Review: Bright Blaze of Magic

BRIGHT BLAZE OF MAGIC
Black Blade #3
Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Young Adult
307 pages
Kensington Teen
Available April 26th
Source: ARC from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Bad Things Always Come In Threes…

As a thief, I'm good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls.

Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families--and kill every last Sinclair. What they don't know is that I'm on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I've got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side… 

MY THOUGHTS
Bright Blaze of Magic is a thrilling conclusion to the Black Blade trilogy, giving us non-stop action in the form of magic, monsters and sword fights to ensure we have to physically pry our hands from the pages when we've run out of reading time.

Lila is the same as she has been from the beginning in terms of her loyalty to those who matter most and her determination to keep them from harm, but she's also become more confident not only in her physical abilities since training with the Sinclair Family, but in herself as a person as well. With the Sinclairs she's found a true home, something she didn't even have with her late mother given how often they relocated, and having friends, family, and a sense of belonging has given her a newfound strength, something she of course needs in order to face down Victor Draconi when he finally makes his move against the rest of the Families.

While there's a little romance and a whole lot of heart to this series, Ms. Estep's books are always delightfully action-focused, and this final installment is the very definition of a page-turner. From beginning to end Lila and company are chased, attacked, and beaten down repeatedly, but though those moments are sometimes hard to bear, we read on with a sense of surety that comes from being longtime fans of Ms. Estep, knowing that good will ultimately triumph over evil in spectacular fashion. As expected, the final showdown between Lila and Victor is more than worthy of a final installment, with the battle just dire enough to keep us on our toes even though we know she'll ultimately prevail.

Overall, the Black Blade series is highly recommended, full to bursting with fun characters who makes us feel a part of their world for the all-too brief moments we get to spend with them, and hugely entertaining from first book to last.

Rating: 4.5/5

Find Jennifer:
 

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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.

Review: Dark Heart of Magic

DARK HEART OF MAGIC
Black Blade #2
Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Young Adult
368 pages
Kensington Teen
Available October 27th
Source: ARC from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Something Wicked This Way Comes...

As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there's no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

Even though he's my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot at winning what's supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious "accidents," it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

As if I didn't have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone's going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing's for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else...

MY THOUGHTS
Dark Heart of Magic returns us to the monster-infested town of Cloudburst Falls, a tourist hot spot ruled by magical families on the cusp of all-out war. For many of us voracious readers, second books in a series are often entered into with trepidation, common pitfalls and sequel plot formulas giving us a nervous tic as we crack the spine, but Ms. Estep never fails to deliver no matter the book order. Dark Heart of Magic is action-packed from beginning to end, giving us new insight into main character Lila while delving more deeply into Family politics until the rumbles of unease between the major players is so loud we can practically feel the vibration through the pages.

Lila is rough around the edges in the best possible way, used to being on her own before being conscripted into service by the Sinclairs and therefore loath to take orders from anyone but herself. She’s never obnoxious about it however, pushing boundaries here and there but at the same time adapting to having a group of people who care about where she goes and what she does. She’s always upfront with any information she gathers–somewhat of a rarity in YA heroines who so often keep things frustratingly to themselves–sharing with those in her social group as well as the head of the Family so they can all attack the problem at hand together. Lila ensures her world is delightfully secret-free, sparing us unnecessary stress as we wonder when various truths are going to come to light and wreak havoc on whatever emotional foundation has been built.

The romance between Lila and Devon is present but still very much on the back burner, this installment seeing Lila come to terms with a few things about herself before granting herself permission to take a risk on their relationship. The two of them make a memorable pair despite the action taking center stage, and it will undoubtedly be fun to see how things progress in future books. The only minor quibble with this second book is the villain is easily identifiable early on, but the why of their actions is much more important than the who, and we’re left thoroughly satisfied by the time we reach the last page.

Rating: 4/5

Find Jennifer:

 

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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.

Review: Killer Frost

KILLER FROST
Mythos Academy #6
Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Young Adult
384 pages
Kensington Teen
Available Now
Source: ARC from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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.

MY THOUGHTS
Killer Frost is a story we enter into with both excitement and sadness, adrenaline pumping from the beginning in expectation of the battle with Loki we know is coming, but at the same time our hearts beat heavily in our chests with the understanding that each page turned brings us one step closer to saying goodbye to these characters. Ms. Estep is someone we know isn’t afraid of death in her books–the uncomfortable possibility that not everyone will make it to the bitter end a constant companion throughout–but though we’re a swirling mass of nerves from page one to three hundred, Ms. Estep never fails to entertain and thoroughly satisfy.

Gwen has been a joy to follow through this series, growing with each installment into a young women of unwavering loyalty and determination who, along with her friends, is first into a fight in defense of those she cares about. For much of the first half of this book, Gwen is a touch more isolated than she has been previously, the weight of all that’s expected of her bearing down on her young shoulders and causing her to turn inward rather than reach out for support. Though such an action may sound like it would be frustrating, given all that’s happened to her and all she’s facing it’s a more than understandable response, and we simply can’t imagine we would do anything other than the same were we in her shoes. Before Gwen’s self-imposed emotional isolation can drag on too long and tip the scales in favor of the aforementioned frustration however, her friends rise up in the way best friends do and force their way through the shields she’d snapped into place.

While all the previous installments had a strong emotional element to them, whether it was the extremely tense romance between Gwen and Logan, Gwen’s memories of her late mother, or the sometimes rocky relationship she had with the students of Mythos, this final book eases up on the emotional connection between reader and characters in favor of focusing on the final showdown with Loki. Though not a big enough flaw to influence our overall reaction to Killer Frost, we can’t help but miss the tug on our heartstrings that’s accompanied every book before it, wishing for just the tiniest bit more from that aspect of the story.

Where Ms. Estep truly shines in this last book though is in the crafting of the battle scenes, creating heart pounding action at every turn without ever losing us as readers in the clash of swords or the swing of fists. The battle with Loki is appropriately epic and hard-fought for the amount of build-up from book one, giving us dark moments and breathless moments, but beautifully weaving threads of hope through them all to make sure we keep fighting with Gwen and company every step of the way. Overall, Killer Frost is a thrilling conclusion to the Mythos Academy series, and I can’t wait to see what new world and set of characters Ms. Estep has in store for us next.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Jennifer:

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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.

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
 

Find Jennifer:

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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.

Novella Reviews: Spartan Frost + Flirting With Maybe

SPARTAN FROST
Mythos Academy 4.5
Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Young Adult
60 pages
Kensington Teen
Available now
Source: from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
I'm Logan Quinn, the deadliest Spartan warrior at Mythos Academy. At least I was--until the day I almost killed Gwen Frost.

Professor Metis and Nickamedes say that I'm fine, that Loki and the Reapers don't have a hold on me anymore, but I can't risk it. I can't risk hurting Gwen again. So I'm leaving Mythos and going somewhere far, far away.

I know Gwen wonders what's happening to me, whether I'm safe. I can't tell her, but this is my story. . .

MY THOUGHTS
Spartan Frost is a treat for longtime fans of the Mythos Academy series, a peek into the inner workings of the mind of Logan Quinn at his most vulnerable in the aftermath of the events of Crimson Frost. Not only do we get access to a new and beautifully tragic character landscape–a light suddenly aimed at the dark corners of Logan's we’ve previously danced around–but we also get it at a time when we have the most to learn.

He’s closed off completely to us and Gwen at the end of Crimson Frost, more inaccessible than he’s ever been before as he runs mind, body, and soul from what happened, but with this little novella the door he slammed brutally shut in our faces creaks open ever so slightly, and we surge through with all the enthusiasm and love we have for this series in tow.

While nothing hugely significant happens plot-wise, obviously, we can’t help but feel utterly content with what we're given, simply all around thankful for our few brief moments with him. His pain, guilt, and shame are there for us to see, helping us to further understand why he chooses to hurt Gwen further by leaving her. Though we disagree wholeheartedly with the way he sees himself now, we’re unable to deny the strength of his fear, and can only look to Midnight Frost with a great deal of anticipation upon finishing, longing for the moment when Gwen will inevitably beat that fear of his into submission.

Rating: 4/5

Find Jennifer:
 
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FLIRTING WITH MAYBE
Wendy Higgins
Contemporary Young Adult
92 pages
HarperTeen Impulse
Available now
Source: from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When sophomore Ryan "The Kid" McPhearson makes the Varsity baseball team, he finds himself submersed into the life of upperclassmen, and falling in love with senior Brooke Bennet. To Ryan she's his dream girl, perfect. Maybe to the outside world a two-year age difference doesn't matter, but this is high school. Everything matters.

Ryan soon realizes Brooke's life is not so perfect. He becomes her closest friend, her safe place to fall when she needs to escape. Ryan seems to be benched in the friend zone with no chance to bat.

Time is both a curse and a blessing. It ushers Brooke away to college, and Ryan into the arms of his first girlfriend. It alters Ryan from a kid to a high school graduate, ready to venture to college himself. But when Ryan sees Brooke again he realizes there are some things even time can't touch.

Though much has changed, one question still remains. Will the things that mattered in high school always stand between them?

MY THOUGHTS
Flirting With Maybe is a beautiful novella from Wendy Higgins, packing an emotional punch in a very short amount of time and giving us two impressively developed characters who ensure we’re invested in the outcome of their relationship from the very first page. The brightly colored cover and cute title suggest a story lighter in tone, but the reality of Brooke and Ryan’s friendship and romance is a bit darker than expected, the pain of a love unrequited for a time chipping away at us until we’re a gloriously lopsided, unstable mass that threatens to teeter over at the slightest touch.

Brooke is someone we want desperately to like from the beginning, Ryan’s feelings for her crystal clear and intensely genuine for someone as young as he is, but each page seems to slowly pull back the sheath on our claws, preparing them to cause serious damage if she keeps on the path she’s started down. She’s for all intents and purposes an addict in this story–her drug of choice being affection–and she constantly siphons it away from Ryan as their friendship hovers on the edge of something more for months and months, never giving anything back to replenish what she’s taken until she reaches the point where he nearly runs out of anything to give. Just before she lunges toward the final fix that will kill any lingering feelings between them, Ms. Higgins grants her a chance at redemption, and Ryan’s happiness proves to be infectious and impossible to ignore even if we still hold a small grudge against her.

While things do reach a satisfying conclusion in this novella, Ms. Higgins grants her readers an added gift in the form of an epilogue available on her blog, providing a more concrete future for this pair than is found in the story itself, and finally bringing the smile to our faces we’ve been dying for all along.

Rating: 4/5

Find Wendy:

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Review: Crimson Frost

CRIMSON FROST
Mythos Academy #4
Jennifer Estep
Paranormal Young Adult
384 pages
Kensington Teen
Available December 24th
Received from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.

I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself…

MY THOUGHTS
As with all the books that have come before it, Crimson Frost beautifully combines an action-packed plot with a strong emotional thread; love, hate, passion, and fear all intricately woven through the battles and the blood to give us story that acts as a perfectly balanced and honed blade – able to inflict wounds easily even as we see hope through the haze of pain. This fourth installment is the most intense yet on both physical and emotional levels, the repercussions of Loki's release at the end of the last book detailed in all their infuriating glory as Gwen bears the full weight of the backlash on her young shoulders. Our love for her and our desire to protect her has never been stronger than it is in Crimson Frost, tears threatening to spill from our eyes at what Gwen has to endure as a result of the label of traitor she's mistakenly assigned, but even as our hearts feel heavy in our chests throughout, Ms. Estep always provides us with moments of relief just when we need them most.

The Gwen Frost of this book is a far cry from the Gwen Frost of the first book even though not all that much time has passed since we first met her, the self-imposed isolation and hesitancy to fully embrace the mythological world almost entirely gone, and a determination and will to succeed however dire the circumstances have taken their place. Part of Gwen's appeal is in her lack of fighting prowess, her ordinary human strength something familiar and comforting amidst the Spartans and Valkyries even as her psychometry magic sets her apart, and we can't help but want to root for her all the more when she stumbles in battle and often emerges the loser rather than the victor. Despite the fact that she's often defeated in hand to hand combat, she never once gives up, sulks, or whines that she's just not good enough, instead she picks up talking sword Vic, lets his blood-thirsty pre-battle talk rile her up, and jumps into the fray to protect those she loves.

Gwen's romance with Spartan Logan Quinn has always been a prominent element in these books–but never an overwhelming one–teasing us with the palpable tension between them without allowing their relationship to become the sole focus of the story. In this installment, their relationship is a bit more in the background than it has been in books past, but though the fight with Loki takes precedence, Ms. Estep never lets their affection fade completely into the shadows of the Reapers, always subtly reminding us of their growing feelings for one another. Once we reach the concluding chapters however, Gwen and Logan's relationship is painfully thrust into the spotlight, and we're left with hearts raw and bruised after a rather sound trampling, hoping and wishing the release date for book five could be moved up by several months to ease the suffering caused by waiting.

Overall, Crimson Frost is the best book of the series yet, challenging the characters and us as readers at every turn, and showing us just how difficult life at Mythos Academy can really be. While much of Gwen's story is dark, humor keeps that darkness from enshrouding us completely, Vic's antics and constant boasts of how brilliant a fighter he would be if Gwen would just point him at a Reaper and let him have at it putting a smile on our faces and lightening the burden Gwen carries with such grace. This series continues to get better as it goes, with each book released only further solidifying Ms. Estep's place on my list of favorite authors.

Rating: 4.5/5

Waiting on Wednesday: Crimson Frost

CRIMSON FROST (Mythos Academy #4)

Jennifer Estep

Paranormal Young Adult

Releases December 24th, 2012

Kensington Teen

From Goodreads:
For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes — the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki — the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming. I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison — and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself …
  
I just want to say again how big a fan of Jennifer Estep I am. I think anyone who's followed this blog for any length of time knows I adore both this YA series as well as her adult Elemental Assassin series, so I think it's a bit of an understatement to say I'm looking forward to this book. And look at when it releases! Just in time for me to unwrap Logan the book for Christmas. Since Gwen clearly gets arrested mid-date with the sexy Spartan, I would just like to now, publicly on this blog, volunteer to keep him company in her absence. Just putting that out there:)

Review: Spark

SPARK (Elemental #2)

Brigid Kemmerer
Paranormal Young Adult
432 pages
Kensington Teen
Available August 28th
Received from publisher via NetGalley

THE STORY (from Goodreads)

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally.

Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it.

More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking.

The fuse is lit…

MY THOUGHTS
Spark is a story we enter into expecting to be entertained, the high from our introduction to four very attractive brothers with control over the elements in the first book still lingering despite how much time may have passed since we read it. What we don’t necessarily expect is a far more emotional story than we got with Storm, Spark possessing a more visceral quality to it that has us checking the pads of our fingers for small cuts every so often as the venom Gabriel is so talented at unleashing seems to make the edges of the paper pages that much sharper. Gabriel’s story is challenging and often times frustrating, his temper something both he as well as we as readers struggle with throughout, but the difficulties we all face are what make his tale so rewarding, the rough journey ensuring his footprints on our hearts are in no danger of washing away with the tide of the next book we pick up.

Gabriel is a character who at first glance seems shockingly transparent – the beautiful bad boy who’s likely to take a swing at someone first and apologize never – but as the story continues he becomes increasingly complex, everything we thought we had figured out proving to be but a sliver of a bigger whole. The more time we spend with him, the more we learn to understand the language of his violence, each balled fist and mocking insult telling the person he’s aimed them at that he’s nothing more than a belligerent asshole, but once we know how to read him those same acts of aggression reveal to us small pieces of what he’s truly feeling. Gabriel expects everyone—especially his brothers – to think the worst of him, filtering every innocuous look and gesture through a prism of self-recrimination and guilt where they’re then twisted and distorted by the way he views himself, ultimately reflecting back at people what he believes they already see—someone who’s destined to continually disappoint.

His interactions with Layne in the beginning are colored by the same hostility that marks nearly every communication with older brother Michael, but just as we do, she learns to be observant, recognizing his tendency to deflect anything that resembles real emotion with anger and bloodshed, whether physical or emotional, and calling him on it when it happens. She’s as damaged in her own way as Gabriel is, fire having changed both of their lives irrevocably, and in him she finds a freedom she never expected but has craved from the moment she became less than perfect in her mother’s eyes. Their relationship is the opposite of easy, tiny steps forward made before huge leaps backward send them both reeling, but both continually put in the effort to breathe life into the heat wafting between them, and we have the pleasure of watching as they both try to navigate uncharted territory.

Spark is a stunning second installment, repeatedly causing every muscle in our bodies to tense as Gabriel rarely wastes an opportunity to lash out and draw first blood before rapidly retreating, adding each confrontation to his already impressive collection of perceived screw-ups. We read constantly on edge, waiting for Gabriel’s predictable unpredictability to show itself, but each glimpse is something we can’t help but look forward to, wondering what his latest outburst might reveal to us. Sexier and stronger than Storm, Spark is not to be missed.

Rating: 4.5/5