Published: August 28, 2018
This book, you guys, did not wreck me as much as Styxx did but it was so good. This novel is a behemoth that tops out at 600+ pages. I can’t tell you the exact page amount because it depends on where you got the book. The publisher thought it was a good idea to put out three different versions so Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart all have different version. Just one chapter difference that I’m sure doesn’t change the story since it does end the same. But come on!!! I just want everyone to be on equal footing. I need to know more. I haven’t been this interested in the Dark-Hunter books since before Son of No One which is saying a lot because I loved the series and felt like it had plateaued. And Dragonsworn was actually really good. But Stygian is the book that we have all been waiting for.
As fans know but the casual reader may not, this novel is about Urian and what made him into the Daimon and then demigod that he is in the series that we have all grown to love. The reason why the novel is so large is because we start when Urian was ripped out of Bethany’s womb (which we see in Styxx) by Apollymi and then we go up to the present day. Urian has spoken about how he never fit in with his father’s daimons but we never got to see exactly how much of a misfit he was in those days. Additionally we learn that he was married before being married to Phoebe who I had always thought was his first wife. He also has only truly loved one woman and that is Xyn.
We learn about Xyn in Dragonmark and finally get to meet her in Dragonsworn. She was the childhood friend of Urian and once she was freed from Kalosis she became his lover whenever they could meet. That is until she disappears and Urian thinks she is dead. At that point he had lost so many people but she hurt him the most. We also get to see how the introduction of the Dark Hunters to the daimon world affected them. And that there are more daimons out there than just the ones Apollymi saved.
Jump ahead a few thousand years and Urian is just going through the motions of life until he meets Phoebe. He doesn’t know what it is about her that attracts him so much but he does know that he can’t kill her like he did with her grandparents and older sister. We all know the story of what happened to Phoebe and the ensuing pain Urian endured.
We are then treated to more scenes from Styxx where Urian gets to interact with Styxx and their bond is created. Jump ahead a few more years and we are at Dragonsworn where he learns that Phoebe is alive. But what does that mean for him now that he has Xyn back too? He doesn’t know but he feels responsible for her and knows that he needs to find her. So, of course, Xyn goes with him because she will not be separated from him again.
And that’s all I’m going to tell you about the plot. The novel was so good. There were a ton of questions answered but more have opened up for me. Like when did Nick meet up with his generals in this timeline? We get to hear from Kaziel again and he talks about him and though I know about the generals and who they are when does Nick get them back? Like I hope that becomes clear soon. Maybe in the new Ciprian series? Also, it looks like the game has changed for the Daimons and Dark Hunters. They no longer feed on human souls and are therefore not considered a menace to humanity well at least that’s the case for Apollymi’s Daimons. But Apollo is still up to no good and we have a new enemy who has taken Xander’s squire/girl BreAnna. There are so many unknowns for the next novel that I don’t know if I can wait a year!!
Everyone needs to read this novel. Don’t listen to the people who say you can read Acheron, Styxx, and then Stygian. You’ll miss too much of the story and not understand what is going on. I personally think that is dumb advice. Though this is book like 30 in the series reading all of them is essential. You’ll never regret the plunge into this world.
Two quotes!! (I couldn’t choose).
— “That would be Apollymi. You can’t miss her. Tall, blond, angry goddess. Lives in the big, dark hall on your right.” -Stryker, pg. 150—
— “What you call an overuse of profanity, I call sentence enhancers.” -Shadow—
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