Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Review: Midnight Frost

MIDNIGHT FROST
Mythos Academy #5
Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Young Adult
400 pages
Kensington Teen
Available July 30th
Source: ARC from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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 …


MY THOUGHTS
As action-packed and engaging as we’ve come to expect from Ms. Estep, Midnight Frost is another fantastic addition to the Mythos Academy series, providing us with a complete story arc within the book itself while simultaneously furthering the larger arc of the battle against Loki. One of the highlights of Ms. Estep’s writing, and this series in particular, is that each installment brings something new to the table – an emotional revelation, a significant physical battle, or even better, a desirable combination of the two – to keep everything moving forward, and we’re never left feeling as though we’re simply biding our time during the build up of something larger to come down the line.

Gwen is hurting at the beginning of this fifth installment, Logan’s absence and the echoes of their battle haunting her dreams instantly snapping our bond to her back in place even after months apart, and our hearts easily take up the beat of the painful tune led by Gwen’s own. While she’s certainly upset that Logan left and finds her mind wandering to him often, she’s not lost without him, instead she continues on as she always has when life has dealt her a punishing blow (of which there have been many), his absence felt and mourned but not obsessed over. She has a group of loyal friends and a job to do being Nike’s champion, and she never once lets her broken heart redefine and reshape the girl she was before Logan left.

Because Gwen is such a strong young woman in her own right, our time with her is not spent simply waiting for Logan to reenter the picture as is sometimes the case when a main couple is separated, rather we are with her one hundred percent, as involved in her newest predicament as ever. When Logan does finally make an appearance, the way Gwen handles the situation has us attempting to high-five the book as though she might feel our pleasure and admiration through the pages. She lets him know in no uncertain terms how his leaving affected her, and forces him to acknowledge that he's not the only one scarred by Loki’s intimate violation. Though Gwen is angry, and rightfully so, she’s not so angry that she doesn’t recognize Logan’s pain and trample over it in favor of expressing her own, instead she’s able to put herself in his shoes and not add to the guilt and shame he’s already carrying.

Overall, Midnight Frost satisfies on every level as have all the books that came before it, and the Mythos Academy series continues to be one that encourages the procrastination of work and the forgoing of sleep in favor of reading.

Rating: 4/5
 


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This book was sent to me by the author free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

40 comments:

  1. I am on the third book of this series and now I can't wait to read on! I love the purple of the color on the cover, too! Thanks for the review!

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    1. Yay! Hope you're enjoying the series so far, I think they keep getting better as they go:)

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  2. .... must start this series! Seriously, I need more time to read and wish again that someone would just pay me to read all day long!

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    1. Yes, you will like this series Danny, I just know it. And we really do need to figure out how to get paid to read, that would be so great:)

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  3. I completely agree! I love this series and especially this latest installment, it really showed how strong Gwen can be on her own as well as with her friends and loved ones. I love how much she has grown and continues to grow throughout this series.

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    1. YES! As much as I adore Logan and wanted him back, it was really nice to see how Gwen handled things without knowing he was there to back her up. And her friends really showed how amazing they are as well:)

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  4. I definitely enjoyed this one quite a bit! I do wish more had been done to advance the plot overall, rather than just having it be a journeying book. But still, super enjoyable. And yes, I loved how she handle the Logan sitch! Gwen has definitely grown a lot.

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    1. She has. I was worried she'd just sort of up and forgive him in her excitement over him being back, but I was glad she let him know what was what:)

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  5. I want to read this series. I know how much you adore it! Plus, this academy, the gods--everything about it intrigues me. I'm sorry to hear that the MC has trouble with her love life, however, she seems like one hell of a fighter. I'm all for that Rose Hathaway and Katniss Everdeen strength. I can't wait to read this. Plus, only the mention of Loki has me dying of excitement;)

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    1. I'm a massive Jennifer Estep fangirl, so I can't recommend her books enough Siiri! Gwen is fantastic, starting out in book one really unsure of herself, but with each book she's gained confidence and I just love her.

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  6. I keep seeing reviews for this series and just few weeks ago I have heard of it for the first time! I'm glad you enjoyed this book and I must check it out. Great review Jenny :)

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    1. I love this series Tanja, I hope you get a chance to try it!

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  7. I still haven't read this, despite hearing about this series from you for at least a few months. I'm always impressed by a series that continues to shine, even after a considerable amount of time, so I'm eager to start this eventually. Wonderful review, Jenny!(:

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    1. Hahaha what are you saying Keertana? That I talk about this series a lot? ;-) It's true, Jennifer is on the blog quite a bit because I adore both her YA and adult series, so I usually have at least 4 reviews on the blog each year:) I hope you give her a try sometime soon!

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  8. I did like the novella I read...called something

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  9. Wow, 4 stars for book 5 in the series? That's a great sign, Jenny! I've yet to read anything by this author. I got a sample of the first book on my Nook but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Definitely fail on my part. Hope to check out this series and her adult UF series soon!

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    1. Yes! I think the series gets stronger as it goes:) Love the Elemental Assassin series as well!

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  10. How many books are there in this series?
    I've read the first 3 books, but I think I'm going to wait a while until all the books come out to finish it. I'm happy to hear that Gwen doesn't act overly depressed and moves on with her life despite Logan's departure. Gwen's strength is what I always loved about her. I'm glad to hear that this series is progressing strongly for you, Jenny!
    Fabulous review as always! :)

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    1. I believe she's currently contracted for 6 books in the series, so there's at least one more. I'm not sure if the contract could be extended to include more books though.

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  11. I started Crimson Frost this past weekend :) I am totally catching up :)

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    1. YEAH FELICIA!!!! WOO HOO! Look at you reading (or listening to) YA:)

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  12. It sounds like Gwen's really turned into a great young lady! I've only read the first book because she rather annoyed me but maybe I should give the girl another chance. After all, she's survived five books...

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    1. I would recommend trying book 2 Mary, Gwen's at her weakest in the beginning and she gets a little stronger and a little bolder with each book:)

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  13. Hells yes! Gwen sounds like a fantastic, empowering MC. None of that wishy-washy passive aggressive crap there! I've yet to read anything by the author (please don't hurt me), but I think you've sold me on it all. Thanks for another wonderful review, Jenny!

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  14. Ooh good point about the separation! I usually do find that I'm left waiting for the love interest to reenter the story in situations like this, but I'm glad to hear Gwen successfully demands attention all on her own. She sounds like my sort of character! I really should get started on this series soon, shouldn't I? ;) Lovely review, Jenny!

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  15. After the end of the last book in this series, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. You always renew my belief in the Mythos Academy books, though. Still, I think part of my problem with this series (and many series, honestly), is that I like there to be an end in sight. If the author knows it will take 8 books to tell xyz's story, great! I don't like it when it feels like the action is dragging on indefinitely.

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  16. Jenny, so glad you enjoyed the book! I love that the Spartan is Back baby! Man, I miss that guy. And don't you just love Gwen and her attitude.

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  17. I just skimmed this since I haven't read the series yet. Wanted to apologize for not commenting the past week or so. Whenever I visit my parents, I hardly ever get online. Now I have tons to catch up with.

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  18. Midnight Frost sounds like another amazing installment to this series Jenny. I like my MC's who are strong and who aren't mopey at all. Gwen really ticks a lot of my boxes to the sort of characters I like. I'm so glad that this was another great book for you Jenny. I will have to be all over this asap! Wonderful review! :)

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  19. I'm reading this one right now, but I'm not very far through. Really glad it's just as good as the other ones, even if there seems to be a lot of recapping in the beginning so far :)

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  20. ha I love a book that makes me never want to sleep and just read, read, read! I haven't read anything by this author but I see them around all the time. It sounds like she really knows how to write a good, strong MC.

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  21. Ohh, I love that she's Nike's champion. I named my kid after her, you know (Nika). I also love that you didn't get distracted by Logan's absence. I'm one of those readers who get obsessed with the (lack) of romance and just pray for everything else to be over quickly so we can get to that part.
    But I trust Estep more than that, so I know she handled it much better.
    I keep promising to read this series, but I never actually do it. Someone should kick my not so skinny behind.
    Lovely review as usual, Jenny!

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  22. Love how strong Gwen is as this series continues and that she doesn't fall apart at Logan's disappearance. That always irks me, as does taking someone back too quickly. I'm glad that I'll be able to read a chunk of these when I finally get back to this series. How many books will it be total?

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  23. Oh I so agree with you on this! I was so afraid that she was going to wallow but when the situation arises, she meets it. LOVED that! Also didn't you love how it ended? I was worried we wouldn't get that answer until the next book or two (I'm being vague just in case someone caught this comment). Brilly review! I should make you rewrite mine. :D

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  24. Another series I must read, Jenny! I'm late in the game here but there are so many of the books out I'd get to read them one right after the other. Yay for me!! Lol! :)

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  25. Hmmm, I wasn't so gung ho about this one. Maybe because of all I had going on. All her problems compounded with mine didn't make for a great escape. Plus I missed Logan. But she did tell him to stop wallowing! I loved that! I think there was just one part that was lagging for me, the waiting for the Reapers. I'm not very patient. And you always know they are coming. Great review Jenny! I think I better get to writing my reviews!

    I'm so glad you introduced me to this series!!

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  26. I didn't read your review this time, I'm so behind on this series I really don't want any spoilers! But I'm so happy to see your good rating!

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  27. I'm still so terribly behind in this series, but I'm working on getting caught up as we speak! So glad to hear the series is going strong for you still, and sucking up work/sleep hours as all good series books do. :-) It's funny to want that, when I'm already so busy/tired, but I do! Fabulous review as usual Jenny!

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