K. Ancrum's Icarus is soaked in adoration - the vulnerable expression of love between the characters and the author's own love for the world and people she creates. Icarus and Helios are wonderful as love interests and as foils to the folly of their fathers. Their fall and Mr. Black's frantic hammering on the anchor that fails them, alongside Angus's cooking for Icarus shows a uniquely human and complex facet to characters that would otherwise be archetypally antagonistic. Celestina and Luca's adoration for Icarus crosses the boundaries often thought impermeable for relationships defined as platonic. Luca's frustration in trying to express his love for Icarus without it being misconstrued and while trying to understand it, himself, is very relatable. 
Icarus loves his friends and is loved by them in return. It is simple, beautiful, and full of hope.