Book Talk Review; Eryx

Beautifully heartbreaking

My father once told me, above all else...

Live and die for Sparta.

Honor. Loyalty. Duty. These were the things that mattered most.

And then Axios came into my life, teaching me other lessons: humility, brotherhood... love.

There were moments when the brutal training stripped me of my humanity, where it turned me into a mindless beast of flesh and muscle set to destroy everything in my way. But then Axios stood in my way, ever vigilant, never failing to bring me back to myself.

Love had no place in Sparta, they said. It made you weak.

So why did I feel stronger with him by my side?

*Eryx: A Spartan Tale is a 149k word historical gay fiction featuring a love story between Spartan warriors. Although told in an alternate point of view of the events in Axios, it includes extended scenes and more content. It can be read as a complete standalone.*

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This book. God, I don't think I can get through this review without some tears. Axios was my last book of 2019. I purposefully held back in reading it as I knew that Eryx was coming. Axios destroyed me. I have never cried that hard before. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. I knew it was gut-wrenching but you really have to experience it to understand. I thought I was prepared for Eryx. I wasn't. 

Eryx broke me. There's no other way to say it. Yes, it's the same story as Axios, however, it's more than just a retelling. It has a different feel to it than Axios did. Axios was romantic in its tone as that is what Axios felt. He was the more romantic of the two. Eryx, while his love for Axios was intense, had a bit of a more darker look on life. 

Since they are two very different people so seeing Eryx's side was so much fun and refreshing. Not a lot of authors can write a companion story so well so I admire the skills that Jaclyn Osborn has. There were a lot of things that we got to see in this book that weren't in Axios as Eryx had a lot of different experiences. 

It was so great seeing more of their relationship. And the reasons why behind so much of what happened. There's a particular conversation between them that struck me as coming out of nowhere in Axios. However, since we are in Eryx's POV, we got to see what lead up to that. It changed my perspective on this particular scene as we are able to see all sides of it. Having both sides of the story means you are able to understand the characters more and sympathize with them. Before this book I was on Axios' side one hundred percent and didn't understand where Eryx was coming from, now I do and it helped me see and understand the fear that was there. Understanding the why of that conversation was so fulfilling. 

Jaclyn Osborn created such a beautiful love story with these two. Yes, the ending scares many people, it scared me, but it's so worth it. Eryx and Axios have the ultimate love story. Against all odds, they are able to find home and comfort in one another. That is what you should take away from this book. The fierce and powerful love they have for one another. Not many authors can pull off something like that, but Jaclyn Osborn isn't like any other author I've read. Her characters all feel so real, it doesn't matter if she's writing historical fiction, or contemporary romance, or even fantasy. It doesn't matter what this author writes, as she's always able to capture the true essence of her characters. That's what's important about Axios and Eryx. Yes, they're going to break your heart into a million pieces, but they're going to do it in a way that is so beautiful at the same time. 

For those who have read Axios and don't want to go through it again with Eryx. I urge you to consider it. Trust me. It's worth it. 

*Quote-

"The very first time I laid eyes on him, it was as if the earth shifted beneath me. One moment, I was alone—numb to the world and everything in it—and then there he was, breathing life back into me." 

"There were moments when training and the need for success took away my humanity—turned me into a mindless wall of flesh and muscle, set to destroy anything and everything standing in my way. But then Axios stood in my way, begging me to show mercy to a helot or asking me where the birds fly when they soar above us. He never failed to bring me back to myself."

"The night is dark, but not even the darkest of nights can conquer the sun when dawn breaks." 

"They are in the stars."