Slayer by Kiersten White

SLAYER
by Kiersten White

Simon Pulse
January 8, 2019

From Goodreads:

Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

I was provided a digital copy of Slayer in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Slayer is a like a good popcorn movie. It’s not going to change your life, make you a better person, or enlighten you in someway. But damn is it fun!

Especially for those of us that were growing up when Buffy the Vampire Slayer dominated TV screens. That being said, it’s certainly not required to have watched the show. There are various nods throughout the book to something that happened on the show, but any who haven’t seen it won’t know the difference. It’s all small stuff. Kiersten White either did her research or, more likely, she’s a big fan.

Except for a short dream sequence involving Buffy herself, all the characters are brand new. Some of them are connected to existing characters, but all that is explained and the explanation is required for fans and non-fans alike. These characters are expertly crafted, most of them easily standing out from the crowd. A few of the smaller characters melded together and I couldn’t picture one from the other, but no big deal there.

The plot is easy to follow and doesn’t throw you for too many loops. Many of the intended twists were pretty obvious, some from the very beginning, but when we’re talking about teenagers running around fighting and killing monsters predictability didn’t take away from the fun one bit.

When the next book comes out, I’ll be all over it. This book is an obvious read for any fans of the show/movie/comics, but recommended for anyone who just enjoys vampires, monsters, and good YA.

Fun fact about this post: When I was in high school I had the biggest, cringe-worthy crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar.