Slayer

November 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-In this paranormal novel set in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" universe, raven-haired twin sisters Athena "Nina" and Artemis live at the Watchers Academy, an Irish castle, training as Watchers. Nina hates Buffy because her father was Buffy's first Watcher and the slayer caused his death. Two months previously, another dimension was close to taking over Earth's. Watchers and many potential new Slayers were killed. Buffy destroyed magic and all interdimenstional portals and then disappeared. Now there's no Slayer. Her whole life, Nina's considered herself inferior to Artemis. Artemis trained as a Watcher and Nina was relegated to medic. Ever since magic was destroyed, Nina's felt stronger. After effortlessly killing a hellhound, Nina realizes that she's a Slayer-possibly the last one. Readers meet other characters, such as cute Leo, whom Nina once made a fool of herself over, who becomes her Watcher. And Honora, the hated Watcher whom Artemis adores, who endlessly teased Nina over her Leo crush. Nina also discovers a prophecy about twins: one is destined to mend the world, and another to tear it apart. "Buffy" fans will be thrilled with this opener. Readers unfamiliar with the series will also enjoy this exciting and well-plotted story with appeal to fans of Cassandra Clare or Robin McKinley's Sunshine. VERDICT Purchase where paranormal and urban fantasy are popular.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2018
Being a geek can be hard work.Series typically come with a lot of backstory. Most Star Wars movies famously begin with "the crawl," a long block of text summing up the story so far. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have plenty of story to choose from: the TV series, the 1992 movie, the comics and novels. White's (The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, 2018, etc.) contribution includes elements from all the above. If it were made into a film, the crawl would be 10 minutes long. Newcomers may be frightened by the terminology. They may even be confused by a basic plot summary: Nina is both a Watcher and a Slayer. It means--in this case--that Nina is training to be a healer and a killer of monsters. The novel provides two of the main pleasures of the TV show: people facing the end of the world with jokes. The jokes aren't nearly as clever as the ones on the show, but very few are. The book often spends less time on plot than on characterization, which is wise, because the plot involves specialty tea. (Most characters are relatives of the show's Watchers--a notably white group.) The ending, however, is a genuine surprise and a brilliant twist.Even die-hard fans may lose patience with the story, but the surprises at the end more than adequately reward those who did their homework. (Paranormal adventure. 14-adult)

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October 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 Nina Jamison-Smythe has never been fond of Slayers?not when Buffy, the most infamous Slayer of all, was responsible for Nina's father's death. Raised at the Watchers Academy alongside her twin sister, Artemis, Nina doesn't train in combat; instead, she learns medicine and healing, while Artemis studies to be a Watcher, those who guide Slayers on their quest to rid the world of supernatural evil. But when Buffy (as usual) does something dramatic and violent, the world is suddenly emptied of all magic, just as Nina's Slayer powers activate. With magic seemingly gone forever, Nina's not only facing a destiny as a hated Slayer?she's the very last of the line. Between a demon fighting ring and a mysterious shadow in her own home, Nina has plenty of opportunities to put her new powers to the test. Canonically picking up midway through the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic, this action-packed series starter includes nods to the beloved television series, but introduces a brand-new set of characters and monsters. Fans of high stakes (apocalypse high), monster madness, and serious girl power will line up for this one. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Fans of the cult movie, the hit TV show, and the groundbreaking comic series will be eager for this new entr�e into the Buffyverse. If that doesn't do it, best-selling White herself, who has tangled with the Frankenstein mythos (The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein?, 2018), has proven she can pull a horror-loving crowd.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)