Children of Icarus

by Caighlan Smith

It's Clara who's desperate to enter the labyrinth and it's Clara who's bright, strong and fearless enough to take on any challenge. It's no surprise when she's chosen. But so is the girl who has always lived in her shadow. Together they enter. Within minutes, they are torn apart forever. Now the girl who has never left the city walls must fight to survive in a living nightmare, where one false turn with who to trust means a certain dead end.

• ISBN13: 9781630790578
• Publish Date: 1 August 2016 (first published 14 July 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Switch Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 312
• Language: English

Reviews

[chymerra]

Before I start my review, I want to thank NetGalley and Capstone for allowing me to review Children of Icarus by Caighlan Smith.

**All opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone. I received Children of Icarus from NetGalley via Capstone as an ARC for my honest and unbiased review**

Now, onto my review:

This has to be one of the best YA books that I have read in a while. Put it this way, I read it in one sitting. Usually, I will read at night, take notes and put it away. Not this book. I was engrossed by the story.

The book is based upon the myth of Icarus and Daedalus (I will include links to the myth at the end of the story) and the myth of the Labyrinth.

In this story, a whole society has formed around that Greek myth. The society, as a whole, never go outside but instead live within numerous skyscrapers. Once a year, 6-7 children, ages 10-16, are chosen to go run the Labyrinth and to go find the Angels (or Alyssia).

The main character of the story is Nameless and she is a bit of a wuss, to be honest. She lives in her best friend, Clara, shadow. So, when she is picked to go into the Labyrinth along with Clara, she is excited and afraid. See, Clara is everything she isn’t. Beautiful, creative, brave….

But once they get into the Labyrinth, everything changes for the worse. See, what happens in the Labyrinth is awful and these children…well they are an annual sacrifice. A lucky (or unlucky…depends on how you look at it) few are rescued by a group of children who have survived in the Labyrinth who are called The Fates (again more Greek mythology).

I am not going to go much into about the book other than to say from the moment that Nameless enters The Fates to the ending (which totally screwed with my mind) was unbelievable. I ran the full gauntlet of emotions. From happy to sad to upset to disbelief. Let me just say…..read the book. Seriously.

Now, like I promised here are the links to the myths:

Myth of Icarus and Daedalus

Myth of Labyrinth

How many stars will I give Children of Icarus? 5

Why? Like I said above, this is one of the best YA dystopian books that I have read in a while. The storyline is amazing, the writing is vivid and the character jump off the pages into your brain and stay there.

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range: Teen on up

Why? Lots of graphic violence and one scene of attempted rape