Grr, arg! I grew up on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was SO ready to jump back into the universe with a new entry. In Every Generation by Kendare Blake had such an exciting premise: bringing the Slayer mythos into a new era with a fresh spin. The story takes place nearly two decades after end of season 7 of BtVS and follows Frankie, Willow’s daughter, a witch and somehow the new Slayer.
The idea of having the next Slayer be born with witch powers felt like it could open SO MANY doors for new kinds of storytelling and battles. Add to that, a mystery to solve regarding what happened to all the other slayers? I was SAT and ready.
The story has an overarching villain that threatens the narrative while also following into a familiar form with Frankie and the new Scoobies honing their skills on villains of the week. The execution of Frankie’s skills left me a little underwhelmed as most of the magic boiled down to what felt like glorified telekinetic knife throwing, making the powers feel repetitive and lackluster.
The book does a solid job of introducing the new people and re-familiarizing us with old favorites while building tension and setting up additional books.
This is an easy yes for any fan of BtVS or any other vampire/monster hunter series. Even if it doesn’t always stick the landing, it definitely keeps the Hellmouth spirit alive.
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