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. :)