The second installment was delicious! Bringing Sydney and Winter back together for another high stakes event including possible president assassinations and espionage and of course you can't have assassins and spies without some counter terrorism and double agents! Bringing in some possible love triangle like situations with Sydney's old flame Tems and Winter's Gabi didn't stand a chance in really deterring fans from rooting for whatever Sydney and Winter have going.

There was a perfect blend of action, thoughtfully thrilling with a mix of solid plotting and energetic scenes that felt like watching a movie, and character building including some emotional scenes about who we want to become and who we leave behind.

And... the Easter eggs to Warcross! Emiko Chen!

I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since it was announced because I just knew it was going to be good. It was so much more than good: it was excellent! I enjoyed Icon and Inferno even more than I did Stars and Smoke. Marie Lu took the magic of Stars and Smoke and turned everything that made that novel work up to 11. What came out is an amazing sequel to a fantastically fun book.

We’re exchanging organized crime for an international special agent extraction and a murky conspiracy against a head of state. We’re exchanging a nascent romance for pining like a forest, opportunist exes, and vulnerable hearts. We’re going from narrow focus to wide. The cast is bigger, the stakes are larger, the action is more intense, and the fall is long and hard.

It’s like a romantic Bourne Identity, but without the mind erasure.

I love these books because it’s just like watching a movie like The Bourne Identity: I don’t care if every little bit makes sense or if it’s a little predictable. I just care about how much fun I have reading these books, and these books are an absolute treat to read. They make me happy in the part of my heart that loves fun, fast, action-packed, romantic, improbable-situation books. I loved every page. If Lu wanted to write another one I’d read that one too.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Conspiracy Thriller/Contemporary Thriller/Espionage Thriller/LGBTQ Fiction/Rockstar Romance

I love these two together so it was so great watching their next adventure. Loved the shout out to Warcross one of my fav series. An interesting nugget was dropped on the last page. Could there by another adventure?

Icon and Inferno is the 2nd-book in Marie Lu's fast-paced Spy Thriller series, Stars and Smoke. This romantic YA series features a Pop Star and a Secret Agent. I had a lot of fun with the 1st-book, Stars and Smoke, so I was excited to continue on with these characters and this world. Unsurprisingly, Lu's exceptional writing drew me in from the start and kept me hooked throughout.

In this installment, we are reunited with our MCs, Winter, an international pop superstar, and Sydney, an operative for a mysterious organization known as the Panacea Group. Winter and Sydney were paired together on a mission in London in the 1st-book, but have now, at the start of this, gone a year without any contact between them.

They're about to be thrust together again though, when Panacea calls upon Winter to assist them with a mission in Singapore, where he is set to perform a show. The mission involves a lavish party, an assassination plot, and is the very highest of stakes. Panacea needs their best ops on the job.

The chemistry between our mains is still simmering directly under the surface, but we have their exs in tow as well, so that sets up some interesting tension. Lu excels at character development. I love how well developed these characters are, particularly Winter and Sydney. It's impossible not to fall in love with them and yearn for them to be together. I appreciate the slow burn feel of the development of their relationship. Even the pining isn't overdone. It feels natural and leaves the Reader wanting more.

The action is also gripping and believable. I love the idea of the Panacea Group, the mystery of it all; the operatives and missions. The possibilities for this series are truly endless.

My only small gripe about this is that I wanted more. I feel like the mission went almost too quickly. I could have definitely spent more time in Singapore. That's obviously a personal preference, but I definitely could have done with it being built-out even more.

Overall though, I had a lot of fun reading this. The audiobook narration is fantastic, bringing the story to life. Winter and Sydney compliment each other. Their personalities play off one another so well. He's always in the spotlight, she's always in the shadows. They're like two sides of the same coin and I only want the best for them.

The way this story left off at the end was great. I love that Lu left a bit of mystery. There's obviously more that could be explored, or we could leave it here. Personally, I am hoping for more, but we'll see...

Thank you so much to the publisher, Roaring Brook Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This series is highly underrated!!

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

Winter and Sydney are back to save the world again! With a rescue mission, assassination plots, returning exes, this book is full of action. The placing was pretty well done, I didn't get bored, and my favorite part? We got a tiny hint of Warcross, which is my favorite series by this author!

This book was a little more angsty than the first, to me, which I am not a huge fan of. However, I am not a secret agent or a pop star in love with the other, so who am I to judge how angsty that probably makes a person. I did enjoy the ending, with it's touch of a future vibes. If there ends up being a third book, I will most likely be reading it. This series is perfect for Spy School/Charlie Thorne/City of Spies fans!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (one vague open door)

Sydney and Winter are back together with a new mission for Panacea. With another agent missing, Winter's star status will allow entrance to an elite gala in Singapore. Little do they know, there's much more at play than a simple agent extraction. As they try to focus on the mission, they're also confronted with their growing feelings for each other. Can these two make it out safely and guard their hearts at the same time?

I definitely liked this more than book one. Since there was already history between Winter and Sydney, the chemistry was hot from the start. There was lots of yearning from Winter, and Sydney was torn between her job and her attraction to him. The mission provided lots of action in the second half, although I did find one twist easy to predict. I was also hoping for a little more tension from the exes who were brought into the story. Overall, though, this was enjoyable, and I found myself liking the characters more than in the first book. I especially liked the ending between Winter and Sydney. I thought that was really tender and romantic while still providing drama and angst. It seemed like a satisfying ending that still left things open for a possible third book.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Icon and Inferno" by Marie Lu picks up a year after superstar Winter Young last saw secret agent Sydney Cossette. After barely surviving their first assignment in London and grappling with their intense chemistry, the two haven’t spoken at all, though they’re never far from each other's thoughts—or fantasies. When Sydney shows up at Winter’s studio with a new mission from Panacea, Winter has no choice but to accept. Their new mission takes them to Singapore to rescue an operative in danger—none other than Sydney's ex, a rogue agent known as the Arsonist.

I enjoyed "Stars and Smoke," the first book in this YA series, because it embraced its ridiculous premise without taking itself too seriously, making for a fun read. Unfortunately, "Icon and Inferno" didn’t manage to capture that same sense of fun. Instead, the suspension of disbelief became overwhelming, making it difficult to immerse myself in the story, especially when the sequel tried to up the ante with an already absurd premise.

Both Sydney and Winter became frustrating characters in this installment. Their self-wallowing, particularly Sydney’s, was grating. I found myself skimming through most of her chapters due to her monotonous and repetitive internal monologues. This detracted from the overall experience, as it made her sections of the story drag.

The action scenes, which should have been a highlight, were hard to follow, adding another layer of frustration. Instead of feeling the excitement of the high-stakes missions, I often found myself confused and disconnected from the action.

In summary, "Icon and Inferno" fell short of the mark set by its predecessor. The suspension of disbelief required was too great, and the characters' development leaned too heavily into self-pity. The action scenes, which could have redeemed the narrative, were difficult to follow. While the premise had potential, this sequel lost the balance between fun and seriousness, resulting in a less enjoyable read.

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I’ve been a fan of Marie Lu for years so it was an honor to read one of her books early 🥺. I LOVED THIS BOOK! If Winter Young and his music was real.. I have no doubt he’d be on my top artists of my Spotify Wrapped. I love a good secret agents on a mission plot and love the twist of adding in a famous pop star. The love story in this tore my heart out and put it back together multiple times. By the end.. I was sobbing 😅. I loved the added Easter egg of some characters from previous Marie Lu novels 👀. This was a fun, entertaining, YA read. I hope this isn’t the last book in this series 🙏

It's been more than a year since superstar Winter Young was recruited into the Panacea Group - an elite covert ops group - to bring down a major crime boss.

Winter has gone back to his superstar status, but with the threatening release of a new tell-all book about him by some unknown person - although undoubtedly someone close to him - Winter longs for the excitement of being an agent. Longs for something slightly dangerous, yet also helpful and, in a way, something that's just his.

As fate would have it, the group needs Winter's help once again. One of their agents has gone missing in the middle of a mission and Sydney has been tapped to find him and bring him home. This includes travelling to Singapore and attending an exclusive gala. Who better to gain entry than the most famous pop singer in the world?

As Winter and Sydney team up again, the mission soon turns from a straight-forward extraction to thwarting a hit on the President.

I was not ready to be finished with Winter and Sydney from the first book, and was super excited that we get this second one. I low-key loved how Marie Lu ended the first one with them being separated because I knew the meetup again would be **chef's kiss**. Coupled with the fact that the agent they're sent to extract has a history with Sydney and Winter has become entangled again with an ex-girlfriend in the interim, and there's plenty of lovely angst. Now, normally I don't have time for the angst, but I felt like Marie Lu built these two up so well in the first book and built their tentative partnership up that I didn't really feel like there could be a true divide between them in this sense, but it made for some really great tension and also brought up contrasts and comparisons between those others relationships and the one they have with each other. This book felt a lot more emotionally involved than the first one, which makes sense because we are more familiar with the characters and the setup. That was dealt with in the first book, so it makes sense we would delve more into the emotional side of things.

I felt like this time around there's a lot of slow winding build-up until we get to the pulse-pounding intense mission. I didn't mind the slow build, at a certain point when things turn I just did not want to put down the book. Unfortunately, there are also some revelations that come about after the halfway mark that felt too rushed.

Regardless of these, I adore how Marie Lu handled Sydney and Winter.

I don't know what the future holds for this series, but I feel like there's plenty of possibilities for continuation and more ways to explore the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Icon and Inferno is the sequel to Stars and Smoke, and seems to end with the potential for a third installment. This book/series is so fun! This story had a lot of action, romance, and an entertaining amount of Mission Impossible-type intrigue and excitement. Both Sydney and Winter's characters are developed in more depth, which was nice to see, and is probably tough to do when a story revolves around stopping an assassination and war.

This is perfect for teen readers who enjoy fast-paced and entertaining books!

Such a great follow-up to the first book, I finished it in one sitting. The dynamics between Sydney and Winter are more intense than the first book which play off of the plot well. The foreshadowing to the mystery is well written with the pacing never rushed.

Lu, Marie, Icon and Inferno. Pgs. 320. Macmillan Publishing Group, 2024
Since their first mission in London, Sydney and Winter haven’t spoken to each other. To Winter’s surprise, Sydney shows up in his apartment with a new mission from Panacea. Their mission: to go to Singapore to find a rogue agent called the Arsonist. Things only get more complicated when the two encounter their exes. With the stake higher than ever before, can the two find the Arsonist before it’s too late or will things get muddied with the duo’s exes around?

The plot is well developed, adventurous, and has a good pace. The characters are likable, engaging, and draw the readers into the World of Warcross. Themes of espionage, revenge, love, and betrayal will keep readers interested and rooting for the characters. Due to on page sexual content and more mature themes, this book is best suited for high school and older. Characters are cued as diverse.

Readers who like science fiction, adventure, and spy thrillers with romance will want to pick this one up. Recommended for library collections where Warcross, science fiction, and spy thrillers are popular. 4 stars, Gr 10 to 12

Icon and Inferno is the second installment in author Marie Lu's Stars and Smoke series. This book is set one year from the end of the first installment. The book alternates between superstar Winter Young, and Sydney Cossette, an operative who works for the Panacea Group. Winter (who is in Hawaii when he learns of a tell all book that is set to be released) and Sydney (who is now a full operative) haven't stopped thinking about each other even though they haven't been in contact since then.

That changes when Panacea asks them to team up on another mission, once again using the cover of Winter's concert. It seems one of their agents has been missing for 2 weeks, and there's the possibility that he's been compromised. In order to make things twisted, Sydney learns that the missing agent is Tems, a rogue agent named the Arsonist who just happens to be her ex. Thanks to a past incident, Tems isn't exactly on Syd's Christmas list. Meanwhile, Winter is forced to ask the glamorous Gavi Ginsburg, a globe-trotting socialite and Winter’s one-time girlfriend, to be by his side for the duration of the mission.

Syd & Winter's mission sends them to Singapore, and the guest appearance by one Emika Chen, who is now CEO of Henka Games who made her claim to fame in the Warcross games. While in Singapore, Syd and Winter learn of a threat to the US President by rogue actors. Syd soon finds that she is also under attack by an undetermined group of agents, as well as her employer. The author turns up the volume to 11 by having a very important character killed off in what appears to have been intentional. And when a murder accusation has Sydney on the run, suddenly it's not just a life at stake, but all-out war.

*Thoughts* The ending of this book leaves much to be desired. It seems that this was meant as a duology, but there's always the possibility of a return. Also, why bring back Emika if you weren't going to use here and Hideo in another story? This book is filled with action, suspense, romance, songs that weren't supposed to be played in public, betrayal, heart break, and maybe a bit of hope that the author will continue with the Syd and Winter trials and tribulations.

Winter’s fame is once again needed to get access to certain people. Sydney is tasked again because this time, they are trying to find an agent that is missing, along with a more pressing mission.

I liked this one even more than Stars and Smoke. It had more action and fast-paced scenes but also the build up of their relationship added that extra layer of entertainment. There is the danger, the mission itself, an old flame (or two) and a possible accusation for war. What could go wrong?

Have I mentioned I hate the name Winter? It just did not seem to fit. It rubbed me weird each time I heard it. But as a character, I liked his genuine demeanor and heartfelt personality. He complimented Sydney well. And even if it was a bit difficult to see her as an accomplished spy (because of her age), her character brought a boldness that accentuated her sensitivity.

This addition to the series is full of sabotage, treason, lies, secrets, deceit and more. There was never a slow moment but yet a steady pace of intrigue lasted throughout. I recommend this to those that love a thriller with some romance on the side.

AUDIO REVIEW: Becca Q. Co did an excellent job. The differing voices was just enough to tell each character apart. She also added inflection during suspense scenes making it more enjoyable.

International pop start Winter Young and secret agent Sydney Cossette are two of my favorite characters to read so far this year. This book was just fun to read because there was so much action and adventure. The character development was top tier from the first book and I loved seeing how much the characters had changed in a year. What didn't change was the feelings they had for each other, and it was, at times, heartbreaking to see them fighting them. If Marie Lu ever decided to write a third book for this, I would one-hundred percent be there for it.

I love them, your honor!!!! I absolutely loved the first book and this was a great addition. I think the stakes weren't as high but the vibes were great! I'm actually surprised I managed to catch the twist waayyyyyyy early which was definitely interesting. There was definitely a jaw drop kind of moment that had my heart stop which I probably will never forgive Marie Lu for.

Overall, I think this was a great exploration of the two main characters. Although Stars and Smoke could have easily been a standalone, I think this added to the yearning and since I wasn't ready to let go of the characters yet, this gave me some extra time with Winter and Sydney.

Genre: contemporary romance, YA
*technically futuristic, set in the same universe as Warcross

Picking up a year after Stars and Smoke, agent Sydney and pop music superstar Winter are back on a mission together - this time to extract another agent from Singapore, one who is trying to prevent an assassination and global war, but who can't get out on his own. Problem? The other agent is Sydney's ex. And to get into this exclusive event they'll be using Winter's Rockstar power, and on his arm will be his own spotlight claiming ex.

Marie Lu is one YA author I continue to read consistently long after leaving most of the genre behind. (These main characters may be closer to their early twenties, but it is closed door.) Her characters are well rounded, age appropriate, and have inner monologues that suit their personalities and plot, making this an enjoyable reading experience. It's a fast paced spy adventure, second chance bodyguard romance, and if that sounds like a mouthful, it’s actually not. Lu has the skill to deliver concise plot and her side characters are all well-rounded and important enough to be able to keep track of them (even if some of them were not spelled the way I’d imagine based on the audiobook narration!).

I recommend reading this series in order, starting with Stars and Smoke, to get a better sense of the characters. And while you don’t have to read Warcross, there are some fun easter eggs if you’re familiar with that duology.

Marie Lu does no wrong in my book. I love how her books have constant action and tension ripping through each page. Icon and Inferno is no exception. It is high-stakes, fast-moving, and intense. I flew through this one faster than the bullets flying at Winter and Sydney.

I loved watching Winter and Sydney pushed back together and rooted for them so hard along the way. Suspense is weaved through every emotion and something is always keeping them on edge yet their pull towards each other is so strong. The spice is somewhat upped in this installment, and I was here for it.

"Grief is love. It’s the price we pay for the gift of someone meaningful in our lives."

I am not sure if this series is a duology or there will be more… but I want to keep living in this world forever and honestly I’m still hoping for a little more for our leading duo. This is the second in the

Thank you to NetGalley, Macillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and Marie Lu for the opportunity to read Icon and Inferno in exchange for an honest review.

Icon and Inferno is the follow-up to Stars and Smoke. It seems like a duology, but there is certainly promise for more! Warcross fans rejoice! We have an exciting semi-crossover in which you get a very small snippet of Emika and Hideo's lives after Wildcard. That was an incredible aspect and makes me wonder just what more Lu has in store for these characters.

In this young adult spy thriller, the reader gets to return to Sydney and Winter. After being apart for a year, Sydney appears at Winter's door once more with a request from the secret agent group, Panacea, to help with a particular mission. Winter's next concert tour begins in Singapore, and what do you know?! A plan to assassinate the U.S. president is taking place there as well. But their mission is not stopping the assassination. In fact, they are deterred from intervening lest they give Panacea and/or themselves away.

No, the duo has been tasked with finding Tems, a member of Panacea who has gone off-grid. It seems that whoever is planning the assassination knows about Panacea's involvement and will do whatever it takes to stop the group from its success.

Romantic tensions are high as Sydney and Winter dance around their feelings. But perhaps one day they will be able to give into their own desires.

Yet another thrilling and masterfully written novel from Marie Lu. Everything she writes is something different, and the hint of a tie-in was a fun aspect indeed. Lu says so much in so few words, one of the incredible aspects to her craft. This is a must-read for any Lu fan, lover of secret agent thrillers, and those who want a solid contemporary young adult book to read. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!