Scan barcode
A review by aliciaceasar
Big Bad by Lily Anderson
5.0
Big Bad by Lilly Anderson is a novel that takes place in the world of Buffy, if everything was bad and monsters roamed the streets and the sun never came up. In this alternate reality, Sunnydale has been rechristened as Demondale. We are following our main characters as they try to stop the Big Bad from destroying their world. However, in this reality, the Big Bad is Buffy and the ragtag team we are following is a group of villains from the show.
As a long time Buffy super fan (I literally have a child named after a character), I am so picky about the Buffy books I pick up. This one seemed unique enough so I thought I would give it a try and I am so glad I did! This was just different enough to not feel like a copy and paste from the show but it felt similar enough that it was believable that it actually could have been an episode. In other Buffy books, it feels like the author tries to make the characters really different and it ruins it for me because these are characters I love. Even the ones I hate, I love because they just all mean so much to me.
I love the idea of following the bad guys as they are looking for Buffy. In particular, we are following two of the nerds, Jonathan and Andrew, Anya, Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla. I thought the banter between everyone was spot on. The only one who I didn’t really feel a lot from was Angelus and that is just because he felt a lot like Angel to me. I loved seeing so many characters that I grew up watching make cameos in this story. Some of them played bigger parts than others but every just reading some of the names was nice. I have such nostalgic memories of this show and this book really took me back.
That being said, if you are not a big Buffy fan, this is not the book for you. The author doesn’t waste time explaining a lot of character backstory. You get a little bit but it’s more meant as a refresher for fans than for someone new to the universe. I think it’s very clear that the author is a huge fan and I really appreciate that. So if you like Buffy and want to read something that feels like you are back in that world but also feels very fresh, check this book out.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As a long time Buffy super fan (I literally have a child named after a character), I am so picky about the Buffy books I pick up. This one seemed unique enough so I thought I would give it a try and I am so glad I did! This was just different enough to not feel like a copy and paste from the show but it felt similar enough that it was believable that it actually could have been an episode. In other Buffy books, it feels like the author tries to make the characters really different and it ruins it for me because these are characters I love. Even the ones I hate, I love because they just all mean so much to me.
I love the idea of following the bad guys as they are looking for Buffy. In particular, we are following two of the nerds, Jonathan and Andrew, Anya, Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla. I thought the banter between everyone was spot on. The only one who I didn’t really feel a lot from was Angelus and that is just because he felt a lot like Angel to me. I loved seeing so many characters that I grew up watching make cameos in this story. Some of them played bigger parts than others but every just reading some of the names was nice. I have such nostalgic memories of this show and this book really took me back.
That being said, if you are not a big Buffy fan, this is not the book for you. The author doesn’t waste time explaining a lot of character backstory. You get a little bit but it’s more meant as a refresher for fans than for someone new to the universe. I think it’s very clear that the author is a huge fan and I really appreciate that. So if you like Buffy and want to read something that feels like you are back in that world but also feels very fresh, check this book out.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.