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posies23's review
3.0
After three really solid installments, things really go off-track for a large section of this volume. It finally comes together nicely by the end, but I was very disappointed by a few of the plot developments, which just seemed to come out of nowhere and didn't stay true to the characters.
lunchlander's review
1.0
Wow. That wax terrible. Buffy as really bad superhero fiction, the worst kind of nonsensical destiny BS, pointless deaths, bizarre story elements, boring sex and love scenes, none of the wit that made the show or early graphic novels so enjoyable. Just awful. Makes me wish I'd read none of the comics, and makes me retroactively appreciate seasons six and seven for what few things they did right.
alice_digest's review
1.0
This was bad. So bad it sort of tarnishes the previously pretty awesome stuff that came before!
I wasn't a fan of Buffy getting the power of flight and superhero superpowers anyway (I liked her because she's scrappy and fighting and not stupidly OP) .. and then the resolution of the Twilight story line is really, really stupid. It makes no sense. A lot of the characters acknowledge that it makes no sense.. and yet it is never really explained. It's awful. It makes no sense!!!
I HATED IT.
The Dawn and Xander thing is so gross and I don't understand why everybody (especially Buffy) is so fine with it. He has known her since she was a child! And she can only be about 19-20 by this point.
I'm really over all the sex scenes which are cheesy and really overdone by this point! And a lot of the charm and wit that the show had, and that the first volume captured so well, is just gone.
Spike is back but I have mixed feelings. I LOVE Spike as a character (really loved him in Angel S5) but I HATE HATE HATE his infatuation with Buffy and that whole Spuffy thing. I don't understand what the hell they've done to Angel.
This volume turned me off reading any more. If you felt the quality from from Volume 3 do yourself a favourite and do not read this one!
I wasn't a fan of Buffy getting the power of flight and superhero superpowers anyway (I liked her because she's scrappy and fighting and not stupidly OP) .. and then the resolution of the Twilight story line is really, really stupid. It makes no sense. A lot of the characters acknowledge that it makes no sense.. and yet it is never really explained. It's awful. It makes no sense!!!
I HATED IT.
The Dawn and Xander thing is so gross and I don't understand why everybody (especially Buffy) is so fine with it. He has known her since she was a child! And she can only be about 19-20 by this point.
I'm really over all the sex scenes which are cheesy and really overdone by this point! And a lot of the charm and wit that the show had, and that the first volume captured so well, is just gone.
Spike is back but I have mixed feelings. I LOVE Spike as a character (really loved him in Angel S5) but I HATE HATE HATE his infatuation with Buffy and that whole Spuffy thing. I don't understand what the hell they've done to Angel.
This volume turned me off reading any more. If you felt the quality from from Volume 3 do yourself a favourite and do not read this one!
lizardgoats's review
5.0
I was wrong. So wrong about who the big bad was going to be. And I'm okay with that, because instead of the satisfaction of being right, I get the gasp-worthy "no way!" reaction that is a thousand times better.
I loved Season 8: can't get enough Buffy. And I'm excited for Season 9, when I get around to reading it, because it'll be back to basics. Buffy fighting baddies in alleys and failing at love, life, and sometime friendship. Stories about humanity are my favorite. Everyday exceptional humanity.
I loved Season 8: can't get enough Buffy. And I'm excited for Season 9, when I get around to reading it, because it'll be back to basics. Buffy fighting baddies in alleys and failing at love, life, and sometime friendship. Stories about humanity are my favorite. Everyday exceptional humanity.
mjfmjfmjf's review
3.0
Confused. And falls over of its own weight. And ends in a way that doesn't have me really wanting more. Which is kind of disappointing. There's just too much here and it doesn't make its best use of the characters.
misformorebooks's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
3.75
omg what a fun volume!! i did skip riley's story sorry idgaf about boring characters LOL but this was .... a lot
i dont accept it as canon tho <3
i dont accept it as canon tho <3
alexampersand's review
4.0
I debated (again) whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. Parts of it deserved 4. Parts deserved 3. Parts deserved 2.
The volume picks off exactly where Volume 3 left off (if we forget the silly Harmony storyline exists) - Buffy discovering she can fly. The discovery of her superpowers is interesting and adds an interesting element to the story and the premise of the series. Her discovery of where they are coming from also feeds in nicely to the moral questioning running through Season 8, giving a nice sense of continuity.
And then we get to the reveal of Twilight,and what happens afterwards. And I am so torn, because parts of the story work so well and parts of it are ridiculous, but they were all jumbled up together. I love the idea that Buffy and Angel have been chosen by the universe, and that it has been destined all along for them to do this. I love a good long game. However... I hate their magic sex. It seemed weird and unnecessary and a way for Joss&co to feature steamy scenes that wouldn't have been allowed in the show. But then, I loved the concept of this magical eden world. I loved Buffy and Angel in unison, and I even loved Buffy having to debate saving her friends (although it was no real debate, let's be honest.)
And so the final arc comes. And it felt a little bit messy. I don't fully understand the concept of the seed and magic and why the universe created a new universe. But I can more or less roll along with it.
The conclusion itself is incrrdibly satisfying, for me. Especially after reading Joss's afterword, explaining how they learnt from Season 8, and so Season 9 will go back to basics a bit. I'm quite excited to see where they go.
And on a 'why, book editors, why?' note, I wish they had placed Riley's one shot somewhere else. Before the Last Gleaming arc maybe? It was fairly dull as it was, but it felt like the final issue shod have been the finale, with a nice ending and potential lead in to Season 9. Tonally it was weird to have an uninteresting Riley flashback after that.
The volume picks off exactly where Volume 3 left off (if we forget the silly Harmony storyline exists) - Buffy discovering she can fly. The discovery of her superpowers is interesting and adds an interesting element to the story and the premise of the series. Her discovery of where they are coming from also feeds in nicely to the moral questioning running through Season 8, giving a nice sense of continuity.
And then we get to the reveal of Twilight,and what happens afterwards. And I am so torn, because parts of the story work so well and parts of it are ridiculous, but they were all jumbled up together. I love the idea that Buffy and Angel have been chosen by the universe, and that it has been destined all along for them to do this. I love a good long game. However... I hate their magic sex. It seemed weird and unnecessary and a way for Joss&co to feature steamy scenes that wouldn't have been allowed in the show. But then, I loved the concept of this magical eden world. I loved Buffy and Angel in unison, and I even loved Buffy having to debate saving her friends (although it was no real debate, let's be honest.)
And so the final arc comes. And it felt a little bit messy. I don't fully understand the concept of the seed and magic and why the universe created a new universe. But I can more or less roll along with it.
The conclusion itself is incrrdibly satisfying, for me. Especially after reading Joss's afterword, explaining how they learnt from Season 8, and so Season 9 will go back to basics a bit. I'm quite excited to see where they go.
And on a 'why, book editors, why?' note, I wish they had placed Riley's one shot somewhere else. Before the Last Gleaming arc maybe? It was fairly dull as it was, but it felt like the final issue shod have been the finale, with a nice ending and potential lead in to Season 9. Tonally it was weird to have an uninteresting Riley flashback after that.
mxlibrarian's review
5.0
First new book of 2018, and what a book it was. Unfortunately, there were some details of the Buffy comics, specifically Season 8, that I was already familiar with, having been unaware there were comics, and reading a bit too much on wikia articles. So while some punches didn't land as hard as they should have, I think overall it was a great season, especially given it was the first one of the comics. And I'm especially looking forward to seeing where things may go in Season 9! (Although I promise not to read ahead on wikia articles anymore, unless it's by accident)