Sydney and Winter’s sophomore outing in Icon and Inferno was more intriguing than the first. While Stars and Smoke mostly played things safe in making a good gateway spy thriller with a grumpy x sunshine romance, this one took some risks and I love it for that. It was an emotional roller coaster with its fast pace, plot twists, and exploring more of what makes our leads tick. Nether-less, it was fun to see what type of adventures Panacea has in store.

A year after Stars and Smoke, pop star Winter is called for another mission with the secret organization Panacea with agent Sydney, this one with greater ramifications if they fail. Our leads are back to their previous lives before they find themselves together. This time, their love lives come into focus, with each having to deal with a ex-lover from their regular lives. Both leads dive into a complex (read: abusive) relationship with their fathers and family is a major theme in this installment. I really enjoyed how things developed between the two of them and the people around them, and to learn more about their complicated pasts, their perilous present, and uncertain futures.

The stakes are raised in more ways than one, and I was quite surprised at a few of the twists, even though I called one from early on. There’s no playing it safe and because the audience has gotten a taste of how the spy thriller works, it can go more intense. It’s very fast paced, especially in the second half as things get super intense. Things are a bit over the top, but was fun either way. The end of chapter cliffhangers were done so well that I just let the next chapter play more than once, and before i knew it, I’ve been listening for over an hour. I did enjoy the slower scenes as well that helped developed some tension in both the romance and the mission itself.

The prose is very easy to follow and I love the narration by Becca Q. Co, full of energy and intensity when needed. No British voices this time, but I don’t mind.

There’s some references to Warcross, one of Lu’s previous series, but you don’t need to know the plot in order to enjoy this book. Heads up, there is a scene that gets sensual in chapter 23 (though I wonder why this wasn’t marketed as New Adult, especially considering the protagonists are out of their teens). Also some terrorism violence.

I can tell the ending was done in the way it was to be a possible conclusion to Sydney and Winter’s adventures, but enough room to justify future books. I’m assuming each future book in the series will end like this. Either way, this is a great introduction series to spy thrillers for YA/NA readers!

Marie Lu has done it again. With the first book, Stars and Smoke, I instantly knew I needed to add this spy meets k-pop book into my classroom library for my students to experience. When I learned there was going to be a sequel, I could not wait to get my hands on it. I think I enjoyed this book as much, if not more, than the first one. I am definitely going to pre-order Icon and Inferno to add to my classroom library!

Love. Love. Love. Looooooooove this series. My students inhale through all mysteries, but this book has been checked out since it landed on my shelf! Even better than me recommending it to kids, they’re recommending it to each other!

I can’t wait to get this one in their hands. I’m even more excited about it because the audiobook is so well done that I am willing to spend one of my precious audio credits to buy this for my listening library. They’re going to be thrilled to know that it is as adventure packed & engaging as the first!

High action packed and intense secret spy mystery with a touch of romance. The characters were funny and likeable. The narrators did a wonderful job and helped really bring the characters to kife. The plot twists kept me engaged and wanting to figure out what would happen next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners for an arc of this audiobook. I apologize if misspelled any names or locations, I read the audiobook edition. Thanks to Becca Q. Co for a wonderful narration. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to this sequel and it did not disappoint! You definitely need to read the first book, Stars and Smoke, first.

This starts off after the end of the first book. Winter is needed to help our secret agents again - and he is ready and willing to do so. Sydney and Winter came back together like no time had passed. (The secret agent and pop star spy mission is just as amazing as you hope it would be). Toss in one of Winter’s exes and one of Sydney’s? Plus an assassination attempt, a missing agent, and more? This book was face paced, fun, and just a great escape.

I didn’t think the sequel could be as good as the first … I was very, very wrong. Plus, there is an easter egg for the authors fans in here, too. I highly recommend reading both books in this series.