There are few people I know who are bigger fans of mythology related books than I am, so I was much too excited to discover the YA Mythology Giveaway Hop being hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and About to Read. My only problem was deciding what to give away!
We have had lots of giveaways featuring one of my favorite mythology series, the Mythos Academy by Jennifer Estep, so I thought maybe we should try something new. Perhaps the Half-Blood series by Jennifer Armentrout? Oh. My. Gods. or Sweet Venom series by the super sweet Tera Lynn Childs? Pegasus by Kate O'Hearn? The ever awesome books by Rick Riordan? I could go on and on.
I honestly couldn't decide and you really don't want to know what my convoluted thought process was to get to my choices, but here you go -
And
There are lots of blogs participating, so please check out their giveaways too! Thanks for stopping by and good luck!
****1/2 From Kensington: Logan Quinn was trying to kill me. My Spartan classmate relentlessly pursued me, swinging his sword at me over and over again, the shining silver blade inching closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes practially glowed with the thrill of battle…
I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Academy, and I have no idea how I’m going to survive the rest of the semester. One day, I’m getting schooled in swordplay by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gorgeous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invisible archer in the Library of Antiquities decides to use me for target practice. And now, I find out that someone at the academy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword…
Kiss of Frost chronicles the continuing adventures of my favorite Gypsy, Gwen Frost. This time, the kids at Mythos Academy are taking a field trip and poor Gwen may not make it back alive if the Reaper of Chaos stalking her has anything to say about it. But Gwen is busy trying to ignore Logan and his girlfriend, while keeping her BFF, Daphne, from worrying or getting hurt, training to protect herself and flirting with a hot guy from the New York Academy. Kiss of Frost is full of surprises, plot twists and intrigue.
If it is possible, I think I enjoyed Kiss of Frost more than Touch of Frost. Gwen is more confident and assertive in Kiss. Sure, she is still trying to figure out her Gypsy gift and her place at Mythos, but she is not nearly as indecisive and meek as she was in Touch of Frost. Plus, she’s chock full of smack-talk, which I love. Really, the only thing that needs to be said here is – Vic, the talking sword.
Fans of Jennifer Estep’s snarky and sassy heroines will adore Kiss of Frost! Also, the bonus Chapter 1 of Dark Kiss at the end of the book nearly made me throw my e-reader, which would have been bad. The teaser, is just that, teasing and taunting me that I have to wait forever to read Dark Kiss (releasing May 29, 2012).
Also, in case you missed it - Jennifer Estep's short story, Halloween Frost is in the Entangled Anthology. Proceeds from the sale go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. It is only available in ebook and is sold by all major retailers. A great short story for a great cause!
Phew! That was a long, fun week! I woke up this morning and tallied the entries for our two contests and we have winners - Woohoo!
Our first contest is sponsored by Jennifer Estep for a copy of her book Touch of Frost. And the winner is:
Nicole from The More the Merrier!
Our second contest is for a hardcover of The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. And the winner is:
eclairre!
Congratulations ladies! I have sent emails to the addresses provided. If we do not receive mailing information within 48 hours, we will pick new winners. Thanks to Jennifer Estep for sponsoring the giveaway of Touch of Frost - I really hope you all read it and enjoy it as much as I did!
Thanks to everyone for stopping by and participating and if you didn't win, never fear, we will be participating in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm October 24-31. Check back to see what spooky prizes we have to offer!
Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?
Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.
I’ll probably start a riot by saying this but I love Percy Jackson more than…Harry Potter.
Alright, looks like I survived saying the unthinkable.
There is just something about Percy and his friends that I find so endearing. So when I finally found the time to pick up The Lost Hero at the beginning of this year, I was ecstatic and suspicious all at the same time. I was ecstatic because, the world of Camp Half-Blood was back. I was suspicious because Mr. Riordan was starting a new series with new characters. What if I didn’t like them as much as Percy? What if the story was disappointing? What if, what if, what if?
Well I worried needlessly. The Lost Hero manages to stay close enough to the original series to make young fans happy but also holds its own apart from the Percy Jackson books. Jason, Piper and Leo end up being just as lost and loveable as our Percy.
The story begins with Jason waking up on a bus that is taking him and his friends on a field trip. The problem? He doesn’t know who he is, where he is or how he got there. Leo and Piper are at a loss as to why their friend doesn’t remember them. But before they can find a way to regain Jason’s memories, disaster strikes and the three of them find themselves as the newest guests of Camp Half-Blood. As they learn about their parentage and Jason tries to regain his memories, a new prophecy is given:
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call
To storm or fire the world must fall
An oath to keep with a final breath
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death
The three of them head off on a quest to not only fulfill the prophecy (or at least part of it) but also to learn more about Jason. And here begins what Riordan does best. Non-stop action. Along the way they meet both old and new friends and enemies. They overcome and/or escape ridiculously dangerous obstacles. It’s a wild ride that leaves you with a doozy of a cliffhanger.
There were three things that I absolutely loved about this book. First, Riordan cleverly alternates between three points of view (Jason, Leo and Piper). And even though each POV is in third person, you are still able to get a clear view into each characters personality. Second, it was super AWESOME to see both Greek and Roman mythology woven together. And third, I loved the age of the characters. Unlike the beginning of Percy, where the kids are 12 years old, Jason and his friends are 16/17 years old. The age difference allows for more action and a slightly more mature narrative.
I honestly could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this book but I don’t want to spoil any part of it for you. So I will just tell you this - buy this or borrow it. One way or another, you MUST read it!
And then when you are done reading it (because I told you to and you should all listen to me, Bel and Shel) go and buy or borrow Book 2, Son of Neptune, which was just released today. Just in case you didn’t figure it out from the title, PERCY IS BACK and the Bibliojunkies could not be more excited!
Now let’s live it up a little and celebrate Greek Week in true book blog fashion. We are GIVING AWAY a hardcover copy ofTHE LOST HERO by Rick Riordan. You can enter up to three times by doing one or more of the following - Leaving a comment on this post, Following us on GFC, or following us on Twitter. Be sure to click on the “I Did This” button in the box below after each entry. This contest is open through 12:01AM CST on 10/9/2011. A winner will be announced on 10/10/2011.
If you haven’t yet done so, check out yesterday’s interview with the FABULOUS Jennifer Estep. She talks about her book, Touch of Frost and also tells us what fictional boy she would most want to date. Let’s just say that her response left me in a tizzy as she (along with Tahereh Mafi) is now direct competition for one of my long time fictional loves! And don't forget to enter to win a copy of Touch of Frost!
And check back tomorrow as we continue our celebration of Greek Week with Shel’s review of Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini!
Guys, I am so excited to give you our first author interview! I am even more excited that it is with the talented Jennifer Estep! Long ago I read Jennifer's Karma Girl and for years I have been eyeing her Elemental Assassins books in the bookstore (I finally purchased the first three and am looking forward to reading them). When I saw that Jennifer was entering the world of YA with a series about mythology and heroes, I was hooked. See my review of Touch of Frost here.
I was psyched to ask Jennifer to participate in our Greek Week celebration and Jennifer very graciously agreed to be our very first author interview and even offered to donate a copy of Touch of Frost for a giveaway! So, without further ado, I give you Jennifer Estep:
1. Of all the special abilities displayed at Mythos Academy, which would you most want for yourself? Which would you hate?Thank you Jennifer! We really appreciate you coming out to play with us!
Jennifer: The warrior whiz kids have a lot of cool powers. I think it would be interesting to have a Valkyrie’s strength, an Amazon’s quickness, or a Spartan’s ability to pick up any weapon and automatically know how to use it.
However, I don’t think I would like to have the enhanced senses that some of the kids have. I imagine you would get a lot of headaches from things like bright lights and loud noises.
2. You have a successful adult series, the Elemental Assassin (an urban fantasy series). Did you find it difficult to switch to writing for young adults? What was most difficult?
Jennifer: My Elemental Assassin series can be dark and gritty, so it was nice to write something a little lighter with the Mythos Academy books. Both series have a lot of the same elements in common – a strong, sassy heroine, magic/world building, fight scenes – so I didn’t find it too difficult to switch to writing YA.
I would say the hardest part is just trying to write in a YA voice and tell more of a coming-of-age story. In the Mythos Academy books, Gwen is trying to figure out what she wants her place in the world to be and how she can use her magic to help others. It’s been a fun challenge to write a heroine who is still learning things about herself and growing up along the way. Hopefully, readers will enjoy Gwen’s story.
3. And because we really do have the mentality of 16-year olds here at BiblioJunkies, what fictional character would you most like to go out with?
Jennifer: That’s a tough one. There are so many great heroes in YA books these days. But I would have to say Peeta from The Hunger Games. He’s just a really sweet, caring guy who looks out for the people he loves no matter what. Plus, he can bake too.
4. Gwen shares a love of treats with the BiblioJunkies. We are totally jealous that Grandma Frost has baked treats for Gwen every time she goes home. So, we have to know, what is your favorite treat?
Jennifer: I couldn’t pick just one! LOL. I have a sweet tooth so I love desserts – cakes, cookies, pies. Some of my favorite treats are strawberry cheesecake ice cream and dark chocolate candy bars with raspberry. Even though it’s not dessert, I also have a weakness for cheese fries.
5. What treat should we have on hand for our fictional date with the hottie Spartan Warrior, Logan Quinn?
Jennifer: I would say a sense of adventure. Logan’s a really fun guy, and you never know where you might end up on a date with him – or how many Reapers might be lurking around waiting to spoil things …
Thank you Jennifer! We appreciate you taking the time out of your extremely busy writing schedule (I count 4 books and 3 short stories in 2011 & 3 books and 1 short story coming in 2012!) to come out for our little party. You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at http://www.jenniferestep.com/.
***I'm told that the Rafflecopter is not working properly; therefore, if you comment on the blog, I will make sure your entry is counted & we will manually have random.org pick the winner. Sorry for the confusion & difficulties. ****
Now for the giveaway - comment on this post (and fillout the rafflecopter info) any time between Monday, October 3, 2011 at 7:30 a.m. and Sunday October 9, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. central time. On Monday October 10, 2011 we will let rafflecopter and random.org pick a winner. Winners will be notified via email on or before October 11, 2011. If the winner does not reply to the email with his or her shipping information within 24 hours, we will pick a new winner. This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only.
Thanks for coming by and check back every day this week for more Greek Week fun!
Jennifer Estep, author of two successful adult series, introduces a new young adult series. Touch of Frost is the first book, released July 26, 2011. First Frost is a prequel short story, which you can grab for free from most ebook sellers. First Frost chronicles the events that lead to Gwen's attendance at Mythos Academy. Touch of Frost picks up the story a few months after Gwen's admittance. From Kensington Publishing:
My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy -- a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.
But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why – especially since I should have been the one who died …
We have already discussed my love of mythology, so it should not surprise anyone that I would be drawn to this book. Mythos Academy sounds like an ideal high school to me.
This book creates another whole world of alternate mythology which unites all cannons of myth to fight "The Chaos" led by the Norse God, Loki (very timely with Thor's release this summer). Mythos Academy is where the children of myth learn the skills to wage the war against the Chaos. After tragedy strikes, Gwen finds herself enrolled in Mythos. She has no idea why she is there or why her family seemed to view her enrollment as inevitable. After Gwen finds the body of a fellow student, she becomes obsessed with finding out why the popular, beautiful student was murdered and no one seems to care.
Gods, monsters and heroes, what's not to love? The characters are snarky and sarcastic. Like Buffy, except with mythology. Jennifer Estep did an amazing job of honestly dealing with the emotional issues Gwen faces as she struggles to find her place among the students at Mythos. I felt like Gwen was perhaps a little too accepting of certain things when I wanted her to stand up for herself, but this was a minor irritation in an otherwise fantastic book. More than anything, this story is about empowerment, friendship and the lengths one will go to understand and deal with loss. I give Touch of Frost 4.5 stars and encourage you all to pick it up!
I also want to KISS someone at Kensington Publishing for only making me wait until November 29, 2011 for Kiss of Frost (Book 2)! Thank you for only torturing me for a few months instead of a year! Book 3, Dark Frost is scheduled for release June 2012 - I will forgive you for this because I only have to wait until November for Kiss of Frost. Check out the awesome cover for Kiss of Frost -
I leave you with one of my favorite exchanges in the book:
"Are you actually ... going to eat lunch with me?" I asked.
"No," Daphne said, breaking a buttery breadstick in half and dipping it into the spicy marinara sauce on her plate. "I'm a figment of your imagination. You're only imagining that I'm sitting here eating with you. Because I'm just so freaking awesome that people daydream about being seen with me."
"Funny," I muttered.
The Valkyrie smiled at me and took a bite of her breadstick.
"But why?" I asked. "You hate me."
Daphne chewed and swallowed. "I wouldn't say hate, exactly. You're kind of like fungus, Gwen. After a while, you start growing on people."
