Waiting on Wednesday (72)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to. This week I have two titles I am particularly looking forward to reading.

Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer
May 28, 2013
Kensington Teen

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He's learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can't seem to afford any allies.

He's up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there's Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She's not hostile. She's bold. Funny. Hot. But she's got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he'll have to find someone he can trust...

So far I have loved the first two books in Brigid Kemmerer's Elemental series. These books have proven to be quite addictive and I can't wait to find out what happens next. It will be interesting this time around to see things from the perspective of Hunter instead of one of the Merrick brothers. Regardless of it all, I am still really excited about Spirit being released.

Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

July 30, 2013

Kensington Teen

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...

Have I mentioned how much I have come to love the Mythos Academy series in the past year? With each book, it seems like it just keeps getting better and better. And with everything that happened in Crimson Frost how could I not be unbelievably excited about Midnight Frost. Though I have a feeling that what Jennifer Estep will do to some of these characters will break my heart a little.

So those are the two books I'm excited about this week. If you haven't yet checked out either one of those series, I strongly recommend you do. But be warned that you may find yourself becoming addicted to them quite quickly. 

Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Release Date: December 24, 2012

Source: Borrowed from fellow blogger

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

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 sword fight, or been ambushed by Reapers, Id' have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn't see that one coming.

I've been caused 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...

Over the past year I have come to absolutely love Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy series. And after everything that had happened in the first three books, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Crimson Frost. And it turned out to be even better than the previous books in the series. 

Much to Gwen Frost's dismay, Loki is now free despite her best efforts to stop the Reapers of Chaos from setting the god free. In spite of this, Gwen is ready to finally be able to spend some proper one on one time with Logan Quinn. But their first date is cut short when members of the Protectorate show up ready to arrest Gwen, accusing her of being a Reaper of Chaos. Now everything is about to fall apart because while they are busy putting Gwen on trial, the Reapers are out there, helping Loki start another Chaos War. But even with her friends in her corner, it's going to be Gwen's job to once again stop the Reapers. Hopefully before it's too late.

I love this series. With each book, the story just seems to get better, which in turn makes me love the story even more. With Crimson Frost, things started happening right away. I wasn't even through the first chapter and there was already someone trying to drag Gwen away. And from then on, there was always something happening. And the story itself was quite intense. There were moments when I even started doubting what was happening, despite what I already knew from the previous books. And I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with how some things turned out. Because that ending, basically left me begging for the next book in the series.

Gwen was still the Gwen I have come to love in the previous books. She was still putting a smile on my face but this time around, there were moments where my heart was breaking for her. But it's hard to talk about that without giving away a good chunk of the story. The great thing about the Mythos Academy series is all the supporting characters. Daphne and Carson are among my favourite, but I didn't get to see as much of them as I would have liked. Though I did like being able to see more of Oliver, especially with the introduction of Alexei. And of course Logan was still making my heart melt every opportunity he got. But that's not all that happened with him in Crimson Frost. Because lots to do with Logan happened and it definitely helped explain some aspects of his personality.

Jennifer Estep's Crimson Frost was a fantastic continuation to this already great series. If you love mythology, action and romance then I strongly recommend you give this series a try. Odds are you won't be disappointed. 

Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Spark (Elemental #2)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Release Date: August 28, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally.

Sometimes he can even control. And something he can't.

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.

And no one seems to believe 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.

So for those who missed it, I absolutely loved Storm by Brigid Kemmerer, and it was no different with Spark. Once I started reading, I wasn't able to stop and I found myself falling for another one of the Merrick brothers.

With his element being fire, Gabriel has always had more problems with control than his brothers. And he likes playing with fire, but that may prove to be his downfall. Someone has been setting fires all over town, and because of his past, everyone is blaming Gabriel for what's happening. But for once, he's not the one doing it, even though no one believes him. The only person who seems to be seeing Gabriel for who he is, isn't who Gabriel expected. Layne seems to know more than she's letting on. And surprisingly for everyone, most of all himself, Gabriel will do anything to protect Layne.

Unlike with Storm, I was totally prepared for Spark. I knew what to expect. But even then, I was taken aback by everything that went down in Spark. Much like with Brigid Kemmerer's first book, it didn't take long, just a few pages, for me to get wrapped up in the story. Though the plethora of hot boys may have had something to do with that. But beyond the boys, I love the concept of Elementals. There just aren't that many stories about elemental control in YA, and this one definitely hits the mark. Brigid Kemmerer really wrote an incredible story so far, and I love all the different layers there are to it. This is a story that I have grown to love and I can't wait to see where Brigid Kemmerer takes it next.

So once again, holy hot boys! While reading, there were definitely moments where I once again found myself wishing that the Merrick brothers were real people. This time I loved getting to know Gabriel and it didn't take long for me to realize there was a lot more to him than I originally thought. I was also happy to be able to see more of Michael, because there just seems to be so much to him. And Layne was so much more than I first thought she was going to be. But I think she was the perfect to balance out Gabriel. As far as the characters are concerned, I just wish I could have seen more of Chris and Becca because I kinda missed them.

Spark was an absolutely fantastic follow-up to Brigid Kemmerer's debut, Storm. After this second installment, the Elemental series has reached the top of my list of series to watch out fore. And I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about the third book, Spirit.

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Storm (Elementals #1)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys--all the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her.

Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water--just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

Despite everything I kept on hearing, I didn't really expect that much from Storm by Brigid Kemmerer. And even if I had high expectations they totally would have been met, if not surpassed. Because Storm took me completely by surprise and ended up being a fantastic read.

It would figure that right when she doesn't want any attention from boys, Becca would start attracting all the wrong boys. And all that because she decided it would be a good idea to help Chris Merrick out of a fight. Now the people who are after Chris are also after Becca, which means she gets to spend more time with the Merrick brothers than she ever wanted. And if that weren't enough, there's new guy Hunter who always seems to show up whenever there's trouble brewing. And Becca can't deny that she's attracted to him. But there's also the Merrick brothers and their control of the elements. All Becca knows is that she may be in way over her head.

So about Storm. I had heard what it was about and I knew about the plethora of hot boys. But still. I totally did not expect what I ended up getting. What Storm ended up being was pretty awesome. I absolutely did not expect to become as wrapped up in the story as quickly as I did. Brigid Kemmerer definitely hit the mark with this book. The fantastic thing about Storm is that it was different from a lot of what's already out there. There aren't that many YA books out there that focus around control of the elements and that was one of the reasons Storm stood out so much for me. The way Brigid Kemmerer presented the elemental control was really interesting and I loved getting to find out about how it all worked. I'm definitely looking forward to finding out more about it all in future books.

Before I get to the hot boys, let me just talk about Becca. I liked Becca. She definitely didn't fall in the stereotype of being the girl who needs to be rescued by the hot boy. If anything, she was the one who did the rescuing. What I liked most about Becca, though, was how she stood her own among all the boys, especially when she found herself in the middle of a Merrick family dispute. Now, about the Merrick brothers. Let's just say I wouldn't mind them being real people. In Storm I mostly got to know Chris and I think I may have fallen in love with him a little, mainly because I understood why he was trying to push Becca away. And I liked him more than Hunter. I don't really know why, Hunter was great and all, but I liked Chris better. And the other Merrick brothers were pretty great and I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know them better in future books. 

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer was more than I ever thought it would be. It had the perfect balance of romance and action, mixed in with just the right amount of paranormal. If you haven't picked up Storm yet, you are missing out. If only for all the hot boys, it's a totally worthwhile read.

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Release Date: May 29, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

I've seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I'm supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I'm just waiting for the next, Bad, Bad Thing to happen, Like someone trying to kill me--again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects--and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I'm also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the ad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me? It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Hellheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can't use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me--and I'm in for the fight of my life.

I absolutely love Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy series and it only got better with Dark Frost. In this installment, the story was taken to a whole new level, and by the end I was totally begging for more.

Gwen Frost is just trying to figure out what is going on between her and Logan Quinn, the hottest guy at Mythos, but constantly being in mortal danger is kind of getting in the way of that. That's what happens when you suddenly find out that you're pretty much the only person who can stop the Reaper of Chaos from freeing Loki. No pressure, right? Now, Reapers of Chaos have infiltrated Mythos Academy, and are trying to get at Gwen from all directions. And to make things better, Gwen's best friend isn't talking to her. And here all Gwen was hoping for was a date with Logan. So much for that.

Jennifer Estep really stepped it up in Dark Frost. I had already loved the first two books in the Mythos Academy series, but this third one was something else. There was so much going on in Dark Frost. Right from the first chapter there was something going on and the action really didn't let up until the end. And as far as who was the bad guy, Jennifer Estep had me going around in a circle, I kept changing my mind until it was all revealed. One of my favorite parts of the story is still all the warrior mythology. It's really interesting how it all works together and that mythology from all these different cultures mix together. It makes for an interesting read.

I love the character in this story. Gwen has a fantastic voice and I love the way she tells the story. She always manages to put a smile on my face. The other people who also do that are Daphne and Carson. They are an adorable couple and the way they act often just makes me laugh. And once again Logan is kind of hot and cold, but I kind of love him for it. Mostly, I understand why Logan is the way he is and it totally fits in with Logan's personality. And, you know, how Logan is with Gwen isn't so bad, at least how he is with her most of the time. All that to say that the people in this story are pretty great.

Dark Frost was a truly awesome read. The story was taken to a whole new level, both with the action and the mystery. And with the preview of the next book at the end, I am unbelievably eager to be able to read Crimson Frost.