Stygian

A Dark-Hunter Novel (Dark-Hunter, Book 29)

De: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Narrado por: Holter Graham

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon brings us back to the astonishing world of the Dark-Hunters in Stygian, with a hero misunderstood by many…but most of all by himself.

Born before man recorded time, I lived for thousands of years believing myself to be something I’m not.

Someone I’m not.

Lied to and betrayed by gods, Daimons, and Dark-Hunters, I’ve struggled to find my way in a world where I’ve been cursed since the moment I was prematurely ripped from my mother and planted into the womb of an innocent woman who thought me her son.

Trained as a slayer and predator, I learned to fit in and stay low. To become a tool for evil. Until I was sent to kill the one woman I couldn’t. My hesitation cost her her life.

Or so I thought. In an act of betrayal that makes all the others pale in comparison, I’ve learned that this world is an illusion and that my Phoebe still lives.

Now I will have to travel into the very pits of Hades to try and save her, even as everyone around me attempts to steal what little soul I have left. There’s only one person at my back and I’m not sure I can trust her either, for she was born of an enemy race. Yet sometimes the road to redemption is one that singes us to our very core. And if I fail to find the answers I need to save Phoebe, more than just my wife will die.

We will lose the world. Both human and Daimon.

©2018 Sherrilyn Kenyon (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Mixed Feelings — Contains Spoilers

Positives:
- Learned more about Urian’s past.
- Gave more insight into the mindset of the Daimons, and how many don’t feel evil for doing what it takes to survive.
- Liked his relationship with Sarraxyn, and throughout the book, hoped they would find each other again.
- Liked Davyn, whose character was explored in greater depth.
- Enjoyed more interaction involving Styxx and Bethany.

Negatives:
- Not enough interaction between Urian and his parents. He’s been separated from them for thousands of years. A few more pages devoted to that wouldn’t hurt, especially since ...
- As others have noted, there was way too much copy and paste from other recent books. I read somewhere that the author had been criticized at one point by people saying stories didn’t mesh together when she left pieces out, but I think the pendulum has swung too much in the opposite direction. It’s a big waste of the book’s real estate that could have been better used propelling his story or the arc forward. It would have been nice to learn more answers to the numerous dangling threads.
- I think Holter Graham is a very talented narrator, but using him for so many books in the same universe creates issues for me. His voice for Urian is the same as the voice used for Nick in CON. Also, many of the women’s voices in this book were inappropriately portrayed as shrill. That’s appropriate for his first wife, but not for Apollymi. Righteous godly anger should be portrayed as powerful, not whiny.
- On a related note, I never want to hear the phrase “unspeakably precious” ever again. SK overuses it in CON, and it showed up here, too.

Unlike some, I don’t consider Urian fickle to have had multiple loves over the course of 11,000 years. He did attempt to acquit himself honorably in his relationships. I think the use of hyperbole during sex makes him appear more disingenuous (e.g., saying he had *never* felt this way before when he’s with Phoebe, when he had obviously felt that much and more with Xyn).

It also doesn’t help that the timeline of the book took a pretty abrupt shift from ancient past to modern time. This makes it feel as if he’s falling in love with Phoebe right after losing Xyn.

Anyway, I am glad I listened to this, but hope the next books in the series have more original material. However, having read The Chronicles of Nick, I am afraid we won’t have answers to many of the outstanding questions until Nick/Ambrose has his Dark-Hunter book.

CAN YOU SAY WRITERS BLOCK SAME STORY DIFFERENT boo

can you say writer's block same story different book getting little tired ofit big fan but the books have gotten any better and when is Louise book coming out

Truly Epic!

Epic is the word I would use to describe this book and the performance by Holter Graham. The book was long but worth every single second. It took us deeper into some characters that made me want to go back and re-read some books again.
I loved it!

wonderful!

As always, Sherrilyn brings force a magnificent tale and warm memories (as well as some shuddering) of older tales.

voices

some of the voices are a little hard to understand but the storyline is amazing

Epic Romance in the Dark Hunter World.

The Dark-Hunter series is captivating. Intricate crossover plots spread throughout multiple novels. Solving the character's mysteries is a bit obsessive for me, and I revel in the depths these plots contain. Minute details can reveal hidden plot points, often found during rereads I indulge in. I am a big series reader, and this is one worth experiencing. In Stygian, background information is summed up when relevant to the current plot. Most of this happens in the back half of the novel and worth a warning, you will be able to tell where the additional content would be.

Honestly, the Lords of Avalon and Dragon Rising books are among my favorites in the DH world. In Stygian, the drakomai Sarraxyn is a principal character. Knowing some of Urian's past, I admit being unsure how Urian and Xyn could become a couple. They shared space in previous installments with no hint at a relationship. Urian and Xyn's reconnection is handled well, thoroughly convincing me of the lack of recognition previously.

Although enthusiastic about Urian's tale, I admit being leery of it. Both Acheron and Styxx were arduous for me. Their books rip your heart out, stomp on it, shove it back and start all over again. Tissues are a must. Don't get me wrong, I loved experiencing Acheron and Styxx's journey, but it was a hard ride. Formatted the same in that we begin with Urian's birth in ancient times, I worried Urian would have an upbringing filled with isolation. Urian does have it rough, but, it was not as tumultuous as I anticipated. Urian felt love and friendship. His family stuck by him. He had friends. He found love, although it was a long ride before they could be together.

In short, Stygian is a fantastic addition to the Dark Hunter world. All my favorite characters show up in one way or another. One personal thing this book gave to me, is an ability to forgive for a prior misdeed. That scene, in particular, stirred my emotions in a big way. I love Urian and Xyn together. They both deserve someone epic and are well paired because of that. All opinions are my own, and I encourage readers to reach their own conclusions.

a lot of new a lot of old

much like in dragonmark this book has a lot of lazy writing a ton of copy and paste from the previous books that urien was in although she did add a little bit more of what urien viewed within those storylines it was very minor changes but I do appreciate that this book gave a new view on daemons and what they have to deal with

Amazing

Sherrilyn Kenyon, once again another amazing book!!! THANK YOU. You made me LOVE books!!! Its so hard to stop listening. I just had to find out what was going to happen next. There were moments I was laughing, crying, mad, sad, really I think I felt every emotion. And the ending! I can't wait to find out how all of the that is going to play out for our dear friends................ Holter Graham makes your words come alive. You two make a great team.

Fantastic

My favorite book in the entire series thus far. can't wait for more. I've gone through the entire series twice already.

Enjoyed

I enjoyed the continuation of this story. i missed listening to the Gods and dark hunters stories.