Review: 125. Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep...

Jennifer Estep writes one of my favorite urban fantasy series, The Elemental Assassins, and here she is with a brand new YA offering. Ok, so maybe it's not quite brand new, since it's been out since July...

Title: Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)
Author: Jennifer Estep
ISBN-13: 9780758266927
e-ARC: 278 pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp., 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Jennifer Estep

drey's thoughts:
I loved the mythology weaved into Touch of Frost. Sure, I'm a bit rusty on all the players, but I used to read everything (and I mean everything) I could get my hands on that had any hint of myths--never mind where they originated, I wanted 'em.

Gwen Frost is seventeen and a Gypsy. She's at the Mythos Academy against her wishes and skulks around the other students--Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, etc.--in between classes. Being the only Gypsy there does make one tend to lurk alone. The first part of the book is all new-girl stuff: not fitting in, covering the cliques, and angst over having to be there in the first place. Plus how easily she gets off the grounds to steal visits with her grandmother...

Then Gwen stumbles into stuff that's way more than she's prepared to handle--by herself anyway. And finds out that not all the mean girls are actually mean, and not all the cool dudes are too cool to hang out with a Gypsy. And that's the easy stuff... She also finds out the gods are real, they're not above messing with the world, and some gods are definitely more benign than others. Death happens to be all too real at Mythos Academy...

I liked Gwen, even when I think she's sometimes too dang stubborn for her own good. I like her friend Daphne, who's as snarky as the best of them. I am intrigued by the story, and want to find out what Logan's thinking, and where Gwen goes from here.

drey's rating: Pick it up! Especially if you like your boarding-school YA novels wrapped in mythological figures and good-vs-evil intrigue.

Have you read Touch of Frost? What did you think?

131. Poisoned Kisses by Stephanie Draven...

Title: Poisoned Kisses
Author: Stephanie Draven
ISBN-13: 9780373618453
Paperback:
Publisher: Harlequin, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Poisoned Kisses was provided by the publicist for Stephanie Draven's blog tour. I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
Stephanie Draven's Poisoned Kisses takes war and mythology and cooks up a passionate brew of love, lust, betrayal, and sacrifice.

Kyra is the immortal daughter of the Greek god of war, Ares. Rebelling against her father, she vows to destroy the mortals involved in her father's game of war. When she sets her sight on Marco Kaisiris for running arms to Africa, she is unprepared for how much she reacts to the man's raw presence... But Kyra being Kyra, she's not going to let a tiny little thing like lust prevent her from trying to eliminate the man. That is, until she finds out that not everything is black and white, and it's the shades of gray that will make you doubt your convictions.

I like Stephanie's use of mythology in Poisoned Kisses. It brings that little something extra to the normal boy-meets-girl-etc table, like the powdered sugar topping on top of a really good waffle. Add this to your stack for a refreshing read this fall!

drey's rating: 3/5 Good

Challenges: 100+, Pub

110. Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn...

Title: Discord's Apple
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-13: 9780765325549
Hardcover: 299 pages
Publisher: Tor Books, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Discord's Apple was on loan from my local library. I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
I love Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series. So how could Discord's Apple be anything but good?

In a future where the superpowers are at each others' throats and annihilation is more likely than peace, Evie Walker is returning to Hope's Fort because her father is dying. Once there, the world as she knows it starts to fall apart, as the secret of her family's legacy is revealed. Passed from father to oldest child, Evie is beginning to receive her inheritance--the storeroom, with its cache of ageless and magical treasures--in bits and pieces of realization.

However, just as she is getting up to speed, others come a-calling, seeking the storeroom, and one in particular wants her hands on Discord's Apple. Why? Well, to remake the world, of course!

Carrie Vaughn deftly weaves a tapestry of love, loss, jealousy, anger, and mythology alive and well in a modern-day apocalyptic world. The characters will surprise you, the stories will enthrall you, and all through this journey familiar faces (well, familiar if you read, lol!) will lead the way. Pick it up for a surprisingly good read. I'd like to go on that ride again, please.

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+, Pub, Support Your Local Library