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thecatandmereadingpeacefully's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
livredujour's review
4.0
If you aren’t a buffy fan this book is confusing at the beginning but the author does a great job of weaving a captivating tale that has you rooting for both sides in the end. Fun read, would recommend for all types of readers who love some monsters.
undertowsoul's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.75
aliceandthegiantbookshelf's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
michyoung's review against another edition
4.0
When I found out about this book, I absolutely couldn’t wait to read it. I’ve read a number of other Buffy-verse novels recently, but this was the first one I’d come across that was advertised as more adult than teen and I was excited to see how it would be different.
“Big Bad” is set in an alternate universe where the Mayor put a sun shade up over Sunnydale, making it a haven for vampires and demons, and the town was renamed Demondale. This was a really fun concept for the book and it was great to see so many characters reimagined in this new world.
This book was definitely written for Buffy fans. Someone new to the series might enjoy it as well, but there are so many fun character cameos that just wouldn’t land the same way if you’re not already familiar with them. But as a die-hard Buffy fan, I was in love!! Anderson does such a great job of nailing the tone and characters from the show throughout the book. Anya especially is FANTASTIC! She was definitely one of my favourite characters in the show and to have her as a main character in this book was delightful.
Anderson took some of the best characters and character moments from across the series and brought them together to happen in this book. We even get some references to the Buffy movie and the spin-off Angel.There were a few characters who didn’t make an appearance that I would’ve loved to see, but you can only pack so much into one book.
There was so much to love about “Big Bad”, and I would definitely recommend it!
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“Big Bad” is set in an alternate universe where the Mayor put a sun shade up over Sunnydale, making it a haven for vampires and demons, and the town was renamed Demondale. This was a really fun concept for the book and it was great to see so many characters reimagined in this new world.
This book was definitely written for Buffy fans. Someone new to the series might enjoy it as well, but there are so many fun character cameos that just wouldn’t land the same way if you’re not already familiar with them. But as a die-hard Buffy fan, I was in love!! Anderson does such a great job of nailing the tone and characters from the show throughout the book. Anya especially is FANTASTIC! She was definitely one of my favourite characters in the show and to have her as a main character in this book was delightful.
Anderson took some of the best characters and character moments from across the series and brought them together to happen in this book. We even get some references to the Buffy movie and the spin-off Angel.There were a few characters who didn’t make an appearance that I would’ve loved to see, but you can only pack so much into one book.
There was so much to love about “Big Bad”, and I would definitely recommend it!
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
cindeereads's review
5.0
I loved this book so much anything Buffy the Vampire Slayer related I tend to love although this is my favorite one yet. I loved the characters so much especially Jonathan, Andrew and Anya I also loved the vampire characters of Angelus, Spike and Drusilla and a few others too. I loved this evil world of Demondale and the residents in it I liked the romance of Anya and Angelus I liked the one of Drusilla and vampire Willow as well. The characters were interesting to read about and they could be pretty funny at many times in the story. I loved the plot it was really interesting it started with an attempted demon ascension that ends with an attack by the slayer and the story begins with Jonathan and Andrew trying to at first get their friend back in moved into going into a great cast of characters trying to stop the slayer from ending their world. So overall I loved this book I would love more of it for sure.
tachyondecay's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.0
I received an eARC from NetGalley and a hardcover from Disney Hyperion in return for a review! We also interviewed Lily Anderson for my Buffy rewatch podcast, Prophecy Girls, and I will update this review with a link to the episode when it’s out!
It’s 1999. In an alternative version of Sunnydale, the Mayor doesn’t ascend but rather blots out the sun and renames the town Demondale to attract, shall we say, a new type of resident. Jonathan and Andrew are in league with Warren—who is trying to ascend, when the surprise arrival of the Slayer makes that all go very wrong. The Slayer makes off with some magical artifacts and then invades the vengeance demons’ dimension, hopping dimensions and destroying hellish Sunnydales in an attempt to find her own. Meanwhile, Anya teams up with Jonathan, Andrew, Angelus, and others to find a way to stop the Slayer before she returns to Demondale to destroy their home.
So this is Buffy, but not. Fans will recognize what’s happening here; newcomers to the franchise should probably start elsewhere. If you were looking for a straightforward story with Buffy as the protagonist and some bad guys lining up to be defeated, then you won’t find that here. But you will find a book packed to the brim with loving references, along with some very fun characterization of characters we adore.
Anderson makes a point of interrogating the motivations and emotions of Jonathan and Anya in particular. Jonathan is a really interesting supporting member of the Buffyverse. He starts as little more than an extra, the butt of jokes about his height and uncoolness. “Superstar,” of course, introduces the idea that Jonathan could be more. And then he joins up with Andrew and Warren in Season 6, and … well, the rest is history. In this book, Demondale Jonathan reflects on whether Warren was a good friend (he wasn’t) and whether he and Andrew should stay friends (they totally should). But it’s cool to see Anderson spending time on a character who didn’t get enough of it on the show.
Anya, on the other hand, receives a lot more development on the show—and this Anya is consistent with that personality, albeit different because she never gave up being a vengeance demon. Here, Anderson embellishes the lore on vengeance demons, emphasizing Anya’s opportunistic enjoyment of capitalism. It’s fun, and her voice really rings true in her chapters.
Other familiar faces grace us as the book goes on, and Anderson nails their voices too. From Angelus to Spike, Drusilla to Darla, it’s clear that Anderson understands how each of these characters thinks, speaks, moves, acts. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I don’t often enjoy tie-in novels, but this one was easy to follow and a joy to read.
As for Buffy herself: this is a young, inexperienced Buffy. She is tragic: lost, adrift across dimensions, unsure of where home even is. She is determined to get home at any cost, even if it means destroying … entire worlds. As we learn more about her predicament, we can sympathize, but it’s also hard to discount what she’s doing. Ultimately, I like how Anderson resolves this part of the plot.
In the end, Big Bad has two functions. The first is simply to be a fun romp through the Buffyverse. As I said earlier, there are so many references in this book to characters, episodes, villains, moments … in some hands it might have felt like too much, but Anderson somehow makes it all fit and feel right. The other function is to remind us, as the show itself always did, that evil is seldom one-dimensional and moustache-twirling (even when it lacks a soul). Evil is a complicated combination of factors, not just the absence of morality but morality twisted in service of selfish ends. This book reminds us that our heroes could be the Big Bad too.
Also, there’s no Xander. Because fuck Xander.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
It’s 1999. In an alternative version of Sunnydale, the Mayor doesn’t ascend but rather blots out the sun and renames the town Demondale to attract, shall we say, a new type of resident. Jonathan and Andrew are in league with Warren—who is trying to ascend, when the surprise arrival of the Slayer makes that all go very wrong. The Slayer makes off with some magical artifacts and then invades the vengeance demons’ dimension, hopping dimensions and destroying hellish Sunnydales in an attempt to find her own. Meanwhile, Anya teams up with Jonathan, Andrew, Angelus, and others to find a way to stop the Slayer before she returns to Demondale to destroy their home.
So this is Buffy, but not. Fans will recognize what’s happening here; newcomers to the franchise should probably start elsewhere. If you were looking for a straightforward story with Buffy as the protagonist and some bad guys lining up to be defeated, then you won’t find that here. But you will find a book packed to the brim with loving references, along with some very fun characterization of characters we adore.
Anderson makes a point of interrogating the motivations and emotions of Jonathan and Anya in particular. Jonathan is a really interesting supporting member of the Buffyverse. He starts as little more than an extra, the butt of jokes about his height and uncoolness. “Superstar,” of course, introduces the idea that Jonathan could be more. And then he joins up with Andrew and Warren in Season 6, and … well, the rest is history. In this book, Demondale Jonathan reflects on whether Warren was a good friend (he wasn’t) and whether he and Andrew should stay friends (they totally should). But it’s cool to see Anderson spending time on a character who didn’t get enough of it on the show.
Anya, on the other hand, receives a lot more development on the show—and this Anya is consistent with that personality, albeit different because she never gave up being a vengeance demon. Here, Anderson embellishes the lore on vengeance demons, emphasizing Anya’s opportunistic enjoyment of capitalism. It’s fun, and her voice really rings true in her chapters.
Other familiar faces grace us as the book goes on, and Anderson nails their voices too. From Angelus to Spike, Drusilla to Darla, it’s clear that Anderson understands how each of these characters thinks, speaks, moves, acts. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I don’t often enjoy tie-in novels, but this one was easy to follow and a joy to read.
As for Buffy herself: this is a young, inexperienced Buffy. She is tragic: lost, adrift across dimensions, unsure of where home even is. She is determined to get home at any cost, even if it means destroying … entire worlds. As we learn more about her predicament, we can sympathize, but it’s also hard to discount what she’s doing. Ultimately, I like how Anderson resolves this part of the plot.
In the end, Big Bad has two functions. The first is simply to be a fun romp through the Buffyverse. As I said earlier, there are so many references in this book to characters, episodes, villains, moments … in some hands it might have felt like too much, but Anderson somehow makes it all fit and feel right. The other function is to remind us, as the show itself always did, that evil is seldom one-dimensional and moustache-twirling (even when it lacks a soul). Evil is a complicated combination of factors, not just the absence of morality but morality twisted in service of selfish ends. This book reminds us that our heroes could be the Big Bad too.
Also, there’s no Xander. Because fuck Xander.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
j3mm4's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Overall, it's a fun read, and it clearly was written from a place of great enjoyment of the show, but there were some writing choices in it that bugged me, like the Buffy angle. Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware that, as the novel's antagonist up against an ensemble cast of protags, Buffy can't get the same page count - nor should she - but the Buffy voice feels less developed, less immersive, and less precisely imitated than the others. It's also home to the more anachronistic slang usage than any of the other POVs combined, which was an even bigger bug. The voice of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is so characterized by specific '90s California slang and writers' room inventions that it's practically its own conlang, so seeing 2020s colloquialisms pop up was a big immersion-breaker.
ariel790's review
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Lily Anderson has nailed the Buffyverse down pat. This story could have totally been an episode. Just as quirky, with many references to actual episodes. Was fun picking them out and going, "Hey! I know where that's from"... or "Hell yeah! That demon!" or noticing the smaller, more nuanced references like the blooming onion. Even as only a casual fan of Buffy. I'm sure there are more that I didn't pick up on. Even with all the references, and using characters that started elsewhere, Lily still kept them true but made it her own by asking "What if x didn't happen and it changed everything? How would Buffy deal with that? Where would the other characters be?" It was a unique take that made for an enjoyable read.
luxuryofsorrow's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5