Wednesday, December 26, 2012

KISS OF FROST by Jennifer Estep

Title: Kiss of Frost

Series: Mythos Academy #2

Author: Jennifer Estep


Summary

Thousands of years ago the god Loki decided he wanted to release Chaos into the mortal world and destroy humanity.  He gathered his followers, the Reapers of Chaos, and used them to gain power.  The gods and mortals determined to save humanity formed the Pantheon, a group with the sole purpose of defeating the Reapers in the Chaos War; led by the goddess Nike, the Pantheon was able to imprison Loki and stop Chaos from spreading.

Gwen has learned first hand that Loki's Reapers remain loyal to the god and are determined to release him from his prison.  Though she succeeded in preventing the Reapers' recent attempt to release Loki, Gwen still has a lot to learn in order to survive as Nike's Champion. Her training is even more important now because the Reapers know Gwen is responsible for their recent failure and revenge is one thing the Reapers are especially good at.

With the end of the term approaching, all of Mythos Academy is anxious to attend the annual Winter Carnival...except for Gwen; she would much rather remain at the academy.  But when it seems as though someone is out to kill Gwen, her best friend Daphne refuses to let her stay unprotected and convinces her that the trip will not only be good for her safety but also for her love life.  However, once the group arrives at the carnival, it is clear that the danger has followed Gwen and someone is definitely out for revenge.

My Impression

Gwen is still the same sarcastic Gypsy who can't sword fight to save her life who I met at the beginning of Touch of Frost.  However, Gwen is now more than that Gypsy girl with psychometry; Gwen is Nike's Champion, gifted by the goddess with touch magic, one of the rarest and most powerful of all magics.  

I loved seeing the struggles that Gwen had to face in Kiss of Frost.  While trying to accept her status as the third wheel to Daphne and Carson's relationship and trying to control her jealousy and anger at Logan's relationship with Savannah, Gwen also has to balance the expectations of her role as Nike's champion with her perception of her own abilities.  Yet no matter how bad Gwen feels about herself at times, she is constantly kind-hearted, which really defines her as a character.  

The same grievance I had with Touch of Frost also applies to Kiss of Frost.  This book also contained many pop-culture references, as well as a reference to "Ashland Asylum", which is another place from Estep's Elemental Assassin series. 

Why I Picked Up This Book

I bought and read this book almost as soon as it came out, because I really enjoyed Touch of Frost, the first book in the Mythos Academy series.

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Mythology, Romance

My Rating: Five Stars



Interested in other books by Jennifer Estep?  Check here to read my reviews of other books from this series.


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