Slayer by Kiersten WhiteSlayer by Kiersten White

Slayer

byKiersten White

Hardcover | January 8, 2019

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From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a brand-new series set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that introduces a new Slayer as she grapples with the responsibility of managing her incredible powers that she’s just beginning to understand.

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.
Kiersten White is an author of fantasy books including And I Darken, Now I Rise, the Paranormalcy trilogy, Mind Games, Perfect Lies, The Chaos of Stars, and Illusions of Fate. She also co-wrote In the Shadows with Jim Di Bartolo.
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Title:SlayerFormat:HardcoverDimensions:416 pages, 8.25 × 5.5 × 1.4 inPublished:January 8, 2019Publisher:Simon PulseLanguage:English

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN - 10:1534404953

ISBN - 13:9781534404953

Reviews

Rated 4 out of 5 by from The same old Buffyverse we love, new characters to adopt Trigger warning: death, violence, mentions of torture 4 ⭐️ If there's anything that can catch my eye on the first try, it's something about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm a lifelong fan and will try anything that is related to the Buffyverse. Which is why I was extremely happy to get an eARC for this book! And it's a great novel! For people who already know the world in details... I know a lot about Buffy. In fact, I can tell you which episode from which season is a single scene. That's how much I know the TV series (much less so the comics, but that's another subject). So this novel, with its numerous hints about the original series and the comics, might not be so good for newcomers. And I don't know just how much teens today know about the TV show. They didn't grow up seeing it on TV. Did they watch every season on Netflix? Do they know enough about Buffy to understand just how much this novel fits in? When they read "five by five", do they immediately know it's Faith talking? Do they link the description of the demon who feeds on emotion and kittens with Clem? Because a lot of Slayer by Kiersten White is based on knowing everything about the Buffyverse. I don't know what to really think about this book. There are a lot of good things, like the references to the original world and how Nina despises Buffy for her choices, then comes to understand them. She hates Buffy for who she is and what she did to her father, but she gradually realizes that a Slayer's life is never easy and Buffy was never happy about the hard choices she made. That was probably my favourite part of the storyline. I lvoed the way Nina slowly comes to term with what being a Slayer means. But the novel is not all perfect, mainly because of the childish way the characters behave. Ironically, Nina, Artemis, Rhys, Leo and Honora are about the same age Buffy and her friends were in the first few seasons of the TV show, yet they act in a much more childish way. The main plot revolves around the lack of communication between the characters. I hate when books do that, because it basically means that, if they actually talked to each other instead of keeping secrets in their own corner, there would be no plot. If the characters had shared their secret and their doubts with each other, the book would have been finished in 100 pages and Cosmina would have been saved. As for the characters themselves, Nina is pretty much the only character I really liked. Her mom was the worst mother figure ever, even with the ending revelation. Rhys was #1 (precious boy!), but not present enough in my opinion. I had a good opinion of Leo, until the end... Artemis was a horrible twin, and Honora was just... I can't even begin with her, despicable girl. I'm a tiny bit iffy about some of the details, such as the "ancient power" instead of "The Powers That Be", and Merrick having more than one Slayer under his charge going against the original Buffy lore (1 Watcher = 1 Slayer, because it's too hard to lose your Slayer). Thankfully, those were quite minor details. I was surprised by the twists I didn't see coming. Refreshing when I can usually see a plot twist coming from a mile away in YA books. All in all, it's not a bad book. It's even really good. But it felt to me like the Hocus Pocus sequel: a YA book actually meant for the grown ups who read YA and are fans of that world. So a YA book, but not meant for an actual Young adult audience. Unless they've seen the TV show and read at least season 8 in the comics, and have seen the spin-off (Angel).
Date published: 2019-01-13
Rated 4 out of 5 by from The same old Buffyverse we love, new characters to adopt Trigger warning: death, violence, mentions of torture 4 ⭐️ If there's anything that can catch my eye on the first try, it's something about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm a lifelong fan and will try anything that is related to the Buffyverse. Which is why I was extremely happy to get an eARC for this book! And it's a great novel! For people who already know the world in details... I know a lot about Buffy. In fact, I can tell you which episode from which season is a single scene. That's how much I know the TV series (much less so the comics, but that's another subject). So this novel, with its numerous hints about the original series and the comics, might not be so good for newcomers. And I don't know just how much teens today know about the TV show. They didn't grow up seeing it on TV. Did they watch every season on Netflix? Do they know enough about Buffy to understand just how much this novel fits in? When they read "five by five", do they immediately know it's Faith talking? Do they link the description of the demon who feeds on emotion and kittens with Clem? Because a lot of Slayer by Kiersten White is based on knowing everything about the Buffyverse. I don't know what to really think about this book. There are a lot of good things, like the references to the original world and how Nina despises Buffy for her choices, then comes to understand them. She hates Buffy for who she is and what she did to her father, but she gradually realizes that a Slayer's life is never easy and Buffy was never happy about the hard choices she made. That was probably my favourite part of the storyline. I lvoed the way Nina slowly comes to term with what being a Slayer means. But the novel is not all perfect, mainly because of the childish way the characters behave. Ironically, Nina, Artemis, Rhys, Leo and Honora are about the same age Buffy and her friends were in the first few seasons of the TV show, yet they act in a much more childish way. The main plot revolves around the lack of communication between the characters. I hate when books do that, because it basically means that, if they actually talked to each other instead of keeping secrets in their own corner, there would be no plot. If the characters had shared their secret and their doubts with each other, the book would have been finished in 100 pages and Cosmina would have been saved. As for the characters themselves, Nina is pretty much the only character I really liked. Her mom was the worst mother figure ever, even with the ending revelation. Rhys was #1 (precious boy!), but not present enough in my opinion. I had a good opinion of Leo, until the end... Artemis was a horrible twin, and Honora was just... I can't even begin with her, despicable girl. I'm a tiny bit iffy about some of the details, such as the "ancient power" instead of "The Powers That Be", and Merrick having more than one Slayer under his charge going against the original Buffy lore (1 Watcher = 1 Slayer, because it's too hard to lose your Slayer). Thankfully, those were quite minor details. I was surprised by the twists I didn't see coming. Refreshing when I can usually see a plot twist coming from a mile away in YA books. All in all, it's not a bad book. It's even really good. But it felt to me like the Hocus Pocus sequel: a YA book actually meant for the grown ups who read YA and are fans of that world. So a YA book, but not meant for an actual Young adult audience. Unless they've seen the TV show and read at least season 8 in the comics, and have seen the spin-off (Angel).
Date published: 2019-01-13
Rated 4 out of 5 by from The Buffy-verse is back, baby Voice galore, and with all the Slayer goodness I wanted it to be, SLAYER was most definitely an excellent continuation of the Buffy universe. And who else could've written this besides Kiersten White? Fleshing out humour and romance in the midst of all the supernatural demonic madness felt natural, and the quick pace made it an easy book to fly through. I'm level ten excited to see where White takes this story next!
Date published: 2019-01-11
Rated 3 out of 5 by from Great Potential to a Fun New Series Like many others I grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's a huge part of my childhood and while Slayer was not a book I intended to read I did enjoy my time with it. I like the concept of taking something on screen and giving it more story in book form. Living up to its name, Slayer was full of action. Although the plot wasn't super engaging there were bits of humour sprinkled throughout the story. I laughed hard! It was also fun to pick up on references to the show. Whether it was the brief mentions of the characters or recaps of old events I was overcome with nostalgia. I'm sure the tv series talked about Watcher history but I appreciate the closer look at them in the book. Their organization is impressive even if their ranks have been diminished/is diminishing. Despite the debate over the usefulness of Slayers and Watchers in a magic-less world, I love what they represented for humanity. They are knowledge and protectors at their core. Nina has a kind heart but so much self-doubt I felt frustrated with her constant despondent thoughts. I gave her the benefit of the doubt given her past trauma and the Chosen One bombshell but I really wished she'd had more confidence. Her growth near the end was incredible so can we have more of that in the next book please! There was a range of secondary characters. I loved how fiercely protective Artemis was of Nina. As a twin myself their tight yet volatile bond was very accurate. The rest of the characters didn't feel all that necessary (*cough Honora cough*) but the surprising developments at the end of the story has me curious. I see great potential in Slayer (pun absolutely intended)! Fans of the tv show will like this continuation while newcomers just might fall in love with the superpower badassery ;)
Date published: 2019-01-10
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Buffy Spin-off Look, I've never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not one episode. But I liked this, and that's about the highest praise I can give.
Date published: 2018-12-24
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Buffyverse is back! OH.MY.GOD.  I am back in the Buffyverse, this is a fangirl dream.  When I heard this book was coming out I was wary but excited and, of course, requested the arc. Full disclosure, I'm a mega Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan - I've seen the series more times then I'm willing to admit and I quote and talk about the show all the time, even to this day.  It's literally my all-time favorite series so I was quite nervous that Slayer would be a hot mess, not even going to lie.  Thankfully I was wrong. We start the story with the Watchers hideout, which I thought was a really cool idea.  We've never really seen what goes on or what all comes into play for all the people training to become a Watcher, and even more interesting, how everything that Buffy and the Scooby gang decisions affected them in the long term.  The story sets up all the characters and gives us some background of what has been going on in the Buffyverse, which is pretty essential for the readers who have never watched the show because it does take place AFTER the series.  Kiersten lays it all out for you though and it's very accessible.  We meet our slew of characters, obvious new Scooby gang potentials and throw in a demon or two and we have our plot line for the first in the series. Nina, the Watcher's resident medic and over-sheltered young girl turns out early on to be the Slayer.  What I particularly liked is that it didn't play out the exact same way as the first season of Buffy.   She had similar but different obstacles and she has a support system from the very start, unlike Buffy.  Nina is also not quite as impulsive as Buffy but she's certainly as stubborn. I did want to slap her a few times but not as much as I constantly wanted to slap Buffy, so that is a bonus right there! The side characters are all enjoyable for the most part and they all had very distinct personalities.  I can't say that I love them like I love the original Scooby gang but I think they are off to a good start.  My one problem with this book was the watcher/romance.  Nina's Watcher wasn't very cool - he was very typical in many of the YA series love interests we see and it felt pretty bland for me.  The romance didn't take up a great deal of the book though and I did like how it ended. Overall, I think this is a very nice start and for all you Buffy fans - YES! There are lots of mentions of Buffy and the gang (yes, even Spike!) and past situations they were in.  There is no shortage of fandom love.  Kiersten White knew her stuff and she didn't forget to give the long-time fans lots to get nostalgic over. Thank you Simon Pulse and Netgalley.  ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
Date published: 2018-12-17
Rated 2 out of 5 by from Mini review on GR! Mini review: Trigger warning: Mention of world ending, mention of fire, attempted murder, and seemingly neglectant parent. Up till the point I read. DNF I received this E-ARC via Simon and Schuster and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Two years ago I attempted to read And I Darken by this author. It didn't work for me. Though I really liked her writing style and kept on eye on her works. Slayer sounded mildly interesting. Although I am not a Buffy fan (never watched the show and don't plan too). I figured it could still be good. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. The beginning was really good! Something I've noticed with this author. I was hooked and intrigued! Then there was the first chapter. Nina apparently really hates Buffy and mentions so about 5 times in one page. Now I know that I've never seen the show, but this was still a huge turnoff for me. That and Nina just wasn't that interesting of a character. There is some information about the world and the events of Buffy to go on. So it's not necessary to watch the tv show. Upon getting a good idea of the world I found that I wasn't that interested. I feel that I have read better worlds. One thing I will give this book is that it's an easy read. I probably could have read the entire book. Also I did like the other characters. Just not Nina. There's good chance she will develop. I'm just not interested. Overall this was personal. I do still recommend. This'll be great for Buffy fans.
Date published: 2018-12-05
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Buffyverse is Back! OH.MY.GOD.  I am back in the Buffyverse, this is a fangirl dream.  When I heard this book was coming out I was wary but excited and of course, requested the arc.    Full disclosure, I'm a mega Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan - I've seen the series more times then I'm willing to admit and I quote and talk about the show all the time, even to this day.  It's literally my all-time favorite series so I was quite nervous that Slayer would be a hot mess, not even going to lie.  Thankfully I was wrong.   We start the story with the Watchers hideout, which I thought was a really cool idea.  We've never really seen what goes on or what all comes into play for all the people training to become a Watcher, and even more interesting, how everything that Buffy and the Scooby gang decisions affected them in the long term.  The story sets up all the characters and gives us some background of what has been going on in the Buffyverse, which is pretty essential for the readers who have never watched the show because it does take place AFTER the series.  Kiersten lays it all out for you though and it's very accessible.  We meet our slew of characters, obvious new Scooby gang potentials and throw in a demon or two and we have our plot line for the first in the series.  Nina, the Watcher's resident medic and over-sheltered young girl turns out early on to be the Slayer.  What I particularly liked is that it didn't play out the exact same way as the first season of Buffy.   She had similar but different obstacles and she has a support system from the very start, unlike Buffy.  Nina is also not quite as impulsive as Buffy but she's certainly as stubborn. I did want to slap her a few times but not as much as I constantly wanted to slap Buffy, so that is a bonus right there! The side characters are all enjoyable for the most part and they all had very distinct personalities.  I can't say that I love them like I love the original Scooby gang but I think they are off to a good start.  My one problem with this book was the watcher/romance.  Nina's Watcher wasn't very cool - he was very typical in many of the YA series love interests we see and it felt pretty bland for me.  The romance didn't take up a great deal of the book though and I did like how it ended.  Overall, I think this is a very nice start and for all you Buffy fans - YES! There are lots of mentions of Buffy and the gang (yes, even Spike!) and past situations they were in.  There is no shortage of fandom love.  Kiersten White knew her stuff and she didn't forget to give the long-time fans lots to get nostalgic over.     Thank you to Simon Pulse for an advanced copy of Slayer, in exchange for an honest review.
Date published: 2018-12-03