Touch Of Frost (Mythos Academy #1) by Jennifer Estep
Paranormal YA
July 26, 2011
Paperback
Kensington
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “…this gypsy girl happens to have a grandma who can curse you so bad that your dick will fall off, so watch your step…”
First off let me say I LOVE Jennifer Estep’s adult Elemental series. So when I heard she was writing a YA series I begged, pleaded, schemed, and had some “not so proud moments” in order to secure an ARC Of A Touch Of Frost. Having just finished this book I can honestly say that I can live with what I did to get it.
Gwen Frost is a gypsy; like her mother and grandmother before her. Her gift is touch. Meaning that she can get pictures, emotions, and background from objects and people she touches. When her mother is killed in a drunk driving accident, her grandmother feels it’s time for her to understand her gifts and enrolls her into the Mythos Academy; a school for mythical children. Here she will learn to be a warrior. But Mythos Academy isn’t what Gwen expected. An uber prep school for the children of the rich and famous gods and goddesses, Gwen doesn’t feel she fits in next to rich princess Valkyries, gorgeous Spartans, and stuck up Amazons. As Gwen tries to maneuver her way through school without drawing attention to herself, she and another student are attacked in the library. The other student, Jasmine Ashton, is killed and a sacred artifact is stolen. An artifact that can help Loki escape his prison and bring about the second Chaos war.
Gwen wants to know why Jasmine was killed and proceeds to investigate her death. She gets help from two unexpected allies. Daphne Cruz, a Valkyrie and one of Jasmine’s best friends, and Logan Quinn, a very hawt Spartan who seems very interested in Gwen. Mysterious accidents, dark magic, and talking swords are only the beginning as Gwen slowly finds out that nothing is as it seems at Mythos Academy and if she isn’t careful, she may not last the year.
Fantastic world building draws in in from the first page and holds you captive till till the last. I love the idea of a school where snooty stronger then life mythological kids go yet they have deal with regular everyday problems. Prom, underage drinking, and dating all centering around a Greek and Roman mythological base. Ms. Estep has a wonderful “voice” of realism that that draws you in and has you believing that all this could really happen. A largely character driven novel, I found A Touch Of Frost to contain smooth writing, fast pacing, and engaging witty dialogue.
I fell in love with the characters in here. Personable, engaging, and witty with a realistic baseline; you find yourself instantly able to relate to them. Gwen is a wonderful protagonist. Having just lost her mom and stuck in a school where she feels inferior, you’d expect some pity or angst in her voice yet she deals with her problems in a quiet way-with class and snark. I like that Gwen isn’t empowered with the skill of a warrior or the strength of the gods. She admits she sucks at sword play and can barely lift her book bag. She’s a human with a gift and Ms. Estep keeps her that way.
Logan Quinn is the bad boy of the story. Gorgeous, dangerous, and flirty, he zeros in on Gwen but she proves she can more then hold her own with him. He has been added to my book boyfriend list. There are hints in the book that led you to believe that Logan may have a dark past and no matter what happens, he and Gwen will tangle in the future. Perfectly snobby classmates and cryptic professors round out the story beautifully.
The main conflict is an interesting who dun it that brings mythology into the modern world. It kept me well in the dark till almost the very end but even guessing what happened didn’t stop the story from being intriguing. The ending is rich in tension as it reveals our villain and their reasoning behind the murder and theft. We are also clued into Gwen’s main reason for being sent to Mythos which guaranteed (one way or another-cue the daunting music) this reviewer will be reading the next in the series, Kiss Of Frost, which releases December 2011.
Rating: B+
Recent Reviews:
Book Lover’s Inc – 4/5
All Things Urban Fantasy – 4/5
A Bookworm’s Haven
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Author’s Website l Series Listing
*cheering* I agree, this is a fantastic new series for all the reasonsmyou mentioned!! :D
This is one of my fav YA’s for 2011.
Yep, yep, and yup.
*LOVED* this though I had to wait, buy, and thankfully the amazon.com gods let me have this book on release date. I then INHALED it. Seriously could not stop reading. I really like all the mythology as well as pop culture references sprinkled throughout, and her cast of characters as a whole. Also loved how she sprinkled a few references to her adult books – as a big fan, that was fun.
My one complaint is that it ended. Seriously – I need more!!
Also: more Spartan warrior bad boy!!! GAH! *teen angst* love. mega book boyfriend. How do you not love a guy who attacks an evil critter with a grin for the heroine?!
I have so much inappropriate love for Luke. :P
Geesh-I mean Logan. There I go again, re naming book characters. lol
I can not wait to read Kiss of Frost! I just loved this one. Great review. :)
Me neither. Thank you.
I also love Jennifer’s Elemental Assassins series so even though I don’t really read YA, I’ll probably end up giving this one a try. Your review definitely makes it hard to resist :-)
Its a great start to a series and TG no teen angst love triangles.
It looks like everyone is enjoying this book :D
Quit fighting it and just read what I do. :P
i agree completely with everything you said Tori, I just loved this book! Logan has definitely been added to my book boyfriend list as well, though he does have some grovelling to do after that little stunt at the end. Can’t wait for what happens next!
Oh, I’m thinking Logan’s hawt looks and status aren’t going to go far with Gwen. :) He’ll need to come clean with her.
I just finished this one and omg I love this book! And I want Logan! And I agree with Jenny that he needs to grovel some–no wait, lots–to make up for what he did (with the other girl) after what he admitted (to Gwen).
Aah the next book is way too far away!
December is far away isn’t it? :(
Anything Estep writes = winning.
Another great review for this book. I’m not a YA fan, but I may need to make an exception. I’ve not read any of Ms. Estep’s works, but seems like I need to start! Thanks!