Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu is the second in a new series that started with Stars and smoke. This one is tough for me because Marie Lu is one of my all time favorite authors and she is super talented. I just did not connect with these characters or the story line. Both books in the series focus on Winter, a pop star with a longing for love, and Sydney a secret agent. The series has some good twists and this book even gives a nod to Warcross (my favorite of her books), but I never quite fell in love. I'm also disappointed because this is likely going to become a long running series and I'm not sure I will stick around for the ride.

This book lost everything that was so great about the first one. It felt disjointed and the chemistry that existed between Winter and Sydney just evaporated for me. The plot was pretty absurd, even by spy novel standards.

Winter and Sydney meet again for another undercover mission, this time a few exes were thrown in, a sorry excuse for a father, and found family. There was nothing average or easy about their mission to save the world from a war, things went sideways quite a bit with twists and turns I didn't expect. This book ran the emotional gamut: ups, downs, sadness, excitement, and heart wrenching. I enjoyed this continuation of Winter and Sydney's adventures and look forward to more.

Good plot! Complex characters! Action, romance, SPIES! Marie Lu always delivers a good time 😎

Winter and Sydney have a unique relationship. Sydney works as a agent. Winter is a famous singer. They both travel so much, both have to keep appearances and secrets, and they both have a hard time letting others in.
I kind of hated how Sydney kept Winter at arms length but.....it's understandable too. Especially when, in her line of work, she can both be lost to those who love her and also lose those she loves. She doesn't treat Winter as useless this time around, but as an equal partner which was nice!
I kind of saw a few things coming but overall the pacing was just right. Wasn't too slow but gave plenty of time to set up the scene and wasn't too intense. It had plenty of action, while also leaving room for character development and emotional growth.
The ending isn't my favorite, but again, it makes sense and it leaves me hopeful for Winter and Sydney 🥰
I'm so glad they got a book two 🤩

p.s. we get more.....love scenes in this book 🙊🫣 Let's just say our couple seem like good kissers🤭 hehe Love their chemistry 😍

I loved this book! It was a really interesting read, I loved all of the characters, especially Sydney. The book was so realistic about what kind of trouble that I imagine a superstar and a spy would get into. I loved the imagery and the fight scenes. I wish that I had read the other book first but this was great as a standalone novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the copy of Icon and Inferno
by Marie Lu. This is the sequel to Stars and Smoke, but you can read it as a standalone. What an action packed book with some great reveals! I loved how the Warcross world had a small appearance, because Warcross is one of my all-time favorite books. I’m not a romance fan and this one had a little too much for me, but if you love romance paired with action and intrigue, this is a perfect book for you.

Incredibly fast paced, chaotic, and fun as hell. I’m so fond of these characters and I sincerely hope this isn’t the last we see of them. A third book would be an amazing treat :)

Icon and Inferno had a similar feel to the first book, with action, mystery, romance and thrills. I read the books together, but enough background information is given catch you up if it's been a bit. Once again, I enjoyed the complicated relationship between Winter and Sydney, and the addition of their exes added extra tension. There are surprises along the way, though I'll admit to having my suspicions about some of the things that happened beforehand. There's a lot of action, and while sometimes it feels a little unrealistic, it gives it the kind of excitement you feel while watching a movie. It was definitely a quick read that was hard to put down. I'm not sure if there will be another book in this series, but I'd love to read more by the author, Marie Lu.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for the advance review copy of Icon and Inferno! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley I’m unbelievably grateful to have gotten an advanced copy of this book!!

I loved every second of this and am sad it’s over bc I was having so much fun reading it. I love Sydney and Winter so dearly and hope to see more of them someday. The warcross referenced warmed my heart because I love everything Marie Lu has ever written. This one had some insane plot twists and I loved how it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. If I hadn’t finished this while sitting in class, I guarantee I would have been balling my eyes out at the ending because it broke my heart a little bit but was so perfect. I feel lucky to have read this and highly recommend to all!!!

I loved being back with Sydney and Winter. Both books in this duology are just so fun! They give me Mission Impossible vibes.

This mission includes both of their exes, so that added another fun, snarky element to the story.

Another great book from one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

i recieved an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review; thank you!

OK THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN. Bittersweet to leave these characters, but SO MUCH FUN. I did like the first book better, but the vibes were great in this AND SYDNEY AND WINTER??? perfecttttt

overall, a solid sequel (finale?) but i liked the first book better :)

3.5/5⭐

Marie Lu knows how to write an ending!

I always say that Stars and Smoke (the first book) is Cars 2 as a YA novel and this one reminded me of The Incredibles as a YA novel.

The book started off immensely slow and I had the hardest time caring about what was happening. It wasn't until around 35% of the way through that they got to the bulk of the mission and I was invested. This series is not overly complicated to understand but it is fun. Giving a movie esc atmosphere to the novel. I find myself reading the book kinda bored but once the mission the characters are on explodes in their face I can't put it down. The 'final battles' are by far the best part of this series.

I liked getting to catch up with Winter and Sydney, but I'm still not totally invested in them as characters. I felt like the issues they were dealing with in their personal lives were repetitive from the first book, and there were some inconstancies (Sydney's lungs didn't bother her ONCE in this book).

Overall it was just as fun as the first book, giving a much needed break from heavier reads and I would love to see this series adapted into a movie someday!!


Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!!

I've been reading Marie Lu for over a decade, since her first book came out. and for a while in the middle (The Young Elites...) I wasn't really feeling her books. This feels like more of a return to form for her. I really liked the relationship between Winter and Sydney, and while it's still a book for teenagers, it felt surprisingly mature at times. Everything seemed to go really fast, and the book never felt boring. I'm not sure if she's planning more in this series, or if she's sort of committing to doing two books at a time now. Either way, I'm happy with the ending to this, but I would also read another one if it happened to exist.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this early!

I’m a huge Marie Lu fan so I jumped at the opportunity to get my hands on Icon and Inferno. I enjoyed Stars and Smoke but I&I is definitely superior to its predecessor. The character development, the heart pounding action and international intrigue all went to another level in this book.

A little less sci-fi than other Marie Lu books although there is a little SPOILER ALERT crossover with Warcross. If you’re into spy thrillers with a bit of YA romantic yearning and messiness, this is for you.

folks who love YA will enjoy this. Lots of tension and loved the development of the characters and relationships

Another amazing book from MarieLu. I love these two and the mischief they get into and deal with. I felt like I was right along with them. MarieLu’s writing is amazing and addictive. I couldn’t put it down. Once again I’m in love with her story and will be impatiently waiting for the thrills book to come out.

Icon & Inferno, a follow-up of Stars & Smoke, brings back Winter and Sydney together after a year for another mission, and this time, the stakes are higher with both the MCs trying to work as a team while keeping the relationship strictly professional. Unlike Stars & Smoke Winter is much more confident in the second book not just as the undercover agent but also as a person who is still trying to work through his abandonment and parental issues.
I think Marie Lu writes some of the best action sequences, especially since chase scenes and stunts are much more easier to visualize on-screen instead of writing them down. Icon & Inferno keeps you hooked and a few of the plot twists were so well executed. the sequel is worth the wait if you love Winter and Sydney in the first book.
The only reason I had to take down one star from the rating was Winter sort of takes a backseat in this one and while I loved it for Sydney I wish there was more of Winter having an actual confrontation with his father for some of the things he said.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Icon and Inferno early. I absolutely loved the first book, but found this one harder to root for the overall storyline. Also starting with misunderstandings between the two is frustrating for me and that miscommunication impacted a lot of the book gets frustrating as a reader who loathes the miscommunication trope.

Hello there. Mary Lu stan here! I love her work and I have since forever. Her work is actually what truly got me into writing. I think this is such a great series. I had to hurry and read the first one because I didn't realize this was the second one but it was so worth it! It's definitely not my most favorite book of hers but it was great nonetheless.

✅ Sydney (spy) and Winter (world famous pop star) are back. A reminder that this series is like if Harry Styles or any of the BTS guys had a side gig as a spy
✅ since this is book 2, they can dive right into their chemistry, no setup needed
✅ once the action starts, it is very much like James Bond
✅ dual POV
🌶️: no - it’s all implied

This would make such a good TV/streaming series.