Upfront, had this and its sequel on my shelf for...well a while. Since at least the second book's release. I adore Estep's Elemental Assassin series, and her Big Time books are also pretty high on my list of enjoyable books (its superheroes of course I enjoy it) and I was excited for this series. So really I had no reason to wait as long as I did. Except maybe I was a tad bit put out that they changed out the cover I liked with the current cover it has. I had to get over that, which was completely irrational, first. Also being very ill and only being able to reach this particular book helped me get over me ill-will feelings.

Once I began the book I got into it and the world Estep had created pretty hard. The YA world is rift with plenty of boarding school paranormal shenanigan's, but Mythos Academy felt a little different. Maybe because Gwen could easily skip out to the 'normal' world and thus wasn't surrounded by the creepy 24/7, though I tend to think a lot of it rests on the fact that Gwen spends a significant chunk of time in her memories.

Comparatively speaking it hasn't been that long since her mother's death (I think 2 months?), and a huge change like what she went through, well it makes sense she would focus on the familiar. But if there's two things in Touch of Frost that bugged me the most it was her constantly saying 'And they say I'm the freak.' and her almost reliance on using her mother's death to explain her attitude and behavior. Thankfully the latter becomes less of an issue as the book goes on, but it was still irritating.

I suppose because I've always been so fascinated by mythology I couldn't quite understand why Gwen wasn't drooling over the Academy and all it had to offer. Until she began investigating Jasmine's death I didn't feel a connection with her, however I do understand the drive to know. Academically I never cared much about learning, but if something caught my interest I had to know everything. I'm still like this. For Gwen its even more puzzling because her powers seem to fritz where Jasmine is concerned.

I thought the gradual friendship(s) Gwen acquires to feel very authentic. A lot of YA's overlook it, but for a new transfer it can be downright terrifying to think about making new friends. Cliques are formed, friendships have been set in stone and in the case of Mythos Academy these kids also break off based on heritage. Gwen's the odd girl out in all ways so I thought it was clever how Estep helped her gain friends.

The whole thing with Logan is a bit more murky and a bit confusing. The reasoning is explained in Kiss of Frost, but for Touch of Frost he came across as a bipolar tool. Hot and cold from one moment to the next, sometimes in the same breath, if he didn't save Gwen so much I would have told her to tell him to sod off.
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I do not get what all the hubub is about. This book seemed slightly mediocre when compared to others like it. I dig the Logan Quinn, though. ( )

I have always wanted to review this author, and thanks to my library I was not disappointed with Gwen's story!! A Touch of Frost spins Gwen Frost, a Gypsy with powers unknown to her, as she is uprooted from her own high school and placed in the Mythos Academy a school of magic. Ms. Estep combines my two favorite genres: Paranormal and Mystery AND I CAN'T WAIT TO READ HER NEXT BOOK! ( )

I really enjoyed this book. This was a re-read for me but it felt like I was reading it for the first time since I remember next to none of it. I can barely remember the names of characters an hour after finishing a book so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I can forget an entire plot after 11 years. Anyway, I thought that this was a worthwhile read and am glad that I decided to revisit it.

Gwen has recently started attending Mythos Academy. Her mom was killed by a drunk driver so now it is just her and her grandmother. Gwen has a bit of gypsy magic which helps her find lost items for other students. She doesn’t have any real friends at school and often sneaks out of campus to visit with her grandmother. One night when she is working her job at the school library another student is murdered and an artifact is taken. Nobody seems to care but Gwen wants to figure out what really happened that night.

I liked Gwen and thought that it was great to see a few friendships start to form in this book. I liked the mythology that was worked into the story. The mystery was rather interesting and there were enough twists and turns to keep me invested in the story. I thought that the story was well-paced with enough action to keep things moving. I am eager to see how the events from this book play out in future installments.

Tara Sands did a great job with this story. I thought that she was able to bring the characters to life and liked the voices that she used for the various characters, both male and female. I thought that she added just the right amount of emotion and excitement to her voice which added a lot to the story. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others and look forward to continuing with the series. ( )

This is the first book in the start of a great series. I love Mythology books and this series is one of the best in it's Genre. I love Gwen and Grandma Frost and the introduction of characters that you will learn to love as the Series continues.

I would recommend this book and series to anybody. ( )