I really enjoyed this second installment to another Marie Lu banger! As an educator, I would definetly house this in my classroom library and reccoommend it to students.

Winter has not been able to stop thinking about Sydney for the past year. He may be a superstar, but that feeling is nothing like when he went undercover to take down one of London’s bad guys. Now that rumors are flying about a tell-all book, Winter would like nothing more than to get away into Sydney’s secret world. His wishes come true when Sydney and Winter are paired up for an extraction mission; an assassination goes wrong and now they are on the run. Who is undermining their mission?

Icon and Inferno is the second book in the Stars and Smoke series. Currently, this romantic adventure is listed with only two books, but the “log” at the end of the book leaves these characters open for more adventures and maybe a little more romance. Although it had been over a year since I read the first book, I was easily able to jump into this story without feeling confused at all. The adventures felt natural and the book had a can’t-put-down feel the entire time. I will read the next book … if it is ever written.

This definitely was a strong second book in this series. I enjoyed book 1, and this definitely didn't disappoint. I didn't really have any expectations, but I'm always down for an action packed secret mission. If there isn't a book 3, that's okay, but I'd definitely read a book 3 if Marie Lu writes it.

The spy duo are back, this time in an attempt to retrieve a rogue Panacea agent, who happens to be an ex-fling of Sydney's (he was mentioned very briefly in the previous book.). Of course to do this, the agency has to use Winter's fame and connections to get where they need to be, and he needs a date (which leads to one of his ex-girlfriends being involved). Add to that the stress of someone releasing a tell-all book, Sydney's mentor/father figure retiring, and the chemistry between the two, and it spells a whole mess of trouble.

The second book wasn't as long, but it was a deeper contemplation of relationships and the costs that many of the characters had to make for various reasons. Was it all happy? Of course not, but there was plenty of hijacks to soften a few of the blows even as their echos reverberated through the book.

Will there be another Winter/Sydney adventure in the future? Perhaps but also perhaps not.

Winter and Sydney are back, and I am so excited! Stars and Smoke, the first book in the series, swept me away with its romance and danger. I knew I’d be back for more. I love the contrast between these two characters. When he’s with people he trusts, Winter is wide open with his heart totally available. Sydney, however, never opens herself that way. That kind of vulnerability terrifies her, which makes sense for someone with a life as a secret agent. For her, letting people in is literally dangerous.

The story begins with a bit of miscommunication or maybe bad assumptions between Winter and Sydney, where she thinks he’s seeing someone and is disappointed but trying not to show it. And he’s hurt that she’s not disappointed, etc. It’s not my favorite romance trope, but the story doesn’t lean into it too heavily since the romantic tension between Sydney and Winter is secondary to their assignment from Panacea.

I like that the task gets layered with complications, though. Winter has to manage the expectations of his ex, whom he invited to a social event as his date. Sydney must find and rescue her own ex, the guy who ended their last tryst by stealing her passport and stranding her overseas. So, yeah, she’s really looking forward to that. Mr. To-Be-Rescued has his own agenda as well, and Sydney and Winter have to decide whether to listen to him or stick with the original plan.

One thing I absolutely loved is the way the story uses Winter’s fame to achieve objectives in his work as a secret agent. It seems like being internationally celebrated and recognized would be a setback for someone on a secret mission, but he makes it work. I love how he uses his position as an asset for Panacea on their missions.

I think even more than the first book, Icon and Inferno leans more into adult fiction. The characters have full-time careers. They’ve had adult relationships. They have adult independence. It’s marketed as YA, and I think will have a fair amount of crossover appeal. Fans of Chloe Gong’s Foul Lady Fortune will enjoy this.

Once again, I am obsessed and this story of a spy and her unlikely pop-star partner was *chef's kiss*

I loved being thrown back into the high stakes and fast paced world and this second installment was absolutely just as amazing as the first story.

The mission was exhilarating and the romance was SWOON. We were in Singapore and the setting was almost a whole other character. Speaking g of characters, we are introduced to a few new people who we can’t tell if we can trust. In fact, WHO CAN WE TRUST?

There is a lot of love and a lot of loss and so much high stakes drama and I couldn’t get enough. The audiobook and narrators were phenomenal and I hope we get more in this series!

Title: Icon and Inferno
By:Marie Lu

Genre:
Fiction, Romance, Mystery,


Summary/Review:
Welcome back to Marie Lu’s talented work portrayed in book two, Icon and Inferno, of the series “Stars and Smoke”. The book opens with the one and only superstar celebrity, Winter Young and his secret agent/crush, Sydney Cossette. After their mission in London, the two parted ways and now over a year later, Winter and Sydney are fighting the undeniable chemistry that resides between them on another dangerous mission. Sparks only begin to reignite between the two, when Winter and Sydney discover who they are on a mission to rescue, a few old flames enter the scene. Hold onto your seats as the drama driven plot takes off and throws unexpected twists and turns in this young adult, fast paced, romantic adventure. If you loved book one, “Stars and Smoke”, you will not regret reading book two, “Icon and Inferno”.

I started this novel on my kindle, and switched to the audiobook! The Narrator does a phenomenal job telling the story. Highly recommend it if you enjoy listening.

Thank you to Marie Lu, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#marielu
#starandsmokeseries
#Iconandinferno
#netgalley
#advanced reader editions

After a year apart from their last mission, world famous pop star Winter Young is reunited with the one girl he can't get off his mind, secret agent Sydney Cossette for another mission... to rescue her spy ex. Not exactly the reunion he had in mind and can he and Sydney finally confront their feelings for each other or are their worlds too different? Winter Young is a famous pop star, he's just released his new album and but he has only one thing on his mind: Sydney Cosette. Winter can't stop thinking about the time he spent with his bodyguard/secret agent while working on a mission and the kiss they shared... and now it's been a year without her. He doesn't know if or when he'll ever see her again. With the news that someone close to him is writing a tell-all book about him without his permission and the fact that his own ex has showed up at his door asking to spend time... his life is messy.. and to add on top of that Sydney is back in his life and he has been called to do another mission with her.... to help her rescue her ex. When Sydney shows up at his door with a new mission from Panacea, he has no choice but to accept... and the mission requires that he have a date for the public event and with Sydney pushing that it cant be her and that he take his ex... he now has to bring her along too. Winter is not looking forward to bringing along his ex when he just wants to be with Sydney and he definitely is not looking forward to spending time with Sydney's own ex, Tems, a fellow spy. Yet the mission only gets more complicated when Tems shows up definitely not needing to be rescued but on a separate mission of his own... and now Sydney and Winter will have to find a way to stop a sinister group of traitors, save each other, and try and make it out alive and finally face the feelings they have for each other. Can a pop star and a spy really make it or are they too different from the beginning? When I had first read Stars and Smoke I loved it and definitely did not think it would be getting a sequel but oh boy did I have a blast with this sequel and I adored that ending for these two characters. I would love love LOVE a third book with Sydney and Winter and to get to see their relationship grow even more. I love that despite how different their lives are, they truly love and support one another no matter what. I had fun with all the twists and turns in this book and I just adored the relationship between the two main characters. This was such a fun series and I sincerely hope these characters get another book!

Release Date: June 11,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

What a great second book in this series! Marie Lu kills it time and time again. I loved the Warcross reference. It was great to sew our MCs work on trying to sift through these issues of where they go from here. I loved seeing more of their histories and can't wait until book 3!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a fun YA Mystery/Romance. I didn't realize this was book 2 of a series, but this book is a stand alone mystery so I didn't feel too lost.

Sydney is a spy and Winter is a popstar. They had a fling a year ago on an undercover mission and went their separate ways, not expecting to see each other again. But now, the agency needs cover that only Winter can provide, so Sydney makes contact again. The timing couldn't be better as damaging secrets of Winter plays out in the tabloids and he's ready to get away for a bit. Their mission is dangerous and doesn't go as expected, but that's when their training kicks in.

This was a fun book, where Winter falls hard and isn't afraid to show his feelings for Sydney. She's devoted her adult life to being a spy and knows she can't commit to a relationship, especially to someone that lives their life in the spotlight. Getting through her tough exterior won't be easy, but Winter is willing to put in the work.

I thought Sydney was a bit too uptight and closed off and wouldn't even throw Winter a bone. In one moment that any other girl would be swooning over, she got pissed and went off on Winter. I realize it was consistent with her character, but she's not a robot. She could at least show a bit of humanity. But, I guess I'm a big softy and would not be a great spy. :-)

Winter has very few people he can trust, and has to put on a show and keep his image up whenever he's out. Not only is Winter in love with Sydney, she's one of the only people he can trust and be himself with. When you live a life like Winter, that is something money can't buy. I liked that he never gave up on Sydney and let himself be vulnerable with her. I also liked how he treated his ex-girlfriend. There were a lot of reasons why he should have show her the door and would have been justified in cutting her out of his life. But he could see through her facade and treated her with understanding and kindness instead.

I've liked this author's books since the Legend series. I like her writing style and she always includes interesting elements to her books. I didn't like this book as much as I did the Legend and Warcross books, but I appreciate she is trying out new genres. I'm sure writers get bored writing the same thing over and over, so I don't mind it when they venture out. I just hope her next series is another YA/Fantasy series.

I was given a complimentary e-copy and audio of this book from NetGalley and MacMillan. All opinions are my own.

Previous Marie Lu's books have not disappointed, so I knew this one was going to be a great next book. I was right!!! The romance, the connections between worlds... everything! I can't wait to see what Marie Lu writes next!! Definitely recommend!!

Marie Lu never disappoints and this sequel was even better than book 1 with the sizzling tension, new characters and a plot that has you intrigued until the very end!!

I’ve waited so long for Icon and Inferno and I was definitely not disappointed. When I saw it on NetGalley, I requested immediately and I’m so happy that I did. This is so action packed (exactly like the first one) and I loved reading everything unfold. The new characters that were introduced in this book irritated me but I loved how detailed they were and how much backstory we got, especially for them being new. I love how we dive even more into Winter and Syd’s relationship. All of the losses (ifykyk) hurt me so bad and the way it was written made me so emotional. The first half of the book basically sets up the second half but once the action hits, it hits hard. I read the second part of this so quickly because it was addicting. I need a third book now.

Icon and Inferno is a fantastic follow up to Stars and Smoke! We join Winter and Sydney again as they embark on a new assignment together. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and is a thrill ride from start to finish. Marie Lu has created beautiful characters who are trying to survive in their worlds but keep colliding together.

In this enjoyable follow-up to Lu's Stars and Smoke (2023), readers will see a continuation of the angsty romance and spy missions. Winter and Sydney are teamed back for an even bigger mission while also dealing with their feelings for one another and their ex-flames. Complex emotions and a betrayal allow for some character development, but readers looking for more romance than the first book might be sorely disappointed. Lu leaves the ending open in regards to further books, so we'll have to wait and see if Sydney and Winter's romance gets a true conclusion. Hand to readers who enjoyed the first in the series, but those looking for a romance may want to look elsewhere.

Thank you to NetGalley, Roaring Brook Press, and Ms. Lu for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Icon and Inferno is a fantastic, thrilling roller-coaster ride of a book. I read it back-to-back with another book which really emphasized Marie Lu's mastery of fast-paced plot, authentically great characterization, and those little details that take a book from good to amazing.

Sydney and Winter reunite for a new mission, surprising exactly zero people, in this thrilling mashup of secret agents, spies, high-stakes world politics, exes, murder, jealousy, backstabbing, romance, and secrets. The introduction of Winter's ex (Gavi) and Sydney's - sort of - (Tems) really heightens the tension between Winter and Sydney as they each struggle simultaneously with other issues: Niall's retirement and its effects on Sydney, and the publication of a tell-all book exposing Winter's mental health and other personal issues.

Honestly this book was absolutely terrific. It's worth adding that the cover is gorgeous. I wish Sydney and Winter could have communicated earlier and cleared things up faster, but frankly it's completely in character for both of them to keep their secrets close to the vest. If I had one wish, it was that the ending gave me moremoreMORE, but Ms. Lu knows what she's doing and I can't complain. Highly recommended, 4 1/2 stars.

The quick cut: A pop star finds himself playing spy once again when one of their own disappears during a mission.

A real review:
Thank you to Roaring Brook Press for providing the arc for an honest review.

Playing a spy once is unbelievable enough but what if you were asked to do it again? Would you be willing to risk it one more time? This is a question for Winter.

A year has passed since he last saw secret agent Sydney, but she's still on his mind. Even if their last mission was more dangerous than he agreed to, he can't ignore the powerful chemistry they had together. He thought he'd never see her again until another agent disappears and his help is needed to find their agent again. Will he be able to make the chemistry happen again with Sydney?

Sequel stories can be tricky because sometimes the buildup from the first can create unachievable expectations. I was very excited to read this one and even knowing that, I still loved this story. It takes all the elements of the first and builds on them, including creating problems that added to the characters' development this time.

Winter is a pop sensation who was trained only out of necessity the first time. The thrill was supposed to be a one and done, but the right combination of scenarios created a second opportunity. His development is about figuring out what he wants, especially when his status means he can't have it all. Is he ready to give up the public life?

Sydney knows her life isn't built for relationships, but she has Winter on her mind. Can she deny their chemistry again when they're paired up together a second time? That's easy to do when your mission involves saving your ex. I loved how the ex being the mission really played an element in her journey.

A fun sequel spy thriller that builds on the first.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Book Review of Icon and Inferno (Stars and Smoke #2) by Marie Lu

Cover Story: Behind The Scenes
BFF Charm: You’re In Danger x 2
Talky Talk: Polyglot Potential
Bonus Factor: Surprising Skills, Coach Taylor Award
Anti-Bonus Factor: Crossover Confusion, Genre Confusion, Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting
Relationship Status: Back To The Training Floor

Cover Story: Behind The Scenes
I like this cover. Sydney and Winter look just like I imagined them. Drawing them in formal wear (Sydney’s burgundy gown is gorgeous, although not something she’d actually wear in her bodyguard role) and hiding from the gala behind a curtain is a great way to show how they’re each other’s refuge from the facade they put up for the rest of the world.

The Deal:
It’s been a year since Winter Young’s and Sydney Cossette’s first mission as spy partners, but they haven’t forgotten about each other. With one of Sydney’s fellow agents gone missing in Singapore, where Winter just happens to be booked for a gala, it’s too good an opportunity for their agency’s director (who not-so-secretly ships them) to ignore. The trouble is that Winter, who is terrible at saying no, has somehow invited his ex-girlfriend to be his date for the gala … and Sydney’s ex-boyfriend is the agent they’re supposed to rescue. Fun, right? And by the way, someone wants to kill the U.S. president. Not exactly the reunion they were hoping for.

BFF Charm: You’re In Danger x 2
I understand that this is a spy caper, and taking risks is par for the course, but some of Sydney and Winter’s decisions genuinely make me wonder why they haven’t been fired. They trust people who have already proven themselves untrustworthy, namely their exes, who have done things like leave Sydney stranded in a foreign country or lock Winter out of his own house. They lie and keep secrets from their superiors, whom they claim to respect. Kids, you’re trying to prevent a war and save a world leader’s life. Would it kill you to talk to a grown-up about it?

Swoonworthy Scale: 8
Sydney and Winter (especially Sydney) start off the story in deep denial about their feelings, using their exes as shields to pretend they’re over each other. The danger they’re thrown into, however (and the reminder of why they broke up with their exes in the first place) soon cause them to open up to each other, and things get very physically and emotionally intimate, very quickly.

Talky Talk: Polyglot Potential
Sydney has a gift for learning languages. While eavesdropping on a Mandarin speaker, she finds it a challenge to decipher the tones and place unfamiliar words in context. I would have liked to see more scenes like this. In a spy story featuring international politics, with a love story between characters from different ethnicities, it would have been interesting to see linguistics and translation play a role.

Bonus Factor: Surprising Skills
Winter keeps finding unexpected uses for his pop star skills as a secret agent. Learning choreography helps him learn to fight, pulling Houdini-esque stunts on stage helps him escape being tied up, being a performer helps him keep his cover, and sometimes all he has to do is show his face at the right time and create a diversion.

Bonus Factor: Coach Taylor Award
Claire, Winter’s manager, cares more about him than his own parents do. She ends interviews if they make him uncomfortable, sends lawyers after unauthorized biographers, orders his bodyguards into formation like a general to keep him safe in a crowd, and reminds him to eat and sleep when he forgets.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Crossover Confusion
Winter performs at the Warcross Games’ opening ceremony and meets Hideo and Emika, which means this series takes place in the same universe – or does it? The effects of Hideo’s NeuroLink would have made the events of Stars and Smoke impossible, or at least highly improbable. At the very least, Sydney would have remembered the Link affecting her. Hearing the world-changing events of Wildcard hand-waved away as “a data breach of some sort” jarred me right out of the story.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Genre Confusion
If you’re going to blend genres – romance and suspense, for example – it’s important to keep them balanced so that one doesn’t distract from the other. This series, unfortunately, doesn’t get the balance quite right. As a pop star/bodyguard romance about the pressures of the music industry, unresolved family trauma and opposites-attract tension, it’s fun and engaging and sometimes even emotional. But the spy story elements feel formulaic, from the betrayal to the villain monologue. Also, the wider implications of the terrorists’ plot are hardly mentioned. Since Winter is a Chinese American trying to prevent a war between America and China, it’s hard to believe that he would think about it only in the abstract, and not as something that could affect him personally.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting
Winter’s parents are, if possible, even worse in this book than the last one. His mother is more forgetful than ever, and the emotional abuse his father inflicts in a single phone call makes the actual terrorists he faces later seem cartoonish in comparison.

Relationship Status: Back To The Training Floor
You’ve made some mistakes, Book, but I still believe you have potential. Call me when your sequel shows up.

It’s been a year since uber-famous international pop star Winter Young went undercover with spy Sydney Cossette to take down a crime boss in London (in Stars and Smoke). Sydney has trained and worked hard since she was young with super-secret spy agency Panacea. While Winter, of course, had no spy training before some quick instruction in useful skills, he brought some handy talents to the table.

The two worked practically seamlessly together, considering they had just met. But Sydney and Winter just understood each other in deep ways. Unfortunately, their chemistry couldn’t go anywhere. When they went their separate ways after the London mission, they thought they wouldn’t see each other again.

That’s not to say they didn’t think about each other. So it comes mostly as a pleasure for both of them to have an opportunity to go on another mission together. This time, they need to go to Singapore to get another Panacea operative out of the country. The stakes are high, with the very safety of the United States at risk.

Add into that that this time around, Winter and Sydney have more to deal with: exes in the picture, family drama, their feelings about each other… making this book even more intense than the first.

I had a great time with Stars and Smoke, so I was eager to continue with Winter and Sydney’s story. Icon and Inferno didn’t disappoint on all the levels: action, intrigue, romance, secrets, just the right amount of angst, and a glamorous and exotic location. Marie Lu set out to entertain readers and she has achieved her goal twice. Looking forward to another installment, which I’m sure there will be.

4.25/5 stars

In this follow-up to Stars and Smoke, pop superstar Winter Young is once again recruited by agent Sydney Cossette to assist the elite covert ops Panacea group. They travel to Singapore to locate and retrieve a missing Panacea agent and uncover an assassination plot that must be thwarted to avoid a war.

There is pretty much nonstop action here as well as treachery, double crosses, a tragic loss and lots of romantic chemistry along the way. I liked that Lu gave a larger glimpse into both Winter's and Sydney's formative years, their vulnerabilities and their motivations. While their relationship definitely moves forward, they are still at a loss of how to ultimately make their very different lives mesh together.

While some of the action/scenarios are over-the-top, the growth of Winter's and Sydney's characters, both personally and as a romantic duo, is well-developed and promises to lead to further angst/conflict/resolution down the road.

Looking forward to seeing how things continue to develop in further adventures.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Roaring Brook Press for providing the free early arc of Icon and Inferno for review. The opinions are strictly my own.