REVIEW: Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5)

Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5), by Jennifer Estep
To Be Published July 30, 2013
Publisher:  K-Teen
Format: ARC - received from publisher
Genre:  YA, mythology, urban fantasy
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) 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.

The Mythos Academy series is a perfect study in character evolution. There are so many series where the main character is very static, and the only things that change from book to book are his or her interactions with the supporting characters and the situations in which they find themselves. That's all well and good for awhile, but not very fulfilling. As a reader, I get so much more enjoyment and satisfaction when I see the characters I love grow up literally before my eyes.

In Midnight Frost, Gwen is trying to get by after the horrible events in Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4). Nothing has changed with the Reapers; they are still actively trying to kill her. And, after an attempt on her life ends up critically endangering someone Gwen cares about, she and her friends (sans Logan, of course, who is still off trying to get his head together) set off on a dangerous quest to try and set things right again. 

This is the most action-packed book in the series with plenty of sword fights in lots of cool settings like the library (of course!), a train and an ancient goddess' ruins. There's also plenty of opportunities for Gwen to use her powers, and not just her touch magic. We see her use her ability to communicate with animals, which is my personal favorite part of her magic. And, Gwen uses it in a big way in Midnight Frost.

But, above all, I absolutely love seeing how much Gwen has grown over the course of the Mythos series. I almost felt like a proud parent reading about her kicking ass in Midnight Frost. I remember back in Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1), Gwen was shy, reserved, and a little angry. She didn't know a broadsword from a fencing foil. She was enemies with Daphne, wary of Logan and afraid of her own shadow.

But now? The best part of Midnight Frost is hearing Gwen's ruminations as she thinks on all her life has become over the past year. Her thoughts and actions have matured beyond measure, and that is all born out of hardship and experience and love.

Never fear all you Logan Freaking Quinn fans (of which I am one), he does make an appearance in Midnight Frost. The Spartan's conscience is still not wiped clean, but he is a man of honor, so he feels the need to help his friends in their near suicide mission. You gotta love that about him.

And, although the individual quest in this book is wrapped up, the over-arching goals that Nike has put on Gwen's shoulders remain. The set-up is good for Killer Frost (Mythos Academy #6). I can't wait to see what happens next.

NEW ADULT READATHON ANNOUNCEMENT

You all should know by now how much I love the new adult genre. I talk about new adult books every Monday in my New Adult Mondays feature. Most of the blog tours in which I participate are for new adult books. So, when I saw the New Adult Readathon, sponsored by Bookish Treasures and A Daydreamer's Thoughts, I thought it was perfect for my first readathon. Don't you think?

So, here's the deal. For a whole week, you read only new adult books. There will be giveaways, Twitter chats and mini-challenges open only to readathon participants. All you have to do is sign up on the linky list found on Bookish Treasures and A Daydreamer's Thoughts.

I can read new adult books faster than any other genre. I can polish one off in roughly 24 hours. I'm already thinking about the books I want to read during the New Adult Readathon week. I'm going with five books. That might be ambitious, but we'll see. These are the ones I hope to finish this week:

 

Know something else? I'm going to host a mini-challenge on the first day of the readathon - Monday, July 22. I'll have a challenge for you, as well as a giveaway. But, the giveaway will only be open to readathon participants on the list. So, what are you waiting for? If you love new adult books or, if you have been wanting to try them out, but haven't had a chance yet, this is the perfect excuse. Go sign up today and join the New Adult Readathon!

REVIEW: This Man (This Man Trilogy #1)

This Man (This Man Trilogy #1), by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Published October 20, 2012
Publisher:  self-published
Format: e-book, obtained from NetGalley
Genre:  adult contemporary romance
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  3 STARS

(From Goodreads) Young interior designer Ava O’Shea has an appointment for a first consultation at The Manor with the owner, Mr Jesse Ward. She is expecting nothing more than an overweight, cravat wearing, well-to-do countryman, and on arrival, nothing would suggest otherwise. How wrong could she be? This Man is devastatingly handsome, charming and confident. He is also a conceited, hedonistic playboy, who knows no boundaries. Ava desperately does not want to be attracted to him, but she can’t control the overwhelming affect he has on her. Every instinct is telling her to run, so she does, but Jesse Ward is not so willing to let her go. He wants her and is determined to have her. She knows she is heading for heartbreak, but how can she run when he won’t let her?

I am a very character-driven reader. If you want me to stay engaged in a book - to LOVE a book - it is imperative for me to love the main characters. All the books that I've abandoned before finishing have had a main character that I didn't like for one reason or another. So, what do I do when I fall head over heels in love with one main character and despise the other? 

As you might guess, I powered through. There were times I feared my Kindle would become a flying projectile, but I made it through This Man, and strangely enough, found enough positive things to compel me to immediately start the second book in the This Man trilogy. 

Have you read Fifty Shades of Gray? If so, then you're already halfway there with This Man. Because, it's pretty much the same story. Ana is now Ava. Christian is now Jesse. Ava is young, independent, beautiful, relatively inexperienced and is instantly affected when she runs into Jesse in his place of business. Jesse is gorgeous, ridiculously wealthy, a complete control freak and becomes obsessed with having Ava the second he lays eyes on her. 

Sound familiar?

Despite his crazy controlling ways, I adored Jesse Ward. He is charismatic and charming and, even when he's being an ass, it's really hard not to love him, because you just get this vibe from him that he's doing all the crazy stuff for a good reason. I don't agree with everything that Jesse does in this book. And, when his secrets spill out at the most inopportune time, he really doesn't handle it well and is a big meanie. But, all that notwithstanding, Jesse is absolutely incredible - a man who loves wholly and completely and gives everything he has. 

Ava, on the other hand, UGH. If I could've reached through my Kindle and bitch slapped her, I would've taken that opportunity several times over. She was just the worst kind of person through most of this book. She would make promises to Jesse with absolutely no intention of keeping them. He would say he's going to call her, and then when he did, she wouldn't answer. Over and over and over. Jesse would swoop in and save her from a difficult or scary situation, and in return, she would run away from him. 

Ava was an expert runner. I am an expert communicator. I have a degree in it and everything. So, I have absolutely no respect for people who run instead of sticking around to talk about the hard stuff. And, Ava had a degree in running away from Jesse and his hard questions. I really hated her for that. 

But, my goodness, was this a gripping story. I was mostly pulled along by Jesse and his secrets. This Man is told soley from Ava's point of view, so we always know what's going on with her. But, Jesse - you just know there's more to him than what meets they eye. Malpas is a good writer. My distaste for Ava aside, I could not put This Man down. I was obsessed with finding out what was going on with Jesse and what Ava would do when she found out. 

And, at the end, you find out some answers, but not nearly all of them. And this was my driving force with moving on in the series. I needed to know more. Malpas sure knew what she was doing when she wrote the story like this. Because, I ended up reading all three books right in a row. More to come...