SERIESous’ Top Book Series: #9
Series: Mythos Academy
Author: Jennifer Estep
# of Books: 6 (Touch of Frost, Kiss of Frost, Dark Frost, Crimson Frost, Midnight Frost, Killer Frost)
There are three novellas: #0.5 First Frost, #1.5 Halloween Frost and #4.5 Spartan Frost
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: No, Killer Frost will be published in February 2014 Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Mythology, Action, Romance, Magic
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: First Person
Thoughts:
When I first saw Touch of Frost at my library, I didn’t know that it was about mythology: I just liked the cover. I love mythology so whenever I come across a book that features some elements of myths, I’m there–especially if it is a young adult novel.
Coincidently, I got both First Frost and Touch of Frost from my library at the same time. Knowing that First Frost is the “prequel” novella, I read it first. I would say that this isn’t necessary before you read Touch of Frost but it does help explain why Gwen is a touch rebellious and depressed at times. First Frost isn’t the best novella ever, but it does help create the scene for the rest of the series so if you can get a copy of it, it is worth a read.
I really loved Touch of Frost for a few reasons. One is the romance between Logan and Gwen. Calling it a romance is generous because it is really just sexual tension for the entire book–so if you are expecting a romance filled with minor action elements, you aren’t going to enjoy this series because it is the reverse (ie. lots of action with a dash of romance). Reason two builds on the action part: this novel has some great suspense with the mystery surrounding the death at the Academy–and this can be said about the other books as well. I easily got sucked into these books’ plots because they were exciting and always building. Obviously the mythology is another reason I liked Touch of Frost and the rest of the series. It’s a cool blend of all mythology out there but done in a way that isn’t overly complicated and easy to follow.
But the main reason I loved this series is because of Gwen. When I started this series, I had been reading books with heroines that weren’t always my favourite. Gwen was a breeze of fresh air with her wit, independence and fighting skills. She is a lot of fun and I always like characters that can make me laugh. I find she doesn’t lose herself in her love interest and gets stronger with every book.
I always knew that this series was going to be 6 books in length and at first I was excited to get so much awesomeness. I loved Kiss of Frost (book 2) and it is definitely my favourite of the series–which I think this caused a problem for me with the rest of the series. I simply call it The Curse of Book Two: whenever I like a book early on in the series–usually it is the second book–I get disappointed in the rest of the series because I go into the next book expecting it to be book 2 all over again. There are only two series where this hasn’t been the case: Vampire Academy and Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead. Those two series are what I compare all 6-book series to and let me tell you, other books have a lot to measure up to!
With this series, I actually did like Dark Frost (book 3) a lot. While not as good as Kiss of Frost, it has a great plot to set up the rest of the series and I wasn’t disappointed in it overall. So I was hoping the Curse of Book 2 was beyond me until I picked up Crimson Frost. I was really disappointed in this book because it seemed to me that it fell into the Book Two Slump of a Trilogy: where we don’t get a huge amount of plot progression but just enough to pump you up for the final installment. It definitely succeeded in making me excited for Midnight Frost (which I have yet to read) but I just felt let down after reading it. Also, Gwen started to irritate me a bit with her Lead-Heroine Sacrifice Syndrome moments but not enough for me to outright dislike her.
I did read Spartan Frost (novella #4.5), but to be truthful I just skimmed it. It wasn’t anything impressive but it does give some insight into the events that happen in Crimson Frost. I have yet to read Midnight Frost but I am excited to see where this series will go and how it will finish.
UPDATED (Mar 8/14):After one failed attempted to read Midnight Frost, I finally was able to read it. This book wasn’t anything overly exciting. It definitely had a few interesting pieces but again, it really felt like the Book Two Slump of a Trilogy where a mild plot was used to build up the final book of the series. It’s really disappointing because I really loved the start of the series and have felt that the last two books have not delivered as much as the first two (possibly the third). I think if I had all these books in my hand and didn’t have to wait 6-8 months for the next book, I wouldn’t feel as “let down” as I have been feeling about this series.
Conclusion:
Overall, the series is a refreshing read in the Young Adult genre with its use of mythology and magic. There are great characters to get absorbed in and dashes of romance along the way. One of my favourite Young Adult series so I highly recommend it!
Rating: 4/5
Similar Reads: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (The Goddess Test Trilogy #1), Starling by Lesley Livingston (Starling Trilogy #1) and Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout (Covenant Series #1)
Synopsis for Touch of Frost (from Goodreads):
My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy; a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why; especially since I should have been the one who died…
[…] Series Review: Mythos Academy by Jennifer Estep […]