Review: Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

To sum it up: Eleven thousand years ago a god was born. Cursed into the body of a human, Acheron spent a lifetime of shame. However, his human death unleashed an unspeakable horror that almost destroyed the earth. Then, brought back against his will, Acheron became the sole defender of mankind.

Only it was never that simple. For centuries, he has fought for our survival and hidden a past he’ll do anything to keep concealed. Until a lone woman who refuses to be intimidated by him threatens his very existence.

Now his survival, and ours, hinges on hers and old enemies reawaken and unite to kill them both.

War has never been more deadly... or more fun.

 

Although Ash was Gothic in the present half of the book, I still pictured him blonde, sexy, and GORGEOUS! (Just as he was depicted in the first half of the story!) ...and I felt that Travis Fimmel fit him perfectly!

 

  

  

This picture reminds me of Ash and Tory- (Since Tory wore glasses, this picture was perfect, in my opinion!)

  







FYI: This was one of the best investments of time and money that I’ve ever spent on a book.

This is probably one of the most difficult reviews that I’ve ever written. How do you write a review for a book you adored? What could you possibly say about a story that left you truly in awe? I apologize if this review is a long one… but the book was definitely worthy of a review that does it justice.

I first came across Ash in Zarek’s story. (Dance with the Devil) It was actually my first Sherrilyn Kenyon book, and to be quite honest, I didn’t think that I would like this series, period. But after reading Zarek’s story, (which I actually enjoyed immensely) I knew I had to read about Ash immediately. I was literally drawn to his character- I found myself craving every page that he was on and wanting to read more and more about him. Believe it or not, the second I finished Dance with the Devil, I went and bought Acheron- and I’ve never been more happy about that decision.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I have a harem full of all of my favorite heroes. And dare I say it… but I think Ash just made it to spot number one. I haven’t felt this way about a hero in… well… ever. Since I was first introduced to him, I’ve been in love. The kind of fictional character love where you’re literally thinking, speaking, and dreaming of the hero on a twenty-four-seven basis, even after you’ve finished the book. I’m sure I just made myself sound like a complete lunatic, but hey… it is what it is.

To look at Ash was to want him.
To see him was to ache to touch him.
He had been built to please, and trained to pleasure.

As a young boy, Acheron accepted anything without complaint. All his life, all he ever craved was a loving touch; one that wasn’t selfish or hurting. He was a ghost who walked through life observing it… wanting to take part, but too afraid to risk being hurt to reach out. It took an incredible amount of strength for him to be alone in the world; to have no shelter from those that hurt him. All he had ever asked for were the two things that no one had ever given him: Love and respect.

The first half of the story was perfection personified. It was truly gut-wrenching to read every page of Ash’s torture. He lived with abuse on a daily basis- physical, mental, and sexual. He was betrayed by all who should have loved him. I have NEVER read a book that made me feel as much as this one. Ash, no doubt, faced hell on earth as a human… and reading about it broke my heart into pieces. This part of the story was just so compelling, and it can’t help but touch your heart, and make you see and feel every betrayal, both physical and emotional that Acheron faced.

"She reached down to brush his hair back from his forehead. Ash buried his face against her thigh and nipped the tender flesh there as her hand touched his cheek. 'Please don’t pull my hair,' he breathed in a ragged whisper, not wanting anything to spoil this moment. '…I would never hurt you, Ash.'"

Oh. God.

 Doesn’t that quote just break your heart? I could just picture him with his beautiful, sweet, and big gray eyes looking up at Tory in that scene… wanting so much to trust that she won’t hurt him like everyone else has in his life. *sniff, sniff* …Every page I read in the first half, literally kept me completely and utterly spell-bound. I couldn’t have put the first part of the novel down, had you paid me.

As for the second half (present day)… I wouldn’t say it was a disappointment… I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first half. It felt a bit rushed, but only because the first half was so much more deep than his present depicted. During this half of the story, Sherrilyn Kenyon paid a little less attention to detail, and focused more on the action that was constantly going on. I’ve only read one other book in this series, and after reading the second half of this story, I’d say that the everything that happens in the present time, falls more along the rest of her novels in the Dark Hunter Series. The heroine, Tory… well… let’s just say, she grew on me. After reading the first half of the novel, and really getting to know Ash on a personal level, Tory just wasn’t who I pictured him with. I’d definitely describe her as a smart-mouth with a temper. *rolls eyes* (And anyone who knows me, knows that’s not a quality I care for my heroine’s to have.) In my personal opinion, I saw him more with a heroine who’s similar to his sister Ryssa. I just felt that she tried her absolute hardest to understand Ash on such a level that no one else did- her love was absolutely unconditional, where-as Ash’s relationship with Tory, just seemed to happen without near as much work. It was almost as if her character understood Ash’s insecurities within a few pages, where-as everyone else who knew him on some sort of level, never got close enough. With that being said though, her courage and strength won out, and I ended up liking her more and more towards the end of the story. She ended up giving him a self-worth he had never known before, and the love he felt for her made him better than his past. She was a smart woman with the ability to love unconditionally and selflessly. Tie that in with loyalty and a sense of humor, and I can see where Sherrilyn Kenyon felt Tory was right for Ash. And to be fair, I loved him so much, there probably isn’t a heroine in the world (aside from me) who would have deserved him.

To all of you who have never read a book in Sherrilyn Keyon’s Dark Hunter Series, I’ll definitely say that this can be read as a stand-alone. (Although, other fans out there of the Dark Hunter Series, might not be too happy with me, for actually encouraging you to read this book before the others, hehe.) There may be times in the second half, that become a bit confusing when other characters are introduced, especially if you’ve never read any other book in the series… but not enough so, that you’re completely lost and unable to understand what’s going on. All in all, this book was beautifully written… and with both parts of the stories combined, it made for a perfect read, and another one I can proudly add to my “favorites” shelf.

DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR, AND BUY THIS BOOK.

Review: Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon

To sum it up:

(Zarek's Point of View)

Dark-Hunter: A soulless guardian who stands between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. Yeah, right. The only part of that Code of Honor I got was eternity and solitude.

Insanity: A condition many say I suffer from after being alone for so long. But I don't suffer from my insanity- I enjoy every minute of it.

Trust: I can't trust anyone... not even myself. The only thing I trust in is my ability to do the wrong thing in any situation and to hurt anyone who gets in my way.

Truth: I endured a lifetime as a Roman slave, and 900 years as an exiled Dark-Hunter. Now I'm tired of enduring. I want the truth about what happened the night I was exiled- I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Astrid (Greek, meaning star): An exceptional woman who can see straight to the truth. Brave and strong, she is a point of light in the darkness. She touches me and I tremble. She smiles and my cold heart shatters.

Zarek: They say even the most damned man can be forgiven. I never believed that until the night Astrid opened her door to me and made this feral beast want to be human again. Made me want to love and be loved. But how can an ex-slave whose soul is owned by a Greek goddess ever dream of touching, let alone holding, a fiery star?


Astrid: (Emilia Clarke really came to mind when I thought of Astrid's character. This picture my be a little cartoon-ish, but you get the idea!)

Zarek: (Matthias Streitwieser works for me when it comes to Zarek's character- of course I picture Zarek with longer hair... but who can beat a face like this?)

I have to be honest- the only reason I even started reading this book was for three reasons:

1. My friend Lindsay and I had a deal that if she’s going to read a book of my choice all the way through until the end, that I was too. (And this was the book she picked.)

2. Lindsay said the hero, Zarek was a complete and total jerk.

And...

3. Lindsay also told me that the heroine wasn’t an annoying smart-mouth that had a “don’t-mess-with-me-because-I-don’t-need-anyone” attitude… I just hate that.


Since this isn’t the first book in the series, it took me a good fifty pages or so to really get into it. All of the characters that were introduced had me feeling a little lost, since I had no background knowledge on this series- but eventually, the story took off!

Zarek on the other hand was a jerk with a capital “J!” *sigh* ...for the first time in his life, someone tempted him more than any other person in the world ever has. Astrid had a vulnerability about her that brought out all of Zarek’s protective instincts... it was her, who had him questioning something as simple as what it would feel like to just be held. My heart broke for the tortured hero- truly, it did. He was alone in the world, and the idea of someone caring about him and whether he lived or died was a very foreign thing for him. He always tried to belong, but it never worked for him; he was an outsider and that was all he knew in the world. He lived in constant pain and loneliness, letting hatred guide everything he said or did. My heart ached for the boy he once was... the boy who should have always been loved- instead, he had grown into a bitter and angry man. But who could have blamed him, when all he’d ever been shown was contempt? I just wanted to hug the man! When I say my heart literally broke for Zarek, I mean that I literally cried while reading every page that was filled with his mistreatment. He might have had a frightening presence, but he did kind things that were at odds with his surliness- and those were the times that had me falling more and more in love with him.

Astrid is definitely a favorite heroine of mine. She saw what was inside Zarek… the vulnerability. She seemed to be the only one who truly understood the man that he didn’t dare show anyone else. It was she, who wanted to ease his suffering. I sympathized with her so much, for just wanting to take Zarek’s pain away. Anyone in her shoes and who had a heart, would have wanted to do the very same thing.

I’ll admit, there were a lot of secondary characters, so many times I felt it hard to keep up- of course, that’s through no fault but my own, since I started the series with this book. However, for anyone planning to read this book out of order, I would definitely make sure you have someone you can talk with if you have any questions- I would have been completely lost during certain part of the story without Lindsay’s help! (Thank goodness for awesome friends and buddy reads!) One thing that I absolutely loved was the interactions between Sasha and Zarek, as well as the brief glimpses we got of Ash and Simi- It definitely added a lighter touch to the novel, but didn’t take away from the emotional intensity of the book.

This is definitely a story of emotion, change and forgiveness. Zarek’s story touched me like no other book has… my heart physically hurt for him and the pain he went through during his life. Sherrilyn Kenyon seriously did a fantastic job with this book, and I’m happy to say that it won’t be my last! I may receive some negative feed-back once you read but I’m fixing to say… but dare I say it?

I.
LOVED.
ASH.

I know bragging about my love for another hero in Zarek’s review may not be the best and smartest idea, but the brief glimpses I got of Ash in this story, definitely makes me want to go out and buy his book! *sigh*