Book Review: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep



Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Acquired: 08/19/11
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I read it: Giveaway Win
Series: Mythos Academy (1)

Gwen Frost is a gypsy. What does that mean? It means that she comes from a family with strange magic-like powers. In her case, she can seen the history of items and people just by touching them. It means that her power turned her life upside down and led to the death of her mother. It means that she has been uprooted from everything she know and sent to Mythos Academy, a school for the decendants of ancient mythical beings such as valkyries and Spartans, where magic and destiny are commonplace. But Gwen doesn't fit in. She just wants to go back to her old school and her old way of life.

But she needs to come to terms with the fact that her life will never be normal again. It all begins when the most popular girl in school, a Valkyrie named Jasmine, is brutally murdered in the school library. Gwen feels that like she is the only one that seems to wonder what really happened and may have found a use for her power after all, except now it doesn't seem to be working the way it should.

I loved Gwen. She was upset and lonely, but there was always a good reason for her emotions and actions. There was no random brooding moments. Throughout the story she begins to feel more like she belongs in some ways, and like she belongs less in others. She finds friends and allies in unusual places and she becomes quite the detective...her mother would be proud.

The mystery itself was quite engaging. The hints to solve it were scattered expertly throughout the story and it all linked up very nicely at the end with an ending that was suprising only in the fact that you didn't figure it out sooner. I will definitely be adding the next book to my wishlist.

4/5

Book Review: Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition) translated by Seamus Heaney

6. Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney

Genre:
Pages: 215
Acquired: January 2011
Book of Your Shelf? Nope
Why I have/read it: Group Read
Series: No

The heroic tale of the warrior Beowulf and his fights against three monters. A "modern" translation of the Old English poem, it was very easy to understand. The translation flowed smoothly for the most part, and was easy to follow and really get into the story. The only complaint I have, is that there were times the rhythm seemed a bit off and it pulled me out of the story.

4/5

Book Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan

The Lightning Thief   [LIGHTNING THIEF] [Paperback] by Rick Riordon

The gods exist. We just don't realize it, or at least not all of us. But then one day Zues's master lightning bolt is stolen. He blames Poseidon, all because of an ancient vow that he has broken. A vow not to have children with mortals. The demi-gods are too powerful and could potentially overthrow the gods themselves. Percy Jackson, is this son. And not only did he not steal the bolt, he doesn't even know what he really is.


As a result of the bolt being stolen, the immortals launch an attack on Percy to try and get the bolt, either to give it to Zeus or keep it for themselves. When Percy's family and his best friend, Grover, find out they take him to Camp Half-Blood, a safe training grounds for the demi-gods to grow and learn their past and how to defend themselves.

From Camp Half-Blood Percy is given a quest to find out who really did take the bolt to avoid a battle of the gods that would detroy modern civilization in the process. His quest will take him across the country, from New York to LA, from the Underworld to Mt Olympus. He must confront a variety of mythical creatures, some that offer to help, and some that are set on him failing.

This is a great book (much better than the movie, which is actually a completely different story). The characters are likeable and hateable, they are just enough surprises to keep things interesting without being too confusing for the young adults.

4/5

I was a little shocked at how different the movie was from the book. The movie takes half the book out and makes up the middle part of the story completely. There are several major gods missing, and few extras thrown in to make up for it. Percy's father, Poseidon, is shown in a completely different angle that makes many of Percy's reactions seem a bit odd. It's probably the more different movie adaptation I've ever seen.