Review: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Book: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Pages: 350
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

ABCs Likes and Dislikes

 [A]

I liked this book because Jennifer Estep is just one awesome story teller. She truly has a way of just absorbing you into the book... The plot and the world building was developed and refreshing. I'm not sure if it's starting to become a trend with all these "paranormal/mythological academies", but Jennifer created a unique setting of a campus filled with different kinds of warriors.

I disliked this book because at times...I got annoyed. If I could count the word "designer" in this book, I'd lose count (or I'd just stop counting because I would get frustrated). I get it that all these cool kids wear the hip designer clothes with their fancy bags and crap...so please stop saying it over and over and OVER. I'd also get annoyed at Gwen. I just couldn't connect with her. At times I felt she was really whiny and whiny people = no no in Gianna's book.

[B]

I liked this book because Gwen wasn't some dimwitted girly girl...she was brainy. I really liked how she's a quick thinker and smart to get out of dire situations. She knew how to return insults with witty quips, which is a plus in my book. I also loved how she didn't exactly swoon over bad boy Logan. (FINALLY another girl that resists the tempting, smexy bad boy!)

I disliked this book because the romance in this book was in a lack of better words boring and underdeveloped. If you know me, I am a HUGE romance fan. I love boys that make me squeal and swoon, the girl's witty banter with their love interest, and OH THE CHEMISTRY! -Ahem- Anyways, this book lacked in all three areas. I would have liked to see more romantic development between Logan and Gwen. Basically what happened in my eyes: Gwen bumps into Logan a few times + Logan saving her life + Logan flirting with her = the chance of starting a new relationship? The chemistry between these two was so bland I had to force myself to read through it.. 

[C]

I liked this book because the twists in the plot were so clever. I honestly didn't expect what Jennifer threw at me, which was awesome. Unpredictability is best. I'd go into details but that requires spoilers from the book...

I disliked this book because it felt cliche at times. The evil, preppy twitheads which were the popular girl, the sexy man-whore, the nerdy outcast, [begin spoiler]dead moms[end spoiler], etc. I don't mind cliches but the characters felt so predictable and two-dimensional which was no bueno.

In all, despite my being frustrated at times, I enjoyed this book. This whole book was a fun read, with a semi-cliffhanger ending to boot! I'm looking forward to find out what happens next in the series.