Review: Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep

Spartan Frost (Mythos Academy #4.5)

By Jennifer Estep

Release Date: June 25, 2013

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation

Source: NetGalley

eBook, 60 pages

Professor Metis and Nickamedes say that I'm fine, that Loki and the Reapers don't have a hold on me anymore, but I can't risk it. I can't risk hurting Gwen again. So I'm leaving Mythos and going somewhere far, far away.

I know Gwen wonders what's happening to me, whether I'm safe. I can't tell her, but this is my story. . .

Pre-order Spartan Frost here: Amazon (Kindle) | B&N (Nook)

5 Stars

Contains Spoilers from Previous Books in the Series!!!

Review:

After the giant cliffhanger at the end of Crimson Frost, I was ready to blow up the entire world. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!?!? *beep beep beep beep* pause *beep beep beep beep beep* I was spazzing out because the most kickbutt couple in the entire world was going through noble idiocy. Noble idiocy, if you don't know, is the chronic syndrome that couples go through where one person decides to leave the other for some pathetic reason. Refer to Edward from New Moon. 

At first, I felt betrayed by Jennifer Estep. How could she subject the most clichéd plotline in the world onto such an epic series? But then Ms. Estep released this novella which makes things so much better. Rather than abandoning Logan freaking Quinn for several months, she decided to give us an even better view of Logan freaking Quinn. Usually novellas are pointless stories that the author writes for some money, but Spartan Frost was totally worth the read and the money.

Spartan Frost begins with Loki possessing Logan, forcing him to attack Gwen. This event was already recapped by Gwen in Crimson Frost, but it was so much more heartbreaking to see this event from Logan's point of view. Seeing Logan so furious and hateful of himself for attacking Gwen, even though it totally was not his fault, is so heartbreaking. Before reading this, I understood that Loki needed to be destroyed forever. But after this, I want Loki to be tortured for eternity because he just gave Logan freaking Quinn a meltdown! This transgression is unforgivable because Logan is such a great protagonist. He has all of the bad boy swag, but he actually has emotions, which sets him apart from the rest of those dumb male YA characters.

Poor Logan is so traumatized that he runs away from Gwen for her safety, which is NOBLE IDIOCY, as mentioned before!!! This stuff usually ruins books, stories, and plots. However, in this case, the noble idiocy made so much more sense. The reason is because we got to see what Logan felt during his meltdown. It also may have helped that he wasn't a soulless robot throughout this ordeal: He still kicked the Reapers' butts in this novella, which is definitely a plus. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that Spartan Frost effortlessly connected emotionally with its readers, despite its rather short length.

Honestly, if you have not started this series, you really should start now. The first book, Touch of Frost, is not as good as the rest of the series. Furthermore, there isn't anything really original in the setting or storyline of this series. In spite of these faults, Mythos Academy really has grown to be a favorite YA fantasy series though because all of the characters really connect to the readers. I admit, part of the reason why there is a connection is because Gwen has the power to sense the past when touching an object or a person. Still, there is something special in this series that everyone should discover.