Early Review: Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5)

Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5)

Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington Books – Released 30^th July 2013

E-Arc Copy Courtesy of Netgalley & Kensington Books

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can't get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities--until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I'm still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead. As Nike's Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I'm still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I've got to get my hands on the antidote fast--otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins--and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there 

Gwen Frost is Nike’s Champion and she has embraced that this means she and her friends will have to face evil God Loki and his Reapers of Chaos. However, her honey Logan is absent still unsure of himself after Loki’s interference in Crimson Frost. When another of Gwen’s allies is poisoned by the Reapers, she and her friends have to go to the one place they can find antidote knowing it is a trap...

Gwen is so much more confident now then she was when we first met her and her developing strength and fighting skills are joys to see. Her selection of friends and allies are fun and you just can’t help rooting for them all. Gwen is still smarting over Logan’s abandonment but she carries on regardless. She also discovers more about her father now. There are some exciting action scenes and I really loved how everyone accepts and looks to Gwen to guide and lead them. She is going to be one strong general in this fight.

The story is fast paced with little wasted time taking place over just a few days but in terms of the wider story arc, it doesn’t feel like much has changed. Maybe I’ll be proved wrong and this is just laying the groundwork for the end battle, but it feels like Gwen ends in the same place as she was at the start. Saying that, this is still a great series and one of my favourite YA series – I just love Gwen’s natural charm and determination. Plus the mixture of mythologies from Greek, Roman, Viking in the modern world is just a blast!

Overall, this is a good instalment in a great series – superior to other YA series but not the peak of its own high standard. It was a great summer instalment and I am happy Jennifer Estep is a fast writer as if I had to wait a whole year between visits to Mythos I would miss all my Gypsy, Amazon, Viking and Spartan friends!

Recommended for fans of Marissa Meyer and Richelle Mead. 8 out of 10