Review: Dark Frost

Reviewed by Jen
 

I have yet to meet a Jennifer Estep book I didn't like.  And this one is no exception. In fact, I think it's the strongest installment in the Mythos Academy series so far.

Only weeks have passed since the events of the last book.  Winter break is just wrapping up and Gwen is unsure where she stands with the sexy Spartan, Logan. They haven't seen each other or spoken during the break.  Just as they reunite at a museum for a school project, the building is overrun with Reapers.  They're searching for the ancient dagger to free the god Loki.  And leading the charge, is the masked woman who killed Gwen's mother.

The battle is bloody, but Gwen and her friends survive and the head Reaper gets away.  The whole thing really drives home for Gwen how important it is that she find the dagger first, to keep Loki locked away.  The story follows her efforts to uncover the weapon her mother hid all those years ago, while struggling with her fragile relationship with Logan.

Once again, Logan manages to piss me off with how he treats Gwen and I was really about to write him off for good this time.  That is, until we learn his Big Secret.  Granted, the secret wasn't so big that we all hadn't figured it out already, but through his willingness to eventually share his vulnerability, we finally see him grow.

There are some engaging subplots, surrounding Gwen's friend Daphne and the return of that Frenrir wolf we met in the last book. But the main theme of the story is really Gwen's journey of self-discovery.  It's painfully clear at times how young she still is.  It's frustrating to watch her blame herself for things she can't control --and make everything all about her.  But that is the way of a 17 year-old, I guess.  The important thing is that she is growing... not just as a person, but as a powerful being.  What she learns to do with her powers here is pretty bad ass.

Estep's writing style is always a win for me. It's such easy reading, the books always fly by. There's a lot of action and some major developments in the overall series arc.  Stuff I did not see coming.  I'm looking forward to see how Gwen will manage to live up to her potential in the next book.

Rating: B

*ARC provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Dark Frost

by Jennifer Estep

Release Date: May 29, 2012

Publisher: Kensington