“Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.”
So goes the opening of the iconic 90s cult favorite “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and so begins the next chapter in the Buffyverse. After a tragic sequences of events, Buffy, Faith and all the other slayers are thought to be dead. Xander and Dawn are trying to piece together what happened, who is responsible and if everyone is truly gone or if some magic saved them.
Enter Frankie Rosenberg, daughter of Buffy’s best friend and once powerful witch Willow Rosenberg. She’s trying to make her way though Sunnydale High School like everyone who came before her when a new girl named Hailey shows up with more information about the attack on the slayers. Her sister, who was one of them, is also feared dead. And while the Hellmouth seems to be dormant for now, an old evil has also rolled into town and is trying to reopen it.
Frankie soon figures out she’s one of the chosen and the first slayer witch. With the help of Hailey and her friend Jake, who happens to be a werewolf, they’ll form a new Scooby-gang, enlist Spike as her watcher and try to take out the big bad before they bring havoc down upon Sunnydale again.
“In Every Generation” by Kendare Blake introduces us to a whole new cast of characters while also keeping in some of the originals from the Buffy TV show. It’s an immensely enjoyable read that manages to capture the same tone and personalities of the characters – something that was probably hard to do for a writer who didn’t have a hand in creating the original concept.
The plot feels very authentic too and it was a smart idea to bring in the children of Willow and Oz as main characters while also keeping some of the old favorites as secondary, yet important parts to the overall story of the book. This is a planned three-part series, so it does end with a bit of a cliffhanger which leaves you hungry for more.
There are lots of pro-women and feminist ideals woven throughout, plus some romance, so the book is not ALL action and fits very nicely within the YA genre.
Blake has really done the Buffyverse justice with this novel and even if you aren’t familiar with any of the backstory, new readers should be able to jump right in and feel a part of the world.
Release Date: January 25, 2022.
Four out of Five Stars.