Review: Dark Frost

Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3) by Jennifer Estep
Release Date ~ May 29, 2012
Kensington Teen
ISBN13: 9780758266965
ARC received from publisher for review

Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
Dark Frost is the book in the Mythos Academy where things really begin to change; the stakes are raised, true losses are felt, and some huge events are fully set in motion. New characters are introduced, both good and bad, and some loose ends are finally tied up (well- sort of).
And it was while reading this third book in the series that I realized how many similarities it bears to Harry Potter - in this case, Dark Frost would be like Harry Potter 4 & 5 which are notably the books where significant deaths occur and everyone starts to realize they're growing up. Teen angst overload included. The difference is that Mythos Academy definitely has a slightly older feel to it, and more modern (and I have to say that it does lack a certain wizarding charm- but that's extremely hard to come by)!

1. Everything gets taken up a notch:
   
   Seriously, EVERYTHING is just that much better and amped up in this one. The fight scenes, the mystery, the villains, and yes, even the kissing! Dark Frost is the book where we really get to see Gwen & company begin to grow up and mature into older teens/young adults. They have important decisions to make that will ultimately affect many future events.
2. There's real, genuine loss:
   
   It may sound kind of twisted to make this a reason to read, but I appreciate books when things don't turn out perfectly happy and everything's left risk-free. The death of characters is always a hard thing to deal with, but it's handled expertly here. A few meaningful, powerful deaths make this book an unforgettable one that quickly change the direction of the series, and make it far more impressive than it was at first. There's just something terribly haunting about it, that makes it all the more lovely in a bittersweet sort of way.
3. We finally get to see some of the REAL Gwen- and boy, is she something!:
   
   Gwen's been hiding away for the first couple of books- not entirely reaching her full potential, and rather content to remain in the shadows within the background. But she's finally forced to step out, and we begin to see just hints of what she might be capable of... it's terrifying for her, understandably, and we definitely get to see more of her character (oh, and along with learning more about Logan FINALLY).

I also realize that I need to back up my Harry Potter claims - and this is the one thing where I found it kind of took away from the story overall. It's a bit of a complaint I have with Harry Potter as well, but I found it to be a tad too formulaic. You have your super special snowflake teen, with dead parents (who kept a number of secrets, including that their kid is super special). You have the angry, bitter teacher (who used to have a certain crush...) and the older wise and kindly mentor. A weakened villain trying to take over and kill everyone, and a super secret league of bad guys (a.k.a. thugs). And a lovable pet. It just feels TOO overdone for me, and far too predictable by now since these concepts are found in so many other books. Yet it only barely took away from my enjoyment.

Because it's still a formula that works, and works very well. These types of books are an easy buy, just because it's pretty much a guarantee that you'll love them and there's something to be said for that.

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