Styx: The River ARC Review 🌊

Styx: The River 

(Goddesses of the Underworld #2) 

by Nikita Gill

My Star Rating: 5 Stars 

Page Count: 416 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy 

Date Read: September 2nd-6th

Publication Date: September 15th

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Review: 

Nikita Gill is my favorite poet and I have been eagerly awaiting this book ever since I finished the first last year. Her style of writing is always spectacular. I love her way of telling these goddesses' stories. This time with a focus on Styx and Asteria.

Styx is another goddess whose backstory I did not know much about. I like that this book begins a generation before Hekate and leads up to the events of that book. She is treated differently by her family and most around her because she does not have the good looks that her mother and sisters have. Also, she does not have the powers she believes she deserves as the eldest child of the Titans. The story follows her as she learns to conceal the feelings of resentment she holds for those who treat her terribly.

The other perspective in this book is of Styx's cousin, Asteria. Styx and Asteria form a tight bond throughout their adolescence, especially after they realize the powers they have that they do not want anyone else to know about. I adored following both of them throughout the book and seeing the events of the story through their eyes. Their sister-like bond was one of the best parts of this entire book and makes the events of Hekate even sadder. I now want to reread it after reading this.

I will never get tired of finding new retellings of these myths and getting to see them through a different perspective. Going into this one, I knew where the story was eventually going to go because of my knowledge of the myths surrounding the Titanomachy and from the previous book. The journey there though was beautifully written and so incredibly powerful. I love how Nikita's writing immerses you from the very first page until the end. She brings life to these stories and makes the reader relate to these goddesses through their story.

Also, I want to mention how much I adored the relationship between Styx and Pallas. Such a wonderful depiction of them.

This like the first book is perfect for fans of Greek Mythology retellings, novels written in verse, and stories with strong female characters at their center. Nikita Gill is an amazing poet and I cannot recommend her writing enough. Her writing shines throughout this entire book and I will definitely be getting a copy for my collection. I cannot wait for the third book in series, whose goddess I predicted.

*Thank you to Little Brown Books, Nikita Gill, and NetGalley for my arc of this book. All opinions are my own.*