of twists, and characters I cared about? Yes! 

But more than that, Icons really shines as a subtle exploration of emotions that seem too big to contain - sadness, fear, rage - this book plumbs the depth of real, true, sometimes ugly feelings. And here's the best part - Icons turns these complex feelings into strengths rather than weaknesses.

Teens - well, adults too - often feel like if they are sad, something's wrong with them. If they lose their temper, they are bad people. If they are introverted or shy, they are broken. Too often, we are taught that emotions are to be suppressed, hidden, shut down, or feared.

I'll say it again: Icons is an exciting and beautiful story that shows how feelings, even 'bad' feelings, can save an individual, save a friend, and even change the world.

I gave Icons four stars because, to me, it's rough around the edges. Stohl is building a new world, and that's hard to do. Having said that, the imperfections Icons aren’t very distracting – in fact, they become part of the appeal of the book. Life, like Icons, is complicated, and sometimes messy. But it’s still incredible.

Now, on more technical notes, as a HUGE science fiction fan, I was concerned about reading a supposedly YA book. I read Hunger Games and immediately recognized it as a watered down rip-off of Battle Royale, the Japanese book that started it all (great and also raw). I read Harry Potter and while it was entertaining, I was initially appalled that this world could be put in the same ‘Fantasy’ category as Tolkien. So, I'm kind of particular about originality.

Icons, to me, is the most original take on the well-worn alien invasion trope I've seen in a long time. It's not dumbed down - which could be a problem for some, but I appreciated it. The ability of a race to completely stop your heart? That's terrifying. Yes, the sci-fi aspects are a little complicated to get your mind around, but that's because THEY ARE ORIGINAL! And that's a good thing!

I don't want another book where the aliens are called "others" and they use an EMP blast from outer space, and where they simply take over human bodies as hosts (I'm looking at you, Yancey and Meyer, ugh). Are those authors even trying?? 

With Icons, Stohl tries harder to do something new, and I appreciated that.

Overall, I would recommend Icons to fans of science fiction, and try to slip it into any young person’s hands, in hopes that they can find strength in their big feelings, and turn the sometimes scary and intimidating emotions into something positive, powerful and life-changing.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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I loved reading the Beautiful Creatures series that author Marga

I loved reading the Beautiful Creatures series that author Margaret Stohl co-wrote and was super interested in starting the first book of her new series. I only skimmed what the novel was about, got the gist of the plot, and dove right in. From start to finish I was left on the edge of my seat. Al I can say is that this book was awesome. This book was great. This book deserves a sequel that is just as fantastic. What didn’t I love about it? Icons is Rick Yancey’s The Fifth Wave meets Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy.

Icons takes place in a future where aliens invaded the Earth and created contraptions that give them the ability to control how long you live. Main character Dol has lived since the Day and has been living in the countryside, far away from the Sympas, the cities and the Icons. On Dol’s birthday Sympa soldiers invade the safe haven the Padre created and in the end, capture Dol and her best friend Ro. The two are taken to the Embassy. Immediately Dol and Ro are worried and have many questions like what their new lives in the Embassy entail.

While in the Embassy, Dol and Ro meet a captured girl named Tima and meet Ambassador Amare’s son, Lucas who Dol is drawn to. What brings them all together are the strange birthmarks that are on each person and the strange abilities that they all have. Dol can feel emotions and she knows that the others can do superhuman things as well. After giving up a book that might have had all the answers Dol could ever need, the group begins to wonder if they are part of something larger than themselves and if their sudden meeting is not so much of a coincidence as they believe.

 Icons throws you right into action, mystery and a seriously fast pace. The first hundred-or-so pages seriously sent my mind spinning and had me hooked. The novel starts with a prologue that takes place on the Day when Dol’s entire family drops dead and the Icons show off their true power. As if that isn’t insane enough (and leaves readers thinking “What just happened…?”) the novel slows down as Dol and Ro celebrate Dol’s birthday. Everything seems fine and happy, it’s the future and it all seems pleasant until the Sympas show up and there’s action and murder all over the place. Totally awesome-sauce (except for all the death… death is only okay in literature guys…).

The one thing that makes Icons very different than most novels I’ve read are the classified documents that come before every single chapter. They are sometimes letters between the Ambassador and other character that have transcripts of events or articles from before the Day or snippets from the book that Dol gave away. It’s really cool and makes the novel feel really authentic and real. I was worried about the authenticity of the novel at first, but after all of this, it became clear that Icons is as authentic as it gets.

The characters in Icons are ones that I think are memorable and will leave readers wanting to know what happens next to them. Throughout my time reading Icons all I could think about were the characters and how much I loved and cared for them. When something bad happened I was already freaking out for them and hoping that they would survive until the end of the book. I’ll just add in now that while reading Icons keep in mind that your new favorite characters will be thrown into danger more times than you can count.

The romance in Icons is realistic in that it isn’t instant. It takes time for relationships between Dol and other characters to be established and for that I’m thankful. Dol’s love interests seriously took my heart and wrung it. I’m envious of her.

I’d recommend Icons to readers that are looking for a dystopian novel with a twist, readers who are fans of alien invasions and readers who want a story about love and death.

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I loved, loved this book, loved the characters and the story li

I loved, loved this book, loved the characters and the story line.
This book is about young people who are just trying to survive in a world that has been taken over by 13 space ships …the Icons landed on earth and destroyed billions of people with electricity, that stops peoples hearts, Now they control everything and everyone, there were a few people who survived and they are who this story is about.
Dol, Ro, Lucas and Tima each has a tattoo and a special skill, together what can these teenagers accomplish? I am hugely excited that there will be more books for me to be thrilled by!
Do yourself a favor and go pick up this book

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2.5 - 3 Stars First I have to say, Icons was NOT what I was exp

2.5 - 3 Stars

First I have to say, Icons was NOT what I was expecting, AT ALL!

It wasn't the worse book I've ever read, but it's was by far not the best or even close either! Icons was a HIGHLY Anticipated book for me, and when I was Lucky enough to win a copy on Winter Haven Books, I was SO excited & couldn't wait to start it. Unfortunately Icons was NOTHING like I thought, and even worse then I could of imagined!

Okay, where do I start? The writing was not that bad, really I didn't think it was bad at all, but the plot is what fell real short! There was really no action, and the action that was there was so boring, I could barely even finish the book! But I stuck with it in hopes it would get better, It didn't, not for me anyway! It was too confusing with everything going on, all the secrets that were being hidden, not knowing what the Icons powers were and how they were all related and came too be, and the aliens or should I say The Lords as they call them, did not even make an appearance in this book, OR not one that I can remember!

This book could of been AMAZING if it was more thought out with more/better action, and better schemes on the Lords/ambassadors part. And if everything was explain better and maybe even a little earlier then it was. Even after I finished this book I still did NOT have all my questions answered and still confused on a lot of parts ( I don't want to say what I was still confused on b/c it would spoil the book ). I mean their was so many reasons why this book did NOT work out for me!

I was expecting an action-packed thriller that would leave me on the edge of my seat! Instead I got a bunch of boring bratty kids fighting with each other and turning on each other at every chance they got! Which was SO annoying!! They were ALL so jealous of each other throughout almost the whole book that I wasn't even able to get to know who some of the characters were because they were always hating on each other!

The romance, if that's what you call it was TERRIBLE! And I really hate to say bad things about books but I have to call it like I see it! I know their was suppose to be romance, but really their wasn't that much and when their was it seemed forced and wrong, like it didn't feel right and really was a big turn off!

I was so disappointed in this book, I wanted to love it, but I just couldn't! Their was just too many things wrong with this book, that I couldn't overlook!

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ICONS started off in a weird way, but it still kept me intereste

ICONS started off in a weird way, but it still kept me interested. I just felt like a person who was dropped in the middle of a story, someone's life, without any clue on what the hell is going on. See, this could go both ways, either it makes the readers excited and want to read more to figure out what's going on, or the reader loses interest. Fortunately, the first half of the novel managed to keep me interested. I am not one to give up easily, especially when it comes to dystopian novels. However the second half.. and especially towards the end, I started to grow restless and praying for when the book would just end. Even now, I just don't really get the whole point behind the Icon's children. Dol, the main protagonist, along with Ro, Tima, and Lucas each have a specific powerful feeling they can tap into or channel. I personally don't know the point of the whole feelings.. it does not contribute one bit to the plot or make them any special. Yes, these traits make them have some powers, but why did the author make us read countless pages about their feelings when the feelings themselves don't contribute to the plot? I know there is the possibility of Dol's use of sorrow that can allow her to read people's minds, but she never really uses it, also the author doesn't really explore that point. Something I also have to point out is the mislabeling of the novel, yes the alien invasion mark it as sci-fi or post-apocalyptic, but possessing power obviously puts it under fantasy at least right? or paranormal? I don't like being mislead by the genre categorization. This is another one of those hefty books I've been reading lately, and it is also a book that would have been better off reducing the page numbers by at least 100. Almost 450 pages is a bit too long for a book I could personally explain in a page or two. There were too many unnecessary things that made the whole plot slow down. Also the romance, while it barely took up much space in the plot, was a bit too insta-love for me but with a side of angst because of Dol's friend Ro. To wrap this up, this book didn't impress me in the slightest bit. I have tried reading Margaret Stohl's Beautiful Creatures but also found the same slow pacing problem there. It seems that Stohl's writing doesn't appeal to me. However, I do recommend you guys to at least pick it up and try reading it, especially fans of her previous work. 

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(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a re

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction/Blue Door, Voyager and Netgalley.)
16 years ago, 13 strange metallic ‘Icon’s’ dropped from the sky, and situated themselves in the largely populated areas of the world, killing millions of people, and turning others into slaves.

17-year-old’s Dol and Ro live in the wilds outside of one of these epicentres, away from the Embassy and the ‘Sympas’ (sympathisers who have become traitors to humanity). Dol and Ro are special though, on Dol’s wrist is a small blue dot, and on Ro’s wrist are two red dots, which can be connected.

When Dol’s adopted family are killed and she is kidnapped, Ro follows her and tries to rescue her, only to find themselves both captured. What they are about to realise though is that they are not the only ones with these special dots.
What do the dots mean? How many people have them? How are they linked to the Icons? And can Dol and Ro really change things for the better?



This was an okay story, but I have so many questions at the end of it that it might just drive me crazy!

Dol and Ro were both okay characters, although Ro had serious anger management issues. I think that this was to do the whole ‘icon child’(dots) thing, but even so, his temper was pretty fierce. I didn’t really feel anything for Dol at all, she was a bit boring if anything.
The other two Icon children that we met were Lucas and Tima. I liked Lucas at first, then I didn’t like him, and I didn’t really like Tima at all. The group dynamics were just difficult, and someone always seemed to be irritating someone else, and Ro’s temper and Tima’s jealousy and bitterness did not help matters.

The four ‘Icon children’ had these dots on their wrists, but I didn’t really understand the point of them – they did this weird thing they called ‘bonding’ where they held their wrists together, dot-to-dot, and this was a really intimate thing to do –almost like sex!! I’m not sure why they did this, other than it being something to do with emotions – Dol did it to calm Ro, or how they figured out that they could do this. I didn’t really understand why there were ‘Icon children’ at all, and why were there only 4 icon children when there were 13 icons? Baffling.

We also got the obligatory love triangle/square. Dol mentions about loving Ro, but isn’t sure if they can go from being best friends to being something more, never mind that they do this bonding thing with their dots. But then she’s off with Lucas, and he is trying to get her to bind dots with him (Gosh that sounds ridiculous!). Then we have Tima who is obviously in love with Lucas, and so not happy that him and Dol want to bump dots, and Ro who obviously loves Dol, and wants her to only want his dots (sorry, the dots thing amuses me, I wonder if Lucas’ dots are better than Ro’s as Lucas has 3 and Ro only has 2?).

I have to say that my biggest complaint with this book was the world building. I didn’t understand why the Icon’s had arrived or who really caused their arrival, I didn’t really understand why some people died and some didn’t, I didn’t get why Dol and Ro were living out in the middle of nowhere and how this was even possible. I didn’t really understand who was in charge, and why, who the ‘Lords’ were (think they might have been the aliens)…this list goes on, and on. I’m confused to say the least.

Thankfully the book did have an end. The four Icon children did achieve something after all this, although it was very much the start of the revolution rather than the end. I suspect though that all four icon children will not survive this entire series, I just hope that we don’t take on one icon per book, because that would be a very lengthy series, and I really just want some answers!

Overall; a confusing and sometimes bizarre dystopian novel, which raises more questions than it answers.
6.5 out of 10.

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