Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Uneven series start picks up when Buffy TV series ends.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In SLAYER, Athena knew something was different the moment the end times were thwarted and all the demon portals closed. Her chronic asthma ceased and she felt really strong and restless all the time. When a hellhound finds Athena and the remaining Watchers hiding out in Ireland, she acts before she can think, snapping its neck with her bare hands. Now everyone knows who she's become, including her twin sister Artemis, the one everyone thought would be the next chosen Slayer. When Athena's old crush, Leo, and his mom show up and want to train her to fight, Athena's mom refuses to let her. As she begins to train without Mom's permission, that's just the first of Athena's many secrets. A demon shows up in the woods, injured and unconscious, and Athena overrides her new Slayer instincts to kill him. She tries to save him instead.
Is It Any Good?
Buffy fans may find the start to this homage YA series a fun indulgence at first, but the storytelling, like the newest Slayer, lacks a clear direction. Most of the problem lies in main character Athena's inner story. Athena is upset about her relationship with her sister, with her mother who favors her sister, with the death of her father years before, with Buffy for getting them all into this mess, with her new powers that don't match who she thought she was, with the cute guy she was humiliated in front of, and the girl who humiliated her. And she's not trained to fight or think of herself as strong or someone who makes good decisions. These are all good things for a character to work out -- but not in a jumble all at once. It makes the big shifts in the story at the end seem as jumbled as her thinking.
Slayer, because it references Buffy the TV series and the character often, also takes too long to launch in its own direction. Buffy was best left behind a few chapters in. Here's hoping this great YA author, Kiersten White, finds her footing with this series and steers it in a clearer direction for Book 2.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Slayer in comparison with the TV show. Who do you like better: Buffy or Athena?
The twins have a difficult relationship. How does childhood trauma affect them differently? What about their relationship with their mother? How does their relationship change by the end of the story?
Will you read more in this series? Does this story make you want to watch or re-watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Superheroes , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon Pulse
- Publication date : January 8, 2019
- Number of pages : 416
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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