Acheron

St. Martin’s Press did an excellent job marketing Sherrilyn Kenyon’s book Acheron. Their marketing campaign for “The Year of Acheron” caught my attention and I was curious. So I signed up for the updates. I read the short story “Fear the Dark” and was completely lost. A friend of mine had the first four books in the Dark-Hunter series and promised to mail them to me since we didn’t have them at the library. But I was impatient to start reading so I tackled Dream Chaser. Acheron intrigued me in that book so I snatched up his book as soon as I saw it on the New Releases shelf at work.

I found the first part to be very well written and engaging. Rissa was a sweet character, one I liked immediately. I was fascinated by Acheron’s interactions with Artemis, especially the early ones when he had nothing but hope for his future with her. Seeing his friendship with Savitar, the birth of the Dark-Hunters...I really came into the series at the wrong place, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway.

When the timeframe shifted to today the story really picked up speed. I loved meeting the various characters like Talon and Sunshine – characters that became favorites when I finally read their story. Soteria is a fun heroine. Like all of Kenyon’s female leads, she isn’t perfect and that makes her very likeable. She’s still a strong character but without that perfection you can easily identify with her.

Acheron is the end of the first part of the Dark-Hunter series according to the author. It’s an interesting read, thoroughly engaging, longtime fans get to see familiar characters once more and each one is a welcome treat. For me, it’s been fun to read from the beginning of the series and meet the characters I first glimpsed in Acheron’s book.

Something I found interesting about the character of Acheron is how due to his experiences in his human life he never expects anything from people. Nothing good at least. So when the people he’s given so much to come back to help him he’s stunned. Humbled in a way. It was a lovely scene, one I look forward to going back and rereading soon. It worked out nicely that I got to read this book in November when the Book-A-Month challenge theme was Giving. Acheron gives of himself everyday and he’s rewarded for it in the most wondrous ways. I couldn’t help but enjoy that.

If you’re a fan of vampires, mythology, or paranormal romance I think you’d enjoy the Dark-Hunter series, especially this book. It can be read on its own, but it is much more satisfying as part of the overall series.