Styx

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nikita Gill is an Irish Indian poet and New York Times bestselling author who has the attention of over 800,000 Instagram followers worldwide for her work. Her work offers a shift of perspective which centers women in both Greek and Hindu myth as well as folklore. Gill has written two verse novels and seven poetry collections, including Fierce Fairytales, Wild Embers, and Where Hope Comes From which she published with Hachette Books.

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From NOVL Nation

“If you are a lover of Greek mythology retellings, this is a book you will instantly fall in love with.”

–Michelle, @thebookrealmguide

STYX Book Club Guide

1. On being called an “Oceanid,” Styx says, “Names can do that. They can become drowning. They can grow around your wrists and shackle you to their meaning” (p.14). How does being called “Oceanid” influence Styx’s identity, power, and sense of freedom?
2. “Styx pushed and pulled at the rocks until finally my foot was free.” (p. 61). How does Styx saving Asteria shift their relationship, and what does it reveal about the two of them?
3. “Hated that my father treated me like a possession, an object.” (p.139). How does this experience of being controlled shape Styx’s ideas around love and power?
4. Asteria reflects that, “For us prophecies were a gift and a curse” (p. 168). In what ways do the prophetic dreams help Styx and Asteria, and in what ways do they cause harm?
5. Asteria’s father says, “My daughter will spend eternity with a consort of her choice not mine.” (p. 183). Why might Asteria’s father hold a more progressive view than Oceanus, and what does that suggest about freedom and control in their world?
6. Pallas questions Styx, “I am not your father Styx. I have only ever shown you love and grace. Do you still not trust me?” (p. 244). How does this moment of honesty force Styx to reflect? What convinces her to lower her guard.
7. “No prophecy or dream could have prepared us for the unfathomable horror of divine war.” (p. 310). What does this line suggest about the limits of prophecies?
8. “I understood his anger at me. But why at Bia?” (p. 335). Why do you think Pallas did not show up for Bia? What does that say about his character?
9. “But in ending there is a beginning. And in beginnings there is hope of a new dawn.” (p. 373). What do you think the “new dawn” symbolizes for all moving forward?
10. How does the alternating POV between Styx and Asteria change the reader’s understanding and interpretation of the novel?
11. Why do you think this story was told through verse? In what ways did it bring the story to life?
12. How does sisterhood shape the characters’ choices, conflicts, and growth throughout the story?
13. How does Styx provide a deeper understanding of its companion novel Hekate?