Acheron discussion

what was your opinion on Ryssa? did you like her, hate her, feel bad for her?

Loved Ryssa. She was so nice, despite how other people abused Acheron.

yeah, I really loved her, too. I felt bad for her, that she was so helpless to protect acheron (or herself)...

All I can ask is who can really hate Ryssa? I mean to a certain extent she may not have done as much as most people would think she should have. But the world was much different for women. And she tried to do her best. And I give her mad props for not being blind to how Ash was treated, for rescuing him, and even holding her head up as she was carted off to be Apollo's mistress even though Apollo didn't deserve her love, her body, or even her spirit of character none whatsoever. So anybody that hates Ryssa is looney tunes I think.

Dhfan4life wrote: "All I can ask is who can really hate Ryssa? I mean to a certain extent she may not have done as much as most people would think she should have. But the world was much different for women. And she ..."

how did you feel when ash was kinda mean to her? I got sorta mad at him, even though I could understand where he was coming from...

I was sort of was mad at him for that too. But I got past that. Not just because he is a favorite character of mine. But also because look at what he was going through? He could barely trust his own shadow not to get up and attack him in that world? I mean he was getting the most toughest love imaginable. And to have someone be gentle to him like that it was likely a very hard thing for him to cope with. So emotions were often very high on both sides. And I couldn't really be madder at one side or the other in a story like this.

I loved Ryssa too. I just hoped that she didn't died the way she did. She's not only beautiful on the outside, but also on the inside. I agree that Apollo doesn't deserve her but maybe she did that too for Acheron's sake. I love Ryssa like I was her sister and that Acheron is very lucky to have gained and received her love, trust and loyalty wholeheartedly...

I think Ryssa was much like Acheron. No real choices of her own. Hated her brother (Ash's 'twin'). Her body basically sold just as Ash's, only her own father was the one to barter her's off. That's what I think Acheron didn't really understand. Ryssa was so nice to him and loved him so much, yes. But she also understood what he was going through...even if only a small fraction of it. But she did love him. Genuinely. As a sister SHOULD love her brother. Without conditions or restrictions. And he loved her the same. He just had no experience in how to deal with the emotion, how to really show it, or really even how to just let himself feel it. I love Ryssa for being there as much as she could for him, even when she or he was punished for it. Yes, sometimes she made things worse on him, but she meant well and I think he knew that and he also knew that she loved him with a pure heart, as no one else had or ever did until Tory.

Dhfan4life wrote: "All I can ask is who can really hate Ryssa? I mean to a certain extent she may not have done as much as most people would think she should have. But the world was much different for women. And she ..."

I totally agree with you Dhfan4life because women should be treated with respect!!!!

I don't doubt the love Ryssa felt for Acheron. But that didn't endear her to me. I don't love or hate her. She was a very hard character to read. I thought she was sort of stupid, weak, and very naive. Not something I admire in any character, regardless of gender. And I know her circumstances, she was powerless, women in that time were no better than dirt, but then I think of Daenerys Targaryen, another fictional character who faced similar circumstances, she was sold to a foreigner warrior at the young age of 13 (not 20 something like Ryssa) and had a brother who loathed her. Instead of accepting her fate like sheep, she took control of the situation and turned around to her benefit. So I refuse to excuse Ryssa's pathetic behavior to her situation in life. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. She kept making the same mistakes over and over again. Every time she tried to help Ash, she ended up screwing him over. The say 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' applies perfectly to her. She had zero perception skills, fact proven when she got those VIP seats for Ash and she should have known he would hate to be put in the spotlight. Sometimes I wondered if she had any brains at all. She was also so freaking selfish sometimes. She got mad at Ash when he was in that freaking hole because he wouldn't answer her. Did it ever occur to her that maybe he couldn't? What a twit she was.If I were in her position, I would have helped Ash die. That would have been the ultimate act of love. Oh, no she couldn't do that, she couldn't bear to lose him so she'd rather see him live a miserable existence. And who gave a shit about Styxx, he treated her like dirt and she freaking loved him too? Give me a break. I don't believe that blood ties immediately equals love. Love has to be earned no matter the type of relationship. Should Ryssa love her father no matter what he did to her and to Acheron? No. The same thing applies to Styxx.
Granted, I'm still reading the book so she might redeem herself to me, but I really doubt.

no one's to blame:)three sides of the story as SK always write,
Ryssa is a caring sister, yes her mistakes will do the worst for Ash...but she's doing what was good for Ash and help him but it backfires and went to a different direction..Its just like Valerius, every time he help Zarek it goes worst for Z..and the trouble went 10 times horrible..:)so much to talk about love and compassion to family:)

Ditto Mika I totally agree there was no need for Ash to be beatin like that he was and is still a human being and should be treated as such requardless...so what he wasn't human didn't mean he didn't have manners. Ryssa was pretty weak I still would have not given up my life and well being to a god such as Apolo he always acted like a total asshole. But I still love to read the books because they say 'Payback is a BITCH' and they're right. So never take anyone for granted.

Sherrilyn spent so much effort writing the first part that it seemed she lost steam when she reached the second part. Honestly that pissed me off the most. The difference in writing was so great that I thought somebody else had written the second part. Ash deserved a better written HEA. Tory's character was so one dimensional that I had a hard time buying their relationship. I think she should have been introduced in previous books. For all Ryssa's fault, at least her character had depth.
I gave one star to Acheron. I couldn't give a higher rating. In 800 pages I think I only liked maybe 30 pages of it. It was just such a disappointment.

Technically from what I've heard around the water cooler. Is that Tory was introduced in Dream-hunter which was initially published or was supposed to have been published earlier in the series showing Tory when she was in her teens and what not. But I do agree with you. Tory went from kind of spunky and quirky character I could get behind in her teens to growing up being so one note. But I guess to me it was all part of a family legacy that enslaved her to really see nothing but proving there was an Atlantis too. Or maybe just Apollymi trying another ploy to con her way to freedom, lol.

Mika wrote: "I don't doubt the love Ryssa felt for Acheron. But that didn't endear her to me. I don't love or hate her. She was a very hard character to read. I thought she was sort of stupid, weak, and very na..."

I agree with you on pretty much all of your points. Except the one where you say you don't hate her lol cuz you certainly seem too

Mika wrote: "Sherrilyn spent so much effort writing the first part that it seemed she lost steam when she reached the second part. Honestly that pissed me off the most. The difference in writing was so great th..."

I agree with you totally. The first part was so great and moving and the second part was cliche and amateur. Also, having seen what Ash had gone through I think he fell for Tori (who is not a good enough Heroine for him) way too quickly.

I did like Ryssa after reading Acheron, but I found that there were a few misgivings about her. Now these misgivings didn't make her unlikable, because nobody is perfect; and we all have our misgivings. Now keep in mind I'm only going to state a few of her flaws; but I am also going to state a few things I like about her, so that there is a perfect balance.

Her kindness
Her pure love for Acheron
Her innocence


Her first misgiving was her naivety. For example when she demanded to see her uncle Estes in Atlantis, despite how obvious it was how dangerous it would be to do so. When she takes Acheron a slave onto a passenger ship, despite how obvious a slaves, especially a tsolus position is.

Her second misgiving is she can over dramatize things. An example of this would be her consummation with Apollo. She complains about how she doesn't want to be used as a whore to Acheron. Now keep in mind Ryssa doesn't deserve to be with asshole Apollo, but at least all of Greece is respecting Ryssa for their assumption that Ryssa is helping Greece with the war. At least she's not being drugged, tortured, starved, insulted, branded as a whore and all of the things Acheron had to suffer through. Yet for some reason she whined about it and acted like her pain was just as bad as what Acheron went through.

Her inconsideration...if she loved Acheron why couldn't she be a big girl about it, and not beg her brother to come to her consummation with Apollo? Acheron would of been safer in her room than outside. Yet she didn't even care about the risk to him, and the abuse he could suffer through if he's caught. I mean if I was in her situation with A-Prick-Ollo I'd want my hand held too, but at the end of the day I'd realize that I'm a big girl; and I can handle this on my own, and that it's better to have my brother safe. Besides she could of always cried to Acheron after the ceremony.

Now after reading Styxx (view spoiler)[We find out it wasn't Styxx who castrated Acheron it was Apollo's demons disguised as Styxx. We find out Styxx was also raped by Apollo, Estes, and many others; and the reason no one ever found out was because the king who loved Styxx...didn't truly love him. His love for Styxx was mostly political, yet because he had Acheron's face he still had doubts about Styxx...yet he needed to have an heir for the throne. Styxx was spoiled at times, but he was also abused by his own father for not upholding his royal duties to perfection. Even Ryssa who was jealous of him tried her best to make the abuse worse, and insulted Styxx at every turn even when he was just a seven year old child, and kept going. Ryssa loved Acheron because she felt sorry for him, but kept cursing Styxx who she thought got everything she wanted. Whilst Styxx lives in comfort he can read minds and gets severe headaches from it, and he can feel every single bit of physical pain Acheron is exposed too. Styxx felt the pain of Acheron getting his tongue pierced, and he screamed; but because Styxx doesn't show injuries they just think he's insane. So the king sends Styxx to the temple to have the demons tortured out of him. Not to mention Styxx did try to rescue Acheron from Atlantis after being gang raped by Estes on a hunting trip but was unfortunately caught by Estes. Also all the times Styxx beat up Acheron was because Acheron insulted Styxx in his head wishing Styxx could experience his pain, and get raped himself...without realizing he was cutting Styxx deep because Styxx was raped a lot, and he continued to get raped even even Acheron wasn't getting raped.
But in all honesty I was sad that Ryssa had bipolar...Sherri could have still made me fall in love with Styxx without making Ryssa a complete bitch to Styxx. Like Styxx did a lot of noble things to help his family, he even protected Ryssa from getting raped by killing Estes, but of course he could never tell anyone that Prince or not the King loved Estes. So it would of been good if Ryssa was nice to both Acheron and Styxx because Styxx is a good person I would of fallen in love with him. But I also understand Ryssa had to have bipolar to explain why Acheron and Styxx never got along, because Ryssa kept making Styxx sound bad all the time. But keep in mind Styxx and Acheron used to be best friends before Acheron went to Atlantis (hide spoiler)]

Kat wrote: "I did like Ryssa after reading Acheron, but I found that there were a few misgivings about her. Now these misgivings didn't make her unlikable, because nobody is perfect; and we all have our misgi..."

After reading Styxx, I can honestly say I see them(Ash and Styxx) being on opposite sides of the exact same coin for sure.

As for Ryssa, some have speculated that she was majorly bipolar given her actions. But honestly I don't think it was that. More like a third party perspective of what it means to be another child in a household of multiples combined with the harshest of realities of what it was like to be a woman in such times too, when the world was still very uncivilized and women were seen as just barely above the level of slaves.

So saying all that, I'm not knocking your views and opinions of Ryssa. But I will say to some extent I don't think she was all that over dramatic in regards to being whored out to Apollo. I mean yes Ash and Styxx BOTH went through very unforgivable things. But at the same time. I still think as a woman that had no rights, choices, or anything else she could use to defend herself or get out of such a situation. She too was essentially dubbed a sacrificial lamb to one of the ultimate users. And throughout it all Apollo was laughing and getting such a thrill at her expense, Styxx, and even Ash's for sure. But more importantly, I think it is safe to say that the Gods truly screwed over that whole family royally.

I'm not offended by your difference in opinion. In fact I find it refreshing. I like to read different opinions to see if it can add to my own opinion. I like your opinion about the 3rd party child perspective, but I still reckon she was either bipolar or misunderstood the situation. Not that misunderstanding the situation justifies what she did to Styxx. And also it doesn't justify what Styxx and Acheron did to each other, even if they had no real clue.

Good deal on differences of opinions. And true, I think in those days women misunderstood many things. They barely were lucky to have enough education to even know enough to see them through a typical day no doubt. As for her behaviors with Styxx, I just think it was her darker greed, and grasping side of things coming to the fore front. When you have so much less than the "golden" boy you are related to. It can tend to lead to quite the nasty jealousy issues and what not.

I've just thought if Ryssa was around in modern times would she have done as much damage as she had to Styxx?

Like is Ryssa's damage pure vindictiveness or was it also cultural?

I just have this feeling the only reason her jealousy and hatred came off as evil and cruelty was because of how culture was back then. Like if she was in our culture maybe she'd just be seen as one of mean girls as part of the popular gang in high school. A bitch but not the monster she was in Styxx.

What do you think?

Honestly I don't think Ryssa would be the same person at all if she was in modern times. Because there is far more choices and flexibility in what women can do today. She probably would likely have been more open to taking a step back and feeling something for Styxx as well. Might have even tried to get him AND Ash help too. Cause she had more leeway and options to do that. As well as being far more educated too. Her ignorance, by no fault of her own, is what created even more of a wedge I believe between her and Styxx. Because once more he was getting to go on all these trips to make him more prepared to be this awesome soldier and be more knowledgeable as to how to run their kingdom. And again what is she left with? "Want to take a visit to the summer house, Ryssa?" *insert head pat from dear ol' dad* And what is visiting a vacation home have to do with preparing you for the rest of your life? Ya know?

See from my perspective of Ryssa, she wasn't really lashing out at Styxx out of a vengeful place just to be like here he is, let me kick some dirt in his eyes per se. I think much of it had to do with her jealousies over his perceived role in their world. I mean typically a young prince in any other society has the world at his feet. Has all the wealth, daddy's ear in regards to opinions, feelings, decisions. And more than anything being a man who has the choice to do what he damn well pleases. All of that I believe Ryssa hated Styxx for. Cause likely she was thinking what in the world does he have to complain about? The world is his oyster whereas Ash and I are second class citizens over here.

As for possibly being cultural? Hmm, I would think it could be. And yet enhanced by Ryssa's own personality really. And as I said being that third party observer as to all the changes that occurred with her family once the "twins" were born. And it really influenced her to feel some kind of way about each individual member in said family too.

Oh well yea. And I think a lot of folks fail to realize that when they read about the characters' past. I mean they aren't just tortured heroes that SK is writing about. They are people too that come from times in the world when times were nowhere as civilized(and even today sometimes isn't that civilized either, lol), and there weren't special interest groups or support groups, or in general authority figures saying "STOP! HALT! You can't beat the living hell out of your wife, child, slaves like that!!!" No, the world was at its most rawest of levels in Ash and Styxx's day and you had only a hope and a prayer that someone would stand in for you. And if they did, you STILL feared that having someone do that for you, is going to only end in you getting hurt all the worse after they leave. So although I get where you are coming from if Ryssa was in another culture and time and how she would be behaving. I still think Ryssa would be someone totally different. Heck she probably even would be on meds if she WERE bipolar or whatever too. So still wouldn't be the Ryssa we see in Styxx's book. Probably even have more depth of reaction to Ash too. Cause she would have the means to be able to express what she felt better. And not just come off reading like she was just pitying Ash and not really caring for him.

Really insightful comment :)

Thanks. I'm hyper analytical about stuff at times, so yea, lol.

I can be like that too. Sometimes to the point where I'm cold to the heroes suffering. Not heartless, but I shed a tear then too busy thinking of the whys of how they suffered; than the actual fact that they suffered.

I hear that. And I think too pending on the author and when you see it coming in regards to them going for an emotional grab(at least for me), I tend to not feel as bad for most heroes at times. But others in SK's world, I tear up, all out cry, and also want to kill folks on the characters behalf. So to say I don't get as invested is a wee bit of an understatement, haha.

I do get invested and cry and wanna kill characters like Estes....no castrate him. But when I'm analyzing most of the sympathy I have for characters vanishes, because I'm using my head not my heart.

Been there and live that A LOT. So much so that some people are like. Don't you just read for pleasure? And of course I do. That's how it starts out, but then I apply some common sense and the story can either get real entertaining or why am I reading this?!

This is my opinion of Ryssa before reading Styxx. I am going to pretend that Ryssa was as nice to Styxx as she was to Acheron. I am going to give you my opinion on Ryssa when I truly thought Styxx was the arrogant prince.

I loved her, although I cringed and gaped as her insensitive words and her naivety. (Although after reading Styxx I changed the word naivety to stupidity because my estimation of her went down.)

This girl although she meant well always got Acheron into trouble? Couldn't she ever learn from her mistakes? Couldn't she just stay in her room and be nice to Acheron instead of making his presence obvious by setting up a birthday dinner at the fricken royal table? Couldn't she see that her efforts to include Acheron into the family were NOT working!?

Try to include Acheron into family> Acheron goes along because he loves Ryssa and not to hurt her feelings> Acheron gets beaten> Ryssa repeats the process out of ignorance. It got to the point where I was like "For f*** sakes! Acheron, 'scuse my french. Just say no thank you and stay in your room so you don't get beaten. Tell her to bring the food to you, or that you appreciate her efforts but you don't want to get in trouble so if next time she could do it here in her bedroom instead.

And when Ryssa asked advice from Acheron on how to handle being a whore...I gaped. I loved her but I think my mouth must of fallen to the ground somewhere because it was like are you serious? This poor man has suffered and suffered and now he's trying to heal from his past and you throw it back in his face? So freaking what that you're going to go have sex with Apollo. At least he was gentle on you and kind so please shut up okay. And you're seriously going to have Acheron attend your temple ceremony with Apollo when you know he will get in trouble? At least Apollo loves you? And yeah it's wrong to have your body sold off like that but if I was in your situation I would of kept my mouth shut and not asked Acheron for whore advice. I would of simply said "I don't want to have a sexual arrangement with a man I barely know. I would of preferred it if I could of chosen for myself. " and then leave it at that. Then I would of walked up to the temple with my head held high and no complaints. And tell Ash to stay in his room. I'd tell myself so what if I'm a whore, I am getting the respect of all of Greece for this. How dare I complain when my brother has suffered so much worse. I wouldn't go asking Acheron for advice. I mean shit don't you think his memories of being a whore are enough?

That was before I knew Apollo was a prick. I had Ash's initial impression of him, that he was a nice guy who loved Ryssa. And when Apollo does the plotting and then kills Ash, I was like oooops shit I was wrong. And my opinion changed from sorry Ryssa you got put with Apollo, but still you didn't have to ask Acheron for advice on whoring. Because I wouldn't have. I would of said how sad I was but also not over complain like Ryssa did because it might be insensitive to Acheron who's been through worse.

Ryssa complaining to Acheron about being whored. I associated it to me complaining to a starving kid in Africa about not having enough food in my first world pantry. That's what annoyed me about it.



You know I find it half funny in a dark humour sort of way that Styxx was jealous of Ryssa's relationship with Acheron. Ryssa treated Styxx and Acheron in different ways, but got them the same result. Punishment. 2 sides of the same coin, different treatment, but same punishment.

Kat wrote: "This is my opinion of Ryssa before reading Styxx. I am going to pretend that Ryssa was as nice to Styxx as she was to Acheron. I am going to give you my opinion on Ryssa when I truly thought Styxx..."

All of what you said, proves that selfish knows no bounds. And actually you still see it daily, maybe not to the extent as it was between Ryssa and Ash. But there are still people only see their plight or will run their mouth off and not realize how or even whom they are talking to ties into a particular experience they don't even think about in the first place.

sigh I guess I have to give her credit she is selfish by nature yet she tried to do selfless things for Ash. Got him in trouble and wish that she'd back off but to her credit she tried.

I look at it this way, selfishness can be both a good and bad thing all in one. So, I guess to clarify what I was saying earlier about her selfishness toward Ash, wasn't like she was doing it to be malicious about it. More like how if you have one of those somewhat self absorbed friends that complain about how they have to spring clean at their house for a few days, and it doesn't quite dawn on her that you've told her before that your dad is a custodian or waste management person i.e. someone cleaning up after others for life essentially as a living. After a long time of being that way, for most people you can look over like that. Cause they really don't mean harm, just don't really know any better in my opinion.

I think the getting him in trouble part of things was just the side effects of her short-sightedness really. I mean if she didn't play to her station as some kind of royalty then she be no better than any other woman in their world griping about fulfilling their "womanly" duties at times, right?

Dhfan4life wrote: "Honestly I don't think Ryssa would be the same person at all if she was in modern times. Because there is far more choices and flexibility in what women can do today. She probably would likely have..."

Sorry for bringing this up quite late, I know you wrote that comment years ago, but how on earth could Ryssa think Styxx coddled, doted on and spoiled?

If I was Ryssa, and I noticed that my brother was going to have the crap caned out of him FIFTY TIMES, for the MINOR crime of calling me a bitch. I would change my mind about him being coddled, doted on and spoiled.

A spoiled child isn't caned fifty times for insulting a person.

How is it possible that Ryssa couldn't notice something that obvious? Oh crap the "spoiled" prince is having the crap caned out of him. Perhaps he isn't so spoiled after all.

Was she aware that Styxx's toys were burned as punishment?

How did she not notice that Styxx had been raped? She smells the same "orange cloying" smell on Acheron, that she also smells on Styxx. How was she not able to put two and two together?

Was she unaware that her brother had demons tortured out of him?

When Styxx thinks of Ryssa as "supremely stupid" I don't think he was maliciously insulting her. I think he was just stating a sad fact of the matter.

Now some of Ryssa's unawareness can come down to "not knowing all sides to the story" But a lot of her unawareness comes from the fact that she is stupid. I don't mean that as an insult, but as a fact.

Studies have also shown that when a person is intensely jealous of someone, pain receptors in their brain light up, and when the person they are intensely jealous of suffers, pleasure receptors light up. That pleasure takes away the pain they feel.

But how could Ryssa be jealous of someone who was caned? who had his gifts burned and destroyed? who was stabbed by his own mother multiple times?

i don't know whether i like her. i hate her cause of Styxx (she got him beaten so many times) but i like her cause of ash. she did try to help and got Artemis to step in when ash was beaten

Kaira wrote: "Dhfan4life wrote: "Honestly I don't think Ryssa would be the same person at all if she was in modern times. Because there is far more choices and flexibility in what women can do today. She probably..."
what i can't believe is styxx still loved ryssa until the day he died even though she stabbed him

Kat wrote: "This is my opinion of Ryssa before reading Styxx. I am going to pretend that Ryssa was as nice to Styxx as she was to Acheron. I am going to give you my opinion on Ryssa when I truly thought Styxx ..."
i totally agree