Blurb:
Just when you thought doomsday was
over...
Centuries ago Acheron saved the human
race by imprisoning an ancient evil bent on absolute destruction. Now that evil
has been unleashed and it is out for revenge.
As
the twin to Acheron, Styxx hasn’t always been on his brother’s side. They’ve
spent more centuries going at each other’s throats than protecting their backs.
Now Styxx has a chance to prove his loyalty to his brother, but only if he’s
willing to trade his life and future for Acheron’s.
The
Atlantean goddess of Wrath and Misery, Bethany was born to right wrongs. But it
was never a task she relished. Until now. She owes Acheron a debt that she vows
to repay, no matter what it takes. He will join their fellow gods in hell and
nothing is going to stop her.
But
things are never what they seem, and Acheron is no longer the last of his line.
Styxx and Acheron must put aside their past and learn to trust each other or
more will suffer.
Yet
it’s hard to risk your own life for someone who once tried to take yours, even
when it's your own twin, and when loyalties are skewed and no one can be
trusted, not even yourself, how do you find a way back from the darkness that
wants to consume the entire world? One that wants to start by devouring your
very soul?
Review:
There
truly are three sides to every story..and in this case the truth is sadder than fiction. We have believed for the last
five years that we knew the truth of all the horrors that Acheron endured at
the hands of his family during his life as a human in ancient Atlantis. But now we know that we never knew the half
of it. Ms. Kenyon has opened my eyes and
reminded me why I try so hard in my life not jump to conclusions about anyone I
meet and the lives I see them living.
Breaking my heart and bringing me to tears repeatedly, as I learned the
truth, Styxx is the truth that we never knew we were missing in this series.
Now that the truth is out we can all be reminded that just because we think we
understand a character’s motivations, until we read their personal stories even
the most detailed of stories can remain one-sided. Thanks for blowing my mind Ms. Kenyon!
Styxx’s
story begins when he and Acheron are little boys, living in ancient
Greece. The young prince of the
Didymosian throne, everyone sees Styxx as the pampered spoiled son of the king,
even his family, but the truth is much darker and dangerous. As Styxx grows, dealing with his jealous
shrew of a sister, the loss of the other half of himself, and the hate and suspicions
of both his parents, he is suprisingly able to retain his humility and the truly gentle nature of
his soul. I won’t give away too many of
the details about the sorrows and horrors of the short human life that Styxx
led, but I will say that if you have read Acheron’s story it doesn’t even
begin to show the terrors that these two boys really lived. But amazingly, through all the disgusting
things that were done to Styxx, he was able to find a woman to love and
maintain the ability to share his true self with her despite it all. But sadly that was just the beginning of the
sadness he had to face.
Bethany,
Styxx’s love, is not exactly who she leads him to believe, but when she falls
in love with Styxx, despite all the lies she’s always believed about him she is
willing to give it all up for him.
Teaching him to trust his heart and learning from him the power of a man
with a pure heart, Bethany joins with Styxx against his enemies. When they are separated, for over 11,000
years, it’s impossible not to feel destroyed for them. But only with the help of the twin he long
ago lost faith in, can Styxx bring back his Bethany and find the light of her
love to counter the darkness of his past.
Styxx
is one of those characters that we have been taught to hate from the beginning
of the series. We first met him in the
third book of the series when he tried to kill Acheron and from then on we only
ever see him through the eyes of his enemies.
But from the minute this story begins, we see a whole new side of
Styxx. Seeing the dark and disastrous
past that shaped Styxx into the man he was, and learning the real reason for
his actions made me feel almost worse for him than I did for Ach when we
learned about his own sordid past. Deeply rooted fears and issues that I
couldn’t even begin to come to terms with or understand, have earned Styxx my
respect and love. Don’t think I ever met
a better written character and I can honestly say that if I ever met a man with Styxx’s heart and
ability to forgive, in the flesh, I would do everything in my power to claim him
for myself.
Bethany
is a pretty cool chick too. Being a
goddess with her very own intriguing back story and issues, Bethany comes into Styxx’s
life during one of his darkest years.
Posing as a young human girl, she is just enjoying her solitude when
Styxx arrives in her life and changes the course of their futures forever. Their friendship quickly blossoms into a deep
and abiding love, passion and companionship running side by side as they
individually come to terms with their responsibilities and their dreams. But when Bethany finally decides to commit to
Styxx there is nothing that can keep them apart or destroy their love, not
death and not 11,000 years apart.
I
can honestly say I began this story as a major skeptic; usually I don’t like
when a well established villain is made the hero of his own romance, but only
Ms. Kenyon could so fabulously pull off something like this. The atrocities
that Styxx endured as a child and a young man are so disgusting and disturbing
that there were times I found myself having to put the book down and hug my
family just to ground myself in my own reality.
Though the details were terrifying, the telling of this story is above
reproach and beautifully written to tug your heartstrings and make you count
your blessings that you never had to live their lives. Styxx is the best novel I’ve read in ages and
seeing the heart of a man that could so easily have become a psychopath, remain
true and pure—to find love—shows us that even the most damaged and shattered of
men can become whole again. While the
story of why Styxx and Acheron became enemies, and the eventual reconciliation
of their relationship, was definitely a BIG portion of this story, it is
patently obvious this was a story of love.
A love for the ages, one that bridges all gaps, and brings two wounded
souls back together to share the ultimate love.
Seeing Beth and Styxx get their HEA is the most important lesson Kenyon
could share with us. Styxx is easily the best story of the year and so far for
me the best book of this decade. I never
thought Acheron could be topped, but
Kenyon has done it. Now I can only
wonder…what more can she do to shatter our beliefs in this series and where can
we possibly go from here?
Favorite Quote:
"If you want, akri-Styxx, the Simi can love you, too. 'Cause hearts are amazing things. they get lots bigger to make room for new people to be alongside the old people you love... The Simi gots lots of room to love you too... if you want." -Simi to Styxx page 739
Rating: 5 stars
Rose Rating:
by Jaime Rush 
