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Icon and Inferno is the second book in Marie Lu's high-stakes, romantic spy series featuring a young secret agent named Sydney Cossette and a superstar-turned-temporary-agent named Winter Young.

It was fast-paced, emotionally evocative, and entertaining--all things I want from a spy story, but with a backbone of ethical complication and philosophical musing that I found satisfying. Lots of twists and turns, here, too. Some of which I saw coming, others of which I was shocked by.

It should also be noted: this book is not a standalone, but I read it like it was one. In fact, I chose possibly the *weirdest* entry point for getting into the Warcross universe (which is home to Marie Lu's Warcross series, the Legend books, and the first book of this series).

Prior to reading, I had no idea that this series would be connected to some of Lu's other works, and I had little to no idea about those other works as well (I missed the bandwagon, before!).

And yet. I had a great time? There were some moments where cameos and such were apparent, even for an "outside reader," and I suspect readers familiar with the other series will find those moments rewarding. As for me, Lu centered me in the world and series with enough context to find it coherent, but not so much info-dumping that I was bogged down.

I'd heard this was YA, but in some places, it read as a little more mature than that, in my opinion. In some places, it seemed more New Adult to me, but in others, it carried a tone that felt more in step with a YA audience.

Overall, this was a fun read! It's made me more curious about some of Lu's other works, for sure. :)