Review: Styxx

Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Styxx' book was all about how he became who he was and how he and Acheron came to hate one another. When I started this book, I thought that I may fall for Styxx despite all the things that he seemed to do to Acheron and how he seemed to treat others around him. Things can be perceived very differently from person to person, and this book definitely made that point clear. I barely got through Acheron's book and I couldn't believe that by the end of this book it was 5 times worse to read. Several times throughout I wasn't sure if I could continue on to the end and a few times I felt like can she just kill Styxx already because that's all he really wants. I felt so much sorrow for him for all he went through.

Pretty much everything that happened to Acheron happened to Styxx as well. The difference is Acheron had Ryssa to love him. Styxx had no one at childhood. Their mother was crazy, their father was cruel, and Ryssa was selfish and only loved Acheron. Everyone treated him like shit for 90% of this book. The gods continually abused him any chance they got. He was treated so badly all because one of the gods touched both of them when they were born. I think it was the god of lust or desire. Everyone wanted Acheron and Styxx so much that it drove humans crazy.

From birth Styxx father was training him to be king one day despite the fact that Acheron was technically first born which they lied about because of his eyes. Their father was always on him about something. It seemed that every other page, his father was angry at him about one thing or another. As long as Acheron didn’t bring attention to himself, he didn’t have to deal with him. Styxx didn’t have that luxury. Additionally every time Acheron was hurt or beaten, Styxx felt it in his own body. Ryssa treated him like they weren’t even related probably as early as age 5. She was so blinded by her selfishness and self centeredness that she couldn’t see anything besides whatever petty things she wanted and loving Acheron. In Acheron’s book she always tried to do things to help him but she just wasn’t smart at all about any of it so it always turned out badly. In this book, she was a raving bitch at every moment, all she did was complain and accuse Styxx of things that he didn’t do. I was extremely happy when she died because I was so tired of her trying making Acheron’s life better but screwing it up, and treating Styxx so badly. It was unfortunate about her son, but I realized that she just wasn’t really a good person at all because she had no brain at all. It’s amazing all the things that Styxx did for her even though he couldn’t stand her and she treated him horribly.

Galen, Styxx trainer and mentor, was the best part of his life besides Bethany in his teen years. If he hadn’t had them, I’m not sure if he would have made it. But when they weren’t there, Apollo was there to torture the hell out of Styxx and every moment. It all started when Styxx was taken to priests because his father thought he was possessed because of the pain the he was experiencing from Acheron being hurt. He called out to the gods and Apollo and his brother appeared. Apollo said that he would get him out of that if he would submit to Apollo and be his lover. Styxx of course said he would rather die and Apollo eventually got tired of waiting for him to submit so he decided to get him out of the situation, mark him, and terrorize him for years to come. Even when Apollo married Ryssa, he would still terrorize Styxx after he got bored or annoyed with Ryssa which never took long. He did everything imaginable to Styxx. Years later he took him away from his life for a year to be abused, tortured, and violated like an animal by all the gods.

Styxx and Bethany – Bethany was blind while on earth although she was truly a goddess. She pretended to be human when she met Styxx and he pretended to be a soldier named Hector because he knew what everyone thought of Prince Styxx. He needed someone to love him. Therefore they had a relationship based on lies for several years and fell in love. She then realized who he really was when she was in her goddess form and realized that he was marked by Apollo. She knew if she were to continue the relationship that it would start a war between the gods, especially her family, and she couldn’t let that happen. So she deserted him just like everyone else in his life had done. I was extremely upset that she did this, especially knowing that Apollo had claimed him. After that he didn’t really care about anything anymore. Apollo continued his threats and he said “Do your worse.” He probably should have thought better about that because that was when Apollo decided to take him from earth for a year and subject him to all the gods. After that first year, Bethany figured out what was going on. It was truly ridiculous that she had no idea since she’s a goddess and all. She got him out of that situation and struck a deal to free Styxx from Apollo. Why she thought that Apollo was really going to leave him alone baffles me. He’s a sick monster. Even after they continued their relationship, she still never told him the whole truth which really didn’t endear her to me. Her lies and her belief that Apollo would ever keep his word made me question her intelligence.

Before Styxx and Acheron died because Apollo killed Acheron for letting Ryssa and the baby die, Apollo killed Galen because Styxx wasn’t giving him enough attention. Despite that Styxx and Bethany decided they would get married (even though Apollo was still abusing him). I knew that wouldn’t work out. After everyone died and they came back to life because of Artemis, Artemis put Styxx on a deserted island for 9 or 10 thousand years. There’s no possible way that he would have been at all sane after that yet he was. Seriously, how much can a person take?

There was so much recapping on events that happened in past books in this book which helped to tie things together well. But there was just too much depression, anguish, torture, violation, and lies. I really can’t say I liked hardly anyone much in this book. Here’s my hate list:

1. Ryssa – Ryssa was the person I hated most of all in this book. She was his brother. I would have thought that maybe she would eventually learn something but no. She was stupid, selfish, evil, whiny, and self centered throughout the entire book. She even stabbed him in the gut the night before she died.
2. Apollo – he did so many awful things to Styxx. But what do you expect from a god. I knew how he was before. He just turned out to be 10 times worse.
3. Uncle Estes – He abused Acheron and Styxx for years and screwed up their heads for life. He was sick and selfish and had no decent bone in his body.
4. Their Father – He was a horrible bastard to everyone and he wasn’t even a good king. He didn’t understand anything and he was never humble or grateful. He whipped Acheron and Styxx for no reason every chance he got.
5. Their Mother – She was pretty much a crazy drunk until she died. She also stabbed Styxx after he gave her a gift.
6. Most of the gods – They abused and tortured Styxx and turned him into an animal.
7. Apollymi – For killing Bethany while she was pregnant although she made up for that in the end.
8. Acheron – I wanted to hurt him so many times for how horrible he was to Styxx. He had no understanding whatsoever just like Ryssa. I suppose it isn’t his fault that his head was so screwed up because of Estes, but he seriously made me mad throughout most of the book up to page 660 of 837 probably.

The end of the book was the only part that was not unbearable to read. Acheron brought Styxx to an island of his home although he still hated him. At that point Styxx had all of Acheron’s memories in his head and not his own. Therefore he didn’t know that where he’d asked his brother to take him was the same place the gods had tortured him for a year thousands of years ago. Acheron left him to go to the temple where he lived which was across a body of water without supplies or food. When he finally couldn’t take it anymore he made a boat to take him across and he found Bethany’s temple. He didn’t know it was his Bethany’s temple but he knew it was the goddess’s who rescued him from the arena. Smells their reminded him of his Bethany and it comforted him. Later Urian and Danger came across him and befriended him. They couldn’t figure out why Acheron hated him so much after meeting him. I was glad that they were so kind to him. After Simi tried to kill him for trying to kill Acheron, he asked his brother to go to the human world to start over. He dumped him unceremoniously into an apartment in New York (which he had no idea where that was since he was trapped for 10,000 years on an island alone. “I don’t even know where Old York is.” LOL he actually made me laugh a lot during this book despite how depressing it was. His internal monologue was hilarious.

I was pleased with the end. Styxx got the people in his life back that he wanted most of all after having to battle all the gods. Acheron figured out that he’d been an ass hole throughout the entire book and decided to be nice and be a brother to Styxx. Simi became friends with Styxx and tried to make his birthday wish come true even though it didn’t start off well. Styxx and Bethany got their son back and had another child. And of course at the very end they all find out that there’s some new threat that may be coming soon.

All in all I give this book about 3.25 stars. I could not give it 4 stars because I just didn’t love it. I will never read it again accept for maybe the last 200 pages. I just can’t suffer through most of it again. Acheron’s book at least had one third of the book that wasn’t completely tragic. I’m glad I know how Styxx ended up doing the things he did and becoming the person he was. But considering everything that Acheron went through, it was a bit much to go through the same thing times three with Styxx. I can’t exactly say I do or do not recommend reading it. If you really want to know about Styxx you should but I feel like so much of the book could be skipped. There’s no way possible that Styxx can actually be sane after all of that but apparently he mostly is.




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