Review: Touch of Frost - Jennifer Estep

Reading level:  Ages 13 and up
Paperback:  336 pages
Publisher:  K-Teen; 1 edition (July 26, 2011)

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 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. . . 

My Thoughts...

I am a sucker for books involving mythology. It has always been something I enjoyed, so the high number of books coming out lately involving mythology makes me giddy. 

This one seemed to mix quite a few different cultures but it all worked out in the end. Gwen is a gypsies with the power to touch an object and see things about others that have touched it. She admits that she loves being able to find out peoples secrets, that is until one girls secrets turns Gwen's life upside down.

Before she knows it she is attending mythos academy for "warrior wiz kids". There are amazons, Vikings, Spartans, Valkyries, and other mythological warriors. 

She sits through her myth-history class in disbelief in the stories she is hearing, that is until a girl ends up dead and Gwen is using her gift to be the supernatural Nancy Drew. 

This is a great story about coming to terms with ones self and opening up to new possibilities about yourself. Gwen was a great character she stars out not believing in the myths she is learning about, and ends this story with a new understanding of the world around her. 

This was a story that sucked me in and I am counting down the days until the next book is released. If you are     a mythology fan then go get this book! This one gets 5 stars from me!

Review: Wildfire - Karsten Knight

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (July 26, 2011)

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

My Thoughts...

Oh boy!  This book was magic!  I don't know where to start describing the awesome that is Wildfire.  I guess I will try starting with the mythology aspect.  This book wasn't solely focused on any one culture, there seemed to be a little bit of everything rolled up here.  I enjoyed that very very much.  While I do love story's that do focus on one culture or belief system it is nice to see something different and fresh.  Something else I have yet to encounter is Polynesian mythology, but from the taste I got here I want more.  Our characters were pretty great as well.  They kind of seemed like a group jumble, like if not for there commonality they probably wouldn't have become friends. But they did and together they were fun and great.  I'm not going to go into details about anyone but Ashline.  She was a nifty main character.  She came off as strong yet still incredibly vulnerable.  I'm not sure I can't discuss the plot without raving and giving stuff away so we will leave it at this.  this was an amazing story that I didn't want to end.  I need more, right now!  The ending had me sitting here saying "there better be a book number two".  I can't wait for the next book I want to hear more about these characters and dive deeper into this story.  I give this one 5 stars and raving recommendations!

Review: The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (April 19, 2011)

Every girl who has taken the test has died.
Now it's Kate's turn.
It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.
If she fails.

                                         

Once upon a time I had a dream of becoming a history teach with a specialization in mythology, and while I like all mythology Greek/Roman mythology always held a special place in my heart. So when I saw the description of this book I said "I am gonna love that one".  Well it appears that I was 100% right!!  There were things that happened that I truly weren't expecting, and things that played out different than I thought they would.  I really liked Kate, I loved her determination to do whatever she could for the people she cared about. I also really enjoyed Henry, I felt for him and all I wanted at points was to know that he was going to fight for what he really wanted.  I really don't know what more I can say about this book I don't want to give anything important away but at the same time feel compelled to gush and gush about it. I guess I should leave it at. I really thought this was a great book and I hope that everyone who got teased by my teaser yesterday or that loves mythology  will grab a copy and give it a try.  I'm gonna give this one 4.5 stars!!