Acheron Book Discussion
The big enchilada has arrived!!!
Talk to me guys, was the book what you expected? Why or why not? Were you right about Ash's heroine?
EDIT: MY COMMENTS BELOW THE CUT
Holy cow! I just finished Acheron and I'm still speechless! I stayed up until 4 a.m. to read it and I still didn't finish it before I passed out from exhaustion.
Can I just say that Ash's past broke my heart? I mean we all knew that he had endured cruelty as a human but I don't think anyone ever imagined it was like this. All he wanted was to be loved and instead he got the exact opposite. The worst part is that though this book is fiction, there is a lot of reality in the way people treated Ash. We are a cruel race that thrives on making those who are different suffer.
There are, unfortunately a lot of Ash's in the world today.
While Acheron's entire past is one big tragedy, nothing affected me more than Ash's reaction to his sister and nephew's deaths. The one person who loved him (as much as was possible for her) despite what he had done was brutally taken from him. That's the moment that did it for me, that's when it hit me how horrible his life had been. Up until now we knew little more about Acheron than his Dark Hunters did, and now we know why he fought so hard to keep his past a secret. Who would want to remember that kind of life? His past held the secret to bringing him down. His memories were beating him down without him even knowing it sometimes!
When I finished reading about his past, all I wanted to do was give Ash a big hug. I also realized that the woman who captured his heart would have to be patient, tender and yet a warrior in her own right.
Enter Tory. I'm glad she wasn't Artemis' equal in terms of beauty, that would have pissed me off. She's attractive but not gorgeous, plus she's a tall woman so Ash doesn't have to worry about stepping on her when he walks around.
Tory was patient and kind to Ash even when she thought she hated him. I love that she actually had the nerve to throw a hammer at him. It's what Ash needed. An ego-buster. He knows he's irresistable to mostly everyone and Tory isn't immune to his magnetic pull, but here's the kicker... SHE'S STRONG WILLED ENOUGH TO FIGHT IT. She gets annoyed at him and let's him know it and she doesn't let him boss her around either. Tory is the perfect woman for Ash in every way, she makes him feel special but she also keeps him grounded and doesn't let him get away with too much. Plus she totally put Artemis in her place: Below her.
There's a lot of "human" moments for certain characters who were normally portrayed as anything but. Ash of course is humanized even more, he referees children's basketball games, plays with the Howlers, and best of all he blushes when he does something klutzy. Who knew an all powerful god could blush?
And Appolymi has never seemed more human. Sometimes I forgot that above all she is one thing: A mother who misses and suffers because she is forever separated from her son. Her reaction to Tory's hug made me realize that she too, needs someone to love her.
We got to see the side of Ash we didn't know existed. The normal one. Being a ref for a young kids basketball game? His relationship with children is the only insight we ever had on him emotionally. That revealed a lot about Ash and I loved it.
One thing I was a little disappointed in: The length of the second half of Ash's life. I would have liked to see more interaction between Ash and Tory, his reaction to her treating him normal and them going out to do simple, everyday things. However, all in all I adored this book. Acheron has been a huge mystery to his Dark Hunters and to readers alike. That curiousity was forced to build until, I'm sure a lot of us, wanted to explode.
BTW: Do you think Artemis will be able to sink her claws into Nick the way she did with Ash? I doubt it, he seems to be more bitter than Ash and has an idea of how Artemis works. I do think it will be interesting when he meets his love. He's a bitter, raging, sneaky man with a grudge who just happens to be connected to Stryker in the worst possible way. Hmm, should be interesting to see where this ends up.
Remember, if you're going to include spoilers in your comments, please put "SPOILERS AHEAD" in the subject line so others won't be spoiled (unless they want to).
Other Dark Hunter discussions can be found HERE.
Talk to me guys, was the book what you expected? Why or why not? Were you right about Ash's heroine?
EDIT: MY COMMENTS BELOW THE CUT
Holy cow! I just finished Acheron and I'm still speechless! I stayed up until 4 a.m. to read it and I still didn't finish it before I passed out from exhaustion.
Can I just say that Ash's past broke my heart? I mean we all knew that he had endured cruelty as a human but I don't think anyone ever imagined it was like this. All he wanted was to be loved and instead he got the exact opposite. The worst part is that though this book is fiction, there is a lot of reality in the way people treated Ash. We are a cruel race that thrives on making those who are different suffer.
There are, unfortunately a lot of Ash's in the world today.
While Acheron's entire past is one big tragedy, nothing affected me more than Ash's reaction to his sister and nephew's deaths. The one person who loved him (as much as was possible for her) despite what he had done was brutally taken from him. That's the moment that did it for me, that's when it hit me how horrible his life had been. Up until now we knew little more about Acheron than his Dark Hunters did, and now we know why he fought so hard to keep his past a secret. Who would want to remember that kind of life? His past held the secret to bringing him down. His memories were beating him down without him even knowing it sometimes!
When I finished reading about his past, all I wanted to do was give Ash a big hug. I also realized that the woman who captured his heart would have to be patient, tender and yet a warrior in her own right.
Enter Tory. I'm glad she wasn't Artemis' equal in terms of beauty, that would have pissed me off. She's attractive but not gorgeous, plus she's a tall woman so Ash doesn't have to worry about stepping on her when he walks around.
Tory was patient and kind to Ash even when she thought she hated him. I love that she actually had the nerve to throw a hammer at him. It's what Ash needed. An ego-buster. He knows he's irresistable to mostly everyone and Tory isn't immune to his magnetic pull, but here's the kicker... SHE'S STRONG WILLED ENOUGH TO FIGHT IT. She gets annoyed at him and let's him know it and she doesn't let him boss her around either. Tory is the perfect woman for Ash in every way, she makes him feel special but she also keeps him grounded and doesn't let him get away with too much. Plus she totally put Artemis in her place: Below her.
There's a lot of "human" moments for certain characters who were normally portrayed as anything but. Ash of course is humanized even more, he referees children's basketball games, plays with the Howlers, and best of all he blushes when he does something klutzy. Who knew an all powerful god could blush?
And Appolymi has never seemed more human. Sometimes I forgot that above all she is one thing: A mother who misses and suffers because she is forever separated from her son. Her reaction to Tory's hug made me realize that she too, needs someone to love her.
We got to see the side of Ash we didn't know existed. The normal one. Being a ref for a young kids basketball game? His relationship with children is the only insight we ever had on him emotionally. That revealed a lot about Ash and I loved it.
One thing I was a little disappointed in: The length of the second half of Ash's life. I would have liked to see more interaction between Ash and Tory, his reaction to her treating him normal and them going out to do simple, everyday things. However, all in all I adored this book. Acheron has been a huge mystery to his Dark Hunters and to readers alike. That curiousity was forced to build until, I'm sure a lot of us, wanted to explode.
BTW: Do you think Artemis will be able to sink her claws into Nick the way she did with Ash? I doubt it, he seems to be more bitter than Ash and has an idea of how Artemis works. I do think it will be interesting when he meets his love. He's a bitter, raging, sneaky man with a grudge who just happens to be connected to Stryker in the worst possible way. Hmm, should be interesting to see where this ends up.
Remember, if you're going to include spoilers in your comments, please put "SPOILERS AHEAD" in the subject line so others won't be spoiled (unless they want to).
Other Dark Hunter discussions can be found HERE.