ARC Review: Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep

Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #6
Release Date: February 25th 2014
Publisher: K-Teen
Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

I’ve battled the Reapers of Chaos before–and survived. But this time I have a Bad, Bad Feeling it’s going to be a fight to the death … most likely mine.

Yeah, I’ve got my psychometry magic, my talking sword, Vic–and even the most dangerous Spartan on campus at my side, in Logan freaking Quinn, but I’m no match for Loki, the evil Norse god of chaos. I may be Nike’s Champion, but at heart, I’m still just Gwen Frost, that weird Gypsy girl everyone at school loves to gossip about.

Then someone I love is put in more danger than ever before, and something inside me snaps. This time, Loki and his Reapers are going down for good … or I am.

With this book comes to end to a series I’ve adored for almost 2 years. I’ve anticipated each installment eagerly and devoured them rather quickly and it breaks my heart a little to finally have to let go but at the same time I can genuinely say that I am satisfied. Estep did NOT disappoint with the finale. Perhaps there could have been a little less cheese but in the end the conclusion was well done.

The beginning had me a little vary. Logan and Gwen were not back to normal and there was still a certain distance to them. Logan was still heartbroken about what had happened back in Crimson Frost and I was a little worried at this point. I thought Midnight Frost would have ironed out some of the bumps but it hadn’t. With the kidnapping of her grandmother things became even worse and well.. I was worried I’d have to spend the whole book like I did Midnight Frost but there was nothing to worry about because that was sorted out easily.

Gwen is a very likeable female lead. She always makes a point to understand people’s points of views even if they don’t line up with her own. She may not agree, hey no one asked her to, but she respects other people’s opinions. Especially when it came to the situation with her Grandma. She HATED Linus for not trading the candle but at the same time she realizes she would have made the same choice had she been in his position because there is too much at stake. Gwen isn’t a hero. Yes she is Nike’s champion, yes it’s up to her to end the war but she isn’t a savior. She very much needs help from other people. She isn’t some lone wolf who can take care of everything on her own. She also takes responsibility for her actions and is loyal to a fault. She loves her family and is willing to do anything for her grandma and this just adds up to make Gwen a relateable and very down to earth female lead.

This series also has some of the most adorable relationships ever. From the one she shares with her friends, to the one with Logan, her family and Nickamedes. I love how her friends are ACTUALLY GOOD FRIENDS. They see through her bullshit with an ease that only true friends can. They support her and back her up and are willing to help her no matter the cost. Logan was also the sweetest guy ever. You probably wouldn’t have expected it in book one but he isn’t a bad boy cliché. He is ADORABLE. The two are the cutest couple too. Gwen doesn’t want to drag him into her mess not because she doesn’t trust him or couldn’t use help but because she doesn’t want to make him choose between her and his father and you can tell Logan is glad for that, later, even when he doesn’t say it and even when he actually HELPED. I love Grandma Frost and her relationship with her Grandma is adorable. It always makes me want to give mine a huge squeeze (accept that I am an awkward hugger). My favorite relationship in this series it the one between Nickamedes and Gwen; they’ve come such long ways since the beginning of the series, from barely containing their animosity to truly caring for each other. AND THEY FINALLY HUGGED.

All of that aside, I AM SO EFFING HAPPY ABOUT THE BATTLE SCENE. Holy crap Estep wrote an amazing battle scene. One that did my proud. The scenes before the battle were perfect. Dripping in tension, you could feel the emotions rolling off the pages. I was nervous, scared, frightened and really hoping that everything went well. When the battle commenced, I kid you not, there was music playing in my head. IT WAS PERFECT. The battle was VERY WELL DONE. I don’t think I can emphasize that enough (even with all my caps locks) because well it’s the thing we’ve been looking forward to since the beginning of this series. The show down. The end of it all. The fate of the series, whether I would like it or not, was all dependent on that one bit. The battle. And it didn’t let down. Emotions ran high, things were tense, and everyone was on the edge (including me).

My biggest qualm about this book was the aftermath of the battle. I was running on a high from the wonderful battle scenes and the high was ruined by an overload of cheese. I didn’t like Show Spoiler

how Nickamedes and Metis ended up together. I don’t know why it bothers me so much but it did. I HATED IT.

One of the biggest plus points of this series is that the gods are actually kind of cool. They aren’t some kind of joke. They are serious beings with a shit load of power.

I still cannot quite wrap my head around the fact that this series is over. Admittedly, it isn’t a favorite or even an out of my mind experience, but I had a certain attachment to this series. Gwen was a great female lead and her adventures will be missed. To those who haven’t started the series, I’d definitely recommend this to you if you’re looking for a cute/fun series to latch on to. 

Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Midnight Frost
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #5
Publisher: K-Teen
Release Date: July 30th, 2013
Pre-Order: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Here we go again … 

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can’t get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities — until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I’m still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead. 

As Nike’s Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I’m still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I’ve got to get my hands on the antidote fast — otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins — and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there …

I was pretty excited to read this book and well I may have been somewhat disappointed. This book is good, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t even come close to measuring up to the awesomeness of Crimson Frost or even Dark Frost.

The one thing I love about this series is that even though some of the characters can come off as clichés, you love them; you just cannot not love them. They are all well developed and they all have some role, be it big or small, they aren’t there just for the sake of it. For starters, Gwen actually has great friends, she isn’t popular or anything and doesn’t really have that many but they are always there for her and stand up for her. She also has a talking sword which I am not sure counts as a friend but makes for an awesome character (and my favorite as well).

Gwen is a great female lead herself. I always enjoy being in her head because she is such a strong character. She isn’t a particularly skilled or strong fighter but she is determined and that’s why she makes such a good fighter. It really was amazing to see how far along she has come from the first book. From being confused about what she had to do, she is determined and tries to find a way. I also like how she actually considers other people’s opinions even if she doesn’t agree. She also makes good decisions and tries to reason things out. What’s not to love about her?

I was glad we finally got to learn more about Gwen’s dad in this installment. He has always been a bit of a mystery to me and sometimes I wondered if he even existed. It was a relief to learn about who he was and I must say, I was surprised, that possibility never popped into my head.

One of the things that really bugged me in this book was the idea of Nickamedes and Metis getting together. I love both of the characters but the idea of them getting together bothers me. I know my annoyance is kind of childish but to me it just makes things too perfect.

The other thing I did not like was the lack of Logan (this is just me being a fangirl). I have read Spartan Frost so I know what’s going on with him and I am not pissed at him, it’s just that throughout most of the book I was waiting for Logan to appear. I wanted Gwen and Logan to talk things through because they are a great couple, they should be able to get over this hurdle.

I don’t think I noticed this in the other books but in this one, I was surprised by how much talking there was before the battle. I kept on screaming for them to fight and kill the reapers while they were distracted but that didn’t happen.

I get the feeling that this book is acting as a bridge between this one and the last one, because the plot, in all honesty just wasn’t that interesting compared to the ones in the previous books. That is not to say I didn’t enjoy it, I did, but I was hoping for a lot more.

This ending is great and wraps the book up nicely but all I can think about is the next book. I long for it and I wish I didn’t have to wait until next year.

Mini Reviews: Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep and Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer

Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep

Series: Mythos Academy #4.5

Publisher: K-Teen (Kensington Imprint)

Release Date: June 25th, 2013

Pre-order: Amazon

"I wasn't going to pretend to be anything other than I was- a Spartan out for blood" 

I didn't even know this was from Logan's Pov. I kind of overlooked it because I don't usually read the novella's in between books, however for Logan I had to make an exception.

After the events of the last book, I kind of expected to read a lot more about his feelings about Gwen and how he was miserable about what happened. 

Although there was some of that, it was more focused on Logan as a person and how the events of the previous book changed him. I am glad we got to see him as a character who wasn't defined by how he felt for Gwen. 

There is quite a bit of character development in this short novella, in the beginning of the novella, Logan is kind of depressed, he is trying hard to accept that Loki won't be able to take over him again but he still lives in fear of that. He doesn't really want to get out of the house because people will talk about him and be scared of him. By the end of the novella, the Logan we all knew before the incident is starting to emerge again, no his sense of humor is not returning, but his strength and faith in himself is. 

I think it was really interesting to see the change in the relationship between Logan and his father and I cannot wait to see how that will be explored in the next book.

Overall, I am dying for the next book. GIMME! PLEASE!

Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer

Series: Elemental #2.5

Publisher: K-Teen (Kensington Imprint)

Release Date: April 30th, 2013

Buy: Amazon

“I know you won’t do anything irresponsible.”

Nick never did.

And sometimes he wondered if that was part of the problem.

Even though Michael is my favorite Merick brother, Nick is the one I can relate to most as a person.  He isn’t a bad boy, he is the good guy who people expect to be responsible, to be stable, someone they can count on. But what does he want? He wants to get out, he feel guilty, but he wants to go to a place where he isn’t known, where he isn’t known as half of a unit but as an individual. But at the same time he is afraid because what if he cannot function on his own?

On top of this, he isn’t willing to admit his sexuality. He doesn’t need more problems what with people trying to kill them.

Adam. So he won my heart as soon as we were introduced. He had to leave school after being bullied about his sexuality but he doesn’t let people get to him. He won’t let people scare him because they cannot scare him into being straight (his words). He is a strong character. We need more of him. He has to be in Nick’s story and if he isn’t the love interest then….. I am not even going to contemplate that.

This is torture alright? I don’t think I can wait till Nick’s story. Please give it to me. Pretty please with cherries on top.