Book Talk…2/8/19: Slayer by Kiersten White

Traci Kenworth

Slayer by Kiersten White Simon Pulse Jan. 19, 2019.

Amazon’s blurb: A New York Times bestseller
A Publishers Weekly bestseller 
A National Indie bestseller

From 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.

My review: Readers of this blog know of my history of being a big fan of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and this new spin-off of the series is brilliant! As fierce as she is vulnerable, Nina must come to terms with being the last Slayer. She violently hates Buffy, being raised by the Council and not accessible to the truths of what went down between Buffy and the Council. Not to mention, her father was Buffy’s first Watcher who had to kill himself to save her. Her mother has been less than attentive to Nina over the years preferring her twin sister to her. Artemis has been trained in the ways of a Watcher but failed her test. The two grapple with reality when Nina is the Chosen One. At the same time, her old crush, Leo, has returned with his Watcher mother. He is a Watcher himself know and with her mother opposed to Nina being trained as a Slayer, secretly begins to train her. Jealousy spreads and an old foe returns. Will Nina be able to stop the Apocalypse?