Touch of Frost-- Review!

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…

Touch of Frost will be released by Kensington Teen on July 26, 2011

REVIEW

I'm a little late on my review. Lots of books in my TBR pile. This is the first book I have read from Jennifer Estep..and so far, I am super pleased with her writing. It runs smoothly and her main character, Gwen, has a super quick wit. That's always fun in a female MC. This book has all the things that I look for when reading YA. 

• A cool cover
• Great writing that makes me laugh, get angry at times, and feel jealous of the MC's life
• Tension/fast paced-scenes
• hot boys! (although I don't always like that in YA)

I don't like to give away the things that happen in books when I review them. Not even ONE plot point. I just can't do it. So I'll focus instead on Estep's fun writing voice and the likable MC.

Gwen Frost has a super awesome gift. She is a Gypsy that can tell the history of an object just by touching it, which, although it is not the first time that has come up, Estep has done a great job of making it unique with Gwen's witty voice. I love the way Gwen is not afraid to stand up to the "hot chicks". Especially when she locks one into a bathroom with her in the opening scene (oops, gave something away).

I loved the way the students were categorized into different areas depending on their "gifts", which gave a new  but still awful twist on high school cliques. The school/students in this world were all based on Greek/Roman mythology, which I thought was a fresh twist on paranormal YA.

Gwen is a likable character. She stands out like a sore thumb, but she's sure of herself more and more as the book progresses.

Overall, Touch of Frost was a super fun read. I'm not a big fan or paranormals usually, so the fact that it made me change my mind on the genre is a good sign! :) It was not my favorite book of all time, but I will most certainly be making a trip to B&N for the release of the sequel, Kiss of Frost, which will release in November of this year. (that adds another plus, readers. We don't have to wait long!) And DEAR GOD of all that is holy...what an awesome sequel cover. Definitely upstages the first one, and these will look great side-by-side on my shelf.

My thoughts: 4 out of 5 stars. Way to Go, Jenn. You've got me hooked!

Touch of Frost Goodreads Page

Stop by Jenn's website

 

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
July 24 – August 20
Coordinated by: Kari

Sunday, July 24: Heidi Z at YA Bibliophile (Tens List)
Monday, July 25: Sherry at Flipping Pages for All Ages(Author Interview)
Tuesday, July 26: Stacy M at Urban Fantasy Investigations(Author Book Picks: Current)
Wednesday, July 27: Kate B at The Neverending Shelf(Review)
Thursday, July 28: Faye at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm (Character Tweets
Friday, July 29: Michelle B at Hooked to Books (Review)
Saturday, July 30: Tara G at Hobbitsies (Character This or That List: Gwen)


Sunday, July 31: Jenn W at Books at Midnight (When I’m Not Writing)
Monday, August 1: Angela at Reading Angel (Tens List)
Tuesday, August 2: Erika S at Moonlight Reviews (Character Book Picks)
Wednesday, August 3: Katie B at Katie’s Book Blog (Review)
Thursday, August 4: Kari at A Good Addiction (Multicharacter Interview)
Friday, August 5: Amber M at Down the Rabbit Hole (Review)
Saturday, August 6: Kate B at The Neverending Shelf (Author This or That List)

Monday, August 8: Melina at Reading Vacation (Author Interview)
Tuesday, August 9: Amber M at Down the Rabbit Hole (Author Book Picks: Childhood)
Wednesday, August 10: Sherry at Flipping Pages for All Ages (Review)
Thursday, August 11: Page at One Book at a Time (Character Interview: Gwen)
Friday, August 12: Stacy M at Urban Fantasy Investigations (Review)
Saturday, August 13: Katie B at Katie’s Book Blog (Character This or That List: Logan)

Sunday, August 15: T B at Literary Cravings (Teenage Garage Sale)
Monday, August 16: Michelle B at Hooked to Books (Tens List)
Tuesday, August 17: Kara at Reading Cause I'm Addicted (Author Book Picks: Teen Years)
Wednesday, August 18: Jenn W at Books at Midnight (Review)
Thursday, August 19: Rie at Mission to Read (Character Interview: Logan)
Friday, August 20: Angela at Reading Angel (Review)