Review: Chosen (Slayer #2)

I’m a Buffy fan from way back. What did I think about Chosen and the Slayer series (which, according to Goodreads, is a duology which wraps up with this book.) Read my review of Chosen and find out!

Chosen (Slayer #2) by Kiersten White. To be published on January 7, 2020 by Simon Pulse.

Synopsis: 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. 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.

Review: Chosen (Slayer #2)

Even though I’ve reviewed book one, I’m going to make this more about my thoughts on the duology in general. You can read my review of Slayer here.

To recap, these books take place after the show, but also incorporate a major event from the graphic novels, which I did not read.

The Slayer duology focuses on twin daughters of Buffy’s first watcher, Merrill Jameson-Smythe. Athena (Nina) was training to be a healer, and Artemis to be a watcher. But (minor spoiler): at the beginning of book one, Nina discovers that she actually is a Slayer. Then (in the graphic novel) Buffy destroys something called the Seed of Wonder, which is the source of all magic and buried at the Hellmouth (Sunnydale).

With no more magic, no more Slayers can be called, though existing Slayers retain their powers. Everyone has to adapt to this new world without magic. Nina, who is the very last Slayer ever to be created, turns her home into a refuge for demons and Watchers.

In Chosen, Artemis has left home with her girlfriend. Nina and her somewhat depleted Scooby gang of Doug, Rhys and Cillian solve a minor mystery. Nina’s still reeling from a betrayal in book one.

These were the things I liked about the duology:

Scooby gang: It wasn’t the original gang, which will always be the best gang, but it was pretty good.

Cameos by Buffy characters: Loved this aspect!

Humor: I always thought that White’s first trilogy (Paranormalcy) had a very Buffy feel and humor. I think she was a great choice to write these books.

Things I liked less:

But because Artemis has fled, Nina and Artemis are not together for the majority of the book. You know how in the second book of a YA trilogy, the two main characters are often split up? That’s how this book felt to me. Artemis was a POV character in Chosen (I can’t remember if she was in Slayer or not), but I wasn’t feeling the sisters’ connection, or their rivalry, as much as I wanted to.

I felt that the heart of these books should have been the story of Nina and Artemis and the way their relationship was turned upside down after they learned Nina was a Slayer.

This was the part of the story that (I felt) had a lot of potential, but also the part that I struggled with. I feel like the book could have done more with this, and that I ultimately didn’t connect that much with either sister. Nina spend a lot of book one hating Buffy. (Admittedly, in the show Buffy spent a long time resenting being a Slayer.) While I think the books captured some of Buffy’s angst in Nina, Buffy also had a lot of true heartbreak and moments of greatness. (To be fair, she had seven seasons to do this.)

In both books, Artemis spends a lot of time being resentful of Nina and of life in general. Perhaps like a certain whiny sister:

I do think that Buffy DID have a great template for a female relationship that was almost like a sister bond, one filled with rivalry, even hatred at times.

Buffy and Faith didn’t always see eye to eye, but Faith was also one of the few people who understood what being a Slayer was like, and the two were often forced to work together. Remember the episode where the two of them switched bodies?

Ultimately, I thought these books I would delve more into these sisters’ relationship and very complicated feelings about each other and their new roles in this drastically changed world.

While I enjoyed being back in the Buffyverse, and I thought that Slayer and Chosen did a good job of capturing Buffy’s world and incorporating her trademark snark and humor, the books didn’t really give me all the Buffy feels I was hoping for. (To be fair, it’s possible that no books would do that.)

And SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! In honor of these books (and Buffy) over the next few days I’ll be posting two new Buffy-themed quizzes:

Which Member of the Buffy Scooby Gang are You?

Which Buffy Villain Are You?

AND a post on:

Best Gifts for Buffy Fans!