Dark Frost (The Mythos Academy)

After the events that took place in Touch of Frost the teachers at Mythos Academy decided that Gwen should take Weapons training in case there’s a reaper and she needs to protect herself. But it’s time for winter break so everyone at Mythos is ready to go to the Winter Carnival. Right before they leave Gwen almost gets run over, and shot with an arrow. She believes it is due to a Reaper wanting revenge for the death of another Reaper. At the Winter Carnival similar strange things start happening, leading her to uncovering the truth behind it. Gwen decides to take matters into her own hands and tries to find out who is after her. I think I liked this book more than the first because of the growing relationship between Logan and Gwen even though they still aren’t together. I honestly cannot get enough of this series. I do have the next book which is Dark Frost. I recommend this book to anyone who likes urban fantasies and romance.

My Review

Favorite Quote(s):

"'Oh just tell the boy you bloody love him and be done with it,' Vic growled. 'This lovey-dovey stuff gives me heartburn.'"

Favorite Character: Vic. His humor was extremely well welcomed in serious times, and his belief in Gwen is very inspiring.

First Line:

"'If you guys don't stop making out, I'm going to be sick.'"

My Musings: Wow. I started this book yesterday, and putting it down to go to school was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Jennifer Estep has done it again. She wove together an intricate plot, complete with stellar characters and infallible action. The novel follows Gwen Frost as she evolves into become the Champion that Nike has chosen her to believe. She does this with the help of her friends: Daphne, Carson, and the ever swoon-worthy Logan Quinn.

For starters, the book started off action packed. For some reason, that makes my views of a book that much better: who wants to start off reading boring stuff? Estep's action was amplified by her writing: it was descriptive and realistic, nothing like the frou-frou totally out of this world stuff. Although the novel is based off of mythology and magic, it is done so in a believable way. The writing was totally captivating.

I really enjoyed Estep's characters once again: they are, honestly, normal day teens that happen to be warrior whiz kids. They had all the boy problems and best friend fights that you would expect from normal teens. Estep didn't weave fairy tale perfect relationships between her characters: every relationship in the novel had problems, showing that the characters were not, in fact, perfect. I especially like Gwen's character, because she experiences the insecurities of not being good enough-- something that many teens can relate to. Gwen is scared of failure, and I find that extremely relatable. It was easy to implant myself into her shoes, and feel what she was feeling. When she was feeling bad because of un-mentionable events, I became saddened as well. Also, her relationship with Logan was amazing: they honestly complete each other, even though they are different in many ways. I loved seeing Logan's insecurities, which showed that even the Spartan warrior, the best in Mythos, was vulnerable as well. I think that the selling pitch for this book with me was that everything was relatable. The book didn't take place in a perfect world. In Gwen's world, bad things happen, people die, people fight, and people fail.

This book...It was a really amazing read. Words cannot express what I am feeling right now. If you haven't read the Mythos Academy series, shame on you. Go buy all of them right now, and start reading them. I promise you that you'll fall in love with the story just as I did. After reading the teaser chapter of Crimson Frost, the fourth book in the series (January 2013), time cannot move any quicker. Estep has given me a taste, and now I'm wanting more.

Gwen has only just recovered from the happenings of the first book when her life gets turned upside-down again: somebody is trying to kill her. Is it a reaper? Is it vengance for Jasmine's death?

Before she can come close to solving this riddle, the students of Mythos Academy get shipped off to a fancy ski resort for a school outing. Gwen, who has never tried to ski in her whole life, doesn't really look forward to it, but does she have a choice? When she meets the good-looking Preston, though, her mood definitely picks up... Can he help her get over Logan, who broke her heart?

But it doesn't take Gwen long to realize that her troubles have come with her...

Pros:

I like that Gwen learns new things about her gift - and that she begins to realize that she truly belongs in the academy and doesn't need to be the total outsider. And she really seems to accept her role as a warrior of the Pantheon and Nike's Champion in the course of the novel. She has more contact with the other students, like Oliver and Kenzie, she makes new friends...

Yes, she can be rude and almost abrasive sometimes, she take bad decisions, but I think that actually makes her realistic and, well, human.

After a slow start, the plot picks up and generates some suspense, and then it keeps a fast pace until the end, where the author has snuck in some unexpected developments.

Contras:

The author repeats some things again and again (and again and again) ad absurdum, until you want to throw the book against the wall. Especially in the first part of the novel, it's easy to get the impression that whole passages have just been copied over and hardly changed from the first novel. I do understand why the author did this (for the people who either haven't read the first book or have read it a long time ago), but can't she at least find some new, fresh phrases and images to do this?

Sex, drugs and Rock'n'Roll are terribly overdone - you'd think that the students of Mythos Academy spend all their days boozing, smoking, and... Well, having sex. Gwen keeps finding used condoms in the library (!!!), and her friend Daphne plans on drinking so much on the school outing that she'll puke her guts out. Really? This book is read by teens - is it really necessary to portry positive characters binge-drinking?

Considering that Gwen is supposed to be an intelligent girl, she can be terribly dense. I don't want to spoil the story, so I'll just say this: she finds out that she can do more with her talent than she previously thought, but she fails to come to the obvious course of action until the big showdown at the end.

Parts of the plot are pretty predictable.

Summary:

I liked the characters, I liked the story, but the never-ending repetitions make the book tedious to read in some parts. I wish the author hadn't made it so easy to always keep one step ahead of Gwen - I'd rather had some more real surprises.

Now that Gwen somewhat knows her purpose and reason behind her abilities, you would think things would be a little easier for her. Yet, she can't seem to make any progress on her weapons training, and to make matters worse, her trainer is none other than the boy who broke her heart, Logan. Then she starts to be attacked by a reaper on campus and everything gets turned upside down. She'll have to find the Reaper's identity before it is too late, or curtain's call may just come early for her.

In Touch of Frost, no matter what was thrown at Gwen, she held her head high and mustered through. In fact she really stood apart from the very spoiled and selfish counterparts in the story. Unfortunately that seems to have changed as in Kiss of Frost she seemed to complain an awful lot. Also, the teen angst got dialed up several notches, especially when it came to her semi-relationship with Logan (if you can call it that). To be honest the two of them really drove me quite batty. She is extremely obsessive over him, even though he's been parading around with his girlfriend right in front of her face. Then, on the other side of things, it is painfully obvious that he does really care for her, but is too afraid to get close, so he keeps pushing her away. I'm hoping that in time they will either get together or just completely separate as this limbo stuff stinks.

Gwen made some really poor choices in Kiss of Frost. I do realize that she is really struggling to find her place in this crazy life she has been thrown into. However, that being said, it doesn't excuse her hiding the attacks against her from everyone who would help her. Her reasoning is that everyone else wouldn't need help, so she needs to prove herself to them. However, just like one of the characters points out, all of them have been training since they were toddlers for this life. Of course they would be more skilled at protecting themselves. So, as they say "pride goeth before a fall," Gwen winds up causing more damage and danger that could have been easily prevented if her pride hasn't gotten in the way. Hopefully she has learned her lesson.

After how much I loved the previous installment, Kiss of Frost was a slight let down. As I stated before, Gwen really seemed to backtrack in character development rather than move forward. Also the beginning was rather slow as it mostly was re-explaining everything we already read in the first book. Luckily things really picked up in the second half, which helped to turn the book around. I think I'm just going to chalk up everything that bothered me to growing pains, and just wait for the next installment. I still love the world behind the series, and despite my frustrations, Gwen is an interesting narrator. I still would recommend Kiss of Frost, just be forewarned to the issues I stated above, and hang in there until the second half.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects--and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I'm also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me?

It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can't use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me--and I'm in for the fight of my life.

I loved the first two books in this series. I ignored the easy to spot plot points. I ignored the romantic dialogue that some times came off cheesy. I ignored the fact that the main romantic storyline was cliché. I ignored it, because it really did not bother me. I took the books for what they were, quick and enjoyable reads.

Unfortunately, the main actin of Dark Frost is so ridiculous and implausible that I just cannot let it slide. This huge event happens and this academy filled with students and teachers, miss it. It just happens right under their noses with not a single witness or ally for Gwen. In fact, there are two events in this book that happen and it's astounding that no one was around to give assistance. At the start of this book it is clear that not only is the academy at risk, but Gwen is also a target and Mythos Academy does not up their security? More guards aren't brought in? More magic security and wards aren't set up or even normal human security systems? I just cannot fathom the fact that this is a school full of kids and their parents are so blaze that they do not demand that their children get more security? The Mythos library holds the major artifacts that the bad guys want and that building isn't as secure as the White House?

These problems are too immense to be ignored. This is sloppy writing on the part of Jennifer Estep. She planned a certain end, she wanted an event to happen and so she made her good guys make huge mistakes and lose all common sense. I am the opinion that instead of making the good team stupid, you make the bad guys even more cunning. Or you the bad guys have to outnumber and overpower the good guys. The events in this book were so easily avoidable and after centuries of fighting, it seems impossible that the good guys could be so careless.

Besides the war with the reapers, the other story that has played through out the series is the complicated relationship between Logan and Gwen. Halfway through this book I became so sick of their angst. Logan finally broke up with his girlfriend Savannah and still Gwen and Logan cannot figure it out. What was more annoying to me, is the aftermath of Logan's choice to date and then break up with Savannah.
Logan used Savannah in the first two books. He had feelings for Gwen, but he dated Savannah anyway. I know that in real life, many women focus their hurt and anger on the new girlfriend, the mistress, etc. I just wished that in fantasyland, Savannah focused her anger on Logan. He's the real jerk in that equation, but no Savannah calls Gwen a bitch and says nothing to Logan the person who actually broke her heart. This is a small thing and it happens in so many novels, but these stories are usually written for young adults. It would have been cool for Estep to use her characters as an example to young people.

Also, what is this trend that have characters waiting around for their love interest to be ready to commit? It's ok for Logan to kiss more than one girl in this series, but not Gwen? I say, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Another thing that annoyed me in book 3, that kind of just made me roll my eyes in the first two installments, is that Estep seems to have no real idea of how the other half lives. She seems to think that rich people only eat caviar and escargot. Gwen is constantly complaining about the lack of normal food choices. This point has been brought up often in all three books. I guess it's supposed to bring home the point that rich kids surround Gwen. Mythos Academy is a private school, on the top of a mountain, where the students don't have to share rooms! Of course they're rich! Anyone who has been alive for more than a day can guess that a school like that doesn't run on hope, but lots of money. Gwen doesn't need to complain about designer bags and fancy food every other page for us to get it.

The ending unfortunately, ruined "Dark Frost" for me. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it just didn't give me the vibes I got from the first two installments. I found the character's choices to be incredibly stupid and it astounds me that the adults in this series are not better prepared or even intelligent.

Recommended for people who've read the first two books.

Listened for Review (Brilliance Audio)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 3.50

Audio Rating: 4.00 (Not Part of the Overall Rating)

First Thought when Finished: The original part of Dark Frost was ROCKSTAR but the "rehashing" of previous stories was over done (I don't know why but in this one it really stood out).

Story Thoughts: Here is the deal: I loved the original part of the story. I thought it was the strongest to date and everything worked out perfectly. Gwen had to step up her game and really come into her own as Champion. She also had friend issues, boy issues, and school issues to work through and with that much on her plate I was surprised she held it together as well as she did. There was action and a pretty good little mystery to figure out. I wasn't stunned by the culprit but still think it was very well played. My problem is that 40% of the book was repeating stuff from previous books or in two cases things that happened at the beginning of this book. That was a bit overkill and took away from the enjoyment of the story.

Character Thoughts: I love the kids of Mythos Academy. As far as teenagers go, these kids are alright. The angst is manageable and believable. Gwen is an excellent central character. She loves her grandmother, she is smart, she has strong role models (in the form a teacher), she has a core group of friends, and appears to have a good head on her shoulders. She has all the typical teenage stuff to deal with along with being chosen as a Champion. She handles it all pretty well! The people that who surround her are pretty interesting too. Characters are where Jennifer Estep shines! I simply haven't read a character of hers that I thought was one-dimensional. That is brilliant!

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by Tara Sands / Running Time 10 hrs and 26 mins

This is one of those series where the narration has grown on me! Tara is now who I hear as Gwen even if I pick up the book version. Her pacing, emotion, and "oomph" are a good match for the kids at Mythos Academy. I will continue this series in audio!

Final Thoughts: I can't wait to see what adventures Gwen and her friends continue to have!

Kiss of Frost begins with someone trying to hurt Gwen. The problem is Gwen doesn't want to tell anyone for several different reasons. One of those being that she wants to be like all of the other warriors at school and take care of the problem herself. But things get worse when she goes on a trip with the rest of the school.. Now she's in more danger than she imagined.

I must say this one was good, and I liked it. But I just felt kind of like it was the first all over again just in a different way. I'm also kind of bummed about Gwen. I thought she would be an awesome fighter, but she's really not so that is kind of a disappointment. I do hope she gets better though in the next book. I was still a little frustrated with the whole Logan issue, but maybe that will get better as well. And I was super happy that Gwen stood up to him about all of that! I love Gwen, I really do even though I wish she was a better fighter I still really like her. And her awesome friends. Gwen was even able to make some new friends that I really like as well in this one. Now I'm excited for the next book!

See more reviews at Shooting Stars Reviews, [...]

Kiss of Frost , book 2 in the Mythos Academy introduces us to another villain, apart from Loki, the Norse Trickster Chaos God, who is using his minions ( villains per book ) to slowly free him from captivity so he can RULE THE WORLD ....* hands on hips in power stance* `mwah ha ha ha haaaaaaa!'

*takes a deep breath*

Dang, I am still having trouble personally connecting with this story and lead characters. I'm missing the feeling I should get from two lead characters who you know are lurvin' each other, or atleast a bit gooy eyed for each other. Logan shows it by being all over Savannah?? Bad Logan!

We get to know Oliver Hector more and see what little secret he is trying to hide even though most of the students know. Kenzie Tanaka, Oliver and Logan are in charge of training Gwen in weaponry. Oliver is more about verbal slanging matches with Gwen, the boy is a bit toey.

A mysterious black SUV has decided to want to direct its wheels towards Gwen , archery practice has apparently commenced in the library aimed at Gwen's head, and a few other things crop up forcing Gwen to take her survival seriously.

Daphne and Carson are still, this uber cute couple. I totally `feel' these two. Daphne, ex mean girl ,now Gwen's bff, and Band Geek Carson , these two need a novella, they are so stinking cute.

Vic, he was present but I would have loved him to have been used more as he is such a smart mouth. He makes me laugh J

I found this book spent a lot of pages recapping the previous book in detail. I wanted to move on, get past the recapping. Pave the way for kicking Savannah's butt, as she is a mean girl and getting Logan to shake it up a bit, after all he is the Academy Lothario.

Logan is hiding a painful secret, well, most of the characters were holing up a secret or two in their closet. I see such enormous potential for this series with what Jennifer has chosen as the theme. I think I may possibly be too old for this YA series * slaps hand over mouth*.

It does rate well and gets favourable reviews so it must be me. Shock. Horror. I totally love YA genre. I shall be moving on to Dark Frost # 3 and Crimson Frost # 4 ( releases December 2012)

I have to say how much I do LOVE the cover art on this whole series. It really is eye catching.

Michelle

When compared to the first two books, I found Dark Frost a bit disappointing. Okay, there are big revelations. Some I'd already seen coming and others... surprisingly not so much. And some just plain out disappointed me. "Is that all? That's the big evil plan, being, creäture, and so on, and so on..." I've repeatedly found myself in this situation. I expected so much more, some more tension, some bigger plot, a more surprising enemy. Anything but this. This was just unsatisfying.

I also struggled a lot with Gwen. As I mentioned in my review of Kiss of Frost, Gwen is turning into the average YA heroine you find nowadays. The ones who are too naïve and too proud to ask for help. As I already ranted about her behavior in that review I'll keep it short here: she was just plain old annoying. Thank God for Logan, who sees where it's heading and intervenes. And thank god that Gwen also has a moment of insight. Now she can go on to the next step: to act like it!

Talking about Logan. In the previous books there were some hints about a big secret, something that has scarred him for life. Okay, the secret was horrific and it must have been hard on him, but it was also some of the times where I thought That's all? It felt a bit too mundane for such a magical world. Couldn't his secret be a little more... imaginative?

There's also something that bothered me throughout the story. Where's the security? I imagine a school as significant, with such important children in it, why wouldn't it have top-notch security too? Especially when there are indications that a reaper is hiding in school. Okay it could be one of the students, but isn't this school created to fight them? Why doesn't anyone take action? This situation reminded me a bit too much about HP, too, and I believe Dumbledore would have taken action ages ago. He DID do everything he could to protect the students.

Lots and lots of ranting, isn't it? So why did I still like it? That's because of a really great little sword with a very big mouth and Noth (read the story to find out ;) I'm not telling ^^). And the plot. The intrigues, the interference of the gods, the prophecies. The whole magical world that Jennifer Estep created. That was what made me continue, even after the utmost eye-roll for Gwen.

Conclusion

Still a nice book to read, even if I didn't like it as much as the A touch of Frost and A Kiss of Frost. Gwen continues to be annoying and I was a bit disappointed with some of the things that were revealed in this book. I just expected more. Anyway, it's still a fascinating world and the minor characters made the idiocy of Gwen's action more than up for me: they made me laugh ^^

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: The third installment follows the same patterns-lots of info-dumping and character clichés, but some good dialogue and much better character development this time around.

Opening Sentence: "If you guys don't stop making out, I'm going to be sick."

The Review:

The third installment in the Mythos Academy series picks up at the end of the school's Winter Holidays. Gwen's still looking up everything she can about the Helheim Dagger, which will free Loki from his prison and begin the next Chaos War. Her mother, the last Champion of the goddess Nike, hid it somewhere before she died. Now it's up to Gwen and her touch magic to find the dagger and move it to somewhere safer. Because the Reapers aren't just getting more vicious, they're getting desperate too. The Helheim Dagger is the last of the Artifacts needed to unlock Loki from his tomb.

Gwen's already learned that her mother's death wasn't the drunk driving accident everyone's always told her it was. But it was more than murder by Reapers -- Loki's Champion was the one who killed her. More than saving the world, Gwen wants to find the woman who killed her mom. Gwen knows there are Reapers at Mythos, knows that there are probably some right under their noses. Then Reapers strike at Mythos students, making the Academy the safest place they can be. But when a routine questioning of Preston snowballs out of control, Gwen's not the only one in danger.

In Kiss of Frost we met Preston's Fenrir wolf. This wolf bonded with Gwen, she saved its life and the wolf returned the favor later. So when Gwen finds the mythical creature at the gates of the Academy, as if waiting for her, she knows there's more to this wolf than just a Reapers minion. The Fenrir wolf left the Reapers, for one thing, and Gwen never expected to see it again after the wolf saved her at the ski resort.

When a fellow student asks Gwen to find her ring, a gift from her dying mother, neither one of them expects to find the memory of a Reaper tainting the ring. Gwen's little side business pulls her firmly in the way of the Reapers, once again, and their plans to free Loki. Except this time she doesn't have Daphne and her friends at her side. Daphne's been acting cruel since the day her magic quickened, Carson's sticking close to her side, and Logan (*swoon*) is determined to keep Gwen from learning his secret.

Logan and Gwen's relationship has moved beyond a few kisses. If it wasn't for this one, single, solitary secret -- part of which Gwen already learned at the ski resort in Kiss of Frost - they would be together in a heartbeat. But to be in a relationship with someone like Gwen you will never have secrets. Every time they kiss Gwen will absorb every memory since they last touched, learn everything. And Logan can't handle that kind of intrusion. Even if it means losing her.

I'm a big fan of Logan Quinn, the swoon-worthy Spartan is a total badass and I'm glad this book at least offers some progression of Gwen and Logan's relationship. Gwen does still whine a lot about everybody keeping secrets from her, etc. but it's nowhere near as bad as it was in the first two books. What's gotten worse is the info-dumping and exposition. While the architecture was of considerable importance to the plot of Dark Frost, Estep seriously underestimates the amount of information her readers will remember. Not just from book to book, but over the span of a few chapters. It not only slowed the pace and cut out the tension in the story, but I definitely had to roll my eyes more than a few times. That being said, this was just as entertaining as the first two books. I'll definitely be back for Crimson Frost, even if it's just to read more about Logan!

The Mythos Academy Series:

0.5. First Frost

1. Touch of Frost

2. Kiss of Frost

3. Dark Frost

4. Crimson Frost

FTC Advisory: Kensington Books provided me with a copy of Dark Frost. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don't receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.

First Impressions: The Mythos Academy series is one of my favorites! Each book is just plain fun to read and enjoy. I was completely hooked from the beginning with Touch of Frost, and each book has become progressively darker as the series continues. Not too dark though! Dark Frost is the third installment in this series. I was positively thrilled when my copy arrived and I sat down to devour it right away. I have to say, out of the three books that are currently available, I think I like the cover for Dark Frost the most, but all of the covers are very nice and they look great on my bookshelves.

First 50 Pages: If you haven't read the first two books in this series, you may want to stop reading this review because I don't want to spoil it for you! With that warning, Dark Frost picks up right where Kiss of Frost left off in the crazy school called Mythos Academy. It once again chronicles the adventures of Gwen, who is still trying to figure out all of her special abilities and how they can be used and to what potential. Like the previous books, Dark Frost moves at a fast pace and you definitely need to read the other books in order to understand the events of this book. The romance is particularly awesome in this book as things begin to heat up. I did however find some things a little predictable, which I will touch on more soon.

Characters & Plot: Dark Frost begins easily and light-hearted, but it quickly gains in action and speed. The Chaos War is taking a turn for the worst and is knocking on the doors of Mythos Academy and danger is imminent. Gwen is just trying to survive and figure out her special abilities, while also advancing her relationship with Logan (finally!). Things really begin to speed up when a dead Valkyrie is found in the school's library, in a very grotesque manner, might I add. Of course, Gwen gets involved into the whole situation and this time she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Not only is war staring everyone in the face, but the Loki may be released and that can ruin the whole world Gwen knows and cares about. Time is running out to make everything okay again.

This book is so much deeper and darker than the previous novels in this series and the threat of danger is consistent throughout the entire novel. It had a completely different feel to it and there wasn't nearly as many light-hearted moments as there were before. Jennifer Estep is raising the level of suspense leading up to the ultimate battle showdown to its maximum level. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. There seriously isn't a slow moment in this book. I'm not going to lie. I cannot wait for the final big battle to happen! I think it is going to be amazing! I want to see some serious action going on.

Gwen has changed so much from the girl we first met in Touch of Frost. She is like a completely different person. She is no longer naive or skittish, but brave and smart. In fact, many of the characters develop in Dark Frost, much more than I expected. Many of the characters still have their flaws, especially Logan, but they are exceptionally well-rounded. Logan does like to test my patience though!

Now, with all of that said, I did mention before that some parts of Dark Frost are highly predictable, for example, I guessed the location of the dagger right away. I think sometimes the author gives away too many hints for her readers to figure out. It takes away the element of surprise and cuts off the suspense. Don't get me wrong, there was still plenty of suspense, but some things were just a little too predictable for me. Maybe other people won't pick up on it as quickly as I did though.

Final Thoughts: I was completely shocked by the ending (so no, that wasn't predictable) and now I'm totally itching to get my hands on the next book! Hopefully the wait won't be too terribly long. For fans of the series, this latest installment is a must-read. I'm so happy that each of the books seems to get better and better. You have to pick this one up when it comes out!

Kiss of Frost picks up shortly after the thrilling conclusion of Touch of Frost. Gwen is still settling in at the Mythos Academy. At least she has gone from being completely ignored to a girl with a couple of friends, including Daphne the Valkyrie. She is frustrated and uncertain where things stand with the handsome Spartan, Logan. He has gone back to being distant and unavailable. Gwen is painfully aware that the Reapers are out to get her, now more than ever. When she sneaks off campus to visit Grandma Frost, she is almost run over by a speeding black SUV. Later that night while finishing up her shift at the library, an arrow is shot at her head, just narrowly missing. Gwen is certain a Reaper is hunting her. She just needs to find out who. The entire school is headed to an expensive ski resort for a Winter Carnival and a fun weekend of partying and skiing. Gwen doesn't want to go, but Daphne assures her it will be fun and safe. What could possibly wrong?
What I Liked:
*This is a surprisingly fun and addictive series. I can't say that it is original, but it has good characters, mystery and a magical setting. All of these elements blend to form an exciting story line. If you are looking for a fun series with magic and danger, pick this one up.
*I love the blending of Greek mythology into the story. It is filled with all kinds of references to Greek mythology. If you enjoy mythology, this is a good series for you.
*I am appreciating Gwen's growth. She is slowly dealing with her mother's death and finding her footing at the academy. She used to be the girl everyone ignored but now she has a couple of friends and allies and she has caught the eye of the most dashing guy in school. I love watching her come out of her shell more and more as the story progresses. She is even becoming adept at wielding her talking sword, Vic.
*Speaking of talking swords, Vic is more prominent in this book and his commentary is hilarious. He is a unique addition to the story. Who wouldn't want a talking sword with a British accent?
*I am fascinated with Gwen's magical abilities. Her Gypsy gift is psychometry, meaning that she receives the memories and imprints from all the people who have touched an item when she touches it. This type of magic is different and interesting. I am enjoying how her magic is evolving and how she is learning how to use it in new and exciting ways. There are hints of how it could change even further. I will be excited to follow up and see what else Gwen can do with her abilities.
*This book has a romance that is full of smoking tension. It is obvious that Gwen and Logan are into each other, but there relationship is full of drama, second guessing and electric sparks, leaving the reader in a constant state of agitation wondering if it will ignite or not.
*This is another book where the secondary characters are an excellent addition. I love Grandma Frost, she bakes such wonderful goodies. Daphne and her band geek boyfriend, Carson are so cute. I also enjoyed Oliver once I got to know him better.
*Finally, the big draw to these books is they are fun and they refrain from cliffhangers and love triangles. If you are looking for a series that omits these two dastardly aspects, get these books.
And The Not So Much:
*Overall I appreciate Gwen's growth and her ability to stand on her own two feet. There were a couple of times in this book, though that I was irritated with her stupid decisions. She put herself into danger and it left me scratching my head wondering why she would behave like an idiot. Luckily, she redeems herself later in the book.
*Unfortunately, this book introduces a villain and I just knew from the first meeting that this guy was no good. It was too easy to see the signs, so the big reveal was a fizzle.
*What is up with the statues? Each book Gwen is always getting the feeling that there is more to these statues than meets the eye, yet nothing has happened. I am dying to know if they are indeed magical.
*This book is better suited for more mature YA readers. There are scenes that involve teenage drinking and partying. If you prefer that your young reader not be exposed to that type of behavior, then you should pass.

The Mythos Academy is an entertaining, fast paced series that will keep you engaged with it's blend of mystery, magic, romance and supernatural elements. If you are looking for a series that avoids love triangles and cliffhangers, you should check out these books. While they may not be incredibly original, they are light and fun and just right when you need a quick and easy read. I am surprised at how much I am liking this series and happy that I have a copy of book three, Dark Frost waiting for me.
Favorite Quotations:
"You be careful. It's a wicked old world out there."
"It was the same way I always smiled at him---with my heart in my eyes for everyone to see."
"A soft breeze carried a sharp metallic tang with it, whispering that even more of the white stuff was on the way."
"She reached out and clasped my hand, rubbing it in her spotted, wrinkled one, and I felt the warmth of her love wash over me, driving away everything that was cold, dark and scary. At least for tonight."
"I'd done so well during the battle that Vic now had some far-fetched hope that I'd turn out to be a "right proper brawler after all."
"Every creature, mortal and god alike, has free will. It's what we choose to do with that will that defines us, that makes us who we are, good or bad."

The second book in the Mythos Academy pretty much picks up where the first left off, just a couple of weeks later. I love the thought os an Academy like this, where the decendants from the stores, Valkyries, Vikings, Romans and Spartans all have a school. Great concept, and it is very well written. The characters are fantastic, and I still feel bad for Gwen, being thrust into this world so soon after her Moms death. There is intrigue around every corner, at least for Gwen. She has no rest from the Reapers trying to kill her. And this time, it's truly spectacular. Her friends, Daphne and Carson, try to distract Gwen from what's happening, all while the Spartans - Oliver, Kenzie, and the super hot Logan try to train Gwen in weapons - to handle the threats coming her way. What starts out as a fun weekend, just spirals out of control, with nasty consequenses for some. Gwen learns more about her powers, and about a few other things as well. This is a fantastic series, and not just because I love mythology. It's action-packed, it's got a couple of love triangles, friendship, sword fights (which are always wicked cool) and so much more. I already can't wait to read the next one!!

Kiss of Frost picks right up where the first book ends, and you are instantly hurtled into a steamy love triangle. Logan can't make up his mind about what (or who) he wants and Gwen's feelings for the Spartan have only grown stronger. Poor girl. She's an emotional, conflicted mess. Luckily for her, there is a big winter carnival approaching that offers the promise of fresh meat in the love department, or at least that's what her BFF promises... and Daphne always delivers on her promises.
Gwen is instantly drawn to the dreamy Preston. He is gorgeous and exactly what she needs to get her mind off Logan. Everything is going well in that area too, until someone tries to kill her. Four times! The winter carnival suddenly loses its appeal, and the fancy-schmancy ski resort becomes a death trap.

The same enticing romance factor in the first book, Touch of Frost, is found on every page in Kiss of Frost. There is no disappointment in that department. There was even a nice amount of action. Again, I sniffed out the villain early on, but it was ok. It didn't take away from the story. I still enjoyed my reading. I was fairly satisfied with the ending of this book. There was a nice hook that left me desperate for the third book (thank you NetGalley!).

The only thing that did bother me about the book is that I found myself experiencing déjà vu a lot as I read. I understand that authors have to give a certain amount of back story in each book, just in case someone starts the series without reading the first book. However, getting the sense of reading the exact same lines and phrases over and over made me feel like I was in that movie Groundhog Day. It became tiresome. (Unfortunately, it still occurs in book 3!) That would be my one major gripe about the series. I found myself scanning pages of text because I knew exactly what they were going to say because I read it all in the first book.

I really am enjoying this series, so I recommend it. The mythology element isn't as high in this one as the first. Or, at least it's not as "fresh" this time around. We do meet a few more characters that become vital to the story line and see others undergo shocking changes. (Still wondering what that's about.)

The second book in the Mythos Academy pretty much picks up where the first left off, just a couple of weeks later. I love the thought os an Academy like this, where the decendants from the stores, Valkyries, Vikings, Romans and Spartans all have a school. Great concept, and it is very well written. The characters are fantastic, and I still feel bad for Gwen, being thrust into this world so soon after her Moms death. There is intrigue around every corner, at least for Gwen. She has no rest from the Reapers trying to kill her. And this time, it's truly spectacular. Her friends, Daphne and Carson, try to distract Gwen from what's happening, all while the Spartans - Oliver, Kenzie, and the super hot Logan try to train Gwen in weapons - to handle the threats coming her way. What starts out as a fun weekend, just spirals out of control, with nasty consequenses for some. Gwen learns more about her powers, and about a few other things as well. This is a fantastic series, and not just because I love mythology. It's action-packed, it's got a couple of love triangles, friendship, sword fights (which are always wicked cool) and so much more. I already can't wait to read the next one!!

Kiss of Frost picks right up where the first book ends, and you are instantly hurtled into a steamy love triangle. Logan can't make up his mind about what (or who) he wants and Gwen's feelings for the Spartan have only grown stronger. Poor girl. She's an emotional, conflicted mess. Luckily for her, there is a big winter carnival approaching that offers the promise of fresh meat in the love department, or at least that's what her BFF promises... and Daphne always delivers on her promises.
Gwen is instantly drawn to the dreamy Preston. He is gorgeous and exactly what she needs to get her mind off Logan. Everything is going well in that area too, until someone tries to kill her. Four times! The winter carnival suddenly loses its appeal, and the fancy-schmancy ski resort becomes a death trap.

The same enticing romance factor in the first book, Touch of Frost, is found on every page in Kiss of Frost. There is no disappointment in that department. There was even a nice amount of action. Again, I sniffed out the villain early on, but it was ok. It didn't take away from the story. I still enjoyed my reading. I was fairly satisfied with the ending of this book. There was a nice hook that left me desperate for the third book (thank you NetGalley!).

The only thing that did bother me about the book is that I found myself experiencing déjà vu a lot as I read. I understand that authors have to give a certain amount of back story in each book, just in case someone starts the series without reading the first book. However, getting the sense of reading the exact same lines and phrases over and over made me feel like I was in that movie Groundhog Day. It became tiresome. (Unfortunately, it still occurs in book 3!) That would be my one major gripe about the series. I found myself scanning pages of text because I knew exactly what they were going to say because I read it all in the first book.

I really am enjoying this series, so I recommend it. The mythology element isn't as high in this one as the first. Or, at least it's not as "fresh" this time around. We do meet a few more characters that become vital to the story line and see others undergo shocking changes. (Still wondering what that's about.)

Hmm. Where to start? Well... After finishing Touch of Frost (book one) I immediately e-purchased Kiss of Frost. I was THAT hooked. Just knowing that I could continue the journey right then and there lead to the imminent one-click. The Mythos Academy series is quickly becoming one of my guilty pleasures. Kiss of Frost had everything I wanted and then some. All the great characters from book one were back including some new ones mainly in the form of a gorgeous guy from the "New York" branch of Mythos Academy. Between Logan's hot-and-cold tendencies, the threat revealed at the end of Touch of Frost, and new guy's advances, Gwen's heart is in danger, physically and emotionally.

Touch of Frost was a perfect sequel. Sometimes book series suffer from the a second-book slump but I think book two was even better than the first. Now that we've got to know our characters and their world, the story was able to branch out and progress. Although Gwen Frost found herself a loner in Touch of Frost, she now has a great, knit group of friends whose got her back. She is definitely going need some backup because the action rises threefold in this installment. Freak accidents keep occurring and the only thing connecting them is their blatant target: Gwen.

One aspect of Kiss of Frost I really enjoyed was the arcs the characters took. Although at some points I found Gwen a little stubborn she still remains one of the strongest heroines I know. Although she doesn't always think a plan through, she's got a great heart, always putting herself on the line for others. This is a *small spoiler* but I'm really happy with Gwen and Daphne's friendship progression throughout Kiss of Frost. Daphne really helps Gwen break out of her loner-shell. Even though Gwen spends a good chunk of the book solo, Daphne always, and thoughtfully includes Gwen in her plans and outings. A lot of times Gwen's what they refer to as a "third wheel" but Daphne being a great friend, always makes her feel welcome. Their new-found BFF status really is a shining point throughout the book.

Also, I want to give a small shout out to Vic the coolest, funniest, and blood-thirstiest talking sword around. A lot of my favorite lines come from that little guy...er... man..sword...thing.

"Vic wanted to kill things-Reapers, specifically. Until we're both bathed in their blood and hungry for more! he crowed to me more than once when I was alone in my dorm room practicing with him."

I giggle every time Vic speaks, I can't help but read his lines with a mock-British accent. "Bloody" this and "bloody" that. He's so cute with his snarky attitude and constant need to kill. If I ever had a magic sword to wield, I'd totally want a talking one just like Vic.

When it comes down to, Touch of Frost was an exhilarating ride. I give it a 4/5 star rating due to it being chock full of snark, action, drama, and humor. The story keeps getting juicier and I'm quickly falling deeply in-love with the characters. There's such a great mixture and I'm anxious to see where they are headed now due to the end-of-book revelations. Gwen's plate just got a lot heaver and I can't wait to get my hands on book three so I can see how she manages it.

Review featured on The Lost Dragonfly Chronicles
rated 4.5
Kiss of frost made me happy, heartbroken, and extremely hungry. I think Jennifer Estep should share the recipes to Grandma Frost's sweet treats. The book starts off a few weeks after the events of Touch of Frost. I really liked Touch of Frost, but this book I loved. The action, romance, and mystery were amped up to the max in this book. Kiss of Frost was slightly predictable, but it did not take away from the story.

With everything Gwen learned about herself in Touch of Frost, this book kept going with her growth process. The way she handled the reapers of chaos attacks were amendable. I would have run away from it screaming. Gwen actually runs towards it and after her attacker. The new aspects Gwen learns about her psychometry are pretty incredible. I like that her gift is continually growing and she is still learning about it.

I am very close to my mother so when Gwen finds out what really happened to her, I got choked up. It was even more horrible to see how she finds out. To not know for so long and also find out that people you care for hid it from you was devastating to see. I am not sure how I feel about Grandma Frost right now. They speak a lot about freewill in the story and I can understand Grandma Frost wanting Gwen to make her own decisions. However I don't like all the things she kept from Gwen. Grandma Frost is suppose to be Gwen's safety and warmth. I just hope she starts being more open with Gwen.

I wonder if the secret Gwen saw about Logan was the one he was worried about. Or is there something darker he is hiding. It was nice to see a softer side to Logan. In Touch of Frost he kind of comes off as this ass, but to see him start showing feelings was nice. The sexual tension in the story between Gwen and Logan was intense. There were so many times I just wanted to yell, "Kiss her already." I think Gwen's psychometry is pretty awesome, but I can see the down side to it now. To know every time you touched or try to be intimate with someone you will see or feel everything they do. The unknown of will their feelings be the same as yours or something else you wouldn't want to see.

I enjoyed meeting some of the new characters in this book. Gwen takes on training to be prepared against reapers of chaos and we get to meet Oliver and Kenzie. You don't see Kenzie much except for a few sneer and snarky remarks to Gwen. Oliver though has a very fascinating part in Kiss of Frost. I understand his intentions for what he did to Gwen, but the way he went about it was a little psycho to me. It did however add a great element to the book. Am I the only one that loved the Fenrir wolf? I thought one second he was going to rip Gwen's head off and the next he had me saying aww. The way the wolf acted towards his owner in the end was adorable. I still want to know what happened to the wolf and I hope we see him again.

The last 100 or so pages were my favorite. It was filled with so much adventure, thrills, and even a little romance. One thing I didn't see coming was how the fight scenes would play out. I knew who she would be fighting, but I didn't realize who the person truly was till it was admitted. I can't wait for Dark Frost. There is a lot to be revealed and I am eager to see what happens next with Gwen.

*Minor Overall Series SPOILERS

For a while now I have been having issues with Y.A. novels. I can't seem to just open myself up and try new Y.A. books or series, even of the Paranormal nature. However, there are a few series that I simply love and will keep on reading as the authors deliver awesome books.

The Mythos Academy is definitely one of these series. Jennifer Estep has created such a rich, scary and captivating world and characters that you can't help but feel and root for them time and time again.

I love the heroine, Gwen, specially how different she is from other Y.A. heroines. She is strong, brave, smart and not perfect in the least. It is her flaws and shortcomings that make her such a lovable and believable heroine.

Dark Frost starts off not long after the end of Kiss of Frost and the we get punched in the gut with the action right off. I absolutely loved how Jennifer Estep is not afraid to bring out the pain and mayhem, specially in a world where the Pantheon, the God of Chaos, Reapers and a whole cast of myths are real.

We get tons of action throughout Dark Frost and a lot of surprises as well. I am so happy that Estep has forgone the Love Triangle in this series, Gwen already has enough obstacles in her life and heart, having to choose between two boys would have just been contrived in my point of view.

I can complain about anything in Dark Frost, it would be that at times there was some background information in weird places. However, that did not in any way, shape or form take anything away from me enjoying the book.

I really don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that Dark Frost is fantastic! A great installment in a very exciting series and full of surprises. After the sneak peak of Crimson Frost in the end, I am even more excited for the next novel in the Mythos Academy series.

Originally Posted at Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life {[...]}

The story:

Just recently, Gwen has mastered a mind-blowing, life-threatening situation - and already she and her friends are plunged head-first into the next. When they and a couple of other Mythos Academy students visit a museum to (reluctantly) collect material for a boring homework assignment, the Reapers strike in a messy, bloody attack. It soon becomes obvious that the enemies of the Panteon are searching for the Helheim dagger, the legendary artifact which can free Loki from his prison, and they do so with brutal force and vicious cunning. Among them is Loki's champion, a mysterious masked girl around the same age as Gwen - who has also been tasked by Nike to find the dagger. Finding things is Gwen's specialty, of course, but this time, she meets with more difficulty than she's used to...

Can the gypsy girl find the answers within the memories of Preston, the Reaper who tried to seduce and kill her in the last novel and who now spends his days in the Academy prisons? Or does the old diary that she found in the attic hold the key? Can Savannah, Logan's ex who despises Gwen, possibly be Loki's champion?

As if all that wasn't difficult enough, Gwen also has to deal with a cuddly Fenrir wolf, her problematic relationship with Logan and the absolutely rotten mood of her disappointed best friend.

Pros:

The story keeps picking up speed and suspense as it hurtles toward the big finale, and I found it easy and quick to read!

I like that we get to see new aspects of old characters, like Nikademes and Morgan, which gives them more depth and makes the reader care more about what happens to them. The characters don't stay frozen in their patterns, they develop and grow. Oh, and I was especially glad to meet the Fenrir wolf again - who, btw, is a lady!

Gwen's talent changes and expands, and we learn more about her true destiny - and watch Gwen grow and mature to a young adult on the way, despite all her (understandable) flaws and weeknesses.

Her relationship to Logan is a bitterweet affair: they love each other, but Gwen's gypsy gift opens a chasm between them that seems impossible to bridge. I couldn't help rooting for Gwen!

Contras:

My biggest complaint is the same I had in the first and second book: the endless repetitions. Yes, there was a lot less of them than in the last novel (a big improvement!), but I still had the urge to skip whole passages because they felt so familiar. Please, please, don't mention twilight-colored eyes ever again!

A few things didn't seem quite logical to me. An example: the scene I already mentioned, when the Reapers attack a museum full of Mythos students. Over the course of the last two books, we've been told again and again that these kids have been trained to fight reapers from a very, VERY young age (like Daphe, who got her first bow when she was all of three years old), and what happens? When the Reapers attack them, they seem helpless and completely out of their depths.

Gwen can be a bit... well, dense. Quite often, the reader realizes things a lot sooner than she does. I suppose the author did this on purpose to some extent, to keep up the suspense, but it makes her look - stupid.

The pacing seems off in a couple of scenes. For example, there is a scene where a group of Reapers walk through a big room - and in the time it takes them, Gwen and her friends have smashed a couple of showcases, picked out weapons, exchanged pep talks, made a plan and taken up position... That must've been one heck of a large room, or maybe the Reapers crawled through it on their bellies; otherwise I can't fathom what took them so long.

Summary:

After being a tad disappointed about the last book, I liked this one a whole lot better! It was a good, easy read without any real lengths, suspenseful and (mostly) believable. I'm looking forward to reading the next one!

3.5 Stars - Goodness, where should I start on this book. I have actually been looking forward to reading this one, and I really like the fact that the author has been putting these books out in a fairly rapid pace, so her fans don't have to keep waiting for the next one. (Which is set to release on Christmas Eve of this year and #5 is set to release in August of next year). Dark Frost is the darkest of the Mythos books that have been released thus far, though the prequel did deal with some dark subject matters. The thing I don't like the most is the redundancies, "Oh you didn't read the other books let's just recap everything for the entire book for you". I wish authors would do an episode recap type thing before the novel begins so you get a refresher but it doesn't drag down the story. I would appreciate the author so much more if this occurred. Also Gwen would be bitten and slapped by a snake if it were in front of her, I mean there are so many clues that her powers, and life around her, has given her but she just seems really dense. Don't get me wrong, Gwen's becoming more badass as the stories go, but man she's missing that common sense gene or something. Ok, I did like the story, and I liked that it went in a darker direction than I had expected. I am also glad that Nott is in the picture because she's just awesome and sweet. I think Logan is a great love interest for Gwen, if they can ever pull themselves together and Gwen has some pretty awesome friends. I do wish the story would play out in some different type of formula, but I guess you stick to what works. I can't wait to see where the story is going to go from here, especially since there was a sneak peek for book #4 (The whole first chapter) and it promises to be a good one.

Second in the Mythos Academy urban fantasy series for young adults about a teen suddenly thrust into an elite boarding school.

My Take
Kind of felt like Estep is channeling Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series. Instead of vampires, it's gods and goddesses as Gwen Frost learns more and more about the elite world into which she has suddenly been thrust.

The series' theme is Reapers against the Pantheon with the Reapers working at breaking Loki free to plunge the world back into the Wars of Chaos. The Pantheon, Gwen's side, works to police and preserve the world.

In Kiss of Frost, Gwen discovers a new power, clears up several emotional issues, and fights off yet more attacks. All within the hard, cruel world of high school! She also learns the truth about her mom and Nike explains the contest between the Reapers and the Pantheon, ending with a quest for Gwen.

Okay, I know that authors need to throw tension in and, in most genres, the author has the protagonist decide against sharing information with someone who can help him/her. But it makes me nuts! I don't know if I've simply read too many stories and that's what makes it seem so ubiquitous or it really is rife and overused.

Oops, funny how a legitimate reaction can have such far-reaching consequences. Especially when one is reacting from anger and hurt feelings. Then there's that scene where Logan and Gwen run off leaving Oliver behind...what's with that?

The Story
Well, that's one way to get a little oomph behind your arrow! Get angry when the guy you love starts making out with his latest girlfriend!

Then to add insult to injury, a black SUV tries to run Gwen down outside her Grandma's house followed by an attack in the library. Jeez, her Grandma and Professor Metis thought they were protecting her by putting her in Mythos Academy--it's more dangerous in the school!

Now, Daphne is insisting that Gwen needs to come to Winter Carnival. As if. She and Carson are the only people who even speak to her. She doesn't know how to ski. Why should Gwen make up a third wheel when there's no one else for her to hang with all weekend? But Daphne isn't taking `no' for an answer and Gwen gets dragged off for a `festive' weekend. With an opportunity to try out that new power she's been using in archery. Actually, Gwen gets several opportunities with a side benefit with the Fenrir wolf that attacks.

Still, there are some social benefits when Gwen meets a hot guy from the New York school. He wants to meet up at different parties, have lunch, go off to a secluded corner...and make Logan sit up and take notice.

The fun and games ends however. And Gwen learns the truth behind her mother's death that night. It's one way to start winter break.
Knowing that everyone around you was lying.

The Characters
Gwen Frost is a touch sensitive, psychometric magic that allows her to "read" any object she touches. Seems her magic is growing, too, as she learns a powerful side benefit to her ability. We've learned that she's Nike's Champion. Vic is the name of her talking sword. Grandma Frost is Gwen's last living relative. A Gypsy, she sees into the Future and is a killer baker. Her dad, Tyr Forseti, died of cancer when Gwen was a kid; her mother, Grace Frost, was a cop when she died after a drunk smashed into her car some months ago.

Logan Quinn is a Spartan, a man-whore (there's a rumor that he's signed the mattress of every girl he's slept with so he can keep track), and Gwen's tutor in swordplay. Gwen fell in love with him in Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy, 1). And was rebuffed as well. Savannah, an the store, is Logan's latest girlfriend. Oliver Hector, a Spartan, is in love and desperate to distract Gwen from the one with whom he's in love. Kenzie Tanaka is also a Spartan and best friends with Oliver and Logan; he's tutoring Gwen in archery.

Daphne Cruz is a Valkyrie and became Gwen's BFF in Touch of Frost; Carson Callahan, a Celt and a band geek, is Daphne's boyfriend. Morgan McDougall, another Valkyrie, is the school slut; Samson Sorensen is one of the hot guys on campus; and, Helena Paxton, an the store, is working for the title of top mean girl.

Nickamedes is the head librarian where Gwen works part-time; the idea is that the library is a great place for Gwen to meet a lot of kids. Hah! Nickamedes hates Gwen! Professor Metis was one of Gwen's mom's best friends; she's also the Champion for Athena. Coach Ajax is also there to help.

Preston is one of the hot guys who shows up at the Powder hotel during the school's break for Winter Carnival. And he is very interested in Gwen. Could be a great rebound from Logan's rejection!

Reapers of Chaos are the bad guys, the followers of Loki. They are working to break the seven seals that prevent Loki from destroying the world. They've tortured and abused most of the monsters of the mythic world into working for them, including the Fenrir wolf (shades of Harry Potter!).

The Cover
The cover is definitely Frost-y with Gwen closing her eyes and puckering up to blow the ice crystals off the palm of her hand. Just a glimmer of a building appears in the upper left corner with a scary-looking gargoyle snarling at us.

The title is a Kiss of Frost for Gwen discovers some kisses can bite.

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Gwen's narrative voice is much stronger and the characterization definitely more in depth! The plot is once again a little obvious, but still a quick, enjoyable read.

Opening Sentence: Logan Quinn was trying to kill me.

The Review:

This installment in the Mythos Academy series picks up right where Touch of Frost left off, and Estep makes it easy to remember everything that happened. Mythos Academy is one of many academies designed to train the descendants of warriors to fight the Reapers. Gwen however is not a warrior. She's a Gypsy blessed with the gift of psychometry which lets her see images or feelings from anything she touches. After everything that happened to her in Touch of Frost, Professor Metis decided Gwen needed help catching up on her fighting skills and chose Logan to be her tutor. Mythos Academy is going on holiday in this book to the Winter Carnival. Gwen is less than excited to go, but our favorite Valkyrie Daphne talks her into it. Because someone's after Gwen and all signs point to it being a Reaper.

Gwen is still hurt by everything that happened between her and Logan. Unlike in the first book though, Gwen isn't overly angsty about it. She's still dealing with the death of her mom but her depression doesn't dominate the story this time. As the narrator she is once again witty and sarcastic, but does have some rather repetitive thoughts that can slow the story down at times. While Gwen wavers from a frustrating lack of confidence to a ridiculous amount of over-confidence in short spans of time, she is an entertaining narrator.

And for those of you who hated Logan-freaking-Quinn in Touch of Frost, I promise you're less likely to want to push him off a bridge in this sequel. All of the characters, Gwen included, become much more likable. This can be attributed to both deeper characterization on Estep's part and the fact that Gwen no longer hates Mythos Academy. Because Gwen's the narrator, her perspective of the school and its students was very negative in Touch of Frost, but the school seems to have grown on her now. The characters evolve away from the stereotypes that plagued the first book and become far more engaging. They actually end up stealing some of the spotlight from Gwen's adventure as Estep begins incorporating minor subplots.

My biggest critique of this book is that Estep spends a considerable amount of time telling what the reader needs to know instead of showing us. At points it feels like Estep is talking to us through the mouths of her characters. The reader sees this particularly in Metis's myth-history class. Metis is always talking about precisely what Gwen needs to know at the time. While it does help move the plot along, this convenience also makes what's coming rather obvious to the reader. The other problem we seem to have with Mythos Academy is that despite it being a school for magical and supernatural kids, whenever something magical happens no one believes Gwen. It's frustrating that everyone just writes it off as paranoia, particularly given the fact the teachers know there are Reapers at Mythos and that they're going to come after Gwen.

Once the story moves to the Winter Carnival everything gets predictable. Not boring by any means, since the Carnival is where the plot really takes off, but chances are the reader will pick up on the general plot of the story. There are still a few surprises thrown in there, which in addition to Gwen's sarcastic narration kept the story interesting. This novel improved in every way from the first one, and I hope they keep getting better! The next installment is Crimson Frost, which is due out on January of 2013.

The Mythos Academy Series:

1. Touch of Frost

2. Kiss of Frost

3. Crimson Frost

FTC Advisory: Kensington Publishing provided me with a copy of Kiss of Frost. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Posted on Romancing the Books blog
Reviewed by Valerie
Review Copy Provided by the Author

I absolutely love the world of Gwen Frost! Starting with the prequel, First Frost, to this book, Dark Frost (the third in the series), I have been absolutely captivated by the characters of this world, the setting it is written in, and the plot which has so many twists and turns. Luckily the author, Jennifer Estep, will have six or seven books in this series before it ends!

When I started Dark Frost, I liked how the story continued from where it left off in book two without any jumps and didn't drag one bit. I felt like I had just read book two yesterday. Gwen is still at school, learning how to use her power and various weapons, still attracted to the boy she just can't have, and still fighting for her life and the life of her friends and family. We find out that reapers are targeting Gwen to find a dagger her Mom hid before she died. As Gwen tries to find out where her mother could have hidden the dagger in the Library on campus, she must depend on herself and her inner strength more than she ever has. As she discovers even more about herself and her gift of psychometry, she tries to stay true to using her powers for good - even though she has evil thoughts about the reapers, especially the one that killed her mother. As if staying alive isn't enough, she's also trying to find out the secret Logan has - the one that he doesn't want anyone to find out, especially her.

This book did not disappoint. It had tons of action, heartbreaking moments of tenderness, lots of suspenseful scenes, and kept me up reading well past my bedtime. Kudos to Jennifer Estep for keeping this series going.

Review: This is the second book in the Mythos Academy series and I am really enjoying these books! In Kiss of Frost, Gwen has the unfortunate/fortunate pleasure of working with Logan Quinn as he tries to kick her butt into shape. Ahh, how I love Logan! This book picks up just a few weeks after Touch of Frost ends so we get right back into the swing of things.

This book takes us away from the academy for a bit as the students go on a ski trip. But danger seems to follow Gwen because someone is out to kill her on the slopes. Gwen's trip is sidetracked as she tries to figure out who, or what, is causing her harm. She is one of those characters who really likes to tackle something on her own, but we all know how that normally turns out.

While all of the danger lurks around the corner, this book goes deeper into the life of Logan--which was great! He was such a mystery in Touch of Frost so it was nice to get to know him and some of the other students in Gwen's circle. Logan is still a bit mysterious, and fights his feelings for Gwen, but their connection seemed to grow a great deal! It seemed that even more than Gwen, Logan is the character that changes the most.

The only real complaint I have with this book is the same one I had with Touch of Frost-- it's a bit repetitive when talking about Gwen's gift. Also, a few of the parts were a little predictable but were still very well written and developed. While I may have figured out the "who" behind certain things, I didn't figure out the "why" till much later. Made it very interesting!

Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy series is full of intense mystery and drama! Kiss of Frost carries on with the same terrific story developments, and expands greatly on the character I have grown to love. I can't wait to read book 3, Dark Frost!

There are some spoilers from Touch of Frost in this review.

Kiss of Frost (love the cover, by the way) picks up a few months after the events of Touch of Frost with Gwen continuing to train with Spartans Logan, Oliver and Kenzie and hang out with her new best friend, Daphne. Also back are Daphne's boyfriend, Carson, and the professors of Mythos Academy, once again with minor roles.

Pretty quickly into the book Gwen is attacked by what she figures is a Reaper who's out to avenge the death of Jasmine Ashton. However, there's no strong evidence left from the attacks, so Gwen is reluctant (which is usually the protagonist's first mistake in a lot of books) to tell Professor Metis about them. She decides to stay alert, especially since she and everyone from Mythos will be joining students from the New York academy at the annual Winter Carnival, which takes place every year at a fancy ski resort. Gwen's determined to try and have some fun and ignore everyone's favorite man-whore Logan Quinn, especially since he and Savannah Warren seem to always be all over each other. Fortunately, Preston, a cute guy from the New York academy seems to be more than willing to help Gwen forget about Logan.

Of course, things don't go exactly as planned when it appears that the Reaper who's after Gwen has decided to not take the weekend off and comes after Gwen again, which basically confirms that he or she is a student or professor at Mythos, since the ski resort is closed to the public during the Winter Carnival.

Much like Touch of Frost, Kiss of Frost was a really fast, light, good read. I did get a little tired of Gwen repeating what her power was and what she could do and that everyone thought she was the Gypsy girl freak, especially since this is the second book in the series. I'd rather have more background on other characters and maybe a little more interaction, too. I guess we'll find out more in the future, but I was also a little confused about what we found out about Logan's deep, dark secret and why he might think Gwen would think less of him because of it. Granted, we seem to have gotten only a glimpse, but I really don't see what the thing he thinks is so awful is. I'm curious to find out what Estep has left out.

Having said all of that, I really enjoyed this book and was happy to learn that there will be at least six books in the series (yea!). I also liked what Estep did at the end. After what I thought was pretty much the resolution, there was still another 50 or so pages to go; it wasn't what I expected and we found out something pretty big. So, if you liked Touch of Frost, or are just looking for a light, fast read with a likeable heroine and friends, I'd definitely recommend Kiss of Frost (or just starting this series if you haven't already).

Kiss of Frost
By: Jennifer Estep
Copyright December 2011
Publisher: Kensington Teen

Logan Quinn was try¬ing to kill me. My Spar¬tan class¬mate relent¬lessly pur¬sued me, swing¬ing his sword at me over and over again, the shin¬ing sil¬ver blade inch¬ing closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes prac¬ti¬cally glowed with the thrill of battle...

I'm Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad¬emy, and I have no idea how I'm going to sur¬vive the rest of the semes¬ter. One day, I'm get¬ting schooled in sword¬play by the guy who broke my heart--the drop-dead gor¬geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis¬i¬ble archer in the Library of Antiq¬ui¬ties decides to use me for tar¬get prac¬tice. And now, I find out that some¬one at the acad¬emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I'm afraid if I don't learn how to live by the sword--with Logan's help--I just might die by the sword...

Gwen's gift as a Gypsy is the power of psychometry, the ability to read any object and know who owned it and its history. But Gwen's powers are growing along with her as she gets older. She is attending Mythos Academy to learn how to control her gift, and to learn how to protect herself in a world where she never knew when the Reapers or even a classmate would try to kill her.
Gwen is still not too happy about being at Mythos Academy. She continues to sneak out to visit her grandmother and pick up the homemade cookies and cakes she makes for Gwen. As her life gets more and more complicated at school, her talent is maturing and expanding. She is starting to get visions of things that happened to other people but affect her in her personal life.
In this second book of the Mythos Academy Series, we are learning more about Gwen, her teachers and even her family history, which in many places overlaps uncomfortable for Gwen. The author is taking us deeper and deeper into the lives and history's of the characters and we, as we are drawn further into the lives of these people often find ourselves taking sides, for and against many of Gwen's classmates and teachers.
I personally hope, and think that this YA series is going to be the next major long running story line for 2012 and beyond. I hope you agree.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher who only asked for a fair and impartial review.

I enjoyed the first book in this series - Touch of Frost - a lot, even though it came off quite a bit like a cross between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, with the offspring mostly getting Percy's genes. Still, the pacing was fast enough, there was plenty of action with some lighter elements, the plot was interesting enough and overall, the book made for some fun reading.

This second book in the series is much the same. I should really say that I'm going by the store's definitions of the ratings here, because otherwise I wouldn't consider it a four out of five stars - but I did like it, which is what a four star rating indicates. Enjoyable fluff, in a not too taxing way.

I do like Gwen, and I like her grandmother, and I like Logan (although not being a teenager, I'm rather more intrigued by Nickamedes, especially now that we've seen a tiny bit more of him). My main gripe with the plot of this book was that it was really a bit too much "more of the same" as the first book - there wasn't a lot happening to set it apart from Touch of Frost; a lot of the first part of Kiss of Frost felt like a recap of the first book, and the rest was pretty much a direct continuation of the events of Touch of Frost. Still, I didn't actually get bored by it and it did move the plot of the series forward a bit, especially in the end, and makes me rather curious about what's in store for the future.

My one big problem with both Touch of Frost and Kiss of Frost is that I'm really starting to dislike the repetition of "thanks to my Gypsy gift", "that was my Gypsy gift", "due to my Gypsy gift" etc, every two pages or so, with a few dozen mentions of psychometry thrown in for a change. Surely even the slowest, most absent-minded reader got it about 286 mentions ago? Yes, Gwen has a gift. A Gypsy gift. That is also known as psychometry. We know! The only thing that kept me from throwing my eReader against the wall several times was that it's first person narrative and presumably Gwen just cannot help but think of it like that. All. The. Time.

That said, I'm definitely looking forward to more of this series. It's really not without its problems, but it hits the right spots for me.

This book was definitely the darkest in the series by far. (Excuse the minor pun!)

Jennifer Estep is a great author. The first two books in this series had me hooked, but this one disappointed me. If I'm being honest, I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I did the first two. I love Gwen, Daphne, Carson, Oliver and Logan. They are great characters and Ms. Estep writes them wonderfully. The plot is always so original in her novels and Dark Frost is no exception.

I'm not sure what didn't work for me. There were a few minor errors, but seeing as this was an ARC, I'm sure in the final copy, they will be fixed. And the errors didn't bother me very much. I think it was the pace of the book. It seemed a bit slower than the others. And a bit dull at quite a few parts.

The battle scenes were awesome. They were well written and seemed like they could've been real, if this world actually existed. The last few chapters were fantastic. Probably the best scenes that I've read in a Mythos Academy novel. I loved them. Every emotion that Gwen felt was palpable through Ms. Estep's writing. I teared up quite a few times. It was great to see that kind of emotion in a way that I hadn't expected it.

I loved the characters from past books that played a bigger part in this book. I don't want to spoil it, so I'll just say she's a great add and the character that she brings along made the girl in me make little happy noises.

I will definitely be reading the next book. I'm pretty positive it's going to be epic. In fact, with the way this novel ended, I'm completely sure that Crimson Frost will be the greatest book in the series. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Dark Frost
By: Jennifer Estep
Copyright: June 2012
Publisher: K teen

I've seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I'm supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I'm just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me--again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects--and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I'm also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me?

It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can't use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me--and I'm in for the fight of my life.

Leaving a summer assignment till the last second is of course standard fare in High School. More so at Mythos Academy where the students have abilities most normal humans can't imagine. Gwen and her friends are visiting the Crius Coliseum in search of information for her Myth-History assignment. Gwen and her friends are each drawn to different artifacts on display, Daphne was interested in a curved bow that was made from a single piece of onyx and strung with golden threads. It had a matching quiver with a single golden arrow in it. The bow once belonged to Sigyn, the Norse Goddess of Devotion. Carson was drawn to an ivory horn that looked like a miniature tuba. It also had bits of onyx glimmering on its surface. The plaque explaining that It was the Horn of Roland.
At about this time Vic, Gwen's snarky sword piped up about how boring the bow was, and that it wasn't a real weapon, and goes on to belittle Carson's choice of a staff as a weapon.. Gwen is deep in thought, remembering her mother's murder and the reaper she desperately wants revenge on. It was about this time Nickamedes, her boss at the Library of Antiquities noticed her and walked over with a sneer on his face. Gwen turned at the sound of his voice and asked him what he was doing at the exhibit.
"Overseeing the exhibit, of course. Most of the artifacts on display are on loan from the Library of Antiquities." Nickamedes stared at her and with his mouth twisting comments, "I see that you and your friends waited until the last possible second to finish your assignments. Looking around Gwen notices many other students doing the same thing she and her friends are. But she knows better than to start with him. Gwen decides that silence is the better part of valor and looks around to see if Logan is around. As she starts to ask him about how his winter break went, all hell seems to break loose. As Gwen and Logan start to head in the direction of the screams Daphne pulls them back, reminding them that they have no idea what they'd be walking into.
The group of four creep around to see what is happening, and find their fellow students being attacked by Reapers......
Could there be a more exciting way to start off Gwen's next adventure? With this attack, Gwen and company are looking at more action and fighting, and a new set of challenges for the year. Ms. Estep has a way of drawing me into the picture and I feel like I'm right there (hiding behind a strong exhibit case) watching everything with my own two eyes.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book from the publishers, who only asked for a fair and impartial review.

Once you step into the world of Mythos Academy, there is no leaving it. It has lots of action, a kick ass heroine, hero you can't get enough of, and secondary characters you wish you were best friends with. Each of the characters in this series is endearing because not only are they tough as nails, but they all have this sensitive side that shows when you least expect it. Underneath it all, they are trying to deal with their magical abilities growing each day while fighting the bad guys. Each has their own set of problems that they are overcoming, and everything is not as perfect as it may appear to be.

The reapers, the bad guys who are out to take over the world are back and are still trying to kill Gwen. One would think that I would be tired by now of the reapers trying to kill Gwen, but I'm not. I love the mystery behind them and watching Gwen grow as a person as she continues to deal with her mom's death and her pschometry magic. In this book she learns more about her mom, tries to stop the reapers from winning and is still trying to figure out what is going on between her and Logan. I love the ups and downs of their relationship. Both are trying to figure out how they fit into each others lives while dealing with issues of their past. Daphne, Gwen's best friend is featured in this book much more then the last one. She has a lot going on and isn't afraid to tell Gwen that she isn't the only one dealing with magical power problems. Their friendship has growing pains, but whose doesn't? The couple of complaints I have about this series are minimal. One is that Gwen does too much on her own at times. While it was nice to see her friends more active in this book, it would be nice to have her have more one on one interaction with them. Another is that while I love being reminded that Logan is a Spartan, and Daphne is a Valkyrie I found myself after reading the book forgetting their real names and just referring to them as their nicknames. All in all though, this series is a fun, escapist read and a guilty pleasure.

Dark Frost is the third book in this series, and like most third books it's a bridge between the upcoming novels. What separates it from other third books is that this is not just a "filler book." There are events that happen open up a whole new world of trouble for Gwen and her friends and Jennifer Estep continues to impress me with her world building and ability to write heroines that are strong, loyal, independent, yet not afraid to take a chance on love.

GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Mythology/Romance
RECEIVED: Received for Review from Author
AUTHORS BLOG: [...]

REVIEW:
Jennifer Estep as always writes an addicting novel, Dark Frost circulates a lot around Gwen's gypsy abilities this time around. With a much dark tone and lots of action, this mythological series hooks me every time.

Dark Frost starts off at the end of the winter break, but before the students can fully head back to school a horrible attack on them by the Reapers changes everything. Gwen and her friends must work together to fight the Reapers, along with finding the Helheim Dagger that Loki's follower's want. Danger is on an ultimate high for everyone and most definitely for Gwen.

Gwen gets to dig a lot into her mothers past in this novel. Her mother being the past Champion like her, she was the only one who knew where the Dagger is hidden. It was interesting following Gwen as she learned and saw more about her mother, her mother friends and how she was so similar to Gwen. Her friendships with Daphne and Logan are tested, and of course the romantic aspect with Logan is at risk because of her gift. The readers really get to see her grow in not only strength but also understanding her purpose as the Champion. Near the end the readers get a big shocker on how much Gwen can actually do with her gift.

Logan, the bad boy Spartan is majorly tested when he feels that Gwen knows a secret about his past. He frustrated me a bit because its not like Gwen could help being able to see visions when she touches someone, it can't be turned off. But I feel that he's starting to grow up also, he's fighting for not only the academy but for Gwen. Daphne goes through some through some emotional situation with her powers and adds to the troubles everyone is having in the book.

Overall I liked the mystery behind who the villains were this time around and how the ending had major conflict for the characters in the upcoming books. Also my favorite secondary character beside the loud mouth sword, Vic, was Nott, the Fenrir Wolf and now I really want one to protect me and just have as a pet. There was lots of action, an intense ending, and a splash of romance that everyone will enjoy.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel with heavy focus on Greek Mythology. Fans of the House of Night Series and Vampire Academy series will love the teen angst and supernatural elements in Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep.

Dark Frost is the book in the Mythos Academy where things really begin to change; the stakes are raised, true losses are felt, and some huge events are fully set in motion. New characters are introduced, both good and bad, and some loose ends are finally tied up (well- sort of).

And it was while reading this third book in the series that I realized how many similarities it bears to Harry Potter - in this case, Dark Frost would be like Harry Potter 4 & 5 which are notably the books where significant deaths occur and everyone starts to realize they're growing up. Teen angst overload included. The difference is that Mythos Academy definitely has a slightly older feel to it, and more modern (and I have to say that it does lack a certain wizarding charm- but that's extremely hard to come by)!

Reasons to Read:

1.Everything gets taken up a notch:

Seriously, EVERYTHING is just that much better and amped up in this one. The fight scenes, the mystery, the villains, and yes, even the kissing! Dark Frost is the book where we really get to see Gwen & company begin to grow up and mature into older teens/young adults. They have important decisions to make that will ultimately affect many future events.

2.There's real, genuine loss:

It may sound kind of twisted to make this a reason to read, but I appreciate books when things don't turn out perfectly happy and everything's left risk-free. The death of characters is always a hard thing to deal with, but it's handled expertly here. A few meaningful, powerful deaths make this book an unforgettable one that quickly change the direction of the series, and make it far more impressive than it was at first. There's just something terribly haunting about it, that makes it all the more lovely in a bittersweet sort of way.

3.We finally get to see some of the REAL Gwen- and boy, is she something!:

Gwen's been hiding away for the first couple of books- not entirely reaching her full potential, and rather content to remain in the shadows within the background. But she's finally forced to step out, and we begin to see just hints of what she might be capable of... it's terrifying for her, understandably, and we definitely get to see more of her character (oh, and along with learning more about Logan FINALLY).

I also realize that I need to back up my Harry Potter claims - and this is the one thing where I found it kind of took away from the story overall. It's a bit of a complaint I have with Harry Potter as well, but I found it to be a tad too formulaic. You have your super special snowflake teen, with dead parents (who kept a number of secrets, including that their kid is super special). You have the angry, bitter teacher (who used to have a certain crush...) and the older wise and kindly mentor. A weakened villain trying to take over and kill everyone, and a super secret league of bad guys (a.k.a. thugs). And a lovable pet. It just feels TOO overdone for me, and far too predictable by now since these concepts are found in so many other books. Yet it only barely took away from my enjoyment.

Because it's still a formula that works, and works very well. These types of books are an easy buy, just because it's pretty much a guarantee that you'll love them and there's something to be said for that.

ARC received from publisher for review.

I've eagerly awaited the newest book every time one comes out in this series. I've grown kind of attached this band of teenagers and the odd school they inhabit. But then, I've always had a particular love for mythology and this definitely fits the bill.

I think what I find most endearing about Gwen is that she doesn't think she's the bad ass that she really is. She has all these powers and she's hesitant to use them anymore than she has to. In fact, she has powers that she doesn't even really know about. Since she's never managed to really make friends, she loyal to the one's she's made at Mythos. Even when those friends are treating her like crap because of her own abilities that she can't really control. But, she's not a pushover. She stands up for what she believes in and those she loves.

Sometimes series feel like they drag on and never really get to the point. While there is element that kind of does this (are Logan and Gwen together or not), the story has wasted no time getting to the point. The Reapers will get what they desire no matter what the cost is. I knew we were ultimately headed to a showdown between Loki, his champion, and his followers. I didn't expect to meet them all so soon. I also was not expecting Loki's champion to be hiding right under our noses.

Gwen goes through a lot in this book. Despite some setbacks, she really grows into her character. She has to witness Daphne alienate her and Logan shun her. Still she's willing to sacrifice it all to stop Loki from becoming unbound. I kept waiting for someone to step in and help her save the world. Sadly it's the wolf who comes and she's injured in the process (man I love that wolf..whole other story).

Gwen seems really downcast at the end of this book. I think she really expected to save the day and when it didn't happen that way it really hurt her. I'm curious as to were this story will go next and if Gwen can fully pick up the pieces and become the champion she needs to be.

I did enjoy reading the first book of this series. Yes the main character, Gwen, did tend to dwell heavily on her mother's recent death, but even so, this was a very unique take on mythology & what it would be like to be an ancestor or Champion of one of the Gods or Goddesses. I've always loved mythology of all sorts, so knowing much about it, I especially enjoyed this very creative look into what it would be like to be a real part of it. A student learning how to hone their particular gifts of the Gods, so they could help protect the world from the evil God Loki & his minions? Really cool!

Well this second book did reiterate many of the integral plot points from book 1, so new readers would be up to speed. But once everything started moving along, it gained momentum & really kept you going until the end! I was totally engrossed into this book & very much enjoyed it. I zoomed thru it with only breaks to sleep & eat. :)

Anyways, I highly recommend this book & am eagerly awaiting the next one being released this month. I'm very glad that the store offered "A Touch of Frost" as its daily book deal, so I could read this very exciting, unique & enjoyable series. Each book gets better & I thank the author, who's a mythology lover like me, for writing these books! I wish I myself could be Gwen. I sure have thought a lot about ways I'd get that delicious Spartan Logan to finally give up trying to resist his feelings for Gwen & just give in to the love he obviously has for her! He sure better in this next book!

In this installment of the Mythos Academy, Gwen is dealing with attacks from the reapers, and she is trying to complete a task that was given to her by Nike. She is looking for the Helheim Dagger, which is a very powerful artifact and the reapers want it badly. It holds the key to unlocking Loki. The Reapers have become desperate to get it too. </strong>

Gwen has grown a lot, she is isn't the shy, naive or even scared young girl as she used to be. She has become a very brave and smart young girl, don't get me wrong she still has her moments. After learning who killed her mother, she is out for revenge for her Mother's death. There is so much going on, with her friend Daphne and Logan too. Her friend is going through some major changes and she tries to help as best she can. Gwen cares for Daphne and is a great friend to Daphne when she needs it the most. Gwen's relationship with Logan has progressed, but she still feels that he is hiding things from her. But we get to see why he is so secretive and it just breaks your heart, but it gives even more depth to his character. He is still the bad ass as he is always is, but this time around you can tell he really does have strong feelings for Gwen. So right now we just have to wait and see if they will continue their relationship or not and they do have a lot to work through. I am rooting for them for sure. Both Gwen and Logan are amazing, strong and I really do enjoy both of them.

Dark Frost is darker than the first few as we dive further into the story. The Chaos War at the doorstep of Mythos Academy, and the suspense is massively more this time around, and the battle at the beginning was brutal, but amazing. So many play a part in stopping the war. There is never really a dull moment because there is so much going on. We learn so many more things about the The Reapers of Choas and Loki and even Nike. I will say that Fenrir role in this part of the story was awesome. I'm glad that we got see more about them. I am a big fan of mythology, so I have really enjoyed this entire series so far. It's fast paced, completely enthralling and leaves you wanting more. I can't wait to see what happens in Crimson Frost. I would definitely recommend reading this.

This is the continuation of Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy series in the mountains of North Carolina, just a bit away from where all the action takes place in the Elemental Assassin series. Gwen is still hard at work training and working on some relationship issues and has a good candidate for a possible love interest. There was actually a couple of curve balls thrown in there because the end of Touch of Frost had me thinking of a possible candidate and shockingly I was so very wrong. Another great thing about this series is the unexpected friendship between Gwen and one of the "mean girls", Daphne. I am actually enjoying their verbal sparring and watching Daphne grow as a person. There are more surprises on the mean girls' front this time around too!

I won't give a synopsis because the book blurb does that well enough. But, I can say that reading these books always leaves me wanting more right away. I am truly excited to see at least 2 more books already in the works. This author is definitely one that I am glad gets to write full-time. I think I need to back track and read the Karma series too. Back to Kiss of Frost, that does not disappoint on the good fight scenes and intrigue either. This installment also has a big mystery in it along with Gwen learning more about her friends, family and the staff at the school and of course Vic the coolest sword ever is my favorite. I'm a huge academy school urban fantasy fan so this setting also adds to one of the reasons I love this book. The majority of the scenes take place in another environment while the students are on a school trip, but the vivid descriptions of the mountain scenery helps paint a great picture in my mind. I am not a fan of sports in the snow because I hate the snow, but, I do enjoy watching those who like to ski and snowboard flying down the hills. I know this is ironic since I live in the Midwest. Snow and watching others ski and snowboard is quite breathtaking.

From Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Blog

The Good
Best by Far...
Though I have yet to review the first two books of this series, I have read them, and I can tell you right now that this series gets better and better with each passing book. Dark Frost is the best installment by far. The action, drama, and danger laced into every page took my breath away.

Chaos...
Gwen has an impossible task ahead of her: Find the Helheim Dagger her mother stashed away before the Reapers of Chaos find it. The problem is it could be anywhere, and the Reapers are closing in. Even her psychometry (knowing the history of an object by touch) isn't helping her pinpoint the dagger that her mother gave her life to keep hidden. Gwen's life is only getting harder as the bad guys start attacking the people she cares for, her best friend starts ignoring her, and the boy that she loves decides he can't handle what her powers will reveal about his past.

Never Give Up...
I have to admit, Touch of Frost--the first book of the series--didn't really grab me. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to continue the series, but Jennifer Estep gave me the ARC of Dark Frost so I wanted to make sure to read the rest of the series. I am so happy I did. I loved Kiss of Frost and was blown away by this book. Now I am all antsy for the next book to come out.

Cry Baby...
This book really went all out with its no holds barred type of action. Big things happened that will change the rest of the series, and the repercussions are going to be astronomical. Only two book have ever made me cry (The Host and Kushiels Dart) and Dark Frost actually made me tear up a little. With me being the emotional robot that I am, I have to give Estep props for getting me all misty eyed.

Gwen...
Dark Frost picks up a couple weeks after Kiss of Frost. Gwen and all her friends are coming back to Mythos Academy after winter break. And catastrophe greets them like a slap on the face, a deadly slap on the face. This particular incident devastates Gwen. It all becomes too real for her. Her schoolmates are actually dying and it's on her shoulders (as Nike's warrior) to stop the Reapers from finding the Helheim Dagger which will release the evil Loki, the God of Chaos. I think I would have crumbled with the kind of pressure Gwen is under. And to make it worse, her best friend Daphne is dealing with her own problems and is taking it out on Gwen. While maybe not-maybe so boyfriend Logan has decided that her powers are too much for him to handle. Alone, Gwen does her best to keep going, to keep fighting. This was definitely the roughest and saddest plot so far. Nothing seems to go right for Gwen. But it was necessary for the growth of our little protagonist. She is maturing as a character, which I think will be vital for the books to come.

The Rest of the Crew...
Daphne actually pissed me off in this book. I get why she acted the way she did, but it hurt my heart to watch Gwen take the brunt of her wrath. Then we have Logan. I've never wanted to strangle someone and root for them at the same time. He is so frustrating. And hot, can't forget hot. I actually fell in love with Oliver (Logan's best friend) in this book. I want to see more of him because he seems a little less emotionally sporadic than Daphne and Logan.

Dark Times...
We dive deeper into the Mythological world this time around. Bad guys start to reveal themselves while future heroes start to grow into their powers and roles. The action was nonstop, which made this book by far the most fun to read. It was also a darker, grittier, and more violent read. Expect mystery, danger, and sexual tension like no other. By the end, I wanted to cry in my pillow and pull my hair out from the stress inducing suspense. For sure the best book of the series.

The Bad
I wouldn't say there was really anything bad about this book. I just found some parts annoying. I am not going to mention them because they really are insignificant, but suffice it to say my critical mind kept saying "Come on, that's just silly" on a few things.

The Snuggly
OMG, finally we are getting somewhere with Gwen and Logan. I really disliked the back and forth relationship between them. I am not sure why Estep was stalling their forward momentum but that seems to be changing. We have been waiting for three books so it was nice to see that Gwen and Logan might just have a chance. But what happened throughout the novel was simply heartbreaking. Estep really knows how to mess with my emotions...and I had so few to start with. ;) Overall this is a clean book when it comes to the naughty. Just some kissing.

Overall
Squeeeee! I just wanted to jump up and down after reading this book. I actually had to tweet Estep after finishing it because I wanted to share my joy. She is one of the few authors who responds to her fans on a regular bases. Dark Frost had everything I wanted. A mysterious and suspense filled plot that wouldn't let me take a breath. The character growth, romance, and heartache were all well done. After the kind of ending Estep gave us in this novel, I can't wait for the next book. A highly recommended read.

Excerpts

What I saw on the porch made my blood run cold. The Psychic Readings Here sign beside the front door barely clung to the side of the house, like someone had taken a crowbar and tried to pry it off. Even worse was the fact that the door had been kicked in, the frame splintered in at least three places.

The inside of the house was a disaster. Everything that could be overturned was, from the curio cabinet that displayed Grandma's good china to the blue sofa to the entertainment center that held the TV. Everything was smashed, stomped, and broken, like someone had taken great glee in destroying every single thing he could.

Something crunched in the kitchen. Oliver and I stopped where we were in the hallway--listening. A series of rustles and scuffles sounded, telling us that someone was moving around in the kitchen. Oliver put a hand on my shoulder, silently asking me if I was okay. I nodded, drew in a breath, and eased forward, peering into the room.

The sight there stunned me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Did Logan just give that girl an autograph?" Daphne asked, drumming her fingers on top of the table and making pink sparks of magic shoot out everywhere.

Carson hesitated. "That's what it looks like."

The girl gave Logan another smile before giggling again and rushing off. She hurried over to the table where her own friends were sitting and showed them the piece of paper. This time, they all erupted in a fit of giggles.

"Geez," I muttered. "it's a wonder they all don't just go over there, take off their shirts, and ask him to sign their bras."

Mythos Academy Series:
Book #1: Touch of Frost
Book #2: Kiss of Frost
Book #3: Dark Frost
Book #4: Crimson Frost (2013)

Dark Frost, Estep's action-packed third novel in the Mythos Academy Series, is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Gwen and her friends are back again, and while we don't get to see as much of Daphne and Carson this time, we do get to learn a lot more about Logan and Grandma Frost. Also, the wolf is back from the last book, and we get to know more about her. On top of all of that, the Reaper attacks start on page one. I spent at least 3/4 of the novel wondering if Gwen and her family and friends were going to make it.

So with all of this wonderful suspense, why, you may ask, did I give this book an A- instead of an A+? Well the answer is simple. Gwen really annoyed me at some points, and she seemed a bit... well... dense. I tried to realize that it's easier for me to see what's going on, who's guilty, etc. when I'm on the outside looking in, but at the end of the day, she was still just really stupid. I'm not sure what happened to her to make her dumb in this book, but I think the whole thing could have been handled in a way that didn't make Gwen seem like she lost over half of her brain cells in between the last book and this one. As soon as everything had run its course and the next book had been set up, her intelligence seemed to come back. Maybe she was just really confused. She was facing things she'd never seen before, but it almost felt like some plot device. I'm trying to give Estep the benefit of a doubt with this, though, because I really do love her work.

While Gwen did annoy me, she at least grew as a character throughout the novel. So did Logan. I was proud of both of them by the end of the book, and the ending tied everything up nicely and set up the next book. I also enjoyed getting to see more of Grandma Frost and learning more about her. She was always one of my favorite characters, so it was nice to get to see more of her. We also got to know Gwen's mom a bit more, even though she's dead. That kind of helped flesh out the memories of her mother that Gwen has. Also, we learned Logan's secrets. He's an idiot for part of the book as well, but he's a guy type of idiot. You'll see what I'm talking about when you pick up this copy. We also got to learn a bit more about Nickamedes and why he has a such a giant stick up his butt. My favorite addition, however, was the Fenrir Wolf. I was so glad to get to know her more, and Estep really did a beautiful job of showing how much difference an animal can make in a person's life. Gwen's interactions with the wolf had to be my favorite parts of the novel.

The plot is intriguing, but I knew who the bad people were and what was going on long before Gwen did. I really feel that could have been handled a bit differently, but the action kept me turning the pages. I had to see who was going to die when, or if anyone was. There were a lot of fight scenes. The scenes weren't graphic, thankfully, but they did hold my interest. There was a certain feel of urgency throughout the novel that definitely kept me hooked until the very end. The pacing was spot-on, and I didn't feel that the story lagged anywhere. There was no real cliff-hanger, but there is a major thing that's unresolved. However, that thing may not be resolved for many books to come.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and I feel that it makes a terrific edition to the series. If you're a fan of mythology, or paranormal romance, then you'll want to pick this book up for sure, and if you're a fan of the Mythos Academy series already, then you cannot miss this novel!

Dark Frost is my favorite in this series, the best yet! It is darker and more action-packed and starts off with a bang.

The book begins with Gwen and several other students from Mythos Academy visiting a museum that houses several priceless artifacts that are significant to the world of gods and goddesses. The museum comes under attack from a group of Reapers, who prove that they are just as ruthless as we have been told in the first two books in this series. This beginning scene is thoroughly entertaining and had me a bit on the edge of my seat. I was so excited that we finally got to see the Reaper of Chaos in action!

"Now, figures wearing long, black, hooded robes stormed through the coliseum - and they all carried sharp, curved swords. The figures swarmed over everyone in their path, their blades slashing into the students who'd been staring at the artifacts just a few seconds before. More screams and shouts tore through the air, echoing as loud as gunshots, as people realized what was happening. But it was already too late."

We also get to see Gwen, Logan, Daphne, and Carson in action as well, as they try to fend off the Reapers. From the first chapter of this book I knew it was going to be my favorite so far and I was not disappointed. This one really focuses on the Reapers and Loki and we get to learn a little more about both. I'd been waiting for this series to become epic and I'm so glad I stuck around because it finally succeeded!

My favorite aspect of this book, and what probably took it to five stars, was the growth that we finally see in Gwen. I've always liked her character and he snarky attitude. But, in previous books she often bothered me with her "I sort of remember an important detail that will help solve this, but it's just on the edge of my mind". In this one that happens much less often. She also begins to grow more into her psychometry power and we learn much more about what she can do. I really enjoy watching Gwen grow a little more in each book and that makes me excited to see where she will be going as the series continues.

Gwen and Logan continue to sort out their complicated relationship as well. It makes me so happy that this series does not have insta-love and that Gwen and Logan are so back and forth, but I'm ready for them to move past all their issues, especially on Logan's end, and get on with it already! Fans of the two will be happy with this book and their progress, but of course there was plenty of times when I wanted to throttle Logan for his stubborn stupidity.

Gwen's power of touch magic comes in handy when questioning prisoner Preston about the location of the mysterious Helheim dagger, the last key to unlocking Loki's tomb and unleashing him on the world. I'm glad Preston returned in this installment because I thought he was a kind of obvious and not well developed villain in Kiss of Frost so I'm glad he got some more face time in to become more developed and complex. Preston's Fenrir wolf also makes a return appearance, and that darn wolf became one of my favorite characters in this book.

The plot's main mystery was slightly predictable, as always, but the ride was quite fun so I can excuse the lack of surprise. That predictability is really the only reason I gave this one 4.5 stars instead of the full five. This one made me snort and brought tears to my eyes and, even better, made my chomping at the bit to get my hands on the next in the series.

Recommended for fans of: mythology, good female teen leads, action scenes, Vampire Academy, talking swords, and fun reads.

I really really really like this series :) It's amazing! The sequel to Touch of Frost didn't disappoint! I thought it was just as good as the first!

In this book there's a new reaper in town out to get Gwen and she's once again in fear for her life. The suspense in this book was great, but I had a suspension about who the reaper was in this book. There were too many obvious clues pointing in that direction. But it was still great and shocking in the great reveal of everything, but I am completely jumping ahead.

In this installment we find out tons of new things. Things about Gwen's mother, Oliver, and Logan. And speaking of Logan...He improved in this book :) Not in the beginning of course. He was still the same old Logan, but towards the end *SMILE*. I really like him :) And am rooting for Team Gwen and Logan! Gwen was awesome in this book and her new powers are progressing, which by the way, is completely awesome! I loved the added changes in her powers and thought it was a great addition to the book. And isn't Daphne and Carson's relationship super cute?!

Overall, I loved the sequel and thought it was amazing. I just bought Dark Frost and am about to start it! I read this book faster than I read Touch of Frost. This is becoming a new favorite series :) And I definitely recommend it!

Previously published on my blog: [...]

Finally. Finally Jennifer Estep has given me a book that I've been craving. What I didn't like the most about her previous two Mythos Academy books was that they seemed like petty mysteries. (Oh, and I'm totally going to spoil the books right here, so if you haven't read them yet, I'd suggest looking away.) In the first one, a girl faked her own murder so that her best friend and her boyfriend, who were hooking up behind her back, would feel bad. That's a silly motive for a fake murder. And then in the second book, the brother of the girl who faked her murder wanted to kill Gwen because he thought she killed his sister. Slightly better, but still silly. But FINALLY, we get a good mystery here: Gwen is trying to find the girl who murdered her mom.

Once again, I was a bit bothered by the repeating information from the previous novels, but that could also (once again) be because I read this back-to-back from the prequel. And once again, I was really bothered by how predictable the book was, since I was certain that so-and-so was Loki's champion long before her identity was revealed. AND I knew where her mom was hiding the Helheim dagger. (Seriously, nothing fools me these days.)

I still liked Gwen's snarky attitude though and the new twist on her touch magic. The characters in this novel were really fun, though a little clichéd, of course. But my favorite characters are always non-human: Vic (a sword) and Nott (a Fenrir wolf). Because Vic is just HILARIOUS and Nott is just ADORABLE (though she can be frightening).

Jennifer Estep did make an attempt to make Gwen less stupid, so I'm happy about that. `Cause Gwen actually sort-of guessed right at Loki's champion's identity, though I honestly still think she should have gotten the clue way before.

I was irritated with the romance in this book. Sure, Logan and Gwen both have admitted that they liked each other, but are they doing anything about it? No. Really, could they give it a try? But the ending satisfied me enough, along with that excerpt from Crimson Frost.

Dark Frost is a promising novel; the ending tells of more to come, both plot-wise and romance-wise. Even though I was unsatisfied with its predictability, I know that I will eagerly await Crimson Frost.

Source: Galley received from publisher for review

Jennifer Estep delivers a fun, action-packed sequel to Touch of Frost with Kiss of Frost. This second book picks up shortly after the first with Gwen learning how to fight from her crush (and hot Spartan), Logan Quinn.

As with the first book, Estep effortlessly weaves mystery and mythology together creating a story that's hard to put down. After the events at the end of book one, Gwen knows she may be the target from those wanting to get revenge and it's not too long before she is attacked. She has to find out who wants to kill her and she has to do it fast.

Gwen Frost is an extremely likable character. On the surface, she seems like the most ordinary girl in a school in a school full of rich, spoiled superheroes but her psychometry (ability to know an object's history by touching it) gives her character a lot more depth. In Kiss of Frost, we get to see more of Gwen's ability at work, which is nice. We also find out more information about the Chaos War and Gwen's role as Nike's champion.

The secondary characters are well written, especially Vic, Gwen's bloodthirsty, talking sword. I love him! While I was happy with Gwen and Logan's relationship at the end of the book, I want more! Jennifer Estep writes the opposite of insta-love: characters that are perfect for each other, have awesome, tension filled interactions but take forever to get together! It's been fun seeing these two deny their feelings and I am very excited to see where the story takes them in Dark Frost, which will be published in June.

While the mystery in Kiss of Frost was a bit more predictable than in Touch of Frost, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This series has romance, action and excitement. Can't wait to see what Estep has in store for us next.

Content: Profanity, kissing, underage drinking and violence.

Gwen's been through a world of deadly experiences since she started at Mythos Academy. As Nike's warrior she's a direct target for the Reapers, but unlike them she hasn't trained since birth. Turns up her mother hid the Helheim Dagger, the only thing standing in the way of the evil Loki's release. Gwen is the only one with a chance at finding it before the Reapers. Nothing has ever been more important in her life, and everyone is counting on her. At least she has her friends at her side and things are definitely heating up between her and Logan. She'll need every moment of happiness she can get to prepare for the coming fight.

In Kiss of Frost I was very annoyed with Gwen's backtracking in maturity. But in Dark Frost those worries are long gone. She doesn't make the same mistakes of not asking for help when she needed it. Also, a lot of the teen angst drama was toned down. I was incredibly impressed with this because there were several times where other very close to her characters treated her horribly, yet she took the high road each time. I will admit that her reaction to the ending events worried me a little, but considering the shock of what happened, I'm almost surprised it wasn't worse. Still it will take her time to accept what happened and her role in those events. Even so, I have a lot more confidence in her ability to handle things now than I would have prior to reading Dark Frost. She may have a ways to go yet, but she's definitely on the right path now.

The relationship between Logan and Gwen is moving along at such a slow crawling pace. For every step forward they make, they take two steps back, which really drives me nuts because I love the two of them together. Quite frankly, I don't get the stalling nature of their relationship. They really care for each other, so why in the world are things still wishy washy between them? Although in all honestly I think a lot of their problems stem from each of their own insecurities. If only they would open up just a little to one another, they probably could have avoided most of the issues between them. I will say that they seemed to make some progress in Dark Frost, I'm still skeptical about it sticking. Only time will tell I guess.

Everything really hit the fan in Dark Frost and there definitely will be major repercussions and fallout to come in the future. With all the shockers and reveals, I can't imagine what things are going to be like for Gwen and everyone else against the reapers, but I can pretty much guarantee nothing will be easy. That being said, I really enjoy how these books don't end on a cliffhanger as it makes for a refreshing read since I feel satisfied rather than bereft at the end. Full of mystery, danger, great mythology and even a little romance, Dark Frost and the rest of the Mythos Academy are books you won't want to miss

This is the third book in the Mythos Academy series by Estep. This book was an excellent addition to this series; thing really build in this novel....there is a ton of action right from the get-go. There is just so much that happens. The fourth book in this series, Crimson Frost, is scheduled for a Jan 2013 release. Right now there are six books on contract for this series.

Gwen and friends are at a museum finishing up their homework before winter break is over. Things are pretty normal, that is until the Reapers unleash a devastating attack on the museum killing a number of students. Gwen runs into Loki's Champion during the attack and finds out that the Reapers are searching for the Helmheim Dagger. Now Gwen has to figure out where the Helmheim Dagger is hidden before Loki's followers, the Reapers, do.

This book is action packed right from the get-go. Seriously the opening scene has our beloved group of characters fighting for their lives against a mass of Reapers. This was a great book, a lot of huge momentous events happening and a number of changes in the characters we love so much.

This being a YA paranormal book there is some teen angst here. Luckily it never overwhelms the story; there is some angst between Gwen and Logan because they want to be together but Logan doesn't want Gwen to know his secret and with her psychometry she will know it if she touches him. There is also a little bit of mean girl cattiness between Gwen and Logan's ex-girlfriend.

A lot of the characters grow in major and interesting ways. Daphne learns what her Valkyrie power is, Gwen learns how to use her psychometry as a weapon, Logan tries to make peace with his past, and we finally learn the history behind why that librarian hates Gwen so much.

Most of the story is an investigation of sorts. Gwen is trying to hunt down the Helmheim dagger using the clues provided. She also takes on a side job trying to hunt down a girl's ring; the mysteries end up tying together nicely.

There is one really great new character in this book and that is the Fenrir (giant wolf) that Gwen saved in the last book. Her name is Nott and she plays a major role in the story. As with previous books the Goddess Nike makes an appearance as well.

I continue to love the mythology throughout the story. I am also really enjoying the magic system and how Gwen is learning to use her psychometry in new and interesting ways. The story never gets too heavy because Gwen is wonderfully snarky and sarcastic. This is a tough book for our characters though, many of them suffer loses, and the situation is more dire than ever before.

Overall just an absolutely wonderful addition to this series. This is my favorite book in the series so far. So many huge things happen and there is so much great character development. Things just keep get more interesting. I really enjoy the balance of action, excellent characters, a wonderful world, an intriguing magic system, and a little bit of romance. This is highly recommended for urban fantasy fans; both adult and YA. If you are an adult I also strongly recommend Estep's Elemental Assassin series.

E-ARC: Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Source: Sent from author

Short Synopsis: Mythos Academy is under attack. The Reapers are trying to find the Helheim dagger, and will stop at nothing to get it. Being Nike's champion, Gwen must do everything in her power to keep the dagger carefully hidden, and out of reach of The Reapers before anything more drastic can happen.

My Thoughts: I love this series. If you haven't read A Touch Of Frost yet, this is one series to definitely sink your teeth in.

While working on a last minute school paper with her friends Daphne and Carson, the museum gets attacked by a group of Reapers. And since there is no real means of escape, Gwen and her friends stay, and fight back.
After the attack, students lives were lost, sending the school into a dark somber. Gwen and her friends find out that the Reapers badly want an artifact called the Helheim dagger. An artifact that her own mother once hid long ago.
Gwen must find out why the Reapers want this artifact, and how to keep it from them as long as possible. And if things couldn't get worse, Gwen has no idea what's going on with Daphne, and where she stands with her relationship with Logan, and if she wants to continue to be Nike's champion. Gwen must get to the bottom of the Helheim situation before things get too out of hand.

Another great read by Jennifer Estep. I seriously couldn't take my eyes off this series. Gwen might not be the strongest, or the most perfect, but when it comes to her friends, nothing can stop her. Gwen always has drama in her life, but she always finds time to help those she cares about.
I loved reading the on going relationship between Gwen and Logan, but am hoping that they will ultimately become a couple. There were a lot situations going on with this novel, and we get to find out more about each characters' past, including Gwen, Daphne and even Logan. I felt that this novel was more emotional, and couldn't wait to find out more.
I felt sympathy towards Daphne and what she was going through, as well as Gwen, as she finds out who her mother's real killer was. The Fenrir wolf was an interesting turn of events, and I can't wait to find out how Gwen will deal with the idea. It was also shocking to read that Gwen was having second thoughts about becoming Nike's champion, but also understandable. All in all, a great read, and one to definitely look forward to, especially if you've followed along since the beginning.

Would I recommend this book: Yes.

Rating: I give this book a 4/5.

The Mythos Academy series just keeps getting better. Dark Frost is full of action, mystery, and romance. Jennifer Estep has created an amazing world that readers can't help but love.

Gwen has grown a lot since the start of the series. She is much easier to like now. She is brave, fierce, kind, and funny. She no longer judges people based on what she hears about them. That was one of her worst characteristics in the beginning. Now she is more open to making friends and her friends help make her a better person. Logan is a bit of a jerk at times but mainly he is sweet and protective. Daphne is hilarious. She and Carson crack me up. The cast of characters really has gotten better as the series has progressed.

The mystery of the Reaper girl wasn't much of a mystery, at least not to me. The clues were just a bit too obvious and I predicted early on who it was. The mystery of the Helheim Dagger's location was also rather predictable. However these things didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Dark Frost is much more action packed than the first two books. There is quite a bit of fighting and it was awesome. Gwen's fighting skills have really improved although she does still get punched in the face a few times. However this time she gets in a few punches of her own. Just another way she is improving throughout the series.

The mythology is still my favorite part of the book. The gods, the creatures, the history, it's all so wonderful. Each book reveals a bit more about the gods and each little bit is extremely interesting. The mythology isn't overbearing though. It's just enough to add to the story.

Overall, Dark Frost is a fabulous addition to the Mythos Academy series and the next book cannot get here soon enough!

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Romance -May 29th 2012
4 ½ stars

Gwendolyn Frost has discovered that she is the Champion to Nike when she suddenly finds herself in the Mythos Academy. Mythos Academy is a school that trains magical students how to fight the evil Reapers of Chaos led by the destructive god Loki. Gwen has special gypsy skills that allow her to discover `things' from objects she touches. She is given the task of stopping the evil Reapers from freeing the power hunger and mad god Loki. With the aid of her bloodthirsty and cocky sword Vic she tries to discover where her mother has hidden the Helheim Dagger. It is the last artifact that the Reapers are trying to find to free Loki from his prison. But Gwen is fighting against time and also working to discover the identity of the Champion that killed her mother. To complicate matters, a powerful and scary hellhound befriends her and a hot Spartan schoolmate distracts Gwen.

Gwen is a likeable underdog who feels like she can't do anything right. Her abilities seem weak compared to the rest of the rich and powerful students at school. When she discovers that her mother has been murdered she is driven to find the killer and find justice. This was a quick and suspenseful read as Gwen plays the detective. Since Gwen is new to this magical world she is often trying to orient herself and as she learns more so does the reader. I really enjoyed the authors various mythological students in training from the Valkyries to Spartans and how each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses. The many varied characters alone guarantee that some new mischief will occur that Gwen will have to sort out. I love that this storyline has a lot of room to grow. It was fun to read Gwen learning her powers and what they can actually do and how she is determined to find out more about her mysterious mother. I also loved the hilariously loud mouthed and blood thirsty sword Vic who happens to have an equally loud mouthed arch nemesis sword named Lucretia.

Wildly inventive, funny and entertaining I can't wait for the next installment!

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

After reading a Kiss of Frost and getting totally hooked on this series a few weeks ago..I knew that I had to read the third book! Definitely a great addition to an already awesome series!

One of my favorite parts of this book was the plot!! Jennifer Estep does a really great job of weaving an amazing story..with new characters and lots of intrigue! I was on the edge of my seat reading this book..not knowing what would happen next. I really liked that this book was action packed and didn't spend a whole lot of time explaining different mythologies and details, and instead really showed what was going on. The action and fight scenes in this book were awesome! I really liked reading also about the development of Gwen's powers as well.

I also really liked the progression of the main character Gwen! Of course she's still her sarcastic, determined self, but she really becomes a strong person. I really liked seeing her growth as a character and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!! I also loved the development of her relationship with Logan!! The romance in this book definitely heats up..and I really like how Jennifer Estep incorporated it into Dark Frost! It was the perfect amount.

Overall, this was a great third book to a really enjoyable series!! After leaving us on a cliffhanger at the end of this book, I can't wait to see what's in store next!!

Dark Frost, Jennifer Estep's latest installment of her Mythos Academy series can only be described as Estep at her best.
Once again we are plunged into Gwen's world of magic and mythology, of battles and deception, of half truths and lies. Mystery and suspense, good guys, bad guys and even guys in between and always a battle of good versus evil as Gwen tries to track down the Helheim Dagger and of course, save the world.

Right away there is a fierce battle with the Reapers and Gwen knows it is only going to get worse as the Reapers get more and more desperate to locate the Dagger. She knows no one will be safe until she can find it and make sure Loki doesn't escape his prison.

Gwen is starting to learn more about her mother in this book and not only that but also more about her Gypsy powers and what she is capable of. She also begins to unravel a little of the academy's secrets as well as some of the students and staff. Like always, things aren't always what they seem and as simple as they should be for Gwen.

She is getting stronger in every sense of the word and truly becoming a Champion that Nike would be proud of. I really enjoyed watching Gwen grow in this installment and become the warrior that she needs to be. Taking charge and doing what has to be done to get the job done and to keep everyone safe.

Gwen struggles a lot through this book but she overcomes them all. I think this one was way more emotional than any of the past ones have been. It seemed like one minute I felt anger for Gwen, then her sadness and heartbreak and then her joy and triumph.

Truly this is one roller coaster ride of a read. This series just keeps getting better and better and I can not wait until the next book. It is going to be a long agonizing wait to see what happens next.

My Thoughts: What an awesome sequel to Touch of Frost! I enjoyed this book alot more, the plot, the setting, the romance. I loved the skii resort and find myself liking Logan more and more....

I began this book last night and woke up this morning, 65 pages into it and read it all day and finished at page 337 at about 3:30. It was that good.

Let me just say that I love the new developments with her gypsy powers. Now she can get super wicked skiing skills, bow skills, and sword skills just by thinking about her boyfriend and best friend? Sweet! And now she's actually beginning to kick some ass :)

I love Gwen. She's a great character. She stands up for herself and is just like any other girl her age. She loves Logan and is hurt by him turning her down, but in the end is understanding about it when he needs her most. I mean we all knew he'd end up liking her, otherwise we'd all beat down Jennifer Estep's door and demand she rewrite the novel with alot of steamy hot moments between them.

I can't wait for a third book, (it comes out in June I believe) and just bought the prequel First Frost, which I never knew existed. I haven't decided if I'll review it yet since it's so short. I wanted to combine it's review with this review but I'm too impatient. Maybe I'll add that book review to this one tomorrow. I don't know.

The Cover: The cover is wicked! I love how her face is covered in frost and the girl on the cover is acting like she's blowing some snowflakes off of her hand. So cool :D

***Warning spoilers if you have not read book 1 TOUCH OF FROST***

KISS OF FROST is filled with action. Plenty of slippery situations arise and plenty of romantic tension situations between Logan and Gwen springs up. Book one TOUCH OF FROST provided a lot of background and character introduction. KISS OF FROST took up where it left off and gave us more adventure while showing us the advancement of Gwen's power.

Gwen is completely different from anyone at Mythos Academy. Not only is she not a direct descendant of a god (although her family powers were gifted by the Goddess Nike) like all the other kids but she was also raised completely outside the walls and knew nothing of her new world before she started attending the academy. I think that is why it is easier for her to think outside the box and see things others might not as well as makes her think she needs to be a hero to prove herself. She really wants to show everyone that she can be a champion on her own but she eventually comes to realize it is ok to ask for help. Logan finally gets kicked in the head (metaphorically) in KISS OF FROST and comes to his senses which I'm glad about and cant wait to see what happens next for him and Gwen. I loved TOUCH OF FROST and I ended up loving KISS OF FROST and can not wait for book 3. Ive said it before and I continue to say it now, you can not go wrong with a book written by Jennifer Estep.

Estep begins her third installment to the Mythos Academy series right after the end of winter break. Gwen and her usual gang are doing some research on ancient artifacts when a group of Reapers led by Loki's champion attack. Gwen discovers that they are looking for the Helheim Dagger, which her mother had hid. Now Gwen must unravel the clues that her mother has left for her and discover the dagger before the Reapers get a hold of it and let loose Loki upon the world. She must also discover who Loki's champion is, and it is starting to look like it is someone that is close to Gwen.

Gwen and Logan's relationship is as complicated as ever. Logan is scared that Gwen will discover his secret with her gypsy gift. Gwen's gift does seem to get in the way a lot even after they get past the "secret"; Gwen discovers something new about her powers that scares her to death and causes her to shy away from Logan.

This series is definitely addicting. I love the non-stop action that Estep is known for in her books. She throws in some intense scenes and some heart-breaking moments. Another aspect I love about Estep's writing is that her characters are always growing. In this book Gwen and Logan's relationship and personal lives grow and Gwen's best friend, Daphne, starts to come into her own also. Even though some parts of the book were predictable, Dark Frost will captivate any YA reader that loves Greek mythology.

(eARC was provided by author for an honest review)

Kiss of Frost opens not long after Touch of Frost. Gwen works on improving her fighting skills after her fight with the Reaper Jasmine. Against the Spartans, the stores and others at Mythos Academy, she seems at a serious disadvantage. However, her Gypsy gift of psychometry once again shows Gwen is not as limited in power and skill as she may seem, and Gwen discovers more about her role as Nike's Champion, maybe more than she bargained for! Even with this power and goddess-given mantle, Gwen is still dealing with her own sadness from her mom's death and Logan's rebuff of her feelings. While you definitely know you are dealing with teens, powers and battles aside, the emotions of the characters stay true to age and you can see true growth in them without belief-suspending leaps.

I have really enjoyed Jennifer Estep's adult Elemental Assassin series, and Mythos Academy brings a lot of the same elements: a strong female lead; family interactions and issues; developing powers - all leading to a delightful book that makes me anxiously await the next in the series. Gwen is finding answers to some of the questions that were asked in Touch of Frost, good and bad, that will definitely push the storyline forward. There were some definite moments that were revealed far too early, but Estep countered those with some surprises towards the end. I believe some of the best parts of these books are the secondary characters: Daphne and Carson are back in the thick of things, and the introductions of Oliver and Kenzie, along with Morgan hints at some intricate relationships for Gwen and the future.

Estep gives the "teen outcast" storyline a fresh twist with the Mythos Academy series. I will be waiting for the next book, Dark Frost, when it appears on shelves in June 2012.