Reviews with content warning for Blood - In Every Generation

4 ⭐ CW: violence, body horror, death, torture, cannibalism mention, blood drinking, descriptions of blood and gore, severed body parts

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake is book one in the Every Generation series that extends the story of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have always been a big Buffy fan, but I never read the comics that kept the universe going, so when I saw there was a book, I had to have it!

We follow Frankie, the daughter of Willow after they find out that all the slayers that had gone to a conference had all been killed in an explosion, causing the slayer line to be picked up in Frankie. She's the first slayer-witch ever. Since all the slayers are apparently dead, demons and vamps are making their way back to New Sunnydale, because of the reawakening Hellmouth. That means a new big bad.

I love that we get to see some of the legacy characters from the original like Spike, Oz, Willow, Xander, and Dawn. Not to mention all the name checks for Buffy and Faith. This book was also as delightfully cheesy as the show. Gotta love all the banter. I also love that the teens actually talk how normal teens would. We also get a new group of Scoobys similar to Buffy's group. We mostly focus on Frankie's training as the slayer as well as the ensuing battle with the big bad, but the over arching plot point for this series is going to be figuring out what happened to the slayers and if any of them are still alive.

Definitely recommend for anyone who needs a bit of Buffy nostalgia, and a vampire read that isn't super heavy. I could definitely see this as a show on the CW or something. Looking forward to the next book!

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jamierenee98's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bookreader02's review

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adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Since last year, I had found out that there would be a book that goes along with the Buffyverse. I was excited. I’m a big Buffy fan. At first, I hadn’t been sure If I liked it. But, when it had gotten released, all I wanted was to be able to get it and I was excited when I was able to finally get it last month!

I loved it! I loved getting to meet Willow’s daughter and be with the buffy characters again. And I fell in love with the new characters that were introduced. Some moments made me laugh. I did enjoy this book. I hope the author decides to write another book for this series. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

I’m happy with how it ended, it ended up good. Most books I’ve been reading recently have had bad endings that I didn’t like much. So I was glad this one at least had a good ending.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, or books with magic, werewolves or vampires in it. Or, if your a fan of Buffy The Vampire slayer like I am. I would recommend it!

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schnaucl's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was introduced to Buffy the Vampire Slayer by a friend in college. I think we watched everything that was available to that point and I enjoyed it but I didn't continue watching after graduation so I missed the last few seasons. So that's my Buffy background.

I liked this book. It was really nice to see Oz again, he'd been one of my favorite characters from the original series.

It's sweet but also a little sad that I think he's still got a crush on Willow.

I like the new slayer, Frankie, and the new Scooby gang. Willow was also a favorite, so I'm happy that she's a part of the story. It'll be an interesting dynamic with actively involved parents who are also sort of members of the Scooby gang.

She's clearly being set up for a possible return to the dark side, which is a concern, but I can also see why it's necessary, plot-wise. She sort of represents the same problem Buffy Summers does, if she's the most powerful witch currently living (or the main slayer) then either of them could kill the big bad and Frankie and the new gang could only be sidekicks and not so much main characters so there has to be a reason she can't just use overpowering magic and solve the problem. So presumably there will come a point it's decided she can't use her magic without posing a threat herself.

I'm not sure how you solve the problem of Buffy and the other slayers. They can't stay missing forever and if they come back, they become the focus, or at least, Buffy does. But there are at least a few books for the mystery to remain before it needs to get properly addressed or become really irritating.

I'm ambivalent about Grimloch. The parallels with Angel are enough that Blake smartly has Willow make them explicit and he was always my least favorite character. As long as it doesn't become an overwrought love triangle (I think with Vi) then fine.

Jake's sweet, and obviously has a crush on her, but Frankie may see him as too much like a sibling for that to go anywhere.

I really like Hailey and Sigmund and I love the idea that he tutors people who then become unsuitable food sources.

I was a fan of Faith and I really hope she's not actually dead.

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bedtimesandbooks's review

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adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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owlsreads's review

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I am weak for most things BtVS, so I thought to give this book a try since I have enjoyed Blake's writing in the past. Also, the cover looks super cool!

l knew some of the original characters from the show were going to show up here since this book is legit about Willow's daughter (she had a daughter?) and my gut reaction to their introductions can be summed up by: :D I also really liked the new characters introduced, especially the "new" Scoobies: Frankie, Jake, and Hailey.

There were a looot of nods to TV show canon. Mostly I found them to be super entertaining! I personally had fun remembering the episodes/events/lines of dialogue the characters were referencing. It was obvious Blake knew the show and how to incorporate some bits of it in her writing.

I do have some other thoughts, though. Book/show (and one comic) spoilers ahead:

I would like to know why Buffyverse YA spin-off books always decide to either murder Buffy or to make Buffy this super unlikable person. They wouldn't exist without Buffy. This entire world wouldn't exist without Buffy. I do understand the thought that Buffy might steal the spotlight from the new characters or whatever, since fans do love her, but I don't comprehend how authors think this will endear fans to their books. Buffy doesn't need to be dead or gone or a shitty person for other Slayer stories to exist: we literally saw that on the show with the Potential Slayers who are also! mentioned here.

I did enjoy Oz being back and the nods to Jordy and how Oz became a werewolf. The introduction of Jake, Jordy's younger brother and also a werewolf, worked pretty well for me.

Willow's magical pregnancy via channeling the Slayer energy through the Scythe made me so incredibly uncomfortable. I don't know why Blake decided to go with this route since it's basically... well, not a forced pregnancy exactly, but Willow definitely did get pregnant without her consent. It's just a Big Yikes from me.

About the slayer-witch thing. I... didn't have a problem with it? But I didn't really like how it was used here considering how Willow had Frankie. This same "slayer-witch" element was used in Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer #2 with another character, Thessaly, who was Willow and Tara's daughter. I very much prefer that to a non-consensual magical pregnancy.

Frankie's first patrol scene was wonderful and I laughed out loud at how it ended.

I really liked the insta-demon stuff! I was fun to read about how a demon might take advantage of social media to do Evil Things.

In regard to the Big Bad after Frankie: not sure if Blake wanted to do something like the Dracula episode and make the villain someone people would historically know about, but it didn't quite work for me. It felt a tiny bit too forced, especially with the way Spike kept insisting they were an impostor.

Also! The way the point above sort of tied to Grim who was directly tied to the Slayers was Too Much for me. I didn't care at all about who was after Frankie and that story-line in particular. Things became much more interesting to me when the plot went back to trying to figure out what happened with the Slayers and if they were all really dead... and then that wasn't solved at all in this book. Great lol

The thing I disliked the most here was the "will they, won't they" Blake decided to do with Willow and Oz. Throughout the book, there were several comments about their previous relationship and a few passages from Willow's perspective thinking of how Oz still loved her and questioning their relationship. To be clear, Willow is a lesbian. The show went through great lengths to establish that and Willow herself has said, even in this book!, that she identified as gay and a lesbian. I do not get at all Blake's decision to do this and I honestly found it gross.

In the end, I think there was too much going on for this to read like a smooth story. The plot got a bit too convoluted trying to deal with 3 big mysteries at once--none of them were developed with the care they deserved--that then turned out to be connected in some way. There were too many players in only one book; I know this is going to be a series, so I'm not sure why one subplot wasn't cut. The new Scoobies were pretty entertaining throughout, but they (and the story) lacked the charm and humor from the original series. Not sure if I'll pick up the sequel to see how things go.

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jenny_librarian's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No

4.0

It's not peak Buffy, and I'm not sure who exactly this book is supposed to be for, but it was entertaining.

What bothers me with YA Buffy books these days is that they're not for newbies. You have to be a Buffy fan to understand the plot and implications. But the main core fanbase is millennials, all of whom are way past teen years, so writing a YA novel (not that adults can't enjoy YA, but it's made mainly for teens) feels a bit weird when there could be adult novels instead.

And talking about implications, there were a few details that made me cringe, as I'm sure any big fan would. There are small discrepancies that wouldn't jut out to a newbie - but as I stated earlier, this is very much a book for those who already know the show well - that made me go on a rant to myself.

The book itself started well. It was interesting to dive into another slayer's life and discover new characters still connected to the originals. Not sure Spike, Willow and Oz are the best trio to go off from, but I'll accept it. I'll even accept Jake as a poor Xander replacement (although can we PLEASE stop with the dog jokes? None of those were funny and Oz never displayed dog traits so... yeah...) and the cringy romance developing between Hailey and Sigmund.

I wish Drusilla had been the big bad. I know, I know. Been there, done that. But I feel like she would've given it something that - the watered-down version of - the Countess didn't.

It may seem harsh, but you can't just write any old story in the Buffyverse and make it pass to hardcore fans. If you were a casual viewer of the show, you might enjoy it as a continuation (disregarding all the comics, but that's fine cause I never really took an interest in them anyways) and the beginning of a new generation of Scoobies.

My last critic, because I CANNOT ignore that one, is the bi-erasure. Willow isn't gay, she's bisexual. In 2022, we shouldn't have to keep saying it and I find it hella disappointing that this book participated in the bi-erasure she's been victim of since s4.

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betweentheshelves's review

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was...fine. Very Buffy reference heavy, so if you love Buffy, you'll love this. More to come in a full review later this week!

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