We Are Icarus

We Are Icarus is an exploration of what makes life worth living. It's a story that explores pain and suffering, and the cost of free will. But more than that, it highlights the joys of life; the things we take for granted. It does all this through an enjoyable story that presents an idea that is similar to the Matrix in certain ways, but takes it in a fresh, creative, and interesting direction that I really liked.

We Are Icarus is a story set in a city surrounded by a lethal, impassable mist called “The Void.” Inside, people live in a set routine. They wake up, go to work, then come home and plug into what's called the COR; a virtual world in which they can be, have, and do anything. I won't say much else to avoid spoiling any of the story, but that alone was enough to get me excited to keep reading!

This story made me consider many aspects of how I live my life. How much screen time I have each day, how often I really am present in the moment, and etc. I love when a book is an enjoyable story that also manages to have a deeper message and meaning that makes me think. I also found the world building to be fascinating and easy to digest. There was no wordy technobabble or any difficult science keeping me from comprehending and enjoying the story. The pacing is great, and the book never felt slow or boring. There was enough of a mystery and “what's going to happen” feeling throughout my time reading it that it was a breeze to keep reading without stopping! I was thoroughly engaged as I read!

For the sake of this review, I would like to mention that there are some mature themes in this book, specifically towards the end, and throughout there are many mentions of sex, however nothing explicit. There is a purpose/point made about relationships and physical intimacy through the instances in this book, though sex is alluded too fairly often, and I felt the point could have been made without so many allusions to/instances of intimate scenes. The female characters specifically were a bit quick to push for physical intimacy which felt a bit uncomfortable to me.

Overall, I happily recommend We Are Icarus! Definitely give this one a read! :)