On Trial: A Review of Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep

                                                                                           The Mythos Academy books are in many ways derivative, in many ways nothing new, and yet I really find myself drawn to them to a greater degree than any similar story in the young adult world. I think this is a credit to Estep's writing style--it doesn't feel overly polished, and yet it's clever in a subtle way.

Crimson Frost is book 4, and we find our heroine on trial for the very crimes that she tried to prevent. She's accused of being Loki's champion, and the entire school turns against her (with the exception of her very closest friends, and Logan of course). Gwen knows that there is an active plot to put Loki in power, and a real traitor in their midst, and she must stop that plot even as she fights for her personal freedom.

I like Gwen, because she's very much an average teenage girl, but she has a personality. Among YA heroines, that's a rare quality. At this point in the story, Gwen is still settling into her role as champion, and struggling to be active in that role, when she's put on trial. The trial brings to light the fact that Gwen is a quiet but stubborn disobeyer of many rules, and it becomes kind of obvious that she has some issues with authority.We also see her learn a lesson in self sacrifice and faith, which fails to be gut-wrenching only because it's so easy to guess the outcome.

Estep shows a lot of skill in crafting a cast of supporting characters that amuse and intrigue. This book gives us a peak into Logan's history, and a whole new perspective on what his skills and abilities mean. I'm eager to see where his character development will go from here, as there were certainly some game changing events for both he and Gwen. Daphne and Carson are fantastic as well. The book also provides Oliver, a Spartan who Gwen recently learned is gay, with a love interest. It's starting to feel like the Scuby Gang, but hopefully it won't become too cheesie.

Ultimately, this is a good book in a good series from a great author. Even if your a bit jaded on the "magic school" type of stories, I would still recommend trying this one. There's a lot to like. 4 stars.       

On Nott: A Review of Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

I received an ARC of Dark Frost from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in the Mythos Academy series, featuring a gypsy named Gwen. Gwen is a champion of the goddess Nike, and she's charged with finding and hiding a special dagger. This dagger has the ability to free the evil god, Loki, who would unleash chaos on the world.

Positive Comments:

I find Gwen extremely charming. I like that she's a comic book geek. She's blossomed a great deal since book one, going from loner to a confident young woman who supports her friends and flirts with Logan.

Logan is sexy as hell. He's a tormented bad boy, which is an extremely popular archetype, and I can't get enough of him. I'm anxious to see Logan and Gwen finally start to connect on a deeper level.

The secondary characters are fantastic. In this on, I give special mention to Grandma Frost, who kicks ass and bakes cookies. I love that. I also loved Nott, Gwen's mythical wolf companion.

This story was action packed from start to finish. It opens with a battle, has a mystery in the middle and finishes off with some big, game changing events.

Critical Comments:

Some of Gwen's actions--or lack of action--maddened me. She makes questionable (arguably stupid) decisions, and then when things go bad as a result, she survives only by luck and because her friends rescue her. I want to believe that she will improve in this--that soon Gwen will be standing on her own feet. But three books in, I expected more.

Recommendation:

I'm very fond of this series. I'd recommend it to fantasy fans, young adults, and those who love mythology. 4 stars.

Buy from Amazon: Dark Frost: A Mythos Academy Novel

On Gambling: A Review of Devil's Kiss by Zoe Archer

Zoe Archer became cemented in my mind as "author of great historical/adventure/romance" when I read her Blade of the Rose book last summer. This newer series, the Hellraisers, i more of a straight paranormal romance, in a historical setting.

The Hellraisers are a group of bored and disenchanted men who make a deal with the devil for powers that suite their individual vices. Whit, the hero of our story, is a gambler, and he gains power over the odds. Zora, a young gypsy woman, tries to stop the deal from happening. When she fails, he is bound to Whit to do with as he pleases. Whit finds that he wants to seduce Zora, but without forcing her or using his powers. Sensing that there is still good in him, Zora sets out to help Whit undo the work of the devil and reclaim his soul.

Positive Comments

You know what's a fun quality for a romance novel hero? Deep seated psychological addiction issues. No, really. I've noticed this trend, especially in paranormals, where the hero is messed up in all kinds of interesting, angsty ways that lead to bad habits and occasional substance abuse. The thing is, for reasons I can't and don't want to explain to myself, I love damaged heroes. Whit is an interesting character. His boredom with the world and his fascination with gambling give him just enough of an edge to make him a memorable hero.

I really like how Archer writes heroines. I like that they're always useful. Zora has legitimate power, she's smart, and she's not afraid to tell Whit off. She saves the day just about as often as she's saved.

So, predictably, with a likeable hero and a likeable heroine, we get an enjoyable romantic relationship. It's got tension and sex appeal and fire. Literally. There's ghost voyeurism. Great stuff all around.

Critical Comments

Let's face it, the premise is a little tired. A lot of authors have done the band of brothers thing (you can't blame them, it's an excuse to write an extended series). Plus I've seen the souls-damned-to-hell-because-of-worldy-vices plot about a hundred times. At least it isn't a seven deadly sins theme. Gluttony isn't sexy.

I miss the wide scope of mythology that we saw in the Blades of the Rose books. Maybe it's not fair to compare, since this is kind of a different genre, but I can't help it. I like the unpredictability of a magical quest in some exotic place, where zombies or clay monsters might pop out at any moment. The pattern this followed was a lot more predictable, and a lot less captivating.

Recommendation

This is still a passably good paranormal romance. If you're new to Zoe Archer, I suggest trying the Blades of the Rose books instead. Otherwise, this book has it's merits and is fairly entertaining. 3 stars

Right now this book is available on Amazon for $1.99, a really sweet deal:  Devil's Kiss

On Frost: A Review of Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep

I happened to win an ARC of this book back in October. It's the second book in the Mythos Academy (see my review of book one HERE). I had mixed feelings about the first one. This one, on the other hand, left me feeling pleasantly surprised.

In Kiss of Frost, Gwen is convinced that a Reaper is out to kill her because of the events of the first novel (which is all I can say, and still try to be spoiler free here). Gwen is still relatively unskilled when it comes to weapons and self-defense, but she does have a talent for investigation. Thus, wanting to prove herself and uncover her would-be killer, Gwen uses her psycometry powers to sift through her classmates' secrets.


Positive Comments:

I liked the winter setting and themes. I fully expected this book to be set entirely at the academy, which would have been fine. Instead, most of the story takes place at a ski resort where the Academy hosts a Winter Carnival. The change of scenery makes the story seem fresh.

As I said in my first review, the characters are quite interesting and thoughtfully written. In this book Gwen has finally started to come out of her shell socially, but she's still a fairly geeky and introverted character. I love Daphne, Gwen's best friend, who is the perfect blend of cheerleader and warrior princess, with a dash of computer nerd on top. Logan, the obvious love interest, is still hot and intriguing, and his character is finally beginning to show some depth. I also liked how the background characters were handled; Oliver, Carson, Preston, and so forth. The author manages to give them distinct and interesting personalities in very few pages.

As an aside, yes, there is actual kissing in Kiss of Frost. But I'm not telling you who kisses whom, because that would be a spoiler.

The overarching plot of the series seems to be headed in an interesting direction. This story by itself is pretty small and not overly exciting, but it does feel like it's building to something epic.

Critical Comment:

Gwen makes some questionable judgement calls. There are times when she seems to be willfully refusing to see obvious facts. This is frustrating for the reader, but I will acknowledge that Gwen is new to her role in the Mythos world, so a few mistakes may be excusable.

The only other complaint I have is that these books have a lot of untapped potential. The author has taken the time to build a world where all gods and goddesses and mythological creatures from all cultures exist, but she doesn't do much with them. Instead we get mortals fighting other mortals, with a little help from a giant killer wolf. There is so much more that could be done with this kind of world building, and as much as I enjoyed the story a part of me is disappointed at the wasted opportunity.

In the end, my expectations for this book were met and I dare say exceeded slightly. In the world of YA fantasy novels, these aren't anything special or ground-breaking, but they are enjoyable. I recommend them. 4 stars.

Snippet Reviews: The Hathaways

Oliver and I

I talked about the awesomeness that is the Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas in a previous post.  The Hathaway series is set in the same universe, and some of the same characters appear, but you don't necessarily need to read one series before the other. If possible, I like the Hathaway series even more than the Wallflowers. Except of course for the pairings, the following reviews shall be spoiler free.

In short, this is a series about the Hathaway family, a rather quirky bunch. The time period is somewhere between 1830 and 1850 I believe. With both parents dead, all five siblings (four girls, one boy) are left to fend for themselves. When the brother, Leo, unexpectedly inherits a title and the land that goes with it, the family is thrown into a new lifestyle and new society.

Book One: Mine Til Midnight: Self declared spinster and mother hen of the family, Amelia Hathaway, finds herself in the arms of the wealthy half-gypsy Cam. If that sentence alone doesn't sell you on this book, let me say that this is one of my absolute favorite books, period. It's an opposites attract pairing. Cam is extremely sexy and mysterious. Amelia is a strong, admirable character who many women can probably relate to. Plus, you get to meet the rest of the Hathaways and get your first glimpse and all of their delightful madness. 5 stars.


Book Two: Seduce Me at Sunrise: Now, this was probably the weakest in the series for me. The heroine, Win Hathaway, has spent a lot of her life in frail health. Even though she's much recovered, everyone including our hero Merripen, treat her with a lot of delicacy. I'm not overly fond of fragile heroines. Still, it's emotional and romantic. It has a very strong hero, and I did connect to his emotional journey. 3 stars.

Book Three: Tempt Me at Twilight: Poppy Hathaway is basically trapped into marrying the stern hotelier Harry Rutledge. A good portion of the book takes place in the hotel, where to Harry's dismay Poppy befriends everyone from cook to messenger. I liked that Poppy was such a friendly heroine. I thought she and Harry were an excellent match. 4 stars.

Book Four: Married by Morning: In some ways this is your typical reformed rake (Leo) meets uptight spinster (Cat) romance. But it has enough uniqueness to keep things interesting. Leo has a pretty valid reason for his rakish behavior, and has already begun to pull himself together by the time Cat arrives. Cat is the governess for the younger Hathaway girls, and she has valid reasons for being pinned up. The two are remarkably cut together. 4.5 stars

Book Five: Love in the Afternoon: Beatrix agrees to help her friend Pru write letters to her betrothed, Christoper, who is at war in France. Bea ends up writing the letters herself after Pru loses interest, and through the exchange she and  Christopher fall in love--without him realizing her true identity. Letters and journals are a favorite story-telling device of mine. Added to this Bea is my favorite Hathaway girl, with her love of animals and her lively spirit. This book is particularly delightful. 5 stars.

Final thoughts: If you like historical romance, you should absolutely give these a try. Diverse characters, well paced plots, and a good dose of humor make the Hathaway series a keeper.

On Gypsies: A Review of Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep is this month's book club pick over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. I just finished it last night, with mixed feelings. Primarily I liked the book. But the issues I have with it are many, although all very minor.

The book is told in first person narrative with Gwen as the narrator. Gwen is the new girl at Mythos Academy, a school for teens descended from the gods and champions of classic mythology. Most of the teens are warriors from rich families, and grew up knowing their heritage and their purpose. Gwen, however, has no warrior abilities to speak of and knows nothing about her mythological origins. She does possess a "gyspy gift"--psychometry--the ability to touch objects and people and get information about them (images, thoughts, emotions). When a girl is brutally murdered in the school library where Gwen works, she tries to use her gift to solve the mystery.

I thought that the initial ideas within the book--the use of mythology, the setting, the characters--were pretty fantastic. I had really high hopes early on when the book introduces Valkyries, Spartans, Amazons, etc, that it was going to build into an epic and detailed story. Estep uses Gwen as the fish out of water type character who doesn't really know anything about the mythological world, and thus has to have everything explained to her. This is generally a good world building strategy. The problem with it in this case is that it kept the story small. We are limited to Gwen's point of view and Gwen's knowledge of events. So instead of an epic story about gods and goddesses, you mostly get a murder mystery with a paranormal touch. It's almost entirely exposition, with a lot of pages devoted to building up to future books. It's a good story, but I thought there was a lot of unrealized potential.

The narrative gets a bit repetitive. The author seems compelled to remind readers of important details over and over, and in my opinion it makes for a lot of wasted space.

I liked that the characters had actual personalities. I've been noticing in my YA reading that protagonists are often given minimal character traits, as though authors are afraid that by giving them real personalities they might make them impossible to relate to. Not so here. Gwen is full of sarcasm, curiosity, and a touch of geekiness. It's unfortunate that, due to grief over her recently deceased mother and not really fitting in at Mythos, she spends most of the book friendless and isolated. Because of that, it took me almost the entire book to get a handle on her character, but at least she isn't flat and boring. And her development is fulfilling. She comes out of her shell, learns a lot about herself, and helps to save the day.

I had one problem with Gwen: I didn't really buy her skepticism regarding the fantastical elements of the story. I've had this complaint with other books. If you personally have a magical power that you've lived with your whole life, why would you be surprised or in denial about other powers existing?

Now imagine theses girls had super powers. Scary, right?

The social scene at the school was pretty intriguing. Mostly we learn about the Valkyries, who are the most popular girls. As you might expect, their mean and catty to one another and everyone else. Pretty accurate to what I remember from high school (minus the super powers, of course). Many of the other kids behave more like typical college students--lots of drinking and sex. None of which Gwen actually experiences, being isolated as she is, but she tells us about it repeatedly.

That brings me to Logan, the "love interest" of the book. He's a cool character, a Spartan with a lot of warrior skill, but he's under-utilized. There isn't really any romance to speak of, only a mutual attraction between he and Gwen that doesn't go anywhere. To be fair, I only expected romance because of the source of the recommendation. To my knowledge this is mostly being marketed as YA fantasy. And I'm sure we'll see more of Logan in future books.

This book is a nice meld of classic mythology elements and a few modern paranormal elements. If you like that sort of thing, and especially if your looking for a decent young adult book, I'd recommend this. I have high hopes for this series. 3.5 stars