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slaywithsteph's review
4.0
I’m prefacing this with I’m a huge fan of the Buffyverse, so I might be seeing this through rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. I’ve also read Kendare Blake before, and I’ve generally liked what I’ve read.
This is a very fun, adventurous book that any young girl who saw herself in Buffy or wanted to be a slayer will likely love. The main character, Frankie, as the dust jacket says, isn’t as “perfect” as Buffy came off when it came to her slayer duties. She’s also not the renowned witch that her mother is. And so, she feels very relatable.
Unfortunately that relatability doesn’t compensate for the fact that Hailey is already a stronger, more memorable character who I’m very interested in knowing more about. In fact, Kendare spent most of the book teasing us with an Angel-like figure rather than focusing on Frankie’s first big evil. I think middle-school Stephanie would have been a lot more forgiving of this, which makes sense because this is a book for young adults.
I also want to note that Kendare seemed to lean a lot more into the potentiality of Willow’s bisexuality, which I’m of two minds about: First, Willow is an iconic lesbian character. One of the first shows, if not the first, to show a main character go from presenting as straight to coming out as gay and being in an epic relationship with a woman. Second, it’s been said by the writers, the showrunners, etc., that the 90s was a time when people thought you could only be one or the other, and this was why Willow had to “pick” and declare herself as lesbian rather than coming out as bisexual. Back then, you couldn’t be one or the other, so I’d almost argue her back & forth with Oz (her first great love in the Buffy series) is perhaps her character testing the waters.
But Willow doesn’t seem to change her stance in this book and instead Oz is left mooning over the love that once was rather the love that is. I already know that this is inevitably going to rub a lot of readers the wrong way, and I hope that in the next book we get some type of closure on where Kendare is going with Willow rather than this weird teasing vibe.
That aside, I felt like Kendare did a good job of referencing the show, and it rarely felt forced. She made me feel like I was back in the early days of Buffy, excited to see what’s going on but simultaneously worried that she’s going to kill off some of the more iconic characters, whose fates we are left unaware of while Frankie is coming to terms with her life as the slayer.
The ending is rather open-ended, which is rather disappointing but I hope this means the series will be good.
Overall, I enjoyed a new slayery arc — the thrill of a new big bad! I hope to see a Frankie who is more memorable and fun — I mean, I like her eco-witch stuff, but she’s just not comparable to Buffy or Faith or Willow just yet and I yearn for a bad ass slayer — and more adventure and plot in the future.
This is a very fun, adventurous book that any young girl who saw herself in Buffy or wanted to be a slayer will likely love. The main character, Frankie, as the dust jacket says, isn’t as “perfect” as Buffy came off when it came to her slayer duties. She’s also not the renowned witch that her mother is. And so, she feels very relatable.
Unfortunately that relatability doesn’t compensate for the fact that Hailey is already a stronger, more memorable character who I’m very interested in knowing more about. In fact, Kendare spent most of the book teasing us with an Angel-like figure rather than focusing on Frankie’s first big evil. I think middle-school Stephanie would have been a lot more forgiving of this, which makes sense because this is a book for young adults.
I also want to note that Kendare seemed to lean a lot more into the potentiality of Willow’s bisexuality, which I’m of two minds about: First, Willow is an iconic lesbian character. One of the first shows, if not the first, to show a main character go from presenting as straight to coming out as gay and being in an epic relationship with a woman. Second, it’s been said by the writers, the showrunners, etc., that the 90s was a time when people thought you could only be one or the other, and this was why Willow had to “pick” and declare herself as lesbian rather than coming out as bisexual. Back then, you couldn’t be one or the other, so I’d almost argue her back & forth with Oz (her first great love in the Buffy series) is perhaps her character testing the waters.
But Willow doesn’t seem to change her stance in this book and instead Oz is left mooning over the love that once was rather the love that is. I already know that this is inevitably going to rub a lot of readers the wrong way, and I hope that in the next book we get some type of closure on where Kendare is going with Willow rather than this weird teasing vibe.
That aside, I felt like Kendare did a good job of referencing the show, and it rarely felt forced. She made me feel like I was back in the early days of Buffy, excited to see what’s going on but simultaneously worried that she’s going to kill off some of the more iconic characters, whose fates we are left unaware of while Frankie is coming to terms with her life as the slayer.
The ending is rather open-ended, which is rather disappointing but I hope this means the series will be good.
Overall, I enjoyed a new slayery arc — the thrill of a new big bad! I hope to see a Frankie who is more memorable and fun — I mean, I like her eco-witch stuff, but she’s just not comparable to Buffy or Faith or Willow just yet and I yearn for a bad ass slayer — and more adventure and plot in the future.
rodeorocks13's review
2.0
I was so excited when I saw there was a new novel based in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. Especially a novel by a talented author. However, this novel just wasn’t for me. I feel like it was trying to hard to be the old Buffy and not a new generation and its own story. The one major difference to me was the Slayer-Witch idea. And I really didn’t enjoy the combination like I thought I would.
I took a break from this novel a few times before just having to mark it as a DNF and walk away. I really wished it could have made me love it in the same way I did the show and comics but no such luck. This novel wasn’t for me.
I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
I took a break from this novel a few times before just having to mark it as a DNF and walk away. I really wished it could have made me love it in the same way I did the show and comics but no such luck. This novel wasn’t for me.
I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
teganbeesebooks's review
5.0
THANK YOU EDELWEISS FOR THE ARC! *immediately sits down to read*
I need the next book NOW. Oh my gosh. How amazing. I love the new Scoobies and all the fantastic references to the show and appearances by beloved characters. Thank you for writing this book!!
I need the next book NOW. Oh my gosh. How amazing. I love the new Scoobies and all the fantastic references to the show and appearances by beloved characters. Thank you for writing this book!!
theravenqueen's review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing me with an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
In every generation a slayer is born, one girl in all the world blah blah blah. If you're reading this, you know the story. That is until Willow woke the slayer line and there isn't just one, but many. Now, with the entire slayer population MIA, a new slayer was called the old fashioned way.
Frankie Rosenberg, daughter of the big bad witch Willow Rosenberg takes up the mantle through unexplained magics, becoming the first witch/slayer hybrid. With a few familiar faces and some new ones, the Scooby Gang returns!
Needless to say I am a huge Buffy fan and having the privilege to read this title early is still absolutely bananas to me. At 2% in I was hooked and had was prepared to read it in one sitting but I had to be responsible.
The pacing and plot might seem a little disjointed to some, but that's because it's written just like a tv show. The plot progression is more episodic with smaller arcs happening throughout the entire book with at least two major arcs taking place once. I thought it was a really cool choice for the book and it actually worked perfectly. After reading this I feel like I've watched the first season of the show and I kind of hate the cliffhanger. I need to know more.
Also, I'm probably completely out of the demographic since I'm in my 30's but Buffy is my jam and I have to say I loved seeing Willow all grown up and likely closer to my age. It's something that gives me the warm and fuzzies. Still, I think there's a lot here for the younger generation that is just starting to discover the show. It makes my heart happy to know we're going to be getting more great Buffy content.
In every generation a slayer is born, one girl in all the world blah blah blah. If you're reading this, you know the story. That is until Willow woke the slayer line and there isn't just one, but many. Now, with the entire slayer population MIA, a new slayer was called the old fashioned way.
Frankie Rosenberg, daughter of the big bad witch Willow Rosenberg takes up the mantle through unexplained magics, becoming the first witch/slayer hybrid. With a few familiar faces and some new ones, the Scooby Gang returns!
Needless to say I am a huge Buffy fan and having the privilege to read this title early is still absolutely bananas to me. At 2% in I was hooked and had was prepared to read it in one sitting but I had to be responsible.
The pacing and plot might seem a little disjointed to some, but that's because it's written just like a tv show. The plot progression is more episodic with smaller arcs happening throughout the entire book with at least two major arcs taking place once. I thought it was a really cool choice for the book and it actually worked perfectly. After reading this I feel like I've watched the first season of the show and I kind of hate the cliffhanger. I need to know more.
Also, I'm probably completely out of the demographic since I'm in my 30's but Buffy is my jam and I have to say I loved seeing Willow all grown up and likely closer to my age. It's something that gives me the warm and fuzzies. Still, I think there's a lot here for the younger generation that is just starting to discover the show. It makes my heart happy to know we're going to be getting more great Buffy content.
lilwiccankitten's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
A nice addition to the buffy universe
mikiekool's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sjburton127's review
1.0
Oh wow this was just… terrible. I was so painfully bored throughout the entire book, it was almost 400 pages of practically nothing. You didn’t find out who blew up the slayers, nothing was wrapped up and they ultimately failed? It was just poor, would not recommend.
bluz19's review
3.0
This was was a pretty good book, definitely a YA rendition. If you’re a big Buffy fan I’ve heard it can be pretty disappointing however for it being a standalone, it was fine.
It has vampires, werewolves, demons, and magic.
It has vampires, werewolves, demons, and magic.
justiner16's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75