Spartan Heart

A good beginning of a series. A good standalone book, but also very much so leaving me wanting more, as I can’t wait to get deeper into the characters.

Rory Forseti is a strong girl, as every Spartan should be. But after the loss and betrayal of her parents, Rory has to make one of the toughest decisions of her life: be forced into the life of a reaper assassin, or sacrifice her life to save her friends? Will her friends from the protection force, The Midgard, be able to sway her away from choosing to join the leader of the reapers, or will the dream of revenge get the best of her, and make her choose the path her parents did years ago?

Spartan Heart by Jennifer Estep is a fantasy book I will recommend for years to come. Estep introduced characters flawlessly and put them into action as soon as we met them; keeping the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the book. Although, I did sometimes get a sense of deja vu during some scenes that lead up to the large battle, Estep’s writing is phenomenal and the mystical world she built captivated me. I can’t wait to start reading Spartan Promise, and see how all the characters evolve.

by Gidget

I’ve read the Mythos Academy series years ago and really enjoyed the series. Eventually I heard about this new series and when Anne from Books of My Hearts recommended the audio versions I finally decided to add these to my list of books to listen and not much later got around to picking this one up.

I am glad I gave this spin-off series a try. It was fun being back in the world of Mythos Academy and even a bit nostalgic. This spin-off takes shortly after the end of the first Mythos Academy series. It’s set at a different Mythos Academy, this one’s in Colorado. And it follows the story of Rory, the cousin of Gwen, who was the main character of the first series. I think this will be better enjoyed if you read the Mythos Academy series first as it basically builds on the plot of that, but it’s also a new adventure.

The evil god Loki is defeated and you would think things would be back to normal, but instead a new danger is rising. I like how this series deals with what happens after the big battle in Mythos Academy. It’s interesting to see that questions answered with how even though the evil god is death, not all the reapers are death. I like how it deals with the aftermath of those events and how that progresses into a new adventure with Rory in the main role.

The plot moves at a good pace, with enough going on and the next danger looming and preparation for that. I liked seeing the characters deal with everything that happened. There were a few parts that felt a bit slower or less interesting and it definitely was one of those books that got better as it progressed. I liked when Rory finds her place a bit instead of feeling bad because of the other kids their attitude’s and when Ian stops being mean to her.

I liked Rory as a main character. She’s this fierce warrior. As a spartan she can see how to kill her enemies and kill someone with almost anything. Her parents were reaper assassins and she’s having a hard time at school as everyone thinks she’s evil now because of who her parents were. We really see how mean the other kids are toward her and how Rory struggles with this as well as her conflicted emotions toward her parents. I like how we see her change throughout the book and have her decide what kind of warrior she wants to be. I liked reading about her and the further I got the more I liked her. There are some great scenes toward the end where she really shows her strengths.

There is a fun cast of side characters. I liked Aunt Rachel and how she’s there for Rory. Then there’s Babbs who was awesome and she and Rory made for an awesome team. Then there is Ian who is totally mean to Rory, I really didn’t like him at first. Yes there is a reason for his behavior, but I still thought he acted too harshly and judged her without knowing her. I was super impressed when Rory actually is nice to him and helps him even after how he acted to her and that made me like her even more. Ian does get nicer after that and by the end I did like how he and Rory acted and I can see a potential romance between the two. There are some great actions he takes toward the end of the book that really shown how much he has changes towards Rory.

The world was already familiar to me because of the Mythos Academy series and there are enough reminders of what Gwen has gone through and the type of warriors and what they can do to easily get back into it. I like seeing a bit more of other warriors types in this one and having the point of view of a Spartan this time is different from Gwen’s point of view too. Then there are the usual artifacts as well and the focus on those with how the bad guys are after them and we get to see some of them in action too which was neat. There are some similarities with the Mythos Academy series but I thought it still felt fresh and unique and having some of the same things that made the first series fun.

I liked the narrator for this book. I thought she did a good voice for Rory. She didn’t have as much variety in voices for the side characters as I liked, some she did better than others. I thought she did Babbs accent really well and some of the female voices, but the male voices sounded a bit too similar at times. I thought she did the narration well for this book and I enjoyed listening to it.

To summarize: I enjoyed being back in this world and am glad I decided to pick up this spin-off series. This series follows Rory, who is Gwen’s cousin from the first series. I liked how this series shows the aftermath of the big battle of the first series and how it didn’t solve everything and new dangers are rising now. The plot was interesting with enough happening and them preparing for the next event or fight. I thought Rory was a likable character. I felt bad for her and how the other kids treated her. She really changes and grows throughout the book and I liked seeing her find her place and decide what type of warrior she wants to be. There are some great side characters like Aunt Rachel, Zoey and Ian. Although Ian was quite mean to Rory at first and judged her without knowing her, yes there was a reason for it, but I still didn’t like it and thought he was too harsh. I was glad when that got resolved and thought it was nice of Rory to still help him after how mean he was to her. There is more of the world we see, another academy, more of the warriors and artifacts. The narrator handled this book well, I enjoyed listening to it. her female voices were a bit better than her male voices as those could be a bit similar at times. Her voice for Rory and Babs was great and I liked how she did the accent for Babs. I enjoyed listening to this one and look forward to continuing this series.

Spartan Heart is the first installment in Jennifer Estep’s Mythos Academy spin-off series and takes place in Colorado with 17-year old Rory Forseti and her new friends banding together to fight the new threat that has encroached upon their school at the start of the school year. This story has plenty of action to hold your attention and an engaging storyline full of adventure and suspense. Aside from her aunt Rachel, whom she lives with, there are several new key characters in this story that help and support Rory as faces off against the new evil at the academy. Valkyrie Zoe Wayland, Viking Ian Hunter, Roman Mateo Solis, and Samurai Hro Tanaka are all part of a secret group housed under the Library of Antiquities, searching for the new leader of the Reapers and trying to protect the school and keep powerful artifacts out of their hands. Along with the re-appearance of the Reapers you will also be introduced to adorable Gryphons and vicious Typhon Chimera, as well as a new menace that arises from the shadows threatening to destroy Rory, her friends and anyone else that stands in the way. This is a new threat from an old foe that could end up being worse than Loki and the destruction and chaos that he caused at the New York Academy.

If you have read the original Mythos Academy series with Gwen Frost and her friends, you will notice similarities between Gwen and Rory and their situations. However with new goddesses, new magical artifacts and mythical creatures along with a new set of friends and shocking surprises along the way this story makes a great read. I absolutely loved Rory! She is strong, resilient, kind and determined. Even though everyone at the school hates and makes fun of her because of her parents and their deeds she goes out of her way to figure out what is happening at the school and throws herself into danger trying to stop it. This is fast paced story that will keep you on the edge of your seat in suspense. It is a wonderful spin-off series and I cannot wait to see what exciting new adventures are in store for Rory and her friends in this series. I look forward to learning more about them individually and as a team as they grow closer and work together to stop the new threat. Even if you have not read the original Mythos Academy series, you should give this one a try. There is enough back-story provided in this first book to connect the two series and keep the storyline flowing seamlessly. Spartan Heart is an engaging read you do not want to miss. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this ARC.