Crimson Frost

Jennifer Estep

Series: Mythos Academy #4
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: Dec 24, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Source: Netgalley

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, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.

I’ve been accused 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…

Happy Thursday everyone! In case y’all were wondering, I was only sick for a day. It was a little 24hr bug, as opposed to the week and a half bug my hubs and daughter caught a few weeks ago. Thank heavens. The last thing I need around the holidays is to be laid low for a week or so. Anyway, I’ve had a dang good reading week. Opal by JLA was released early (woo hoo!), and I promptly jumped on that band wagon and bought my copy yesterday. It’s already been devoured read, so my review will come next week. I’m still traumatized from the ending. I’m convinced that JLA is out to crush my heart into little bitty pieces, gleefully tossing them into the wind to parts unknown. She kills me. Anyway, back to the book I’m supposed to be reviewing. Crimson Frost. Yet another author that is determined to squeeze the life out of me with her books. I balled like a baby in the last book, Dark Frost, and I didn’t think it was possible to cry harder while reading a book than that one. Then I read Crimson Frost and I became a sobbing, snotty mess. If that’s not enough of an endorsement, I don’t know what is.

With each new release, the books get more and more serious. In Crimson Frost, Gwen is still dealing with the aftermath of Loki’s release, plus she is feeling the pressure of being Nike’s champion. But she’s managed to surround herself with a good group of friends that encourage her, and she and Logan are officially together. She and Logan are out on their first date (can we say disastrous? Gwen was so nervous that she babbled on and on, and manged to spill both their drinks in Logan’s lap. I cringed y’all.. cringed. And it made me really grateful I’m long past the teenage years), when the Mythos version of the police force swoop in and arrest Gwen. Everything just gets more horrible from there. Gwen is put under guard, the students at Mythos Academy harass her, and the penalty if found guilty is death. Estep has really made things difficult for Gwen and her friends, and the Mythos world is not an easy world to live in right now.

One thing I’ve always admired about Estep’s writing is she never stalls. Each book is filled with equal parts action and emotion, and I’ve yet to read a dreaded “filler” novel in any of her series. With each of her books, I find myself frantically turning the pages while reading because I have to know what happens next. Another thing I appreciate about Estep’s books and writing is that she always finishes the story. It’s an ongoing series, so the story won’t really be finished until the last book, but I can’t remember a single book of hers I’ve read that had a major cliffhanger. Estep’s endings leave me with just enough suspense to be outrageously excited for the next book, but she doesn’t leave me hanging in the middle of an important scene.

I have a confession, there were a few times in this book that I started to doubt Gwen’s ability to save the world. It always seems like she’s one step behind the Reapers, and when she confronts them in battle, she gets her arse kicked. Loki’s champion is running circles around her, laughing maniacally while Gwen fumbles about trying to catch up. Everything turns out all right, and Gwen usually finds some way out of the mess. But I’m excited for the time when Gwen goes on the attack and isn’t just reacting to what the Reapers are doing around her. Estep has created such a physical world, where everyone is measured by their strength and fighting abilities. Then her heroine is the furthest thing from a warrior she could possibly be. I’m anxious to see Gwen discover the boundaries of her psychometry, and how she is going to use it (along with her wits) to defeat Loki and his champion. As of right now, things are lookin’ a little bleak. I guess I just have to keep the faith, right?

I’ve said this with every review since the first book came out, but I’m going to say it again: y’all NEED to read this series if you haven’t already. Everyone needs a little bit of Gwen and her determination in their lives. Crimson Frost is an exciting addition to an already fantastic series, and it’d be a shame if you missed out on it’s brilliance.

My Rating: A+