Book #76 - Kiss of Frost (Mythos Academy #2)

Kiss of Frost (Mythos Academy #2), Jennifer Estep
354 pages
urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Started 7/11/12
Finished 7/12/12
4 STARS

My Grandma Helen always used to tell me that, "true love never runs smooth." Ain't it the truth, grandma? But, if we're to be honest with ourselves, would we really want it to? That delicious give and take, push and pull, yesyesyes nonono is what makes true love something special. And, when it all works out in the end, all that much more satisfying. Kiss of Frost holds evidence of this in spades. And, it made it better than the first book in the series.

After her epic battle for survival and then epic shoot-down by hot bad boy Logan, Gwen is struggling. She is trying to catch up to all her classmates in fight training, trying to get a better grip on her ever changing and evolving powers, and most of all, trying to forget how much she loves Logan Quinn. That last one is the hardest, especially when he's been parading around with his arm around another girl. Luckily, Gwen has her loyal friends to lean on for support and a winter carnival (and maybe a new guy?) to provide much needed distraction. But, too much of a distraction may just make her forget that there are Reapers out there that really want to see her dead.

Gwen, Gwen, Gwen...I know how you feel, girlfriend. She's trying to be the bigger person and go on with her life sans Logan Quinn. It's just so hard to forget you're madly in love with someone that you have to see on a one-on-one basis every freaking morning. Especially when he's made it clear he wants to be with someone else. Jennifer Estep is such a wonderful writer - Gwen's struggle with her feelings and new powers were very real to me. It had me remembering very vividly what it was like to be a teenager again, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. LOL.

The best part about this installment in the Mythos Academy series is that we see some real progress with Gwen's character. She's learning new aspects about her powers, and Estep has made things progress at a real, believable pace. So many times, I see characters realize they have powers, and then all of a sudden, WHAM! They can move heaven and Earth with the flick of a finger. If superpowers were real, I kinda doubt it would happen like that, you know what I mean? Gwen is almost discovering her new abilities by accident, and only a little at a time, which is so much better.

Her relationships with the others around her is so much fun to read. When we first met Gwen, she had no friends at her new school. By the end of the first book, she had made friends with the Valkyrie, Daphne and the Celt, Carson. And, of course, the Spartan, Logan. By the end of Kiss of Frost, she can add a few more names to the "trusted friends" list, and not all of them are human. I'm enjoying watching Gwen come into her own. And, that includes watching her and her friends team up to battle the baddies toward the end. It was very exciting and fulfilling. Before I was done reading this book, I had already reserved Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3) at the library. I'm loving this series!