Motel Styx by Michelle Von Eschen and Jonathan Butcher

5/5 stars

Welcome to Motel Styx, where the best beds and best bodies await! Now that the Lazarus Act has passed, the hotel exists to cater to all your burgeoning necro fantasies! Missing tour dead husband? They’ll find you a lookalike you can spend time with! Want them obedient and willing to do whatever you want? Come on down and book your stay!

Motel Styx is fascinating. It’s one of those books that I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but was continually blown away as I read on. Michelle and Jonathan blended gore, explicit scenes, and a captivating plot together so well that I was entranced from start to finish. They’ve taken a very taboo topic like necrophilia and completely turned it on its head as an ethical legal practice where families of the donated deceased are well compensated. Really gives a new meaning to donating your body to science, yes?

I hated Ellis for most of this book as the hints gave me a very good idea of what sort of character he was, but that really speaks to the authors’ ability to write deep, dynamic characters. And if I wasn’t completely taken by the book already, this gave me another reason to keep reading as I really wanted to see Ellis get what he deserved and, hopefully, fail in the end.  The whole cast were so very human and interesting; I got so invested in each of them. Of the bunch, I felt the most sympathy for Linette, she twisted my heart more than I was expecting.

With a poetic end and some truly sweet just desserts, Motel Styx is my favourite read of the year. I’ve never read anything like it, and I’ll never read anything that could ever eclipse this masterpiece. That being said, there are more necrotels referenced in this book……more books, please???