Review: Slayer by Kiersten White

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.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

This was my second book by Kiersten White and this one was a completely different (and much better) experience than the first. I really enjoyed this book! I listened to the audiobook version, which is read by Madeleine Maby. She actually happens to be one of my favorite audiobook narrators simply because she also reads the Colleen Hoover books! She did an excellent job as she always does, at bringing the book to life. Seriously, her voice was absolutely perfect for this character and story! But let me go into detail regarding the rest of the book.

Aside from that, though, I went into Slayer pretty blind and distant. It was one of the first anticipated releases of 2019 I was reading, I didn’t like the last K-White book I read, and I’m not really a Buffy follower. I thought the book was literally ‘about’ Buffy, the vampire slayer, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find a kind of spin off who rather despised Buffy. Don’t get me wrong–the book isn’t about disliking Buffy or anything, but the concept is that our MC, Nina, comes from a line of Watchers. Her father was Buffy’s Watcher–or one of them–and she is the reason her father was killed, as well as the reason the world is ending, and the reason for this and that and the other and, well, you get the point.

So anyway, what I loved about this book: Nina was a great female character. She went from weakling (the clumsiest, first aid geek and Watcher flunkie we could ever imagine) through a progression towards slayer-in-training throughout this book. And it really was a progression. She had her ups and downs, she made her mistakes, she trusted the wrong people at times, and I thought that was all realistic and relatable enough for me. Well, as relatable enough as a PRN fantasy can be. The side characters were pretty fun. There wasn’t really romance but–surprise!–there was a f/f relationship in the book. So take that for what you will! Lastly, I really enjoyed Nina’s sense of humor and sarcasm. Maybe its not for everyone and maybe its something that was brought out more in the audiobook, but I absolutely thought that that was a fantastic addition to the book!

And there you have it, folks. Slayer was my first 5-star rating of the year 2019 and I was in no way expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I am so glad that I picked it up, and even more happy that I went for the audiobook.

So what do you think–have you read it? What do you think? Are you anti-Buffy like Nina is? Post your thoughts in the comments!