Touch of Frost

Touch of Frost is the first novel in the Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep.

Synopsis
"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 shop 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..." (Summary from the back of the book)'

Characters:

 * Gwendolyn Frost
 * Gypsy Gift of Psychometry also referred to as "Touch Magic" by Professor Metis (Being able to touch any object or person and know the full history of them through visions)
 * "...I stared out the window, looking at my reflection in the glass. "Wavy brown hair, a smattering of freckles on my winter white skin, and eyes that were a curious shade of purple, made more so by the hoodie I was wearing." (Ch.2, Pg.17)


 * Daphne Cruz
 * Valkyrie
 * Golden blonde hair, black eyes, always wearing lip gloss and the same princess pink that matches the sparks that fly of her fingers.


 * Logan Quinn
 * Spartan
 * "Everything about Logan screamed bad boy, from his thick, silky, ink-black hair to his intense ice blue eyes to the black leather jacket that highlighted his broad shoulders." (Ch.3, Pg.26); "Logan's eyes were as pale as the moonlight on his face, more silver than blue now, while his skin resembled the marble statues that could be found on all the academy buildings. Cold. Remote. Hard. Perfect." (Ch.7, Pg. 101-102)


 * Jasmine Ashton
 * Valkyrie
 * "Jasmine was also a Valkyrie with a mane of strawberry-blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and the most expensive designer clothes that money could buy." (Ch.3, Pg.24)


 * Morgan McDougall
 * Valkyrie
 * "With her black hair, hazel eyes, curvy body, and super short skirts, Morgan was only slightly less beautiful and popular than Jasmine..." (Ch.3, Pg.25)


 * Samson Sorensen
 * Viking
 * "Sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, dimples. Samson could have easily passed for a Calvin Klein model." (Ch.3, Pg.25)


 * Carson Callahan
 * Celt
 * "Carson was a tall guy, six feet even with a bony, lanky frame. He always reminded me of a triangle, because he was all sharp angles,from his ankles to his knees to his elbows. Even his nose was straight and pointed. His hair and skin were dusky brown, and the square frames of his black glasses made his eyes look like malted milk balls set into his face." (Ch.2, Pg.12)


 * Grandma (Geraldine) Frost 
 * Gypsy Gift of Precognition (being able to see into the future)
 * "Geraldine Frost wore a gauzy silk purple blouse along with a pair of loose black pants and slippers with curled pointed toes that made her look like a genie. Not that you could really see what grandma was wearing, since scarves covered her from head to toe. Purple, gray, emerald green. All those colors and more flowed through the thin layers of fabric, while fake silver coins jingled together on the long, fringed edges.... Her iron gray hair fell to her shoulders, pushed back by another scarf that she was using as a headband. Her eyes were bright violet in her tan, wrinkled face." (Ch.3, Pg.35-36)


 * Nickamedes
 * Spartan
 * "A tall, thin man with black hair, piercing blue eyes, and long pale fingers." (Ch.4, Pg.46)


 * Professor Metis
 * "She was a short woman with a thick, stocky body, bronze skin, and black hair that she always pulled back into a high, tight bun. She wore a green pantsuit, and silver glasses covered her face." (Ch.2, Pg.16)

Defining Traits of the Academy Warriors
 Magic: 
 * Valkyries
 * Naturally incredibly strong
 * Female
 * Bright, colorful sparks of magic shoot from their fingertips.
 * Color matches their aura
 * The sparks flow more when their nails brush against something, when they're particularly emotional, and when their magic quickens.
 * Vikings
 * Incredibly strong
 * Male counterpart to Valkyries but without the cool sparks.
 * Amazons
 * Supernaturally fast
 * Female
 * Can and will kick your ass.
 * Romans
 * Supernaturally fast
 * Male counterpart to Amazons
 * Celts
 * Warrior bards
 * Can pick up any instrument and know exactly how to play it.
 * Spartans
 * more rare among the students
 * Most dangerous and deadly because they have the ability to pick up any object and know how to hurt someone with it.
 * Can be either male and female
 * Samurai
 * not much information on them other than the fact that they can be both male and female
 * Ninjas
 * Very stealthy, obviously. They seem to disappear into the shadows.
 * Can be either male or female
 * Gypsies
 * Just as rare as Spartans
 * Gifted magic from the gods which is passed down through the generations in different forms.
 * Ex: Gwen has her 'Touch magic' while her mom was able to tell in an instant whether or not someone was lying and her grandma has the ability to see the future
 *  Bogatyr 
 * (These show up later in the series but I thought that I'd include them in this list)
 * Russian Warriors
 * "Exceptionally fast" and can use two weapons at once.
 * Trained to always keep moving, giving them great endurance, and their fighting style is very reminiscent of a dance.

Along with their natural born abilities, warriors have some sort of magic. In Jennifer Estep's words in the "Mythos Academy Warriors and Their Magic" section at the end of Kiss of Frost, "They can do everything from heal injuries to control the weather to create life-like illusions with their bare hands. Many of the students have enhanced senses as well."