Dark Frost (Mythos Academy, #3) by Jennifer Estep

I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me—again.


Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects—and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me?


It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can’t use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me—and I’m in for the fight of my life.


Review:


This series never seizes to surprise me. Honestly, I find myself chewing off my nails and on the edge of my seat each time I pick one of these lovely books up. I also find myself loving Gwen more and more. She's still the great heroine she surprised us all by being in Touch of Frost and Kiss of Frost, but she is also continuously growing up as a character. Her awkward moments and uncoordination still make me laugh and her strength leaves a lasting impression. One of my favorite parts of reading a series is that you get to see the characters grow up and change, and Gwen is a perfect example of this. 


Gwen's friends, Daphne and Carson, are also incredibly sweet, as well as Grandma Frost and Nikamedes (in his own way). Logan is, of course, still Logan, and the romantic tension between him and Gwen just doesn't get old. There's nothing better than tangible teenage chemistry, especially when it can find away to be strange and yet also charming and impassioned. 


Estep's writing, as always, has distinguishable personality and voice suiting to Gwen, and her developing skills put other authors to shame, both in character and plot development. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!


Grade: A


Dark Frost was released today, so don't forget to make a quick trip to amazon.com or Barnes and Noble to get your copy! Also, check this out.  


SIMPLY NERDY BOOK REVIEWS

Keep Spreading the News . . .

Happy Thursday!
So something incredibly fantastic happened this week.

But before I get to that incredibly fantastic thing, I just wanted to remind you all that I've also been blogging about my experience here in Italy, so feel free to check it out if you get the chance.

Anyway, in order to receive the ARCs that I've been getting in the mail (you're the best, Kensington!), my darling mother back in the States has been sending each of them over to me in Italy. Of course, being as harebrained as you all know I am, I'm also not always very observant. So this week, as I was reading my lovely advance copy of Dark Frost (Mythos Academy, #3), I noticed something a bit strange. 

Something like the name of my blog being on the back of the book. And a quote. Of something I wrote. 

Here's where you all start shrieking girly shrieks. Or at least where I did. It is only the ARC copy, but I have to say it was the coolest thing ever. As far as I know, it was a first. Just thought I should let you all know, lovelies!

Don't forget to stop by soon for my review of:


Dark Frost (Mythos Academy, #3) by Jennifer Estep


And check out my review of:


Storm (The Elemental Series, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer 

SIMPLY NERDY BOOK REVIEWS

Fever is Simply Nerdy

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary. 

Anybody who's read Wither knows why I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Anyone who hasn't read Wither . . . What are you doing with your life? Unfortunately, I've been waiting for this one since last year, and being in Italy sort of puts me behind on all things book-related; including getting my hands on new releases. It seems that reading in Italian isn't nearly as easy as speaking, which isn't easy at all. So, ebook is the best way to go. Which I'll be going for pretty soon, once I get through all of the other books I've already purchased in ebook form and have been too swamped with a little something I like to call life to get a move on. 

Back to Fever, though . . . I have to say, this cover is just short of terrible. I absolutely loved Wither's cover, so I was incredibly disappointed with this one. I don't think anyone was impressed, based on the other reviews on GR. Any opinions? What was your impression of the cover? And if you've been lucky enough to read it, did it live up to Wither? 

SIMPLY NERDY BOOK REVIEWS

Tempest Rising (Tempest, #1) by Tracy Deebs

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. 


The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kona, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.


Review:


Mermaid books--well, mythology books of any sort--are a type of guilty pleasure for me, so when I picked up this novel the other day, craving the comfort of a good read, I couldn't have been more excited. 


Deebs tackles the whole concept wonderfully, and not just one aspect of it. The development was done well and subtly, not taking center stage. The characters are thought out and memorable, especially our lovely Tempest. And may I just say I love her name? The writing was without flaw. The descriptions of the sea life were pretty darn good. 


With Tempest Rising came more than I was hoping for; romance, action, angst, suspense . . . really, there was not one thing I didn't like. The swoon-worthy setting wasn't exactly discouraging, and the plot was as sturdy as plots can get. Major brownie points. A promising debut from Deebs, I can't wait to see what she'll throw our way next. 


Grade: A+

SIMPLY NERDY BOOK REVIEWS

Storm (The Elemental Series, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.


Review:


If I had to sum this book up in one word, I would say boys. Five beautiful, sexy boys. Four of which are brothers. Hot damn. Major brownie points to Kemmerer for that one. 


But with all of this testosterone in one place, there are bound to be problems--especially when you throw in elemental powers. I was pleasantly surprised by how intriguing the idea of the boys' powers turned out to be, and how Kemmerer developed the concept. 


The Merrick brothers are quite the characters. Each one had a unique and thoroughly explored personality, and their imperfections just made them all the more perfect. Their brotherly banter was incredibly amusing, and their behavior and interactions with Becca left a lasting impression. The fourth and equally attractive boy, Hunter, was also memorable, as were most of the other characters, like Becca's family, friends, and classmates. Generally, it's a sizable cast that Kemmerer succeeded outstandingly with.


Becca was not an exception. She was quirky and relatable, and a very unlikely heroine. From the beginning of the novel, she's off saving Chris, and she doesn't back down during the endless twists and turns that are thrown at her. Instead, she behaves in a way that is admirable and that anyone should be able to appreciate.  


The chemistry in this novel was impressive, especially in the way that it was tangible between both of Becca's romantic interests. I don't usually feel so torn about who I'd like our lovely female lead to fall for, but I definitely felt conflicted reading this one. The mess of their relationships is well-written and complex in a way that it doesn't fall into the standard love triangle cliché. 


Storm is a spectacular debut and a great start to a promising new series that you don't want to miss out on. 


Grade: A+


SIMPLY NERDY BOOK REVIEWS