Book #138 - Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)

Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4), Jennifer Estep
YA urban fantasy, paranormal romance
378 pages
Started 12/23/12
Finished 12/24/12
4 STARS

I was so excited for this book to come out that I couldn't wait, and I got it from NetGalley before its release date (which was December 24, 2012). I'm a huge mythology fan, especially Greek mythology. So, this series in particular has been one of my favorites for awhile now.

Gwen is in a sticky situation as she is wrongly accused of a very serious crime. All of a sudden, the tenuous hold she had on her social life at Mythos comes crumbling down as her classmates think she now works for the enemy and their torment is particularly harsh. The only thing for Gwen to do is try her hardest to clear her name and continue on with the mission that Nike gave her.

Of all the Mythos books, this one was, by far, the most emotionally charged. Jennifer Estep hasn't shied away from tough situations for these teens. They have gotten into battles. Kids have died. Kids have been tortured. But, even through all that, there were plenty of lighter moments to temper the emotion. Not so much in Crimson Frost. Gwen starts out conflicted, frustrated and angry and stays that way through the end. There are very good reasons why, and I felt all of that as I was reading, which is a good thing. It just would've been nice to have a few happy scenes to balance it all out.

The other thing that I felt was lacking was LOGAN. He was there, but took a definite backseat to all of Gwen's drama. And, this was when I was finally hoping for some major forward progress in their relationship. Not only was there not much of that, but the events of the book cause a major misstep in the progression of their relationship. It was a bit of a bummer, because I really love that Spartan. I wanted much more of him.

But, even with that in mind, I'm a sucker for books that elicit strong emotion from me, and this one most certainly did that. I felt so frustrated for Gwen and the trials she very literally had to face. And, once again, the mythology is great. I really love all the references to Greek, Roman, and even Norse mythology.

Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5) will be coming out this summer, and I can't wait to see what Jennifer Estep does next with Gwen's and Logan's story.