Review: Icons - Margaret Stohl

Where I got it: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (I appreciate that it's gender neutral.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Page Count: 429 p.
Buy it: Book Depository | Indie | Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Dol lives in the countryside with her best friend Ro and their Padre. They were both rescued by the Padre after The Day. The Day when the Icons came from the sky and many people died. They live in the country to escape the Icons and their influence over all things electrical (even a person's electricity). Life is guarded but nice, until they come for Dol. One day they show up; guns fire and Dol is taken. She ends up on a train going to the Hole (what used to be Los Angeles). She doesn't know what they want from her and she's not really sure what she is. She may find out soon enough what power she holds though and she'll have to figure out who to trust and what she must do.

Fantastic. I was a little nervous that this was going to be disappointing. I don't know why, but I thought it just wouldn't be that good. It was amazing. Lots of excitement and secrets and world building. Just great.

Dol and Ro were very much a case of opposites attracting. Ro was full of a firey anger and Dol was his calming force. I loved how they played off of each other. Lucas, Lucas, Lucas. I'm still not sure how I feel about him. I fear the love triangle that will inevitably arise in the next book. Lucas is a very complex character and I haven't quite made out what I should think of him. I think he's going to be different in the next book seeing as how this book concludes. Tima is a great character, a bit prickly, but willing to do what is right. The four of them make a mis-matched but great team. And I can't leave out the Doc. I wished that his name wasn't explained, because I caught it right away and thought it would be a nice little Easter Egg for those paying attention. Of well. He had some unexpected actions and it was easy to forget that he was an AI. I also really like the Merk.

The world that Margaret Stohl created is a bit terrifying. The idea that these alien monoliths can stop you dead in your tracks whenever they feel like it is awful. It would be terrible to live in constant fear of instant death. Everyone seemed to be on edge and it's completely understandable. Really it makes me uncomfortable thinking about the control that certain people have over our lives now—this is nearly unfathomable.

I loved all the propaganda flyers that are interspersed throughout the novel. I loved the layout of this novel in general. They're were the e-mails in between chapters and Doc's autopsy reports. These added this nice other layer to the novel, some outside information beyond the narrative. I found all these extra tidbits completely delightful.

This book had plenty of action and though some things were obvious, other things still need to be figured out. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up as soon as you get a chance. It's a fantastic read that you most likely won't want to put down. I can not wait until the next book comes out so I can dive right back into the Icon Troupes' next mission.

First Line:
"One tiny gray dot, no bigger than a freckle, marks the inside of the baby's chubby arm."

Favorite Line:
"Her halo is the sky."