Review: Spartan Heart (Mythos Academy Spinoff #1) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Spartan Heart

Series: Mythos Academy Spinoff #1

Previous series: Mythos Academy

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Norse mythology

Publication date: December 2017

Published by: Jennifer Estep

Source: eARC for review from author

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Synopsis:

New school year, same old problems...

At Mythos Academy, everyone knows exactly who I am: Rory Forseti, Spartan girl and the daughter of Reapers.

Even though I fought alongside my cousin Gwen Frost to save the mythological world from Loki and his evil Reapers of Chaos, I’m still the most hated girl at the academy because of all the horrible things my parents did. I had hoped that this school year would be different, but the other kids just won’t let me forget about my parents.

But something strange is going on at the Colorado academy. First, I run into a Viking guy who dislikes me more than most. Then I notice some odd artifacts in the Library of Antiquities. And worst of all, I start hearing rumors about a new group of Reapers who can summon mythological monsters.

I might be the most hated girl at Mythos Academy, but I’m also the only one who can save it...

My rating: ★★★★★

Everything seemed normal, but at Mythos Academy, that was usually when things got the most dangerous.

If you’ve been here awhile, you know I’ve mentioned how Mythos Academy is one of my most favorite series ever, time and time again. So it should be no surprise that I absolutely loved Spartan Heart as well! Rory appeared in the last two books of the Mythos Academy series, so you can imagine my excitement when I found out that she was getting her own series! It was the best news ever, and now that I read the book, it did not let me down one bit!

One thing I love about Jennifer Estep’s books is how great she is at recapping the events of the previous books. Yes, things can get a bit repetitive if you’re reading the books back to back, but in this case, I last read Killer Frost (the last book in the Mythos Academy series) February of 2014! I wanted to re-read Mythos Academy before this one, but there are six books and I never got around to it... and also I wanted to get Spartan Heart inside my brain fast. Lol. Anyway, the recapping of the original series in this books was really helpful! And I feel like you don’t have to have read Mythos Academy in order to read this (but why wouldn’t you?! It’s amazing!), you will still understand what’s going on. BUT, be warned, there are spoilers from the original series, so if you did want to read Mythos Academy, it’s best to do it before this one.

Onto the actual book!

The story itself I really liked. Gwen defeated Loki and his Reapers in the previous series, but those damn Reapers may not be as gone as we initially thought. And now it is up to Rory, Gwen’s cousin, the stop them. Rory was awesome and I absolutely loved her! I am so glad we get to see her story now! Ever since she was introduced in Mythos Academy, I thought she was a very interesting character. I felt so awful for Rory and what her parents did and how she was treated by the other kids at the school.

My parents' mistakes were their mistakes, not mine, and if the other kids couldn't understand that and accept me for who I was, then that was their problem, not mine.

With an important mission on her hands, new friends, and even a new potential love interest, I legitimately hope things will change for her. For the better.

I wanted to do something with my life the way Gwen had. I wanted to do something important. Something that mattered. Something that would aid others.

And maybe, just maybe, something that would help make up for all my parents' mistakes.

Rory is a Spartan, which basically means she has amazing fighting instincts and can literally turn anything into a weapon. Dude, she could probably kill you with a bendy straw, if she wanted! Lol. It was very interesting to see her Spartan abilities in contrast to Gwen’s psychometry magic, which I had gotten so used to. I really loved exploring her powers, I thought they were amazing, and Rory is just totally kickass! And she is also a very strong character! She overcame things that just—things! I don’t want to give any spoilers, but she is just amazing with impressive willpower and I am so, so proud of her for being able to overcome these horrible things that were attempted to be done to her! And I also love how snarky she can be sometimes. Lol.

And Ian, I loved him... once he stopped being a jerk, lol. He was really sweet and his backstory was just awful! He and Rory have more in common than you could imagine. And Ian calling Rory cupcake was super cute! But also, it reminded me of coach Hedge from the Heroes of Olympus and initially I could not stop laughing!

But no, it really is cute! And I totally live for the slow-burn romance and the palpable sexual tension between these two!

"So you and Ian, huh?" she asked.
I stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Ri-i-ight." She drawled out the word. "You go out and talk to him last night, and now the two of you are being totally awkward and adorable with each other."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I repeated, although I could feel the hot, guilty blush staining my cheeks.
Zoe laughed and waggled her fingers, shooting blue bursts of magic all over the table. "Oh please. You guys are giving off more sparks than I do."

Rory’s aunt Rachel was also pretty awesome, especially there at the end with her awesome Spartan skills. And also she’s a great cook! Jennifer always includes yummy food in her books—Aunt Rachel cooks amazing food, Gwen’s grandma (from the original Mythos Academy) makes yummy sweets, and Gin Blanco (from Elemental Assassin) owns a freaking BBQ restaurant! I honestly drool every time she describes the food! There was a certain point in this book where she mentioned lasagna, and coincidentally, I had made lasagna the day before, and you bet I had myself a plate after seeing all the yummy descriptions in this book! They always make me hungry, okay? Lol.

Me 😂

And the last character I want to talk about is Gwen. You know, the main character of the original Mythos Academy series. There were so many mentions of her and how she saved the world, and while that was awesome, I also wanted Rory to, I guess, detach herself from her cousin and do things for her, you know?

But I was so used to living in the shadow of Gwen Frost, legendary Gypsy girl and warrior supreme, even when she wasn't around, that I wasn't quite sure how to step out into the light. But I knew I would find my way.

So it was really interesting seeing her character develop from walking in the shadow of Gwen to hopefully, eventually, being her own person. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gwen and was very excited to see if she would appear in this book! And she did! She shows up for a little bit and it was amazing! I cannot begin to tell you how freaking excited I was for her cameo! I really loved seeing Rory and Gwen interact and having a heart to heart moment. It was very sweet! But one thing you do have to remember is that this story is not about Gwen. Gwen has done her part and saved the world. This story is about Rory. The focus is on her this time. Which I am totally okay with because I love Rory and I am so glad to be back in this world that I love so much! I’m excited to get to know these characters more and see how Rory fairs with this new threat. Because it is her turn to save the world!

So, overall, I absolutely adored Spartan Heart! The climax was amazing and the thing that happened afterward was... wow! And also yay! I love this world, I love the mythology, and the new characters are very likable! I cannot wait for the next book in the series! Also, Babs, was hilarious!

"Yeah! Take that, Reaper scum!" Babs called out, proud of the destruction she'd caused.

Vic and Babs glared at each other, and I got the impression that if they'd had hands, they both would have put up their fists and duked it out over who was making more noise, even though they were being equally loud.

P.S. Jennifer also loves to throw in Easter Eggs from her other series, and these are a couple of mentions that I caught:

• Bigtime, New York (setting of her Bigtime series)
• Pork Pit (BBQ restaurant owned by Gin Blanco from the Elemental Assassin series)
• Cloudburst Falls (setting of the Black Blade series).

Hurray for Easter Eggs!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! :)