Killer Ending

There are ups and downs to finishing a good series.

The ups: You don't have to keep guessing, wondering if your favorite character is going to make it out alive. All your questions are answered, all hearts are mended in some way, all the final battles are waged and won or lost. You feel a sense of peace when it was all said and done, as if you really were part of the character's adventures.

The downs: Well... it's over! You miss everyone already!

Today I finished Killer Frost, the final book in Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy series. I got everything I wanted, and then some. For anyone who hasn't read the series, beware of some spoilers below. It's kind of impossible to review a final book and an entire series without talking about the craziness that happens in it. So three... two... one...

Now that is what a Champion looks like...

Like I said in my previous Mythos Academy post, the series revolves around Gypsy teenager Gwen Frost, who has the ability to touch things and know their secrets. But she never expected her gift would lead her to becoming the warrior chosen by Nike, Greek goddess of victory, to defeat the evil Norse god Loki.

In Killer Frost, that's what it's down to. Gwen and all her friends have to band together to find a way to finally defeat Loki and his homicidal Reaper followers. I will say up front that I loved the book (it is written by one of my favorite authors, after all), but the first half was hair-pullingly frustrating.

Now, that is not a criticism. Why? Well, because I spent five books and two novellas being invested in everything Gwen does. She's a strong lead and exactly the type of person young female readers should look up to. But when someone she loves is threatened, she doesn't always think rationally. My mind was screaming: "Gah! Don't do that, Gwen! Don't get yourself killed! Gah!" However, Gwen has more than one trick up her sleeve, and that girl has an indomitable will.

The final battle was just what I was hoping for, and dreaded. I was rooting for the students, the school, and the creatures Gwen wisely chose to save. I was biting my nails when someone was hurt or about to die. The final showdown with Gwen and Loki's Champion was very cleverly constructed, and fit the story perfectly. That was probably my favorite part, along with how things were wrapped up between Gwen and Logan.

End spoilers.

On the whole, this is one of the best young adult series I've ever read. I loved Gwen's personality, how she grew and refused to give up, her friends, the interesting mythology, the nail-biter action scenes, the hot romances, and how everything ended where it began: at Mythos.

 I'll miss Gwen, Logan, Daphne, Carson, Oliver, Nickamedes, Metis, Alexi, Vic, Grandma Frost and all the others, but that's the best part about owning a full book series. You can go back and read it again, and again, and again. I can see that happening to me with this series, reliving all their adventures and rooting for them all over again.

Gods, monsters, mythology, sexy warriors, intense action, and a badass main character. What more could you ask for?

Amy