Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, this suspenseful queer YA romance from critically acclaimed author K. Ancrum reimagines the tale of Icarus as a star-crossed love story between a young art thief and the son of the man he’s been stealing from—think Portrait of a Thief for YA readers.

Icarus Gallagher is a thief. He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man—the wealthy Mr. Black—has been their target in revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught.

Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous—a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.

As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the gilded cage that has trapped both their families for years. One Icarus is determined to escape. But his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to choose: the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love. Reaching for both could be his greatest triumph—or it could be his downfall.

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BIDE

The sun lit up the small curls on the back of Julian’s neck. His tag was sticking up out of his brown striped sweater.

Icarus leaned on his hand and stared.

Julian wouldn’t be angry if Icarus tucked it back in. He would probably just bat at his hand and say something rude. Julian wasn’t mean but he wasn’t exactly nice. He was like…If someone fused a bully and a nerd and a mom together into one. Unpredictable.

But if he touched Julian’s tag, he might accidentally touch Julian’s neck.

If he touched Julian’s neck, he would know what Julian felt like.
If he knew what Julian felt like, Icarus was afraid he wouldn’t forget it.

Icarus didn’t get touched very often and on the few times it happened by accident it felt… like so much. His face burned when someone handed him something and their fingers brushed. It made his chest feel tight and out of order, like the discord of strumming your fingers across all of the strings of a guitar.

Julian scratched absentmindedly at the place where thick fabric square irritated his skin, but still didn’t push the tag inside.

His nails left pink stripes there. Icarus wondered if those marks were hotter than the rest of him.

K. Ancrum is an author of award winning contemporary YA notably THE WICKER KING, DARLING and most recently the triple starred ICARUS. K. is a Chicago native passionate about diversity and representation in young adult fiction. She currently writes most of her work in the lush gardens of the Chicago Art Institute.