STYX: THE RIVER , by Nikita Gill, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Sept. 15, 2026, Hardcover, $21.99 (young adult, *ages 14 and up)
Learn the story of the goddess of the underworld river in Styx: The River, the second book in Nikita Gill’s Goddesses of the Underworld series.
Beginning a generation before Hekate, Styx sings the story of the goddess of the underworld river that bears her name.
The firstborn child of Titans, Styx is revered as the first of her kind―until she is eclipsed and forgotten amid her scores of siblings, the Oceanids and the Potamoi.Coming of age in a world simmering with paranoia and unspoken fear of Zeus, Styx learns to conceal the rage ignited by her growing disillusionment with her parents and her vain and unkind siblings.
Instead, she finds solace and sisterhood in her cousin, Asteria. Together, they train in the arts of creation and magic. And as they seek to learn their divine purpose and their place within the Titanomachy, they discover both the joy sparked by true love and the fierce resilience birthed from motherhood. —Synopsis provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Styx is a beautiful novel-in-verse that gives new life to the goddess of the underworld river’s story.
What stands out the most is the relationships built within a patriarchal god structure. Though she’s the first child of gods and an immortal, Styx has always been treated as inferior. Her looks and sex are seen as a disadvantage, until the right people see her for who she really is and really can become.
This exploration of sisterhood, identity and love through verse is wide reaching and nuanced. Nikita Gill’s writing is smooth and assured. Her pacing is strong and her story will resonate with readers.
Styx is the second of three books in the Goddesses of the Underworld series. Hekate: The Witch, which is also excellent, came out in 2025. Nyx: The Night is set for a September 2027 release. I can’t wait to read that one as well.
*The publisher’s suggested age for all three books is 14 and up. And while they do deal with war, romance and some violence, there’s nothing explicit. I won’t have a problem handing them over to my 12 ½ -year-old who loves Greek mythology and is no stranger to the stories about the whims of the gods.
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