Chosen by Kiersten White Series: Slayer #2
Also in this series: , Slayer
Published by Simon Pulse on January 7, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Pages: 368
Source: The Publisher
My content rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing; Violence)
My rating:
“Will get Buffy fans up in their feels.” —Entertainment Weekly on Slayer
Nina continues to learn how to use her slayer powers against enemies old and new in this second novel in the New York Times bestselling series from Kiersten White, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Now that Nina has turned the Watcher’s Castle into a utopia for hurt and lonely demons, she’s still waiting for the utopia part to kick in. With her sister Artemis gone and only a few people remaining at the castle—including her still-distant mother—Nina has her hands full. Plus, though she gained back her Slayer powers from Leo, they’re not feeling quite right after being held by the seriously evil succubus Eve, a.k.a. fake Watcher’s Council member and Leo’s mom.
And while Nina is dealing with the darkness inside, there’s also a new threat on the outside, portended by an odd triangle symbol that seems to be popping up everywhere, in connection with Sean’s demon drug ring as well as someone a bit closer to home. Because one near-apocalypse just isn’t enough, right?
The darkness always finds you. And once again, it’s coming for the Slayer.
This book once again took me back to my days of true Buffy fandom and reminded me why these stories resonate so well with people—sure, there’s supernatural adventure and a big bad, but it always comes back to heart. It always comes back to relationships. Buffy wasn’t just Buffy; she was the whole Scooby gang, and then that expanded even more. Well, the same goes for these books. Sure, the series centers on Nina and Artemis, but there’s a whole group of friends (and frenemies) backing them up who add so much to the story. For instance, Doug, the demon who feeds off of emotion (and can give you a high from it), plays a prominent role in this book, and I loved every minute of his presence. There are tensions between the friends—who’ve gone through a whole lot together but don’t always agree on the direction the future should take—and huge tensions between the sisters now that Artemis has left. Then there’s also Nina’s complicated feelings about Leo’s death (and his lies while he was still alive). Basically, all those complicated relationships are what kept me reading long into the night.
Don’t get me wrong, this book wasn’t light on plot—Nina’s bound and determined to protect her friends, including the demons, and there’s a dangerous new player in the game who threatens all of them. They have to figure out who that is (first of all) and then how best to fight him. There are some glorious twists and turns along the way!!
As with the first book, Kiersten White captures the snarky tone of the Buffyverse wonderfully. And, in this book, we get cameos by several familiar characters from the original series—those were a true treat (I loved one in particular, but I don’t want to spoil who it was).
I hadn’t realized this was a duology, but by the end of the book everything felt wrapped up pretty perfectly, so I wasn’t surprised when a little research revealed that fact. (Who knows, though—it’s always possible White could revisit these new friends. I certainly wouldn’t complain if that was the case.)
Basically, if you’re a fan of the Buffyverse, Kiersten White or paranormal books in general, you should definitely pick this series up. You will not be disappointed!!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author
Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of the And I Darken trilogy, the Paranormalcy trilogy, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Slayer, The Guinevere Deception, and many other novels. Kiersten lives with her family in sunny San Diego, California, where she perpetually lurks in the shadows.
The publisher gave me permission to do a giveaway of my ARC of the book. Follow the steps in the Rafflecopter to enter to win! (US only).
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23 responses to “Chosen by Kiersten White: Release Day Review & Giveaway!”
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I haven’t read book #1 yet, and these books are unlike any other I’ve read before. Thanks for the chance!
Good luck!! 🙂
oooo this looks really good and your excellent review sold me. i’ll be checking out book one
Yay!! I definitely support that decision. 🙂
Yay! I definitely support that decision!! 🙂
That sounds fun. I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Oh, you should definitely read this series, then!!
I actually started watching Buffy AFTER reading Slayer! Totally backwards, I know. The book peaked my interest, and I’m nearly finished with the second season. It sort of reminds me of watching Charmed growing up. 🙂
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? ?
I loved Charmed too—I agree that they’re similarly themed (though Buffy has a much more snarky tone). I’m so glad that Slayer got you interested in the original series!!
I loved Doug as well! Love your Spike Pop funko as well! Great review, I loved this book too. I didn’t realize it was only going to be a duology either, and am very disappointed. I wanted a whole series!
I’m pretty sure Spike was a gift from a Secret Sister at some point. I love him too!!
In some ways I’m disappointed that there won’t be more books, but in some ways I find a duology very satisfying. I’m torn!
I really loved the first book and I’m dying to know what happens next!
I hope you love this one too!
I still need to read Slayer! Glad you loved this one!!
You should definitely read these! So good!!
I was a HUGE fan of Buffy and when I watch it now I think it still holds up. Other than cell phones – there would be no show if there were cell phones lol
Karen @ For What It’s worth
Hahaha! That’s so funny—I never really thought about the cell phone thing. 🙂
Slayer has been on my bookshelf since last year and I’ve completely neglected it. I’m glad to know that this has released though so I can read the complete duology in one go! (When I finally buy Chosen…)
I’ve missed the Buffy-verse.
In some ways, it’s better when it ends up that way—a duology is perfect for bingeing because it’s not overwhelming. Hope you love it!
It sounds like this was a good conclusion to the duology and I am glad you could enjoy how everything wrapped up. It sounds like the complex relationships were the main thing in this book that made it shine but it’s good it has a solid plot as well.
Yes, I’m so glad that this book lived up to my high expectations!!
I have always loved Buffy. Miss the show so much. I would love to read this one to get my Buffy fix.
You should definitely read it then!