- Title: Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy)
- Classification: Young Adult (Ages 13 and up)
- Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: K-Teen; 1 edition (July 26, 2011)
- ISBN-10: 0758266928
- ISBN-13: 978-0758266927
- Author's Website: http://www.jenniferestep.com/
"Reapers of Chaos are everywhere, even here at Mythos. They can be anyone--parents, teachers, your fellow students. And they will do whatever it takes to get what they want."
"What is is that they want, exactly?" I asked...
"The Reapers want one thing--to free Loki from the prison realm that the other gods have placed him in. And we, the students and teachers here, the members of the Pantheon, are at war with them, trying to prevent that from happening. That's what all the students here are being trained for. To learn how to fight with whatever skills and magic that they have to keep Loki from escaping from his prison."...
I frowned. "So what happens if Loki gets free? What would be so bad about that?"
"Because the last time Loki was free, he raised an army to try to kill the other gods, to enslave mortals, and to bend everyone to his will. Hundreds of thousands of people died, Gwen. And hundreds of thousands more will die if Loki is freed once more. The world as we know it will be utterly destroyed."
Starting a new school can be hard, but when you you literally don't fit in with those around you it can be even tougher. Such is the life of Gwen Frost. Six months ago her mom died and her life was drastically changed. Her grandmother pulled her out of her old school and enrolled her at Mythos Academy. The thing about Mythos is that the kids there aren't exactly what you would call normal, they're warriors as in Amazons, Valkyries, Vikings, Romans, etc. Something from every "ancient culture, myth, or fairy tale that you'd ever heard of and lots you hadn't." Truth be told, Gwen isn't normal either, she's got a gift or a curse, depending on your point of view, called psychometry that allows her to "know, see and feel an object's history." It allows her to be able to track things that are lost and she uses that talent to make a profit by letting individuals hire her to find their lost items. What Gwen doesn't realize, but soon will, is that she's more like the other student's then she ever would have believed. When the most popular girl on campus is murdered and an ancient artifact is stolen she'll discover just how special she really is.
Gwen is smart, gutsy, and a tad stubborn. She doesn't have the mad fight skills of her warrior classmates and that makes her a bit vulnerable. Luckily she seems to not be noticed much by the other students and blends in to the background. She finds she can use this to her advantage because her classmates tend to talk about things in front of her without giving it a second thought. Jasmine's death really disturbs her and she doesn't buy the faculty's claim that Jasmine was killed by Reapers. She arrived at the crime scene moments after the attack and was knocked unconscious. If Reapers, who have a reputation for being vicious, were involved why didn't they kill her as well?
The day after the attack Gwen is surprised to find nobody really seems all that upset by Jasmine's death and a lot of people didn't really like her. Everyone pretty much acts like it's just a typical day and nothing all that significant has happened. She finds that a bit "creepy" and decides it's not right that nobody cares and decides to find out what exactly happened to Jasmine. She just can't leave things well enough alone and during her attempt to uncover the truth behind Jasmine's death, she discovers more about herself, her family and the world than she'd ever imagined. Plus, she'll make a few friends along the way.
Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. It was filled with action, suspense and interesting characters. It kept my attention and had a twist I didn't see coming. It kept my attention and I couldn't wait to read the next book. So I didn't. The review for 'Kiss of Frost' should be up tomorrow. :)
Notes to keep you in the know:
In case you were wondering if any of the mythology used by Ms. Estep was pulled from recorded mythology: According to the World Book Encyclopedia, "Loki, LOH kee, was a god of Norse mythology who was known as a troublemaker and trickster...Most stories portray him as evil, though some myths tell of occasions when he helped the gods...The principal myth about Loki concerns his role in the murder of Balder, the handsome son of Odin, the chief god..When the gods learned what Loki had done, they sentenced him to be chained across three rocks, with a snake dripping poison onto his face. His wife Sigyn, caught the drops of poison in a bowl. But each time the bowl filled up and she left to empty it, the venom struck Loki and made him twist in agony." ('Loki' by Carl Lindahl via World Book Encyclopedia. 2005 edition, L volume 12, page 426)
Painting of Loki's Punishment:
Loki by Mårten Eskil Winge (1825–1896) photographed by: http://webart.nationalmuseum.se/work/work_image.aspx?id=18044
Order of Series:
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