Kiss of Frost

I finished Kiss of Frost, the second book in Jennifer Estep's young adult Mythos Academy series last night, and I very much enjoyed it. The first book came to me as an ARC at work, and I wasn't sure how seriously to take it based purely on the description. I'm a huge fan of her Elemental Assassin series, though, so I gave it a try. The Mythos books feel a little lot like a comic book universe, and that's no surprise given that the author has penned a superhero series as well. This is a fresh and interesting take on legends living in the modern world. Just as in her Elemental Assassin books, Estep has blended unexpected elements of world mythology with the technology age. Amazons and Vikings train at the Academy to fight against the Reapers, evil warriors devoted to freeing Loki from his eternal prison.

Gwen Frost is a Gypsy girl, gifted with psychometry (the ability to divine history, emotions and more through touch), but cursed with puny human strength and stamina in a school where most of the other students might bench press small cars. She's learning a little more about herself and her power, however, and she just might make it in this new and frightening world after all. There's a juicy bit of romantic drama at the core of the second book, plenty of wry humor, and a new, terribly daunting challenge for Gwen in future installments. I can't wait. :) 

Plum Crazy

Forgive the pun. But really, I did go a little crazy. Sometimes, when I start a series.... I can't stop until it's over or I run out of published books. It was so with Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Novels. Customers and coworkers have been trying to cajole me into reading these books for years. And then heard about the movie, and I saw the trailer and thought it might be a movie I'd like to see... and you can't see the movie first. The book is always better. You have to read the book first. So I did.

Two weeks later, I finished the very recently published Explosive Eighteen. Okay. Go back, and take a look at that sentence.

"Two weeks later, I finished the very recently published Explosive Eighteen."

I am not estimating. Two weeks, to the day, is how long it took me to read all eighteen novels and even one of the holiday novelas. Eighteen and a half books, in fourteen days. I couldn't stop. In my defense, I was recovering from a minor but hindering injury during those two weeks. However, I would be lying if I let anyone believe that I actually did anything useful like, say homework, during those fourteen days. I was addicted. I kind of still am.

These books are freaking hilarious. I kind of want to be a bounty hunter now. It's on my list right after circus performer, and right before werewolf. For real. I would rather be Stephanie Plum than a werewolf.  What? It could be an option. Science advances every day. But about the books... Funny. So funny. You know those books that make you laugh out loud in public places, and then people look at you like you're goofy? These are those books. Who even cares what those people think? They need to read more funny books.

Five of five toes to the whole series. <3