Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy, #1)

by Jennifer Estep

[nitzan_schwarz]

You know. it's not often that I re-read a book and decided to raise its star rating, but Touch of Frost kind of deserves it, if only on account of the fact I enjoyed it FAR more on the second read.

So, I'm going to go through things in the order I originally listed them, just to see the full picture of how the re-read felt vs the original read:

* The book is still fast-paced and interesting enough to finish in a day. It really did feel like it flew by, which is always a really good indicator with a book.

* I still really like Gwen as a character. My impression of her was a lot better the second time around. I didn't feel like she was indecisive, and I wasn't frustrated with the way she always put herself down. I wonder if I originally felt aggravated by it because I used to do it to myself ALL THE TIME, and maybe I felt more angry at myself than at her. Or maybe I'm overly psychoanalyzing my seven years old thoughts on a book.

* I was, however, still as baffled by Gwen's insistence to disbelieve the stories about the gods and the war as I had been the first time. I mean, the girl is literally in a magic school a-la-Hogwarts, and she has had magic abilities all her life. How can she literally stand there and rant about how idiotic the idea of gods and the likes existing is? It makes no sense to me whatsoever.

* Maybe it's because I remembered who the Bad Guy is, so I didn't "figure it out" like I did the first time around, but I really didn't feel like Gwen was "dumb" in my re-read. (Although, can I get a round of applause for remembering the villain seven years later?? I feel like I should get a medal). I mean, yes, she was really close to a breakthrough, like, three times, but it felt natural that she didn't get it? So I don't know what I was so mad that she didn't figure it out at the beginning as I did...

* In general, I feel like I was really hard on the girl the first time around. Was I in a bad mood while reading it? Maybe the read before was a five star and this paled in comparison? Who knows. All I do know is that Gwen is funny and snarky and sometimes mean in a good way.

* And sometimes, mean and shallow in a bad way. First of all, "slut shaming" is really unflattering and I don't get it, but at least she wasn't a hypocrite about it and used it freely for men and women alike. Still one of the things I really disliked about this one, tho. And I really wish she'd stop judging people so much on the surface; like the clothes they wear defines them. But I also felt like part of the whole point was to teach her a lesson about it, which she got... a little bit. I mean, she still kind of a dumb teenager ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

* As for Logan, I also had a pretty much opposite reaction to this guy the second time around?? I kind of like him. Yes, we don't see enough of him, but the fact I kept thinking "where's Logan?' because I low-key loved their interactions kind of prove Estep did something right with the guy, at least on the second time reading it. I'm really excited to see where it goes with him and how Estep fleshes out his character, and also I can't wait for the time he becomes a devoted boyfriend! *snicker*

*Okay, here's the biggie - the repetition. I remembered this bugging the hell out of me the first time around without re-reading my review. And I've got to say... didn't really bother me this time? lol Like, yes. Gwen mentions she feels sad and guilty about her mom a lot, but it felt pretty natural to me in this read. The repetition on all the designer bullshit and stuff was kind of annoying, but not glaring, so I don't know what I was going on and on about before.

* This is a pretty good segway to the things that still really bother me in this book - the setting. The whole school is so freaking stereotypical (and pretty 2012, if I'm honest, which does make sense). Like, this school for uber-rich kids who look like they just stepped out of GQ Magazine and the poor heroine who doesn't really fit in. They drink and smoke and have sex every freaking second pretty much and are so shallow and what not. It still feels pretty unrealistic to me.

* I wonder if I read the same book the second time around because literally, 90% of the things that bothered me 7 years ago didn't this time and usually it's the other way with me lol

Old thoughts
To read the organized version of this review and more, go to my blog; Drugs Called Books!

3.5 stars
I’ll start this review by saying this: I liked this book. It’s fast paced, interesting, set in a curious world with a good voice and a nice cast of heroes. It was good enough for me to steal pages while in class, when the teacher didn’t see or know. I wanted to know what happened next, but I also found myself frustrated by this book many times. In fact, I have a lot of complaints about it, which is why I couldn’t give it more than 3 and a half stars.
First, there were the repetitions. God help me – how many times can you tell us Gwen felt guilty over her mother’s death? How many times can you mention her hurt over the loss? I mean, I get it – her mother died. Can’t imagine how horrible that is. It is a part of her, and that’s important, but for me – less in this case is more. One detailed time about her gut wrenching feeling would’ve been enough, with little reminders. Instead, every chapter or so we get a long paragraph or three about it. It was like the author feared we’ll forget or something, like she wasn’t sure she asserted Gwen’s character enough for us to take that as a memorable and important part of her, even though it was.
so instead of making me feel Gwen’s hurt and take it as something that was part of her, I got annoyed with her.
Then there were the damn designer clothes. I mean, I get it – school for the rich equals really expensive clothing. Great. But why did Gwen have to mention their clothing so many freaking times? It was like she was the most obsessed with the clothes from them all, not to mention how she knew to distinguish and name each brand name.
And the whole “I obviously don’t fit in” deal. First of all, I felt like she totally made herself not fit in, with all of her saying it. I also though she pretty obviously did fit. I mean, right – you’re not the best in gym (join the club, we’ve got books and computer games to share with the world), you’re not filthy rich (or are you?) and you don’t consider yourself a warrior, but you are magical, and you’ve never doubted that, so I think you pretty much do fit. But say I didn’t mind that I thought that saying was completely her doing and untrue – which I did, but never mind for the moment – why did she have to say it like every freaking chapter? Sometimes as the punch line of the chapter, too. Talk about annoying.
And the fixation with sex was a bit bothersome. I don’t know about you, but there weren’t many hookups in my school. And if they were, they were behind close quarters. The fact that every chapter mentioned sex in one way or another, was a bit odd to me. I mean, okay – kids there hookup. Is it really that important to be mentioned so many times?
So, point is: too many repetitions in this book. Needs to be toned down. So you’ll have fewer pages—but I, for one, will find much less faults in this book. I could actually like and enjoy some of these stuff if they didn’t appear so much my ears began to bleed.
Now, Gwen herself annoyed me due to those—as she was bounded to, seeing this story is told from her POV. I liked her enough as a character, though I didn’t like her indecisiveness at times, or her lack of self confidence about things or how she pretty much put herself in the bottom of the food pyramid.
I was also very frustrated that she didn’t believe in all the gods and mythical wars, when mythical creatures existed all around her, walked by her and, gasp, she’s one of them! I mean, how can you not believe that those things were true when you see magic every day and practice it? Were you a normal person, suddenly thrown into this – okay, I can see why you’d be skeptic. But the only thing you’ve been thrown into was the school; you always had you magic and always used it, so how can you ignore it’s existence and pretend those other things don’t exist?...
Then there was the whole glove thing. Just when I was wondering why the hell she didn’t wear gloves, I got an explanation. One that were weak at best and made me want to rip my eyes out; because she didn’t want to be labeled as That Gypsy Girl Who Can See things and has a Glove Fetish. I mean – WTF? If she truly suffered from those flashes so much, as she says she does, she’d wear the damn gloves no matter what people thought of her.
One of the moments that bothered me most in this book was the one where Gwen answers Logan’s question about her comic books. I found it completely unnatural when she explained she does it because she hoped to find one day that her mother wasn’t dead, just like it happens in the comics. I mean, she doesn’t really know the guy, and suddenly she pours her guts to him about such a privet things without him having to even to coax her to explain it, not to mention the phrasing of that entire monologue that sounds so unnatural. The entire thing felt forced, unnatural and fake.
(And, FYI – that is no longer true about comic books because Spiderman died in one of the universes).
This brings me to Logan and Gwen’s possibly-maybe-pending relationship. I felt like it wasn’t based at all. The author does not make me able to believe those two belong together. We see almost none of Logan’s personality, and I can’t even figure out why she likes Logan so much, what with their minimal meetings, aside for the whole; “he saved my life and he's uber sexy”. Her crush on him just felt like something the author threw in to please the girls reading the book, so there will be love. I am hoping to be convinced of this couple in the next book, which should include more contact with Logan now that he’s her tutor.

Now, because this might contain a bit of spoilers I put this here after all the other rant – Gwen took way too much time to figure things out. In a way, I felt she was slightly stupid not to figure it out; I understood who killed Jasmine—or rather, who didn’t—a little bit after Gwen felt nothing of Jasmine’s body and found the ripped photo.
Now, that would be fine, because sometimes the reader is meant to understand more, sometimes authors let us feel smarter, for our own good of course.
But here… here we found her about three times on the verge of figuring things out. Saying something nagged at her, like a memory or a thought she couldn’t quite reach yet. And I was like; dude, in that sentence describing what that memory/thought seemed to be related to you just put all the information you needed, and you still don’t get it? What’s more, you drop the whole thing just because you know those kind of nagging feelings always make themselves clear at a point? Great detective you are (though, in all fairness, she does admit she’s not much of an investigator when faced of with Jasmine).
For a smart girl, she’s a bit dumb. Especially after that panther attack.

Another thing that bothered me was the freaking name of the book. About three quarters into the book I began to wonder what the hell the title referred to. I mean, Gwen’s got a touch alright – but nothing related to frost about it. Aside for her last name, which I hope is not the reason this book is named so, because that's just stupid - it's like saying Touch of Gwen only in a cooler way? I like my titles with more meaning.
Though I'm starting to fear I won't get what I like, because the most I can figure out is that the name relates to that single moment, close to the end, when Nike kisses Gwen’s cheek and Gwen suddenly feels a coldness, but why is that so important the entire book is named after it? And even if it is that important, we don’t get an explanation to why that is in this book, so why did it get to be the name of it? I mean, I feel like there should be a different title to this book—as pretty as this title might be—one that corresponds with the plot better (if it's not the first option, which is think is not a bad name for the book – just silly). But that’s just me.

One thing I want to point out is that this book, it it’s idea and elements, kind of reminds me of Harry Potter (though this may be just because I’ve lately read HP related forum threads, who knows). This is not to say Touch of Frost compares in my eyes to HP—not to mention there are a few vast differences between the two—but there were similarities: The most obvious one; a school for magic. A different kind of magic, perhaps, but magic nonetheless. Then there’s the whole chaos vs. order, good vs. evil. We have a person that thinks himself relatively ordinary and average, that ends up having to fight against evil. The Repears are this book’s version of Death Eaters, and Jasmine and her family reminded me of the Malfoy’s, a family who served chaos forever. Then, the artifact. Like Horcruxes and the Deathly Hollows. And the special, privet lessons from received to prepare the chosen one for battle.
In short, there were many elements of this book that reminded me of Harry Potter, though Harry Potter is far better in my opinion.

To read the organized version of this review and more, go to my blog; Drugs Called Books!