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Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)

by Jennifer Estep (Goodreads Author)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 9,206 ratings · 1,042 reviews

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 Libr

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ebook, 373 pages

Published August 1st 2011 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

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Dec 18, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

"Bitch," she said. "That was my favorite dagger."
She had a favorite dagger? Seriously? And she thought that I was a freak.

3.5 stars. Welcome to ~~Mythos Academy~~ ... Warrior Academy. Oh sure, there are all kinds of mythical races present, but let's get real here : all I could see was a story about who could kick ass the most.

This is like House of Night without the raging diarrhea. Meaning : this book still has the fun adventures, but you're less likely to want to slap the hell out of each and e...more

39 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2011 Cinnamon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: flamingnet, arc, 2-oh-so-unremarkable, fantasy, magicians, reviewed, series, young-adult, 2011

This review may also be found on A Thousand Little Pages.

Gwen Frost is being forced to attend Mythos Academy, an elite school set apart to train kids who just so happen to be descendants of various mythical warriors. Of course, Gwen doesn’t believe in any of the supernatural skills her classmates supposedly possess. The only type of magic she actually accepts is her own and that of her own family. When the school’s most popular girl, the icy Valkyrie princess Jasmine, is murdered right in the li...more

31 likes · like · see review

Dec 11, 2012 Merve Özcan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: godish, paranormal, teen, mythology

http://kitabisevda.blogspot.com/2012/...

Kitabın başı biraz karışıktı ama sonra gerçekten sürükleyiciydi varsa ikinciyi okuyacağım yoksa geri dönermiyim bilmiyorum.

Esas oğlana biraz sövdüğümü itiraf etmeliyim ayrıca davranışlarının altında daha derin bir şeyler olduğunu seziyorum eğer yoksa, dediğim herşeyi hak etmektedir

Gwen mistik bir akademiye iki ay önce başlamıştır.Annesinin altı ay önceki ölümünü hala atlatamamıştır. Bu okul ona göre değildir. Kızımız eşyalara dokunarak bilgiler, duygular e...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 MISS VAIN rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Vampire Academy Fans! Except instead of Vampires it's a school for Mythical Warriors

Shelves: jennifer-estep

"Come inside and all will be revealed"

Originally what caught my interest was that this book reminded me of Vampire Academy except mythical creatures instead of vampires. I was not disappointed. From the first page this author caught my attention and I was eager to learn more about Gwen, Mythos Academy, Daphne, and Spartan-Licious "Logan freaking Quinn"

Meet Gwen Frost, she's a gypsy, an outcast, a nerd and a comic book fanatic. She's one of my new favorite protagonist! She's also witty, ch...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Kelly-Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: it-hurts-like-i-can-t-even-tell-you, i-m-so-conflicted, i-haz-dis, mmm-cheesy-cheese-cheese

First, I would like you to have a looksie at the date read section.

It took me almost a year to read this book.

It was surprisingly bad. I'm a fan of Estep's urban fantasy Elemental Assassin series. But this was just... lemme break it down for you.

First up, Gwen, our heroine. Actually no, not heroine... let's call her the female lead. Wait, not even that. She was basically a convenient set of eyes for the reader to look through. She was painfully, mind-bogglingly stupid and immature and she did th...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Anne Nikoline rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2011, own-a-copy, supernatural-features, magic, love-or-romance

As you might be able to tell from the few hours it took me to read this book, I must have liked it which I did and which is also way I give the book two stars.

Here goes my explanation:
Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep is in many ways a typical young adult book. It actually reminded me a lot of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins only with Greek mythology instead of witchcraft, however, despite the many parallels between these two different series, Touch of Frost does have some things that makes it sound...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 Marg K. marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

Did Not Finish

Given the concept that Mythos Academy is a training place for young descendants of mythical warriors, I was hoping that Touch of Frost would reinvent & rejuvenate the very tired boarding/private school cliche. Sadly, it didn't. As in many other YA books of its kind, the students at Mythos Academy are all ridiculously good-looking, popular, powerful, rich, and stuck up. All except for the heroine, of course. Unsurprisingly, she's the supposedly plain-looking (but not so plain-lo...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Keziah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I should'nt have visited her site and read the sample chaphters online cause now i can't wait for it!! It's so much easier to wait for a book if you don't ... you know ... know your waiting for a book. it would have been awesome to learn about this several MONTHS from now beacuse then i'd just have to go to the store. Sucks to be active

edit: i loved the book it was a little slow in the begining and i hate/love Logan but it was very captivating. the crinimal was obvious halfway through it but it...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 15, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, ya, urban-fantasy

I don't usually read YA fiction, but I am a big fan of Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin books... and that is what led me to this first installment of her new Mythos Academy series.

The story centers on a teenage Gypsy named Gwen. She has the give of psychometry, which means she gets psychic impressions from the things she touches. Shortly after the death of her mom, Gwen's grandmother enrolled her in the Mythos Academy, a school for teenagers with special gifts. The halls are filled with Valky...more I don't usually read YA fiction, but I am a big fan of Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin books... and that is what led me to this first installment of her new Mythos Academy series.

The story centers on a teenage Gypsy named Gwen. She has the give of psychometry, which means she gets psychic impressions from the things she touches. Shortly after the death of her mom, Gwen's grandmother enrolled her in the Mythos Academy, a school for teenagers with special gifts. The halls are filled with Valkyrie, Amazons, Spartans, and other skilled warriors. But Gwen feels out-of-place. She's no warrior and she certainly doesn't come from the privileged background of her peers.

Things go from bad to worse for Gwen when she discovers the bloody body of the most popular girl in school in the library. In the aftermath, she is shocked to see that no one is mourning for the dead girl and no one wants to dig beneath the surface to solve her murder. So Gwen decides she will use her powers to figure out what really happened to Jasmine. The story follows her investigation and people who enter her life as a result.

This book has the same easy and relaxed writing style I've grown to love from Estep. Her books use simple and clear language which allows you to forget about the words and focus on the story. The concept of the series is pretty good, though not entirely groundbreaking. Gwen is a likeable heroine. And Estep does well to advance her story while still leaving the door open for much more in future books.

I liked the book, but I didn't love it. My biggest problem was in the repetition of thoughts we got from Gwen, especially in the first half of the book... her what-if's about her mom, her guilt, her angst, her same questions and reflections over and over. It did peter out before it drove me crazy, but I couldn't quite ignore it. Also, I didn't like how things played out with Logan, the love interest. I know Gwen was supposed to feel jerked around, but dammit, I felt jerked around by his hot-and-cold behavior. And while I know this is an ongoing story, I'm a stickler for an HEA, and I was annoyed by the resolution of this part of the storyline... or lack thereof.

I did enjoy watching Gwen begin her transition into something more than she was at the beginning of the story. I think over the course of the series, she is really going to blossom and that will be what makes the books shine. 4 stars.

*ARC Provided by author for review
(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Sabrina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Everything that I've already said for the prequel still stands.
And in this one we get a shitload of pumpkins, too.
Seriously, I don't understand the pumpkins.
I don't understand the fixation with the designer clothes, either. In every paragraph we are reminded that everyone in that school wears designer clothes. And that there are pumpkins.
From now on, I'm going to cram pumpkins everywhere just to prove how annoying they are.

Well, I suppose now it's time to say something review-like.
Our heroine (...more

27 likes · like · see review

Feb 16, 2013 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It turned out better than I expected.

This book didn't leave me stunned, but it is a good read for in-between.

Gwen is new at the Mythos Academy and she does not quite understand why she has to go to this Academy. While the other students are rich, princess and prince- like, she is a simple Gypsy. Of course, she knows the story of the person as soon as she touches him or her, but this is all. Neither is she a Spartan, nor an Amazon or Troyan.
But everything changes when the "It-Girl" of the scho...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 04, 2012 oliviasbooks rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those addicted to parormal boarding-schools

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, urban-fantasy-paranormal, e-version, high-expectations, greek-norse-roman-mythology, i-cannot-tell-you-my-secret, other-creatures, paranormal-humans, read-2012, sequel-no-thank-you, boarding-school-plot, mystery-crime-sleuthing, love-story-romance, wring-her-neck

"Yucko". That is the heroine's favorite word. And it fits, a bit. However, if I were to blurb the paranormal sleutheress boarding-school romance "Touch of Frost" I would say "Likable, but in the direct vicinity of 'meh'".

I feel a little bit like venting, but I am in bed with a cold. So, please excuse me for amassing random thoughts here instead of a structured review:

- English is not my mother tongue. Therefore I am always happy to pick up additional tidbits that help me to understand and use i...more "Yucko". That is the heroine's favorite word. And it fits, a bit. However, if I were to blurb the paranormal sleutheress boarding-school romance "Touch of Frost" I would say "Likable, but in the direct vicinity of 'meh'".

I feel a little bit like venting, but I am in bed with a cold. So, please excuse me for amassing random thoughts here instead of a structured review:

- English is not my mother tongue. Therefore I am always happy to pick up additional tidbits that help me to understand and use it better. While reading "Touch of Frost", I learned that "purple hoodie" is actually a composite word. The same might be true for "violet eyes", a narrower term being "my violet eyes". The broader term can be found sixteen times within this series' starter volume. Both can be used in sentences of remarkable literary value, i.e.: "So I just stared at him, my feelings for him so obvious in my violet eyes." The only way Gwenny could be so unwaveringly sure of the expressability of her Frost-Familiy-Brand-Eyes in PANTONE 261C is extensive self-study via mirror... or it might be that the author still has no idea how a first-person-narration is successfully implemented. That might also explain the long, long and kind of repetitive analytical monologues the heroine has in her mind - preferably in the face of imminent danger.

- Connected to the point-of-view is a lot of meta-information that gets dumped on the reader, which is either the result of judging the readers as being too dense to spot the author's applaudable ability to stick to certain paranomal romance or sleuthing-story formula on the dot on his or her own or it is a tell-tale-sign of parodistic writing. I tend to go with the first possibility.
Gwendolyn actually tells us "Everything about Logan screamed bad boy, from the thick, silky, ink-black hair to his intense ice blue eyes to the black leather jacket that highlighted his broad shoulders." A thousand things just feel "off" to the heroine, which certainly makes her investigate. But then she misses some important clues. And in case the reader has not just noticed that things are a tad too obvious here and the heroine has a plot-lengthening moment, she emphasises her own being behind: "I felt a memory stirring in my subconscious. Something to do with illusions. Something that I'd seen or heard or read or thought about in the last few days. Something that was important." Well, duh.

- In addition there is the "let's-have-a-paranormal-heroine-but-how-on-earth-can-we-make-use-of-her-powers" dilemma. In "Touch of Frost" it is not as bad as in, for example, Clarity. But if the heroine would play her cards, or rather abilities, right, there would be no need for her to admit repeatedly that she is no Veronica Mars. Gwen, whose gift is "touch magic" - having visions when touching people or people's objects -, breaks into a room to find clues about a murder, but actually tries to avoid touching most things in there. She takes out a book with a sticky note tacked to a rather relevant looking paragraph, but a day later she has still not tried her power on it. Gwen's reluctance is feebly explained away by her fear of reliving horrible moments or learning secrets without the consent of people she respects, but in the light of solving the case - and the fact, that Gwen earns money by locating lost and sometimes embarrassing stuff - that sounds far-fetched.

- The heroine's "I-avoid-touching-people" strategy certainly works beautifully with the "Save-the-heroine's-virginity-for-the-last-installment-or-forever" rule most paranormal young adult romance sticks to. Gwenny is even of the unkissed sort and ohhh does she want to make out with the bad, but life-saving boy, but then she would compromise him by learning all his and his family's dirty secrets and probably his hot and dirty thoughts on top. Therefore she takes down her open arms in time, makes a double morron out of herself verbally, has the love interest's half-melted ice-eyes turn to popsicles and does not get a third chance in the end, because by then we have - just in time - switched to the moody-broody "I-cannot-have-you-know-my-dark-secret-and-my-utterly-ugly-side-yet-although-I-crave-you" part of the required plot development. Who would have guessed, huh?

That would be all for now. Before you say it, I have to bring it on the table myself: I cannot successfully explain what made me read a paranormal boarding school romance again after so many disappointments. Must have been the high average rating plus the enthusiasm of several of my friends - or my indestructable hope that Enid Blython and J. K. Rowlings cannot be the only ones who were able to pull off addictive stories set in boarding school environments.(less)

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 31, 2011 Tori smexys_sidekick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, book-worth-reading-again-and-again, i-will-beat-u-down-4-this-book, review-for-smexybooks

Originally posted at http://www.smexybooks.com/2011/07/rev...

Favorite Quote: “…this gypsy girl happens to have a grandma who can curse you so bad that your dick will fall off, so watch your step…”

First off let me say I LOVE Jennifer Estep’s adult Elemental series. So when I heard she was writing a YA series I begged, pleaded, schemed, and had some “not so proud moments” in order to secure an ARC Of A Touch Of Frost. Having just finished this book I can honestly say that I can live with what I di...more Originally posted at http://www.smexybooks.com/2011/07/rev...

Favorite Quote: “…this gypsy girl happens to have a grandma who can curse you so bad that your dick will fall off, so watch your step…”

First off let me say I LOVE Jennifer Estep’s adult Elemental series. So when I heard she was writing a YA series I begged, pleaded, schemed, and had some “not so proud moments” in order to secure an ARC Of A Touch Of Frost. Having just finished this book I can honestly say that I can live with what I did to get it.

Gwen Frost is a gypsy; like her mother and grandmother before her. Her gift is touch. Meaning that she can get pictures, emotions, and background from objects and people she touches. When her mother is killed in a drunk driving accident, her grandmother feels it’s time for her to understand her gifts and enrolls her into the Mythos Academy; a school for mythical children. Here she will learn to be a warrior. But Mythos Academy isn’t what Gwen expected. An uber prep school for the children of the rich and famous gods and goddesses, Gwen doesn’t feel she fits in next to rich princess Valkyries, gorgeous Spartans, and stuck up Amazons. As Gwen tries to maneuver her way through school without drawing attention to herself, she and another student are attacked in the library. The other student, Jasmine Ashton, is killed and a sacred artifact is stolen. An artifact that can help Loki escape his prison and bring about the second Chaos war.

Gwen wants to know why Jasmine was killed and proceeds to investigate her death. She gets help from two unexpected allies. Daphne Cruz, a Valkyrie and one of Jasmine’s best friends, and Logan Quinn, a very hawt Spartan who seems very interested in Gwen. Mysterious accidents, dark magic, and talking swords are only the beginning as Gwen slowly finds out that nothing is as it seems at Mythos Academy and if she isn’t careful, she may not last the year.

Fantastic world building draws in in from the first page and holds you captive till till the last. I love the idea of a school where snooty stronger then life mythological kids go yet they have deal with regular everyday problems. Prom, underage drinking, and dating all centering around a Greek and Roman mythological base. Ms. Estep has a wonderful “voice” of realism that that draws you in and has you believing that all this could really happen. A largely character driven novel, I found A Touch Of Frost to contain smooth writing, fast pacing, and engaging witty dialogue.

I fell in love with the characters in here. Personable, engaging, and witty with a realistic baseline; you find yourself instantly able to relate to them. Gwen is a wonderful protagonist. Having just lost her mom and stuck in a school where she feels inferior, you’d expect some pity or angst in her voice yet she deals with her problems in a quiet way-with class and snark. I like that Gwen isn’t empowered with the skill of a warrior or the strength of the gods. She admits she sucks at sword play and can barely lift her book bag. She’s a human with a gift and Ms. Estep keeps her that way.

Logan Quinn is the bad boy of the story. Gorgeous, dangerous, and flirty, he zeros in on Gwen but she proves she can more then hold her own with him. He has been added to my book boyfriend list. There are hints in the book that led you to believe that Logan may have a dark past and no matter what happens, he and Gwen will tangle in the future. Perfectly snobby classmates and cryptic professors round out the story beautifully.

The main conflict is an interesting who dun it that brings mythology into the modern world. It kept me well in the dark till almost the very end but even guessing what happened didn’t stop the story from being intriguing. The ending is rich in tension as it reveals our villain and their reasoning behind the murder and theft. We are also clued into Gwen’s main reason for being sent to Mythos which guaranteed (one way or another-cue the daunting music) this reviewer will be reading the next in the series, Kiss Of Frost, which releases December 2011.

Rating: B+(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Edie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: it-hit-buttons

Double standards alive and well in modern YA it seems. :(

I am not sure how to grade this one, it is easy to read, a little easy to guess plot points, but a fun and interesting read except for one thing. It hit a MAJOR hot button for me.

At the school there is a girl who is denigrated throughout the book as a slut.. continuously.. now while that would always set off my buttons majorly, what makes it worse is that the love interest is a bloody man-whore. And apart from a couple half jokey remarks...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Four Stars: I highly recommend this book. This is a fun beginning to a new series.
What I liked:
*This is a book about a young girl's self discovery. The novel opens with Gwen struggling to adapt to her new life at the Mythos academy. As the book progresses she slowly makes friends and finally discovers the key to her psychometric magic and her purpose in life. Gwen transforms from the geeky loner Gypsy girl to a strong champion who is destined to fight Chaos.
*The concept of the Mythos Academy; a...more Four Stars: I highly recommend this book. This is a fun beginning to a new series.
What I liked:
*This is a book about a young girl's self discovery. The novel opens with Gwen struggling to adapt to her new life at the Mythos academy. As the book progresses she slowly makes friends and finally discovers the key to her psychometric magic and her purpose in life. Gwen transforms from the geeky loner Gypsy girl to a strong champion who is destined to fight Chaos.
*The concept of the Mythos Academy; a school where descendants of the Greek heroes, warriors and legends attend in order to learn how to use their powers to fight evil and chaos in the world. I loved the mysterious setting. Things are not what they seem in this place where myths are reality. I am still convinced there is more to the statues than meets the eye.
* Vic the snappy talking sword. I wish there had been more of him in the story. I am looking forward to hearing his quips in upcoming books.
*Logan, the sexy Spartan, who always comes to the rescue. Will he and Gwen get it right and get together?
*Daphne, the Valkyrie warrior princess. I truly appreciated her transformation. Her character growth made the mean girl theme tolerable in this book. Loved the snappy pink sparks.

And the not so much:
*The whole mean girl storyline. While it did work in the novel, for me a book with the unique concept of the Mythos academy; where ancient Greece comes alive, the high school mean girl story is trite.
*Some repetition. I felt I was reading certain things over and over. The book kept revisiting Gwen's guilt over her mother's death. I thought this discussion was overdone. I also got tired of reading lines about shivering from fear.
*Some of the sexual references were a little graphic for young teenagers. Due to this content I would recommend this for older teenage readers.

This book on the whole was a quick, fun, satisfying read. There were no big twists or surprises. I am truly grateful that all the storylines followed through and for the most part resolved at the end. I have a new appreciation for author's who provide an ending to their novels instead of resorting to the dreaded cliffhanger ploy. Yet, the story is compelling so I will read the next release in the series; Kiss of Frost on December 1, 2011. This a fun creative book that is a good stand alone novel. However, I am certain with this strong debut many fans will be clamouring for the next release. I will be among those avid fans.(less)

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May 11, 2013 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: price-was-right-2-99-or-less, group-reading-challenge, hated-it, paranormal, romance, young-adult, mythology

I freakin' HATED this book

I can summarize why I loathed this book with just a few quotes:

"Yucko" (repeated 6 times)

"My Gypsy gift" (repeated 45 times- yes I searched for this on my kindle)

And for the sentiment attached to quotes like this one (view spoiler)...more I freakin' HATED this book

I can summarize why I loathed this book with just a few quotes:

"Yucko" (repeated 6 times)

"My Gypsy gift" (repeated 45 times- yes I searched for this on my kindle)

And for the sentiment attached to quotes like this one (view spoiler)

This book was a HUGE disappointment. I was hoping for another Vampire Academy, something with great sexual tension and a kick-butt plot. Instead I got poorly written crap that is filled with stereotypes.

Meet Gwen, a girl who is so nerdy and alternative that she wears hoodies! and reads comic books! Crazy stuff here, folks. Gwen is just a terrible character. She is so judgmental it is sickening. She hates the rich girls and the "sluts" (the ultimate put down in Gwen's book!) and anyone too girly. The worst part is that she doesn't seem to mind male "sluts". Apparently having sex is only a cardinal sin if you have lady parts.

She is also incredibly dense. Gwen claims that because of her "Gypsy gift" she can never forget anything. Then why, may I ask, does she seem not to catch on to ANYTHING. I figured out everything from about 60% on and Gwen was still walking around in a befuddled haze. Gwen also seems to have the mental capacity of a 12 year old. She thinks kissing is icky and says things like "yucko" regularly. She is supposed to be 17!!!. Honestly, I found that hard to believe. She goes to a magic school with abnormally strong Spartans, Valkyrie girls who shoot colored sparks out of their fingers, and she herself has a "Gypsy gift" of seeing the history of things that she touches yet she still doesn't believe in the Gods and mythology- what more proof do you need girl?!?! And don't get me even started on the "romance". I didn't get it and I wasn't feeling it.

The writing too was just not up to par. Aside from the fact that it was incredibly repetitive and cliched, there are tons of grammar mistakes and contradictions. It just irritated me more and more as I read. I tried to keep an open mind but I wanted to put it down at about 70% because I was so frustrated with the whole reading experience.

As you can see, this book was a HUGE miss for me. (less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Grr...Do I have to write this???
Oh well...I have no choice, xD
Well at first I thought y'know the usual mythical stuff would happen with dARK secrets in it. But noo Touch Of Frost is a freaky yet amusing and great story. The story's about Gwen Frost, she's so awesome and brave. You'll love her, what a nice character! She's the one who wants to find out about Jasmine's death and the story's about her anyways. She has a crush on popular spartan guy Quinn and he has A MAJOR one on her, they're so cu...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this book was going to be a typical weird kids boarding school with your typical murder mystery, but I found myself really liking this one. It was an interesting spin on mythology, and I liked how the story developed. Oftentimes, a lot of these types of books will leave you confused and frustrated until you get near the end, and it wasn't the case here at all. The book had a good mix of paranormal (but not your typical vampires and werewolves and witches), mystery solving and action wi...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Carmen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favourite-books, mythic-or-fairytale-fantasy, best-of-my-favs, reviews

This review is for you Summer, because I would've never had sat down and wrote a review for this book so soon if you had not stopped bugging me to write a review. :)

This book deserves more than 5 stars: it deserves wayyyy over a million. I haven't read anything that good for A LONGGGGGGGGGG TIME. Or ever since Pure, really. :P

Gwen is a Gypsy, blessed with pchyometery (or however you spell it), which basically is touch magic. She can simply touch an object and know everything that's happened to i...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Rayne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, fantasy, magic, mystery, mythology, overrated-and-overhyped, pathetic-excuse-for-a-heroine, school-life, there-s-romance-in-there-somewhere, totally-saw-that-coming, what-a-jackass-or-creep, young-adult, slut-shaming, disappointing, can-i-get-my-hours-back, characters-flat-as-a-board, i-have-to-bleach-my-eyes-now, yes-this-is-a-rant, your-sexism-is-not-welcome-here

The book had an interesting premise, even if somewhat sketchy. I liked some of its concepts, but the protagonist completely ruined any chance this book had with me.

------Edit 6/02/2012

I hated this book. In case the 1 star rating wasn't clear enough, I absolutely despised it. I gave it 2 stars at first, because I really hate giving books a 1 star rating. I do give out 1 star ratings when a book deserves it, but I like thinking that (almost) every book has something to offer. But, after sleeping...more The book had an interesting premise, even if somewhat sketchy. I liked some of its concepts, but the protagonist completely ruined any chance this book had with me.

------Edit 6/02/2012

I hated this book. In case the 1 star rating wasn't clear enough, I absolutely despised it. I gave it 2 stars at first, because I really hate giving books a 1 star rating. I do give out 1 star ratings when a book deserves it, but I like thinking that (almost) every book has something to offer. But, after sleeping on it, I came back the next day and got a great amount of pleasure out of giving this one the single, lonely star I feel it deserves. I know I'm in the minority here, seeing as how this book has an overall rating of over 4 stars, but I really fail to see the appeal of this one, and it is not because of a lack of trying. While reading it, I gave up on this book three times. Three freaking times I put it aside, completely decided to never bother with it again, but I came back again and again. I just want to make it clear that I did not come back because I was intrigued or because I wanted to know the big "mystery": Everything about this book is ridiculously predictable right from the start. The reason I came back was because I kept hoping I could see what everyone was raving about. I think the 1 star rating makes it pretty clear that I never stumbled upon what makes this book deserve the praise.

Gwen is one of the most detestable characters I've ever had the misfortune of reading about. She's right up there with Luce, Nora and Zoey in the list of characters I wish I could erase from literary existence by flushing them down a toilet. She's whiny, judgmental, self-absorbed, self-righteous, oh, and she wants me to remind you that she has no friends. God, I swear she said that last thing about 50 times per chapter. Please, remind me how much of a loner and a rebel you are about five freaking times per page, I don't get tired of it at all. Oh, and you wear hoodies and read comic books? Wow, that is so interesting and original and totally explains why absolutely no one gets you. (Yeah, right. Guess what? That was me in high school and that never had as a result a shortage of friends or cruel rejection from everyone.) And, of course, Gwen is a loner because she's not as rich or as "pretty" or as "special" as the rest of the mean girls in class, when the truth is she actually is, but, of course, she just doesn't know it. But that's okay. Gwen comforts herself by declaring all the other girls "raging sluts" and knowing that no matter what she does, says, wears or who she likes, she will never be like those "raging sluts". The whole characterization of one of the pseudo-antagonists in the story is that she is gorgeous and is only popular because she's been with every boy in school and likes labels and brands and is mean to poor little Gwen. Sounds familiar? Yes, like every other generic YA mean girl out there. And the plot is not that different, either.

There's really nothing original about this book. I considered giving this one extra points for bringing different types of warriors and mythical creatures into one school until I realized that, not only is the whole concept far-fetched in itself, the book never offers a real explanation for it. Oh well, I suppose it does. The school is supposed to train all these warriors for a war that even the protagonists is convinced is just a whole lot of superstitious bogus. Which if you think about it, for a girl that has powers and lives constantly surrounded by mythical warriors like the Valkyries to not believe that there could be a war with other mythical beings, well, it's pretty stupid all-around.

This book was really infuriating and frustrating. There's barely a plot in there, but I couldn't be bothered to follow it anyway when I had to see it flow through a character like Gwen, who is ready to judge and insult and scorn everyone around her but falls for a guy that's popular because he hurts people and signs the mattresses of all the girls he sleeps with on campus, because, of course, that makes him so hot. There's no character development in this book, no real mystery driving the plot, a ridiculous resolution that continues to belittle girls and furthers the stereotype about the mean girls and condemns woman sexuality, an interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying concept and a terrible lead I wish I could bleach out of my mind. It's been, what?, 3 or 4 months since I read this one and I still can't get over how much it disappointed and angered me. The thing is that I was actually expecting a lot out of this one, but a book like this one is nothing but a slap in the face to YA readers out there. It's nothing but a generic, formulaic story that has been done many times because someone out there believes we are not smart enough to recognize it for what it is, throw in there a bunch of high school stereotypes and some half-assed mythology to make it paranormal, and there you go. To conclude this rant, I vow to never read any more books in this series and to try my very best to even forget I wasted my time reading this.

(less)

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May 29, 2012 Heather (hungrycookiemonster) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, reviewed, supernatural

Original review posted on: heathersworldofbooks

(Typing this review up on my phone so I apologize if there are spelling errors. Auto-correct does what it wants.)

I give Touch of Frost 5/5 stars for being highly amusing and winning my heart against the odds.

My feelings before Touch of Frost :

I approached this series with very little expectations. From the title I was already able to predict that Touch of Frost would be an academy book. The academy storyline is really overplayed in YA. I wa...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Sarah (saz101) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mythology, magic, gods-behaving-badly, paranormal, young-adult, 2011-releases

'Gypsy Girl', Gwen Frost, has a gift. It actually rather suits her temperament, given she's prone to insatiable curiosity about her classmates' private lives. She might not fit in at her super-exclusive boarding school, patronized by the obscenely wealthy sons and daughters of mythological figures, but she's certainly clued in: one touch of an object (or a person), and Gwen can see things. Who owned it, who touched it, what they were thinking, feeling, and all their deepest darkest secrets. Sure...more

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Oct 12, 2011 April (Books4Juliet) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian-fantasy-paranormal, on-bookshelves

Touch of Frost is the first book of the Mythos Academy series. All the students in the school claimed to be descendants of different mythological creatures and are being trained to be great warriors to protect and prevent the second Chaos war. Gwen is a gypsy and gifted with the power of touch--a power to see and feel other people's life and emotions by touching a person or an object. But she still questioned her identity and couldn't understand why someone like her needs to go to the academy. S...more Touch of Frost is the first book of the Mythos Academy series. All the students in the school claimed to be descendants of different mythological creatures and are being trained to be great warriors to protect and prevent the second Chaos war. Gwen is a gypsy and gifted with the power of touch--a power to see and feel other people's life and emotions by touching a person or an object. But she still questioned her identity and couldn't understand why someone like her needs to go to the academy. She doesn't even feel that she belong there.

The first time I saw this book, I was so eager to read it. It has a good premise, a beautiful setting, and an interesting character that I so want to meet. I'm a sucker for a good love story, and I expected something nice out of this book. But I'd say that I was a little disappointed when I read it. This book lack of romance. I was desperately looking for something to blossom between the two main characters but I guess I need to wait until the next book. The pacing was slow at the beginning, and if you're not patient enough, you might get bored. There's also too much repetition of Gwen's thoughts. They were all the same throughout the story that's why I skipped a lot of parts. It's so hard for me to like Gwen. With all the proofs that surround her, how could she find it very difficult to believe the myths? She has the power and she's using it but she can't accept the truth that she's one of them. She's blind in almost everything and it doesn't help her become an effective heroine.

But don't get me wrong, this book is really good. The story is fascinating, the setting is beautiful, and the rest of the characters are interesting enough. In spite of the few issues I mentioned, I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to see how the author will pull everything together in the next book. I have a strong feeling that it will be way better than the first especially after you read the ending. I just hope that Gwen's character will improve, and we get to see more of Logan. There seems to be something about him that I want to figure out, aside from being a drop-dead gorgeous spartan, not to mention being the hottest guy in Mythos Academy. I'm excited to see how his relationship with Gwen will blossom into something special and interesting.

Consider this book if you like fantasy and mythology with action, mysteries, and suspense.(less)

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Jul 27, 2011 Kate (Nomalicious Reads) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, own, reviewed

More reviews can be found at my blog Nomalicious Reads

As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I fell in love, I just had to read it! But I had to be patient and wait for it to be released; so instead I stumbled upon the 0.5 prologue story of Touch of Frost on Kindle (free at amazon at the moment!) called First Frost and, I'll say, although you can read Touch of Frost without the 0.5 I'm glad that I read it, as it gives you an insight to Gwen, before Mythos. (I don't know why it wasn't just...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Liliana ♥s Mythology rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural-abilities, favorites, gods-goddesses, greek-mythology, monsters-or-other-creatures, roman-mythology, norse-mythology

Review also found here: http://lili-lost-in-a-book.blogspot.c...

In a world where mythology is real, there is a special school for kids who are descendants of some of the most powerful mythological figures known. That school is Mythos Academy. Here the descendants of gods, goddesses, Romans, Spartans, Amazons, and Valkyrie are trained to fight like experts, for they are destined to fight in what might be the next Chaos War—a war between the Norse god Loki and the Greek goddess Nike.......

Is it ju...more Review also found here: http://lili-lost-in-a-book.blogspot.c...

In a world where mythology is real, there is a special school for kids who are descendants of some of the most powerful mythological figures known. That school is Mythos Academy. Here the descendants of gods, goddesses, Romans, Spartans, Amazons, and Valkyrie are trained to fight like experts, for they are destined to fight in what might be the next Chaos War—a war between the Norse god Loki and the Greek goddess Nike.......

Is it just me or did I just sound extremely formal? Or, I don’t know, like an announcer out of some movie or something? Seriously, who says “In a world where…”? Well, apparently I do, lol

Anyway (yeah, I get distracted easily), Touch of Frost follows Gwen Frost who is a Gypsy and is a new student at Mythos Academy. She has a power called psychometry which basically means that when she touches something/someone she gets feelings and visions off of that object from the past…it’s a pretty cool power if you ask me :) And Gwen uses it at school to make money! Smart! lol

Gwen works at the school library to help pay for her tuition, and one night chaos strikes the place: the Bowl of Tears, a very important (and dangerous if in the wrong hands) artifact, is stolen; Jasmine, a very popular and very mean classmate of Gwen, is murdered in the library; and Gwen herself is attacked. Talk about a bad day. And all that for a lame, old bowl -_- Except it’s not all lame. This bowl was used to free the Norse god Loki, and if that happens again there could be another war. So like I said before, if the bowl lands in the wrong hands it could be deadly.

Feeling very suspicious about all this, Gwen decides to solve the mystery of the murder and the stolen bowl. But to do this she’ll need the help of the least expected person: one of Jasmine’s best friend, Daphne.

I LOVED this book! Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love mythology…especially if it’s Greek! And let me just say that Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, has a very important role. So yes, I loved this book :)

The story line was great, the mystery and twists…amazing! There was a lot of action, too, which I really like. And Logan…totally swoon-worthy! I really wish Logan wasn’t sooo, I don’t know, such a jerk. But I like him ;)

I cannot wait for book 2!! In fact, I already requested it at my library…and it’s not even out yet! :D(less)

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Feb 04, 2012 Tasnim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA fans, Mythology fans

Shelves: ya, mythology, pnr, part-of-series

The reason I wanted to start reading this series was because Jennifer Estep is the author. I expect good things from her as her adult UF series is one of my favourites and this book didn't disappoint.

In Touch of Frost we follow Gwen. Gwen is a 'gypsy' who can 'flash' on things, i.e she can pick up on emotions, thoughts or memories when she touches personal items or peoples' bodies. I really liked her, she's a bit of a loner, she's the outcast in school who everyone thinks is a bit strange but s...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Cate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I decided to write this review just moments after finishing the book so I could try to harness all of my thoughts about it at one time. The first thing I have to say is...Wow. I am a really huge mythology fan and enjoyed Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini, but Touch of Frost was a lot different than I expected. It’s really not fair to compare the two books because they are both so different, but boarding school plus mythology is bound to be a good time. I am really happy that Estep decided to go...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Sophia (FV) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was excited when I heard Jennifer Estep was releasing a young adult, urban fantasy series. I’m willing to bet that 97.99 percent of reviews written on this book start out with that line or something very similar. That ‘s right, originality is me. But let’s face it, Jennifer Estep has a pretty solid fan base and when a favorite author ventures into a new series or genre, we fans get excited.

Gwen Frost is a little misplaced and outclassed at Mythos Academy. But she’s actually more average than s...more I was excited when I heard Jennifer Estep was releasing a young adult, urban fantasy series. I’m willing to bet that 97.99 percent of reviews written on this book start out with that line or something very similar. That ‘s right, originality is me. But let’s face it, Jennifer Estep has a pretty solid fan base and when a favorite author ventures into a new series or genre, we fans get excited.

Gwen Frost is a little misplaced and outclassed at Mythos Academy. But she’s actually more average than she realizes. She’s 17, a little awkward, doesn’t fit in, suffers from a touch of teenage insecurity and is pretty sure she is the only one that feels that way. On the other hand, Gwen does face a few obstacles the average teenager doesn’t have to deal with. As a new student at a boarding school for descendants of ancient warriors, Gwen feels out-of-place on whole new level. She comes from a line of gypsies that are gifted with various powers. Her gift allows her to know the history of an object just by touching it. She’s gifted, but her magic is different from her classmates and she doesn’t come from warrior stock. Fitting in won’t be easy, especially since it’s pretty low on her priority list.

Although she can’t compete in the kick-ass arena, Gwen finds good use for her gift here and there and even makes a little extra cash with it by locating lost objects for her classmates. But when students start turning up dead and ancient artifacts go missing, Gwen puts her gift to very good use in finding out what’s amiss at Mythos Academy.

Jennifer Estep writes the kind of young adult urban fantasy that I want to read. In Touch of Frost she gives us a teenage heroine who is smart and likable, but not perfect. Gwen is easy to relate to and from her point of view the world may not make sense but she doesn’t make it worse with silly decisions and selfish behavior. She’s not totally thrilled with the responsibilities and the burden her gift puts on her, but she doesn’t brood and hate the world because of it. She still sees her gift as a gift. Gwen is a heroine with a heart and I liked her from the beginning.

We get a good feel for the world in which Gwen lives and the new environment she finds herself living in. Although this not a new setting in the genre, I thought that the myth and magic was fun and fresh. The idea of a special academy for descendants of Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons and other mythological creatures adds a fun, interesting twist I look forward to seeing how Jennifer Estep will expand on this world of magic as the series progresses.

I keep using the word fun in describing the world but don’t get me wrong, there is violence, and we do see the darker side of the academy with dark magic, fight scenes and yes, even mean girls! *gasp* *shudder*

But don’t worry, there are cute boys and a good deal of romantic tension to distract you when the bitchy means girls start getting out of hand. Gwen has a budding romance with the BSOC (Big Spartan On Campus) and I’m looking forward to seeing where things go for them. I really like the pairing of the slightly nerdy kid with a popular, put-together kid and we get a twofer in this book. The secondary romance is just as compelling the main and that makes this romance lover squee.

The mystery, while entertaining, was predictable. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat wondering who done it, but I still enjoyed the final action scene and the big reveal anyway.

A Touch of Frost is a good solid start to this series. I think even if YA is not your usual read, but you like Jennifer Estep’s other series’ you will enjoy A Touch of Frost as the author’s voice comes through clearly for an entertaining and engaging read.(less)

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Aug 10, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Touch of Frost is Jennifer Estep's refreshingly fun and riveting debut in her new series- Mythos Academy. I have to admit that I wasn't totally sold on the boarding school aspect, but Estep really delivered! I loved it. Though the beginning starts out a bit slow, Touch of Frost picks up quickly.

I found Gwen to be an extremely realistic teenager in a new school. She is likeable and easy to relate to, which makes the story flow as Gwen narrates. I liked all of the characters, honestly- even the me...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Penelope rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blogger-friend-recommendations, published-2011, reviewed-books

"Logan Quinn was the kind of guy who could stab me in the eye with a freaking Twizzler."
-Jennifer Estep, Touch of Frost

Touch of Frost is such an entertaining book! It is light, fun, adventurous, and kept hold of my attention through the entire book. The main character, Gwen, is a little geeky but it's something she's proud of. She has an awesome power that she has to be aware of at all times and it can be taxing. But what I really like about her is that she actually likes this ability. It contro...more

2 likes · like · see review

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♪ YA Obsessed ♫: May 2013 BOTM	28	24	3 hours, 52 min ago
Paranormal Addict...: Touch of Frost - Jennifer Estep	16	78	6 hours, 14 min ago
Mixing Academics	3	15	Apr 28, 2013 01:58am
! YA Heroines !: Mythos Academy series	6	7	Apr 27, 2013 05:56pm
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About Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin adult urban fantasy series for Pocket. Books in the series are SPIDER'S BITE, WEB OF LIES, VENOM, TANGLED THREADS, SPIDER'S REVENGE, BY A THREAD, and WIDOW'S WEB. THREAD OF DEATH, an e-novella, is also available.

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“Logan Quinn was the kind of guy who could stab me in the eye with a freaking Twizzler.” — 85 people liked it

“Did she just call me a bleeding toothpick? Kill her! Kill her now!” — 72 people liked it

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Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)

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