Kenyons Minions discussion
This topic is about
Styxx
Styxx BOTM
Before we begin, I would like to remind everyone to please be respectful of each others' opinions and feelings toward this book. We the moderators are well aware that many fans have strong feelings about this book, and we ask that you keep that in mind as we discuss the book.That aside, do feel free to join in and discuss! =)
Okay, so I'll go ahead and start off with just a few thoughts. =)Hands down, this is my absolute favorite book of the entire series. And that says a lot, as much as I love the rest of the books.
I have never--NEVER--been put through an emotional wringer the way I was with this book. And I seriously cried through much of it; I think I literally went through half a box of tissues when I first read it.
Even now, almost two years later, as I re-read it yet again, there are parts of it that make me tear up. There is beauty and ugliness, love and hatred, joy and despair ... I could go on and on, but to sum it up, I think this book went through nearly every emotion there is.
When I first read about Styxx in Talon's book, I had always wondered about him--because he was longing for death. And I had found it quite interesting that he would have gladly offered himself as the necessary sacrifice to release Apollymi, if he had been Atlantean.
Yes, I was horrified at the Styxx we saw in Ash's book, but I was willing to see Styxx's side of the story. And ... wow.
Something else I found interesting: after reading Styxx, I went back and re-read Ash's book, and I definitely had a different perspective on Ryssa. Her not-so-shining moments in Ash's book were suddenly glaringly obvious to me. (Like when she tried to rescue Ash from Estes, and again when she tried to force-feed him when he tried to starve himself to death.)
Ash ... yeah, he's definitely not perfect. I still love him, he's an awesome character, but now he seems more ... human. He's as prone to flaws and mistakes as everyone else is. In a way, I love him even more for that. =)
Estes and Xerxes ... ugh. That is all.
Looking forward to hearing others' thoughts! =)
This was, without doubt, one of the most emotional books I've ever read. I read it last fall, and I've only been through it once, so there's a lot I don't remember.I'm planning a re-read next month when I fly to New York for the Romance Writers of America conference. Have two long plane trips with layovers, and Styxx and Acheron back-to-back will definitely keep me from running out of book before my trip is over. Going to try reading on the plane on my Nook for the first time and see how it goes. I get motion sickness reading in cars and planes, but I've yet to try the plane with my Nook.
Re-reading Acheron the other week, I don't recall finding anything too "hateful" about Styxx. Yes theres a few misunderstood moments at the end, but for the most part it's Ryssa bitching about him for basically nothing.As for Ryssa, it's clear she's *trying* to care for someone, why she chose Ash instead of *both* brothers is anyone's guess. Either way, she still has a pile of awful moments/thoughts/actions.
All I can say is that, I totally have never wanted to kill fictional people more since this book. I've also never felt more protective over three people in all my life too.
I have been re-reading the Dark-Hunters and it just so happens that Styxx is next in line, after I finish Dark Bites. Is there a specific date for reading/discussing (due to possible spoilers).
Oh the majority of us have already read this one a while ago Tina. This is pretty much the re-read thread. So can go ahead and share your thoughts as you go along. Just for the rest of us we'll have to be a bit mindful to not over share things before time. And you have til the beginning of the month til the ending of the month to finish. So have all the time in the world. :)
I've already read it, also. I just wanted to check before I wrote anything too "spoilery" (spell check hates my "made-up word, lol ;) ).
In all honesty Styxx didn't have as much of a book dedicated to his happiness as Acheron...so I can't wait for Dragonbane to come out to see more of Styxx living a happy life. And him and Acheron being friends. I saw a little in Son of No One. But it was so tiny.
Hands up if anyone else wants to see more of the brothers
Joking together
Laughing together
Acting like best friend twins (as it is said by Kody in CON that the brothers end up becoming besties)
I know I sure do! There was such a tiny amount of that in SONO. I want lots more in Dragonbane!!!
Yay for the twins!!!
But I have to be honest.I really love Styxx and do not excuse Ryssa from her actions. But Ryssa is a character that intrigues me.
She intrigues me because
Sherrilyn paints her as:
nasty yet naive
hypocritical yet reasonable
As a character where no one can be sure if
If Ryssa knew the full truth about Styxx
-How he connects to Acheron
-That he is Chthonian
-That he feels Acheron's pain
- What he has gone through
and evidence was presented that she couldn't deny
Would she
a) Love Styxx
b) Still hate him in spite of the evidence
Ryssa is painted in such a complicated manner. That no one can be sure how she would react if she knew the whole truth. Sometimes Ryssa came across as abusive. Sometimes Ryssa came across as someone who was sheltered and only really got to see Styxx being spoiled, and wasn't able to realize he was suffering a lot.
And when Styxx got caned, well to Ryssa maybe in her mind it was to make it fair like Acheron. Or maybe it was to keep things balanced. Nobody should be spoiled too much.
Ryssa is complicated because both arguments can be made
a) She misunderstood and genuinely thought Styxx was mean and spoiled. If someone told her the whole truth she would of been nice to Styxx. Yes she insulted him, but only because she thinks Styxx is mean.
b) She was an abusive bully and she knew exactly what Styxx was suffering through.
Both arguments can be supported with evidence and "quotes" from the book, because that is how complicated Ryssa is as a character.
No argument is either right or wrong. I only tell you the arguments to portray that Ryssa is extremely complicated.
And I kind of want her to come back to life, to see if she would
a) Apologize to Styxx with Ash explaining everything
b) Or still be in denial
WOULD YOU GUYS VOTE FOR A OR B?
Let me explain this: Ryssa is a character with many colours. And I don't like her. But she is a great character to analyse.
Nasty yet naieve
Styxx tells the servants that he would have them whipped for looking at him. Because he can read their minds.
You have to realize from Ryssa's perspective:
1) She doesn't believe Styxx can read minds.
2) She didn't know the servants were thinking anything bad, because she can't read minds. So even if did believe Styxx, she didn't know he made such a statement because of that
3) She only just arrived on the scene and had no idea what happened before hand
Conclusion from Ryssa: Styxx is a meanie
Now I know that a loving sister would of asked "What happened?" But I won't use this scenario as a strike against Ryssa because in all fairness anyone of us could of misunderstood like she did.
Like you have to be honest with yourselves about that.
There are lots of strikes against Ryssa regarding her abusive nature. But IMHO that is not one of them.
Hypocritical yet reasonable
She believes Acheron can hear the Gods in his head. Yet doesn't believe Styxx.
This might come across as hypocritical, that she would believe one twin over the other, but in fact it comes across as reasonable.
Everybody says Acheron is the son of a God. Acheron is the destroyer, so to conclude that he can hear the Gods is actually quite a reasonable assessment to make.
Now take Styxx. Nobody is going around preaching that he's the son of some God. He is just some human prince as far as everyone is to assume. So for Ryssa to call him a liar, a completely reasonable assessment to make, given the circumstances; and the fact that Styxx didn't have the proof "son of a God" thing like Acheron did.
For someone to tell you they can hear voices in their heads back in those days would of been laughed at or maybe worse. Lucky for Acheron he had the son of a God thing, that Ryssa could use as reasonable premise for "Acheron must be telling truth." Unfortunately for Styxx, he did not have that reasonable premise.
There is lots of evidence for Ryssa being hypocritical. Some of her hypocrisy is downright unreasonable and unfair. But some of her hypocrisy is reasonable. And perhaps if we were in her situation we might of come to the same conclusions she did.
Tina wrote: "I've already read it, also. I just wanted to check before I wrote anything too "spoilery" (spell check hates my "made-up word, lol ;) )."By all means, Tina, feel free to "spoil" away. And to echo Dhfan, we look forward to hearing your thoughts as you re-read. =)
Kat♐♐Fan of Styxx,Sav,Ash, Jaden♐♐ wrote: "In all honesty Styxx didn't have as much of a book dedicated to his happiness as Acheron...so I can't wait for Dragonbane to come out to see more of Styxx living a happy life. And him and Acheron ..."Consider my hand raised, Kat. I'm hoping to see more of that, too. ;)
Kat♐♐Fan of Styxx,Sav,Ash, Jaden♐♐ wrote: "But I have to be honest.I really love Styxx and do not excuse Ryssa from her actions. But Ryssa is a character that intrigues me.
She intrigues me because
Sherrilyn paints her as:
nasty yet ..."
Hmmm, those are some good points raised there, Kat. Personally, I tend to learn toward Ryssa being nasty yet naive. With emphasis on the naive part; think of the times she has tried to help Ash, and ended up making things worse for him.
There really and truly was a lot that Ryxxa did NOT know about Styxx, as she spent much of her time away from him. I don't think she had ever seen him beaten, or witnessed him having to burn his toys, or anything else of that nature. She truly only gets to see part of the situation each time.
And yeah, I can see how she would come to the conclusions that she does, when she does interact with Styxx. Not that I totally excuse her behavior, because I don't. Her words and thoughts toward Styxx, are full of enough venom that I wish I could slap her myself.
If the opportunity ever arose, I honestly don't know if Ryssa would ever apologize to Styxx, even with Acheron explaining. Would she remain in denial? Don't know about that, either. So ... hmm, tough question there, lol.
I agree with Dhfan about wanting to kill fictional people, because I really did. I still do.
My ultimate fantasy scene that I wish would have happened: Apollymi marching into the Didymosian palace and personally confronting Xerxes about what he'd done to Acheron, coldly informing him that that was HER son that he'd abused, and then blasting him. That would have made my day. >:D
Rachel wrote: "This was, without doubt, one of the most emotional books I've ever read. I read it last fall, and I've only been through it once, so there's a lot I don't remember.I'm planning a re-read next mon..."
Good luck to you, Rachel! =)
It would be good to see Ash and Styxx as friends. But I don't want it too rushed cause then that would read as uber fake. Like they didn't have a history of abuse, lies, deceptions, backstabbing, just ill-fated same side of the coin interactions that they BOTH lived through and colored their views of each oter. So I don't want to see them hand in hand skipping down any yellow brick roads. As they both have to earn that right to be trusted in each other's worlds and be seen as their own version of equals first and foremost.I also think it's safe to say that Ryssa is a very complex character. That we'll never know for certain if she was mentally ill, had just a snide personal bias against her brother, or someone that didn't really care for Ash as deeply as we thought either. But all in all she is a great example of how the Gods can ruin a family's lives from so many different perspectives.
Tina wrote: "I've already read it, also. I just wanted to check before I wrote anything too "spoilery" (spell check hates my "made-up word, lol ;) )."Oh and sorry, I must have mis-read you this morning, haha. Go ahead then, we all know the goods of this particular tale by now for sure lol. But nothing like seeing it from new perspectives too.
I want to see Ash and Styxx as best friends too. But they're not there yet. There's still a LOT of hurt and pain between them to get through. I don't want the relationship rushed, because that would ruin it.
Deep questions: If you were in Ryssa's position. How would you have behaved?Again an open question to get a broad variety of answers.
Rachel wrote: "I want to see Ash and Styxx as best friends too. But they're not there yet. There's still a LOT of hurt and pain between them to get through. I don't want the relationship rushed, because that wou..."They appear again in Son of No One
Urian was one of my fav in the stories. I was always on the fence with him through the series because despite his role in Kiss of the Night, we only get snippets of him afterwards. Him standing up to Ash and defending Styxx was AWESOME! I kept shouting "You go boy!" A very memorable scene. He earned so much respect from me for not being afraid of Ash in that moment. And of course I got to hear one of my favourite quotes from him again towards Styrker.“You dare to stand with my enemy?"- (Stryker)
"Against you, Father, I’d stand with Mickey Mouse." - (Urian)
He has stood up to Ash before on something else. I think the time he saw him all blued up and Ash was asking him to go back and continue to spy on his "father". But that is the good thing about Ash. If he truly cares for ya, you can totally get away with a good bit at times.
Definitely loved, loved, loved Urian in this book. The chapter where he stands up to Ash is my absolute favorite in the book (I've actually read that particular chapter more times than the rest of the book, lol).It's kinda funny, but I remember reading some of the earlier books and thinking that Urian seemed more ... surly than usual, and then reading this book, I kept thinking "Well, that explains his mood." XD
And never hurts to feel like you have been manipulated a lot over the years too. In Urian's case and then have it be actualized, dude that has got to suck.
That's a good point as well about Urian and his mood through the series. I actually never really thought of it that way but yes it really explains it
Okay, so I was reading the "ask the author" updates .... and someone had asked SK about Styxx finding out if Ryssa ever loved him.According to SK, Ash did show Ryssa's journals to Styxx, and he finally accepted that she didn't completely hate him. (Apparently this happened off-screen) =)
You can see the question and answer here:
https://www.goodreads.com/questions/4...
Just had to share! =)
It makes sense. I'm glad he knows that she did at least love him despite all their issues. I'm happy Ash shared that with him. And yes, it is true about relationships between siblings. It can be very complicated.
And still goes to show if all the right "pieces" are in place. It would not have changed who Ryssa was one way or another.
I think Styxx is my favorite book of the whole entire series, there were parts that Acheron really pissed me off and the fact that Ash never bothered to listen to Styxx was heartbreaking. I get Ash had a bad past but I feel like Styxx's was sooo much worse. Losing Beth and his son, and being confined to an island for 11,000+ years not having any human contact. It's heartbreaking. Styxx will forever be my favorite and I get it about Ash but I feel like he has a lot to do to redeem himself to Styxx. Also, I absolutely HATE Apollo and Artemis. They are the WORST!
The fact Ash didn't even *attempt* to talk to Styxx for 5 minutes to ask how the past 11k years were for him I thought was just about the worst thing Ash started with.I get Ash not wanting to check on Styxx for a few thousand years, but to not even give him a single passing thought? And then after he's brought to the modern world, to not check and see how he's acclimating? Surely Ash has seen how it's been difficult for Julian or any of the other beings who were basically locked in a time warp for millenia to adjust...oh wait, that would require knowing Styxx was alone on a deserted island for 11,000 years.
I say they both need joint therapy between them. Leave out anybody that WON'T help with that goal. Cause it's going to take a lot of work to get over what so many others put them through ad did to them because they could not get at the other person(ex. Wanting Styxx for whatever and punishing and using Ash all the harder for it. And vice versa).But I will agree with you all day with ya on that set of twins. The Gods are indeed and forever will be a trip.
Myst wrote: "The fact Ash didn't even *attempt* to talk to Styxx for 5 minutes to ask how the past 11k years were for him I thought was just about the worst thing Ash started with.I get Ash not wanting to che..."
All very true. But I think for Ash, Styxx was the catalyst for why HE was treated beyond horribly. So even thinking about him likely snapped him into a form of PTSD mode about him. Taking him back to a time when he was defenseless and was getting abused for whatever relating to Styxx. I mean that was such a deeply traumatizing time for him. Hell for them both really. So honestly if someone that I grew up around that got me beat on or whatever else was out of my life. I would be thanking every worthwhile God alive for keeping him away from me and out of sight and out of mind. Who would want to keep getting drawn back to that place again and again? I know it's a self righteous feeling too. But it's self protective too I think.
Wasn't part of the reason some of the 'clients' were so hard on Ash was due to his allure which somewhat passed to Styxx in the womb, but Styxx was out of their reach and Ash wasn't?We didn't see men and women throwing themselves on Styxx to the point he needed to be covered head to toe to go out, but he did have a few maids throw themselves at him...and Apollo was overly attracted...
Hmm, when did it pass to Styxx? Cause last I recalled Ash had quite a few examples of people being more drawn to him rather they wanted to be or not. I don't recall that much for Styxx. As I felt Apollo and such just was preying on him cause they were sick bastards that were jealous and trying to tear him down and make him weak. But for Ash's clients I think they were attracted to Styxx in general, couldn't have him. But they could have Ash whom they thought was a knock off. And auntie dearest's curse that was on him just elevated their attraction to even higher and worse standards really.As for the maids, I think again that was just women that were trying to do as some women did back then. Get a kid from him, knowing he'll be the next King and maybe their child will be considered an heir. Didn't hurt he was attractive looking too. But yea back in those days folks were always looking for a in with the royal families for sure. Didn't care how they used ya.
I'm pretty sure there was a reference in Styxx to his 'allure'. I don't have the book on hand and won't have access to it for awhile either. If anyone has the e-book they could do a search for 'unnatural' and/or 'allure' or various related terms. It could be when Styxx was a prisoner in Atlantis (pg 424 or later?)But it stands to reason if Ash sucked Styxx's cthonian powers, then why couldn't Styxx have absorbed some of Ash's allure if they were in the same womb for 1.5ish months?
Hmmm, but think about it too. How many knew that another Goddess placed Ash into the queen's womb and did whatever magical something or other that made it so that Ash was a bit of a conduit and was able to siphon from others on a smaller scale. Like how Katra is able to do it to a larger scale and maybe where she even got that ability from too.But I think Styxx's allure was he was just a really pretty dude and everybody just wanted to use him. But since he was a prince, and allegedly supposed to be untouchable, it just amped up the pervs attractions meter.
Epithymia's curse was indeed the reason the twins had such allure about them; she posed as a midwife at their births and made sure to deliver them herself. (I believe she made sure to touch them both so that she wouldn't have to worry about touching the right twin.) The birth is when the curse started, when Ash didn't have his god powers to protect himself.Epithymia admitted her intention to Bethany in the very first chapter of the book, whose horrified response was: "The humans will tear him apart in their desire to possess him. And they will hate him for it."
Later, in the chapter marked June 25, 2012, Savitar tells Ash, "Styxx had the same unearthly beauty and sexual allure, courtesy of Epithymia, that you did, and Apollo was infatuated with Styxx from the moment he first saw him ... like you and Artemis."
Some excellent points have been made here about how each twin was treated by others, and the fact that they were extremely pretty to begin with.
The reasoning for people reacting more strongly to Ash's allure, likely had to do with the fact that Ash was trained from a very young age to be a sex slave, meaning that he was trained so that every move he made was seductive--to the point that it has been "hardwired" into him, so to speak. Plus, he really couldn't physically defend himself once he finally got away from Estes permanently, and so his only defense was to cover himself.
Styxx, on the other hand, received a soldier's training from a very young age. Ryssa herself notes in Ash's book, that Styxx's movements are quick and mercurial, while Ash's movements are slow and languid, almost fluid.
I think the fact that Styxx was able to read others' minds also helped him to a certain extent, at least with the women that he was able to fend off. With the men, especially Estes, Styxx was usually drugged when it happened. And during his time as a POW in Atlantis, Styxx was not only mentally weakened by the gods, but he also received an extra dose of Epithymia's curse. Not to mention, he was already heartbroken during that time, over Bethany leaving him.
I also think that Dhfan hits the nail on the head as to why Ash didn't bother to check on Styxx, or even spend a couple of minutes asking Styxx how he was after eleven thousand years. As we see when Styxx goes to ask Ash to be removed from Katateros, Ash has a nasty flashback about Estes. So yeah, I can see how Ash would want to stay the hell away from Styxx, in order to keep his mind off of what happened to him when he was still a child. Also, Ash was still under the impression during that time, that Styxx was the one who had him gelded, among other things.
Charlotte wrote: "Epithymia's curse was indeed the reason the twins had such allure about them; she posed as a midwife at their births and made sure to deliver them herself. (I believe she made sure to touch them b..."I knew we should have just waited for you Charlotte lol. the DH whisperer should be your additional nickname. ;) But I honestly and I should be smited where I sit for saying this a bit. But....I think SK did a bit of a re-writing to make it sound like Ash and Styxx really shared that allure. Cause although I agree with you to a certain extent(now that I'm re-thinking all of this again) Charlotte, about how Ash was trained in ways of being a sex slave and all that.
Remember when Ryssa had got him free for a time and took him back to the summer house. And there was the caretaker family there with the little girl. He no doubt had the same movements as he always did when he first came across the mom, but I don't recall her tearing at him like others did. And yet when her daughter grew older when he saw her again, cause she obviously had hit puberty/sexual awareness age, she was about to rip him apart to get at him too like the others. But I doubt he was doing the seductive movement stuff. More like "hey I see my old friend over there and want to catch up." So I could see him waving over to her, and that curse triggering something in the attracted person's mind that would say he is giving you the universal signal to come and get me. When it wasn't the case.
Flip back over to Styxx having the same thing, with no Godly abilities either and very much so being born of human parents. He some how had a shield against even Dionysus taking him? I mean was it not Dion that pointed him out to Apollo in the first place if I remember that correctly? I guess based off his NON-reaction is why I was a bit more convinced that Apollo was pulling a "my precious" along with the uncle thing with Styxx than being caught up in a lure so to speak. Cause even just being TOLD he had it too, actions are speaking louder than words.
Even more so with the fact that when I thought back to the birth. Wasn't the Queen or King already holding Styxx and they were like he is so perfect. But the other midwife that noticed Ash's eyes seemed to hold him the longest of the two? And pointed out that there was likely something "wrong" with him? Now I believed the midwife might have been Ash's aunt at that point as she was sent to actively seek out Ash. So in seeing his eyes be different from Ash's then I felt like she placed the curse on who it was meant to be for. But then flip to Styxx's book, I think it was just a tie-in piece that was written to say in the true arrogance of the Gods of the time, that yea "I cursed them both, big deal?" when in reality like she could admit to just cursing just the one baby.
But yea, it's stuff like that, that I noticed a bit between the books as little re-writes at times. And I guess to me didn't fully line up from what we had already seen to be true so to speak. But I agree with you Styxx had his own share of advantages. But truly if he was as cursed as Ash was, even stubbing his toe would have sent out the rats to come hump his leg or something. Heck even more so if he was as cursed as Ash, instead of being stabbed by his mom, wouldn't SHE too have tried to rape him? Drunkenly and rather unsuccessfully mind you. But wouldn't she have as well? Even Ryssa for that matter?
LOL, there shall be NO smiting today. Or tomorrow, or the day after ... XDVERY good point there, and I'll admit that it's possible that she did a bit of re-writing. And I think there is a little bit of re-writing here and there. There's definitely a lot there for me to mull over for the next day or so. =)
Real quick before I dash off to bed, though ... I think you're right about Epithymia being the one to hold Ash and mention his eyes. Which means that she likely touched Ash longer than she touched Styxx. But I'll have to do some more reading to be absolutely sure.
At any rate, I'll post more tomorrow. =) (as well as post a question to Ask the Author about the curse's effects, lol)
Whew on the smiting there. And again now that I think about it, didn't someone else name them? Cause obviously the "royals" didn't. Kind of makes me wished she had done their books merged and just flipped POVs now. So that everything blended and merged properly. Cause writing things in one book and then throwing in tie-in sentences in the other story to connect things to the first that don't quite mesh up, leaves a bit of a slight he-said, she-said vs. who actually DID do this or that sorta thing. But still loves the Author Goddess though!!!
Yes, I'm a day off in my post. XDAgain, you're right Dhfan ... it was the elderly wise woman (who turned out to be Athena in disguise) that named the boys. She was also the one who pointed out to Xerxes that 1) Ash was "sent by the gods" and 2) that Ash's life was tied to Styxx's.
Going back to the birth scenes in both books ... it does appear in Acheron that Epi only touched Ash. Ryssa's description of the midwife who held him, makes it clear that it was indeed dear old Epi (may she rot in Artie's temple ;D). But Ryssa, being seven and on the sidelines, might not have seen Epi actually deliver both twins. Or if she did, she didn't give it a second thought.
A little digging through the comments on the official site shows that both boys were touched by Epi (it's in the comments for Styxx's book) ... so I'm guessing here that once Epi figured out which twin was Ash, she made sure to give him an extra dose of her "loving" touch. Styxx then got his extra dose twenty years later, during his time as a POW.
So ... here's what I'm thinking in regards to how people react to the curse: it depends upon the person (or being) and how they handle the attraction/desire. You can call it being pure of heart, or perhaps some people simply have better self-control than others.
Prime example, when at the summer palace, Ash tells Ryssa that he can tell that she's attracted to him, yet she vehemently states that she would never do that with him. And she doesn't.
She could have been attracted to Styxx to a lesser degree, but her intense jealousy of him could have overridden that. As for Aara ... well, let's face it, she was in a perpetual state of "I hate men with a burning passion", and her drunkenness could have magnified that hatred.
Yes, Maia (the girl Ash befriended as a child) was obviously driven by teenage hormones--plus the fact that her husband wasn't there. Her mother Petra, on the other hand ... she could have been attracted to Ash, but she was older and married, probably very loyal to her husband who resided with them, and likely viewed Ash as a child. Plus, she would have had nothing to gain by trying jump him, except death.
Dionysus was certainly attracted to Styxx. When he and Apollo meet Styxx at Dion's temple, Dion not only makes lecherous comments (and leers at Styxx's naked body), but he also kisses Styxx. He also mentions to Apollo that he prefers older (and more willing) participants, but he's thinking of seducing Styxx at a later time. And it's likely that he had a go at Styxx, when Styxx was taken to Olympus by Apollo (right before he ended up in Atlantis). In New Orleans, Dion tells Styxx that he had wanted to impress Apollo, so apparently the desire to impress his brother overrode his desire for Styxx.
That's just my take on the situation, though. =)
Charlotte wrote: "Yes, I'm a day off in my post. XDAgain, you're right Dhfan ... it was the elderly wise woman (who turned out to be Athena in disguise) that named the boys. She was also the one who pointed out t..."
Your thoughts are beautifully well put. And in certain respects I have been thinking similar things on the affect of the allure part of things. Just as I had said before, some of the writing seemed a bit mix-matched for a bit there. But have to take into account the outside info with stuff too. So majorly thanks for clarifications on all that.
Aw, thanks! =)And again, I agree, I'm sure some of the scenes have been re-written. I know that SK mentioned in the foreword that there had been some scenes in previous books that had been cut down, that were included here in full ... like Apollo being in New Orleans? I sure didn't see any hint of THAT in Night Embrace! =)
What I find interesting is the scene where Tory is rescued from Kalosis, and the fight with Stryker ensues. After reading the scene in Styxx's book, I went back and re-read the scene in Ash's book ... and Ash's version suddenly seems a bit truncated, as in he suddenly goes from joking with his friends to kneeling down to heal Styxx. I'd never noticed that before. XD
Quite welcome. :)Duuuuuuude, I sure didn't see that either about Apollo. Heck there was so much going on around that time with stuff too. But I guess our smoke screen was all the stuff with Talon and Sunshine and as we didn't always see what or how things were going down with Styxx and co. then yea, I guess he could have popped in to mess with him further then.
And this is totally why we need a huge thick, did you know that? Book from the Author Goddess. That way, between you, Myst, and the AG and Carl we all finally might be on the same page lol.
TRUTH: the 1st person's truth, the 2nd person's truth and the actual truth! Makes more sense now ;)Yes, we need a concordance of DH! Who volunteers? *hands in lap*
Haha, and that is why I voted AG and Carl and co. Just saves us some time. ;)
LOL, no kidding. That would be a serious undertaking right there. Much easier to wait for AG and Carl and co. XDYeah, SK is big on showing more than side to a story. For example, Zarek and Valerius. Or Vane and Fang. Or the married DH couple, Velkan and Esperetta (their story was "Until Death We Do Part"). Heck, even Fury and Angelia ("Shadow of the Moon"). It's like the AG is saying, "Wait ... here's the REST of the story." =)
And yet again, this just goes to show that re-reading her books can give you a whole new perspective on things. =)
And I love that. As it does seem at times our culture gets so swept up in the he said, she said, but mostly listens to one side. And SK's works make you confront the whole unsavory picture at times. And then invest in your own special "take you out sucka!" kind of gear and proceed to do some damage on the meanies, so to speak >:D
We also can't forget that when she wrote Acheron, she had no idea what Styxx's story was. From what I've gathered in articles, stuff on her site, and interviews, Styxx wasn't talking to her then and she had no interest in talking to him.Originally, she had no plans whatsoever to look at Styxx's side of things. He kept tapping her on the shoulder and saying there was more to the story, and she kept telling him to go screw himself because he was a horrible person who didn't deserve his own POV.
He wore her down, she listened, and out came Styxx's book.
As an author myself, yeah, this happens. A character you want nothing to do with will come in, get so insistent you can no longer ignore him, and what he has to say changes everything you thought you knew about the world you're creating. Looking at this as an author, that's totally what happened with Styxx. He changed everything, and wasn't part of the original DH series plan.
I'm re-reading Acheron and Styxx back to back right now, and close to done with Ash. It's my fourth time through Acheron, and I'm anxious to see how I can fit it all together when I get to Styxx, since everything in Acheron will be fresh in my mind.
As an abuse survivor myself, courtesy of my ex-husband, I don't fault Ash at all for wanting nothing to do with someone he viewed as part of his abuse. Doesn't matter that the real Styxx never hurt him, he was hurt immeasurably by people who were punishing him for being Styxx's twin.
I spent part of last week up where mine lives, and a small part of me was terrified of seeing him. I didn't, and knew logically I wouldn't since he was at work, but the fear was still there. Fear is never logical, and it was a very real presence in my life and dreams the week before I left. I had a moment of sheer panic waking up one day that week. Pretty sure I'd been dreaming about him somehow, but thankfully it's not part of my conscious memories.
I love Ash and SK all the more for being so human and relatable in how Ash dealt with what happened to him. It was SK, Ash, and the DH world in general that restored my faith in happily ever after. Because she's real in how she deals with things and there's no magic wand solution. When you're a survivor, you need to see people continuing to struggle with the memories and figuring out how to live in spite of the fear that can grab you out of nowhere. That's why I love Ash so much.
Oh! One other thing I noticed. In Acheron, when Apollymi is destroying her pantheon, Bethany isn't there. It's a god of justice and his name is Dikastys, or something like that. So she didn't even know yet that Bethany and the Princess of Thebes were the same person, and might not have known yet that Bethany even existed.
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?
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Some general questions to help incite discussion. Feel free to answer as many as you'd like.
•Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?
•Did you feel that the book fulfilled your expectations? Were you disappointed?
•What did you think of the characters? Could you relate to them or no?
- Who were your favorite characters?
- Who were your least favorite characters?