The more that I think about this book the more I love it! Being a Buffy fan I was desperate to get my hands on this book. And it didn't disappoint. I was immediately thrown back into the world of slayers and watchers and it was wonderful. I love all these new characters and can't wait to read more in this series! If you love Buffy and everything involved in that world then you really need to get on board with this new series - and then go back and watch some more Buffy like I have done!!!

Nina and Atermis are twin sisters at the Watchers Academy in Dublin. They are in training to become watchers - guides for Slayers but since Buffy rid the world of magic there has not been a slayer. Nina is not a fan of Buffy at all - not only did she destroy their world but her father died protecting Buffy. But on the day that magic left their world Nina started to feel different, stronger somehow. She has never really been one for all the training, preferring healing and medicine becoming the school medic. That is until one day she unexpectedly kills a demon and her whole world changes.

This book is so much fun, even with the Buffy bashing. I become a part of this world again and did not want to leave. I am already desperate for book 2. Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK Children and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a confession to make: I have never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I know, I know, this makes me a terrible person but honestly it’s just something I’ve never gotten around to. So I was pretty excited when I saw that Kiersten White, author of the brilliant And I Darken series, was going to be doing a YA story about the Buffy world. However, I realise in retrospect that I probably wasn’t the best person to read this. For one, I really know next to nothing about the world and the lore and everything else that might have enriched my experience of reading the book. That’s not to say Slayer wasn’t enjoyable, just that I figure I missed a lot of gems and Easter eggs that might have been really impressive to other people.

Initially, I did have quite a big problem getting into the book. It does treat readers like they’re already familiar with the show, and as a person who hasn’t watched it, I can’t honestly say if it actually does that job well enough or not. I don’t know how close it is sticking to the story, or bending/breaking rules. Not that I really mind either way, I do know that it was set after the show, but that doesn’t explain much to me and my confusion did make me suffer a bit.

My other main issue with the book, more so maybe even than the plot, was the confusing whiplash behaviour of the characters. I liked Nina, and her sister too, but they were always being weird around each other. I get that this was a confusing situation, and that White was trying to make the characters more complex, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. One moment, Artemis was asking her sister to embrace healing and allow herself to be kept safe from harm, the next she was yelling at her that she was a terrible slayer and she needs to embrace being a Slayer over a healer. Nina also fluctuated a lot in how she viewed being a Slayer. I get it, it was confusing for her and of course she’s allowed to have mixed feelings about it, but it didn’t seem to work on the paper as well as it probably did in theory.

I did enjoy the action scenes though, and I thought the book was reasonably paced throughout. There were lots of amusing and witty one-liners and I did really like the way that Slayer kept asking what it meant to be a Slayer and how their authority should work and things. It definitely made me want to check out the show in the future. After that, this book might be worth a re-read, but in all honesty, I’m pretty glad I didn’t end up buying it in a store. That’s not to say that it won’t be enjoyable for some, but for me as a total newbie to the world, it wasn’t for me.

Overall, I’m giving Slayer a 6/10 stars. It was a fun read, and very quick, but I didn’t understand much of what was going on and my enjoyment of the book suffered because the book kinda just drops you in and expects you to know a lot. The characters were mostly okay, although I didn’t understand why the protagonist and her sister whiplashed in opinions so often.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Slayer in exchange for an honest review.

Where to start… I will be honest, this was almost a DNF- I was finding it very hard to like Nina for a long time, I know a lot of people have issues with Buffy but I was getting quite annoyed at her constantly blaming Buffy for everything bad that had happened to her.

I have to admit, White did a great job of including Buffy trivia throughout, although I do think that if it didn’t have any mention of Buffy and events throughout the shows running, it could have just been a new vampire series which would have still worked (I feel like it’s all been about Faeries lately- not that I’m complaining there).

It was pretty clear to see that White is a fan of Buffy herself- she managed to get Faiths personality and tone down PERFECT in just a few lines.

I do like that there were a lot of the old watcher families mentioned- although I have been wracking my brains and I’m not sure if it was canon that Merrick actually had a family or if White made that choice for the novel.

I don’t want to give too much away, but this was an interesting start to a new generations slayer. By the end of the novel I had warmed to Nina so I am looking forward to seeing what else White has in store for her.

Maybe The Slayer and The Last Slayer will get to meet in person.
I’m also hoping that Nina manages to “fix” the Watchers council- maybe get Dawn on board helping out.

So did I love this? not as much as I had hoped, but I didn’t dislike it either- it’s something new. I prefer this to talks of a Buffy reboot. It’s time to give the new generation a new slayer.

*4.5 Stars*

Slayer is set in the Buffy world, after the show has ended and takes on a brand new perspective. Athena "Nina" Jamison-Smythe has been raised among the Watchers and she really hates Buffy, to her, Buffy has taken everything from her... After Buffy's latest world saving action, there is no more magic anywhere, and all the Slayer have been awoken. And turns out, Nina, who hates Slayers is actually one too. But her mother doesn't want her to train and it feels like her twin now resent her. Follows demons everywhere, death, gambles and a lot of trouble.

I was somehow skeptical when I started reading this book because I had read mixed reviews but i shouldn't have worried.
It did take me some time to really get into the story but mostly because I was too tired and I only really had trouble for the first couple of chapters. When I really started getting into this book, I could not stop reading.
I really fell for the characters and sometimes felt more than she did. Overall, I was especially more annoyed than she was about stuff.
I really loved the setting of the book, by which I mean the castle, almost boarding school vibe, but also the village and Dublin.
The plot was a bit predictable at times, but it still kept me on my toes and I didn't see a couple things coming.
The dynamics between the characters were very interesting, whether it was the romances, friendships, family bonds or even between enemies. It felt very true and whole.
I seriously cannot wait for the next one.

This book was amazing. Such an awesome read. Every Buffy fan should read it (and really who doesn’t love Buffy)

Slayer kicks off a few years after the Buffy finale. Buffy and her band of ex-potentials are still out there and what remains of the Watchers council are hiding in rural Ireland.

Nina and her twin sister Artemis are the daughters of watchers who survived the apocalypse along with their mother. Nina is smart, sassy, occasionally whiny - in other words a teenage girl. She’s styled herself as the healer for the Watchers after being denied the chance to join the Council.

This book has everything, Watchers, Slayers (yes multiple), Demons (some really cool ones), prophecy and an impending apocalypse (because really when isn’t there in Buffyverse?)

What really makes this book brilliant is the fact it’s clearly written by someone who not only loves Buffy but really knows the Buffyverse. Gwendolyn Post, Wolfram and Hart, Buffy’s crappy love life, and even how annoying Kennedy is all get a mention along with many other things that all add the feel that this really is set in the same universe and not just someone paying lip service to it.

Definitely my favourite book that I’ve read for a while, I can’t wait for the next instalment.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this - I loved Buffy as a teen (and now lol), and was super excited to return to that world. And I’m super glad I did! This definitely has the right feel to it and the right humour.

I enjoyed getting to know Nina and Artemis and their friends (especially Rhys and Cillian, awwwwww). It’s hard not to feel for Nina, feeling like she’s being left behind all the time. And as the story moves on, her getting to find out more about how complicated that is. I especially like the relationship between her and Artemis on that - I did want more resolution there though. They don’t really sit and talk about it. Nina realises a lot about her family but nothing really gets sorted.

This is especially true of her mother who *really* needs to have a chat with Nina. Dear lord. 😂😂
The book is easily a 4 star read, but I’m giving it 3.5 pretty much based on this, because I felt that was really unresolved and both of the twins needed more from that relationship.

There’s also some confusion in what’s going on for me. I have seen the movie (once, a while back), I have seen all of Buffy and angel, and I have read most of the season 8 comic, but not all and none of season 9. It took me a while to figure out where we were in the timeline and what had happened. I liked that in the end, as it helped the story flow and we did get enough info for it to make sense, but it made the beginning harder to figure out. I don’t think you need to have been a super fan, or read the comics, just be aware that it’s following all the canon out there!

I really liked Doug the demon - and the subterfuge and factions in the watchers. Both were really good elements. There’s definitely more going on there though, with Honora’s back story, and whatever their mum has been up to. And I liked Nina’s empathy for Doug and the others, and that her slayer instincts war with her medic instincts.

There was one very spoilery little niggle - the thing that happens at the end, while I didn’t find it surprising, needs some serious explanation as to how it happened. Roll on book 2!

All in, it is a great return to the Buffy universe, and I’m really looking forward to reading more.

As a side note - I do find it interesting, this trend of getting major authors to write tv tie ins, when I read a lot of the Buffy tie in original books that were released while the show was airing. It always felt like those were a thing of their time - I remember Waterstones having a set of shelves for tv and movie tie ins! And while I know that it didn’t die off as a trend, and doctor who or Star Wars etc are still getting books, it definitely seems to be having a resurgence right now, and done in a different way. Like the DC icons books. I like it, but I’d love to know how the publishers or producers see the difference in the two and how it all started. #nerd 😂

Slayer is a high action, fast-paced story about a girl whose entire life is uprooted by one single revelation about who they are. It follows the character of Athena, nicknamed Nina, who has grown up as a medic within the Watcher circle, and has often felt pushed aside in favour of her more capable sister, Artemis. But things change when Nina finds out that she is The Last Slayer. Ever. Now she has to balance family and friends, training and demons as she tries to figure out where she belongs in this new world.

It is very much set in the Buffy verse, but you don’t need to have watched the show or read the comics to know what was going on – anything of importance is explained, particularly the catalyst of the book. (I have watched very little and still understood what was happening without any struggle).

Kiersten White’s writing is engaging and easy to read. She writes fight scenes quite well which keeps the action and movement going. I enjoyed White’s writing in And I Darken, and while the stories are very different, the skill of word is still evident.

She is also very good at getting into a character’s head and using their voice to tell a unique story. Nina is a sympathetic character, whose motivations and confusions are explained well throughout the story – you never have to wonder why she’s doing something. This is consistent throughout.

Aside from Nina, all the characters are clear in their beliefs and in reasons behind their actions. Cillian, in particular, was definitely a winner for a character I adored – he is a sweet and witty character, that I definitely want more and more of in the future of this series. There were also a ton of badass fighting women who did the very most at all times, which was amazing to read about. Artemis’ struggle in dealing with her before and after is understandable, and Honora is an interesting character that I would love to read more about. The end of the book definitely leads me to hope that there will be far more about them both in the future!

All the characters have well-developed relationships, whether there are good or bad. There is a lot of history with a lot of these characters, but White does well at explaining where tensions stem from, past traumas and events that brought characters together or tore them apart. I really enjoyed reading about Nina’s relationship with her sister, and both of them with their parents – how things have changed, what they perceive to the causes of these changes.

Romantically, the romances were mostly well established. I enjoyed the main romance aspect = not giving away any names in this book although it is pretty obvious as soon as you start reading – as I found both characters enjoyable to read about.

In terms of diversity, I can say that this book has LGBTQ+ characters, both girls loving girls and guys loving guys.

There are a few cliches within the story which could grate on some but I feel that a Buffy fan would just find that it fits in well with how the original story was told. However, because of these tropes being followed, I found that I predicted how the story was going to end.

Overall, I did really enjoy Slayer. I didn’t want to put it down, constantly finding a reason to pick it up again. I liked Kiersten’s writing style and I enjoyed the character struggles. If this is an anticipated read of yours, or if you are a big fan of the Buffy verse, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

So I admit that I didn't watch too many Buffy's and when I did I was only there for Spike!!!!! But this book intrigued me so I needed to read and it's my first book by this author......

Nina (Athena), the last Slayer as it turns out, has always been overshadowed by her sister Artemis.....

'Artemis is the strong twin. The powerful twin. The chosen twin. And I am . . . the one who got left behind.'

But not for long!

There was quirky humour, family drama, action and mystery but whilst I enjoyed this, I didn't love it. The whinging from Nina made my teeth hurt where I was clenching my jaw so much! I wanted to shout 'just stop it!'

But I can see a lot of people loving it. Maybe as I wasn't a true Buffy fan that it went over my head?

So first off a confession - I did not know this book was part of the Buffy universe when I decided to read it. I’m not sure how I missed it to be honest but I think it’s important to say that I didn’t know about this up front.
Now I was always a fan of Buffy and enjoyed the series and the film (I know the film was cheesy but I was young 😂) so when I started reading this book I picked up on the Buffy connection really quickly. I liked the references to the series and thought that it linked well to the book without trying to explain everything in detail. What I wasn’t keen on was the weird mind connection dreams. They just seemed a bit silly to me and totally unnecessary, it felt like a way to force Buffy into the story.

I wasn’t overly connected to any of the main characters although I did like how tough and independent some of the females were. I liked Doug, Rhys and Cillian and thought, as supporting characters, they added real value to the story.

The writing style was clear and fluid but the storyline was quite predictable. It was obvious fairly early on that Eve was not what she seemed and that Nina’s mum was not as bad as Nina thought she was.
I really enjoyed the typical Buffy-style snarky humour and the pop culture references and would have been happy to see more of that included. The romance was kept to a minimum but it is hinted at throughout.

Overall I thought this was a fun and interesting read, although a little predictable at times. I liked the underlying messages of responsibilities vs choices, having self-confidence and that strength is more than just physical.

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 4)

Slayer is available from February 21st.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Simon and Schuster UK Children’s) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

I had high expectations and was happy when this book was approved as I'm a fan of Buffy.
Unfortunately this was not my cup of tea and the book fell flat.
I liked the humour and the plot was entertaining.
Unfortunately I couldn't care for the main character that I found a bit one-dimensional and prone to silly choices.
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for this ARC

“So Slayer, at last we meet!” – Harmony (Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5 episode 2)

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

I already had this book on pre-order when I spotted it on Netgalley so I can’t tell you how excited I was to get a pre-pub copy to read. I love Buffy and have followed the new seasons as they have come out in graphic book form. The chance of meeting a new slayer was just too good to pass up. Though I have to say, having seen some other recent reboots and remakes I was worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. Instead, it excelled them.

*****SPOILER ZONE RECAP: BUFFY SEASONS 7 & 8*****
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: in Season 7, the First Evil blew up the Watcher’s Council, and tried to exterminate the slayer line by killing all the Potential Slayers, Willow helped Buffy to activate all the Potentials into Slayers and the hellmouth was destroyed. In Season 8, a mysterious entity called Twilight lead Buffy into being an Uber-Slayer, and a new dimension was created but this lead to an apocalyptic invasion of numerous huge demons into our world. Buffy destroyed the Seed of Wonder, which was the source of all magic in our world, sealing off the hell dimensions from us, but trapping many of them here. During the fight, the Slayer scythe was broken and Giles was killed by a possessed Angel.
******END SPOILERS*****

I thought this book would be set in a different time frame to Buffy so it felt a bit strange to find out that Buffy was still around with her slayer army, though our hero Athena Jamison-Smythe is not part of that army. If the name Jamison-Smythe sounds familiar to Buffsters with good memories, that is because Athena and her twin sister Artemis are the daughters of Buffy’s first Watcher, Merrick Jamison-Smythe and this not the only familiar name in the book by any means.

Athena (Nina) and her twin Artemis grew up with the Watcher’s Council, the remnants of whom are now in hiding. Nina hates Buffy, whom she blames for the death of her father, among other things, so she is less than happy with the realisation that she is a newly activated Slayer herself. She has been trained as a medic, not a fighter. She has issues with her mother who is keeping secrets and her activation as a Slayer causes a divide with her sister, Artemis. Nina must learn to be something that she hates, connect with the other Slayers and learn that being Chosen means making some heartbreaking choices. Like Buffy before her, she must eventually choose between someone she loves and the safety of the world.

The new Slayer is engaging and her ambivalent feelings are relatable, though I did get quite frustrated and her lack of assertiveness. It seemed to take far too long for her to begin standing up to people. At one point I actually flung my e-reader down in annoyance. There is a lot of scope there for character development.

This insight into the Watcher’s Council next generation is fascinating, unlikely as it was that almost all of the remaining Watchers have surnames we’ve already heard of. Cleverly, the absence of magic renders the previous generation of Watchers obsolete giving the newbies a chance to step up. Similarly Demons and zompires (vamps created after the link to hell was severed) have to be fought the old fashioned way, with weapons. Slayer strength, strategy and wisdom are suddenly so much more important. No magical shortcuts any more.

Buffyverse is a place where the internal history will always be important. Story threads will are often drawn from past events, but there is enough going on here to draw in a new generation of fans. Knowledge of the series is not a pre-requisite for reading this book. I feel existing fans will welcome the chance to revisit this world and few of them will be reaching for their box sets in a burst of nostalgia.

And my favourite part “Slayer #1” which indicates that there is more to come.

Honestly, I feel a bit let down by this book. I had hugely high hopes for this and I just felt that the premise was super predictable and a lot of the characters were really frustrating. I think my least favourite part had to be the ending... I mean... really? I did however love Rhys and Cillian, just adorable!

I don't have much else to say unfortunately.

2/5 stars

A disclaimer - I have watched Buffy, but I watched it a little too late and...(is this sacrilege?) I wasn't overly enamoured with it. I liked it, but I got a little bored towards the later seasons and if you asked me to tell you what happens I don't think I could if I tried. So the odds are I missed a heck of a lot of nuances and callbacks in this book, I can't really speak to how it fits into the Buffy universe. What I can speak to is how much I enjoyed it with the limited Buffy knowledge I have. 

No need to fear if you have even less know-how then I do. Kiersten, of course, gives you a rundown of the things you need to know. I'd be interested to hear from die-hard Buffy fans who have read this whether they feel it's enough info or if it's too much from that perspective? Basically put, you don't need to have watched Buffy to fully understand what's happening. You could pick this book off the shelf in a bookshop after having been in a coma for thirty years and you'd be able to pick it up. 

I will say, I'm not sure that this book captured that 'ragtag group of friends against the world' feeling that the original series had. 

BUT.

There are more books planned in this series and I wholeheartedly believe that group vibe was being set up in this book. The way that these characters start the book necessitates that friendship building through the story, they can't just become friends in high school like in the original. With that in mind, I wasn't bothered by the fact that this was a bit less comedic/banter-y than the series is because you can feel the potential is there. 

Nina, I loved. I related so hard to her character, not because I suddenly developed superhuman powers, chance would be a fine thing. But that sense of wanting to be more than you are, and then having to deal with the consequences of getting what you wish and all of the guilt and confusion that comes with that - that was pretty powerful. There were a few big character building moments that I felt didn't get as big of a moment as the build-up would have had me believe - but overall I thought she was a really strong main character. There's something a little nostalgic to her as well, I feel like it's been a while since I've read a female YA protagonist that gave me that feeling (not that I've not liked the protagonists, but this is a specific feeling). Nina hit home for me. 

There are some awesome ideas and characters and creatures and moments throughout this story. I loved reading this book, I devoured it in one sitting, as I have done with every Kiersten White book I have ever read. She is just amazing and I can't wait to read her books until the end of time. 

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I also got a copy for my birthday from my wonderful family! All opinions are my own.

I’m a huge buffy fan so I’m probably more generous with this review because of that, I did enjoy this because I enjoy all buffy things, but I found pacing off at times and I struggled to empathise with the mc as much as I wanted to do. Plot wise it was good and kept me interested 3.5 really but won’t mark down to a 3

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

"Being chosen is easy. Making choices will break your heart"

* * * 
3 / 5

I loved White's series The Conqueror's Saga, so much so that I committed myself to reading pretty much anything that White wrote that sounded vaguely up my alley. Slayer, despite me having been too young to watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer when it aired, sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, Slayer was just another in a string of three star reads for me: decent enough and fun to read, but nothing surprising or ground-breaking.

"we were never destined for this castle. Then Buffy took destiny and pummelled it to bloody, broken pieces"

Athena - or Nina - and Artemis are twins, born and educated at the Watcher's Academy. For the Buffy-uninitiated, one girl at a time is "chosen" as a Slayer to defeat all evil supernatural beings. The Watchers guide and advise the current Slayer, as well as performing a bunch of research and training functions. When Buffy did something dastardly trying to save the world she stripped magic from the world and every girl with potential became a Slayer.

One of those girls is Athena. Poor, little downtrodden Athena whose mother likes her sister better, who has been refused training to be a Watcher and who spends her time running an infirmary. Who suddenly finds herself with hellhounds at her door and incredible strength running through her veins. Also an attractive boy from her childhood pops up and he's going to be her Watcher. Sounds exciting, no?

"Leo passes me the stake I had left behind on the ground. It feels like a promise that I'm not sure I want to keep"

Yes and no. The whole world of the Watchers and the Slayers was new and interesting to me, the lore and mythology was cool. But Athena is a bit of a self-pitying bore and her relationship with her sister was cliche and frustrating, their lack of trust and confidence in each other. Nina seemed to spend just as much time thinking about the time she thirteen and a girl read aloud her love poetry as she does thinking about vampires, demons, and the potential end of the world. The romance between Nina and her watcher, Leo, was unnecessary and weird. 

I liked the action and the intrigue of the book - Nina is having visions and people are dying. I liked how Nina was a little bit different, reluctantly violent and attempting to devote herself to medicine. But Slayer was just too predictable, too cookie cutter in both twists and characters to stand out.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of Slayer

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I didn't realised it was kind of a sequel to Buffy ( the tv series). I was excited to read it, mostly because I haven't seen the show and it was a chance to meet some of the characters and learn about the universe. To be honest, my expectations weren't very high because I knew it would be tricky because of my lack of knowledge of events and characters.
In general, I liked the book. I liked most of the characters, I liked the story, I found it funny and I am going to read the next book.

So the story starts after the events of the series, when Buffy destroyed the Seed of Wonder, that fed all magic on earth, and destroyed the world as they knew it. Her actions meant that no generation of Slayers will rise again and the Watchers have lost most of their legacy.

Nina is the main character and the Chose One, the last Slayer. She is sweet, smart and brave, but she is afraid to show her capabilities because her mother never believed in her. After her powers start showing she got more self esteem and managed to grow into herself. We see her struggle with a lot, such as her relationship with her mother, her sister and her beliefs.
She doesn't want to fight, her instincts are about healing and we see her struggle with this and try to make the right choices for her, not what she is expected to do.

Artemis, her twin sister, was the tough sibling. She was the one who had to protect Nina all her life, and the one who had to make difficult choices because of her mother's expectations. She had to learn to trust Nina, and start to work with others not by herself.

Leo was nice too. He is smart, kind, intelligent and loyal. But, he has some secrets that made it difficult for him to navigate his relationships and beliefs.
Rhys, his human boyfriend and the Coldplay fan demon areamazing!

What I didn't like was the relationship between Nina and her mother, who almost seemed like she hated it her own daughter. I also didn't like how Artemis puts Honora above her sister and turns a blind eye on how she has treated Nina in the past. Lastly, I predicted most of the twists very early in the story and I was a little annoyed.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I was a young whippersnapper of around 16 years old there was a tv show I loved and adored. It was witty, sexy, dramatic, action-packed and for me was quite simply streets apart from everything else. This show was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I love White's past novels and knew she was more than capable of encompassing the less savoury aspects of humanity. If you've read The Conqueror's Saga you know exactly what I mean.

So how was it? The novel starts well and from the outset it felt like a Buffy novel. There was the same familiar humour and snappy dialogue e.g

"Of all the awful things demons do, keeping Latin alive when it deserves to be a dead language might be the worst."

And the inclusion of some exposition to explain things to those less familiar with Buffy makes it accessible to non fans. References to familiar characters added a nice touch of nostalgia as well as introducing us to some new characters, some who were related to characters from the series.

The main characters are twins, Athena (Nina) and Artemis. First of all....cool names. Mum, you should have been more imaginative.  Nina and Aetemis are the daughters of Buffy's first Watcher, Merrick Jamison-Smythe and we find them currently in the employ of the Watchers Council. There's a doom laden prophecy relating to the twins (come on, it's Buffy) and it quickly transpires that one of the twins is a Slayer.

The writing is good, and up to White's normal high standard. However, I found the characters rather flat, especially compared to the author's past characters e.g. Lada from The Conqueror's Saga who was multi-layered, complex and conflicted. Nina in particular was just annoying to me and some of her actions and inner monologue didn't make sense to me at all. Artemis was pretty cool though and Cordelia, sorry I mean Honora, was a bitchy and fun inclusion.

I found the story itself a bit....boring to be quite frank. Nothing really interesting happens until nearly half way through the book and I found the action scenes quite lacklustre. I didn't care for the main romance in the story and didn't feel there was much chemistry between the characters. The Big Bad was predictable too, I knew who it would be as soon as they were introduced. I guess I just didn't really care what happened to anyone in this story and as a character driven reader that is really important to me.

This book would have made a pretty cool episode of Buffy but it just didn't work as a book to me. I really am a huge fan, and the temptation is for me to forgive the issues I found in this book but if I was reading it as a stand alone book,and knew nothing about Buffy,  I'd be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Slayer is a great addition to the Buffy Universe.



One of the reasons I was drawn to this book other than the Buffy connection is the lead character Nina is a twin. As a twin I like to see how other people write the unique relationship between them. I totally understood the relationship between Nina and Artemis, they are close but keep secrets to protect the other. You end up in certain roles, and it weird when it changes. Nina and Artemis relationship changes due to Nina become a Slayer and I could so see me and my twin have the same issue to. 



Kiersten also capture the humour that set the originally Buffy series apart. Nina is funny, in certain situation she forgets her filter which made me chuckle. 



Slayer has a great mixture of action, humour, drama, a dash of romance and a some demons and vampires that kept me entertained throughout.



 I think the people with history with Buffy will enjoy the books more but even non Buffy finds should be able to get into the series. 



The end of the book ended with a great twist that I didn't see coming, and I am wondering how that will play into the next books.  



My rating for Slayer is 4 out of 5







Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK children's for my e-book copy of the book for a fair and honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

<b>They never should have forced this on anyone. Not since the first Slayer. A bunch of weak, arrogant men decided what was best and saddled all the rest of us with the consequences.</b>

Whew! For a moment at the end there, I really thought I was going to be rating this 3 or 2.5 stars. No spoilers and a personal preference, but thank gods the epilogue happened!

For the most part, I really enjoyed this. I went in with low expectations despite liking White's work, because it's the Buffy-verse. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of those rare perfect for the times and massively influential stories that inspired generations. I think the series ended when it should have done but it always left a space that hungered for a bit more. I was very hit and miss with the graphic novels that continued the story and I'm apprehensive about the forthcoming series reboot. It's a tough act to follow especially as the original holds such a beloved place in many people's memories. (And yes before anyone @s me, I know there are problematic elements if we judge by current levels of awareness. But it's ridiculous to look back on something that was originally started 20 + years ago and expect it to magically shift to fit current attitudes. Let's be clear, the original show helped create our current attitudes to equality, egalitarianism and equity, however flawed people now find it.)

So White had an almost impossible task but hey I will always check in on new episodes in the Buffy-verse. I think the author aquitted herself well. It's clear she loves the original which for a big Buffy nerd like me was greatly appreciated. There are references to the original film, the series and its spinoff - Angel, to the comics - all of which is a great Easter egg hunt for a fan or helpful snippets of lore and backstory for someone who is joining the universe for the first time.

The story itself is a pretty straight forward one. I won't say any plot twists surprised me because they didn't, however I still really enjoyed the ride. Twins, Artemis and Nina, have been raised alongside the other Watcher's children for 16 years. A final cataclysm 2 months previously saw the end of magic and even the tattered remnants of the Watchers Coucil who escaped the bombing of the head quarters in London (done by the Harbingers of the First) are now more adrift and aimless than ever before. For Nina, who has always been the less regarded twin, things are sbout to get interesting. As unspecial and useles as she feels, there are far darker forces at work both in the Watcher's Council and her own family. What folows is a fast paced ride filled with demons, drug lords, prophecies, Slayers and even the occasional vampire.

The reason this wirked for me is the same reason the series worked. The same reason urban fantasy or ghost stories ever wirks IMO. The external conflict provided by the supernatural is both an echo of and a foil to the internal conflict of the maturing judhement and experience of the MC. Nina feels like she doesn't belong and that she is overshadowed by her sister and unwanted by her mother. Her forced change of viewpoint in confronting supernatural horrors, mirrors her gradually letting go of her childish viewpoint of herself. Again no spoilers but I felt that the ending took this in an interesting direction for the Watcher's Council. I've always had a soft spot for the shadowy organisation ( like Anne Rice's Talamasca) and I enjoyed seeing it so thoroughly examined. Because when push comes to shove, it was never altruistic or formed with pure intentions. I'm keen to see its evolution. And thanks to the rpilogue I can actually enjoy that conclusion. I know that surrendering power and sharing power is a big theme in the Buffy-verse but I would have been really disappointed all the same.

The family conflicts and teenage growing pains were pitch perfect, espevially between the two sisters. There's a nice bit of LGBT rep here too for those who want it. And cameos of favourite characters from the show.

Nina's insistence that everything was Buffy's fault was annoying but fairly understandable. She flips her opinion really quick though when I felt it should be more gradual. There were a couple of fact check issues too. I love that this was set in Ireland but the currency in the Republuc of Ireland is the Euro and even if it had been Sritlrling, pound notes stopped being printed as legal tender in 1982. Since I think this must be set in around 2010, someone should have checked Irish fire arm laws too. Handguns are banned unless registered pre 2008, and would only have been licensed as sport fire arms. You wouldn't have had a security guard carrying one in public. (America, most of the world thinks your gun laws are nuts...)

But minor irritations aside, I enjoyed Slayer and I'm keen to read the next one.

3.5 ⭐️

I really love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so of course I was going to pick this up to read! At first it was hard to get into because I couldn’t remember what had happened on Buffy (its been a while). I felt a prologue would of been useful a kind of “previously on Buffy”, to recap and also allow readers who are new to the Buffyverse a little introduction.

The overall story was good the main character Nina was a bit of a moaner to begin with but you have to remember she is a 16 year old girl. It had good story progression and I grew to like Nina and all that she has gone through with her parents, growing up in watcher society but not really fitting in. There were a few surprises in the story that definitely helped keep the story unpredictable to a certain point. It also had a different vibe from Buffy and it has moved the story on into this new world of Slayer and Watchers.