Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Release Date: July 26, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

My name is Gwen Frost, and I got to Mythos Academy – a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geeks knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why – especially since I should have been the one who died…

Touch of Frost is one of those books that didn't get as much attention when it came out, so I didn't really pay too much attention to it. But then I randomly decided to pick it up, and I am more than happy that I did. It ended up being a fantastic read. 

Gwen Frost was perfectly happy living with her mother and grandmother while leading a normal life. But then her mother died in a car accident and Gwen was forced to transfer to Mythos Academy, a school for mythological warriors. Because the thing about Gwen is that she isn't exactly normal. Just by touching someone she can find out everything about that person. And that gift also applies to objects, which comes in handy to make extra cash off of her fellow students by finding things they lose. But then a student is mysteriously killed, and Gwen feels she should have beent he one killed. Even though she's alive, Gwen may still be in grave danger. Going to a school for warrior whiz kids may be even more complicated than Gwen originally thought.

I definitely have a soft spot for mythology, and the whole subject matter kind of fascinates me. All that to say that I'm always on the look out for a good book that deals with mythology. While there are many books like that out there, Touch of Frost dealt with the subject differently: instead of focusing on just one culture's mythology, this book looks at all the different warrior mythologies. It was definitely interesting and made for an action-packed story. Jennifer Estep wrote a story here that really captivated me and it wasn't too long before I found myself having difficulty putting the book down.

Gwen was a fantastic character and I loved getting to know her. Plus she had a great voice. She just had a way of telling the story that just made me smile, even at times when smiling wasn't necessarily the most appropriate thing to do. I also loved seeing her friendship with Daphne develop. It was definitely an unlikely one, but that's what made it special. And Daphne herself just had me laughing most of the time. She was full of contradictions and that just made me love her even more. And that leaves Logan Quinn. I can definitely understand why Gwen fell for him. But at the same time, he didn't seem quite right. Though by the end of the book, I totally felt the same way about him as Gwen did.

Touch of Frost was a fantastic and fast-paced read. Jennifer Estep definitely hit the mark with the mythology she chose to write about and definitely made me want to find out more. I was also very happy to have the second book on hand to start reading when I finished this one. It won't leave you hanging, but you still definitely want to know what happens next.