Ever since I fell in love with Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall series, I have been dying to find a novel of the same vein. I was just about to give up hope when I came across Jennifer Estep's Touch of Frost.Touch of Frost centers on Gwen Frost. A young girl who recently lost her mother in a car accident and is forced to attend to Mythos Academy. To the outside world, Mythos Academy seems nothing out of the ordinary. A school pampering to rich kids and their families, a basic one way ticket to an Ivy League school. But don't be fooled... at Mythos Academy appearances can be deceiving.The novel starts off a little slowly. We are introduced to Gwen. Her back story. Mythos Academy. We learn that this academy actually is a training school for the descendants of legends: Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, etc. Although, strangely enough, Gwen is none of these, she is a Gypsy. Now, I loved the fact that Gwen was something completely different. Didn't care about fitting into the mold: she likes purple (got instant bonus points for that), enjoys reading comic books (yay!). But I am still not completely sure how exactly Gypsies fit into the equation at Mythos Academy. Yes, Estep explains how Gwen is relevant to Mythos Academy. But a Gypsy? I am still on the fence about that.Touch of Frost, ultimately, is an exciting start to Estep's new series. I loved her adult novels, and am super excited to see her in the YA world. Although Touch of Frost started off a little slowly, it gained momentum right before the half way point catapulting it into awesomeness. Touch of Frost now has its own special place on my bookshelf. Plenty of excellent characters, myths, and oh, a possible romance that will leave you wanting more. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next in this addictive series.
