I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In Every Generation by Kendare Blake Series: In Every Generation #1
Published by Disney-Hyperion on January 4 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Young adult
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Inconsistencies, info-dumps and ridiculous situations made this Buffyverse novel a disappointment.
Some spoilers ahead, because I just can’t review this book without them.
Every time a new Buffyverse book comes along, I can hardly wait to jump into it. And every time, I feel dissatisfied by the experience. In Every Generation is the start of a series, and it’s clear that this is only the beginning, because one of the main conflicts of the story isn’t resolved by the end, much to my dismay. I’ll just get this out of the way first. The story opens with an explosion that supposedly kills Buffy, Faith and several other beloved characters from the TV show. Maybe the author’s intention was to open with a bang, so to speak, and create tension right out of the gate, but seriously, killing off Buffy? That is not how you win this particular fan’s heart. And maybe Buffy isn’t really dead, but I’ll never know because I don’t intend to read the rest of the series.
A quick recap of the story: In Every Generation is set about fifteen years after the end of Buffy Season 7. The town of Sunnydale has been rebuilt after the catastrophic events fans are familiar with. (The Hellmouth opened up and was ready to unleash hell on earth, but our scrappy gang of evil fighters managed to save the day with the help of Spike, who sacrificed himself and blew up the Hellmouth, blowing up Sunnydale in the process.) Willow has a daughter named Frankie who now attends the New Sunnydale High School with her best pal Jake, Oz the werewolf’s nephew. Willow no longer does magic, although Frankie has the makings of a talented witch and loves to practice “eco-magic,” doing good things for the environment.
Hailey is the half sister of Vi the Vampire Slayer, who you might remember as a potential slayer in Season 7. Vi and the other remaining slayers are headed to Slayerfest, an annual secret gathering where they can reconnect with each other and discuss slayer business. But when Vi doesn’t return after the event, Hailey begins to worry. When Spike arrives with distressing news—that an explosion has been reported at the site of Slayerfest—Hailey assumes the worst: that her sister and the other slayers are dead. Who would do such a thing? And to what end? And if the slayers are really gone, will a new slayer rise? Frankie is about to find out, as she’s starting to show signs of super strength and the ability to kill vampires. With the help of Hailey and Jake, the three set out to learn the truth about what happened at Slayerfest, all while trying to stop the new evil in town.
So there’s a lot going on in this story. We have the explosion and the person behind it, not to mention the mystery of where the slayers are now (not all their bodies are found in the rubble). Frankie is a new slayer, and not only that, but she’s also a witch, which makes her a slayer-witch (I did not make that up). In this story, Spike the vampire has become Vi’s watcher (ironic, right?), but since Vi is missing, he becomes Frankie’s watcher. Willow and Oz spend a great deal of time reminiscing about the good old days, while Willow mourns the fact that no one seems to respect her anymore—she used to be “bad Willow,” after all, has everyone forgotten already?? The new baddie in town is a famous vampire from history, the Countess Erzsebet Bathory—you know, the one who supposedly bathed in the blood of virgins. Rumor has it she and a slayer-heart-eating demon are trying to kill Frankie, so of course Frankie is going to try to stop her.
One of my favorite things about the TV show was the humor, and here it’s a mixed bag. I laughed out loud at some of the lines, which were really funny, but others fell flat for me. Blake is clearly trying to put her own spin on the Buffyverse while also paying tribute to the characters and the world in general, but it doesn’t always work. One of the biggest head scratchers for me was that Frankie’s birth was a mystical one. According to Willow, right after she channeled the power of the original slayer through the magical scythe in the series finale, she became pregnant, implying that Frankie’s “father” is the essence of the original slayer. Um OK. Maybe that explains why Frankie was called to be a slayer? Even worse, I couldn’t figure out how Sunnydale was rebuilt after the literal cave-in of the town. Fans will remember that Sunnydale looked like this at the end of the series:
That’s right. A big hole in the ground. The fact that anyone would even try to rebuild the town is laughable. I mean I haven’t stopped laughing.
The character portrayals were uneven for me as well. Sometimes Willow and Oz actually sounded like Willow and Oz, but other times their dialog struck a false note and I thought to myself “Willow would never say something like that!” Spike was probably the most convincing of the old guard, and his dialog mostly felt on point. To be honest, none of the new characters really grabbed me. I guess the one I liked the most was a vampire called the Hunter of Thrace. He reminded me a lot of Angel, and it’s hard to tell which side he’s on, so there’s a nice mystery surrounding him.
The author did this weird thing where she inserted a bunch of info-dumps through dialog, mostly (I guess) to bring the casual Buffy fans up to speed. Out of nowhere, one character would say something like “Remember that time when the Hellmouth opened up under the library and we almost died? Good times.” Or this gem from Oz: “I’m glad I got to meet her (Tara). Though I wish I hadn’t turned into a werewolf and tried to maim her.” (recalling that show where Oz turned into a werewolf and tried to kill Tara) She also took memorable lines of dialog and reused them almost verbatim. I suppose she was either trying to show off her knowledge of the show, or she was trying to give her fans Easter eggs. But it didn’t work for me. At one point, one of the characters mentions their “yummy sushi blanket” which really made me groan. (Buffy has as line about her “yummy sushi pajamas” in one episode). If she was going for comedy, I hate to say it, but her timing was way off.
However, there were some things I really enjoyed, like the chapter titles, which are much more on brand with the humor of the show: “Ain’t No Party Like a Hellmouth Party”/“Nobody Remembers All the Dysentery”/“Nobody Eats Buffy Summers’s Heart and Gets Away With It.” I mean, lol. Good job! I also loved the way the ending of Angel is explained (Angel fans will understand what I’m talking about). In short, the elements that worked, really worked, and the ones that didn’t simply bombed.
I know I haven’t really focused on the plot, mostly because it didn’t do much for me. I wanted to feel a kinship to the old characters I know and love, but ultimately, too many worldbuilding and character inconsistencies got in the way. In Every Generation is much more suited to the casual Buffy fan, so do give it a try if it sounds like your cup of tea.
With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I’m not what you would call a Buffy/Angel fan, but I did watch both series (quite recently), and I’m aware they mean a lot for many people, and…I hear you. This sounds like the worst missed opportunity ever. BTW, Spike as a Watcher made me roll my eyes, though I guess he would be a funny one, but…seriously? And the mystical birth? Gimme a break. Also, you’re right, you can hardly “rebuild” a giant hole in the ground LOL (plus, WHY would you, if it’s the literal Hellmouth?). I wonder what Blake’s explanation for the ending of Angel would be though…
Roberta R recently posted…Offbeat Offline: December 2021
Spike as a watcher was ridiculous, honestly. The whole thing felt more like farce than the snarky humor you would expect.
Yeah, everytime I read a buffy piece of fiction I’m left disappointed. I adored the series and unfortunately it always seems to fall flat for me.
It is disappointing. It would be nice to dive back into the world, but it has to work on so many levels for fans.
Oh dear, well, you gave it a try!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…One Sentence Reviews: My 4th Quarter 2021 Reads
And I’ll probably try again when the next one comes along, lol.
Tie-in books prove, more often than not, to be a disappointment for the devoted fans of a series, so I’m sorry that this one fell into that category: given your blogging handle it’s not hard to figure out how much you care for this show and its characters…
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…2021 Best Reads
Yes, that’s why I chose this name (although now I regret my choice, lol). But Buffy books have to strike the right note for me, and this one didn’t.
Too bad this was a serious letdown, though it does increase my desire to rewatch the series.
Definitely do a rewatch! I did last year and it was a blast.
I know I’d share your disappointment. And I was such a show fan, too. Has there ever been a really, really good Buffy novel???
If there has, I haven’t read it, lol. I wouldn’t even mind one of those “between seasons” stories. That could be fun.
Huh. Sounds weird and disappointing. And I guess it ignores the comic “seasons”, which are supposedly canon? I haven’t read any Buffy fiction (although I do have a copy of Slayer to get to at some point), but it sounds like this one would just irritate me. Great review, though!
Yes, she did ignore the comics. I didn’t even mention them, probably because I haven’t read them all so I couldn’t really comment. Honestly it would be hard to follow up the comics with a new story because they are super weird!
Some tv shows are better left alone and they shouldn’t try and write a spin off or what ever this is as it doesn’t really work. I mean it might work for those who never watched Buffy but for those who are fans they will never get it right and starting off with Killing Buffy is not a good start…lol.Think I will give this one a pass.
I agree! Some people love it though, so who knows…
I miss Buffy and the Scooby gang…and rebuilding Sunnydale is hilarious, indeed! Love the pic from the show with your caption…
I just couldn’t believe it when they “rebuilt” the town, and it’s even funnier when you remember how the show ended.
That is so disappointing! Love Buffy, love the author, but guess this one was just not to be.
The tone was just off, I don’t think it was a good fit.
What a disappointment for you. I love Buffy but I wouldn’t call myself a proper hardcore fan – even so I could have been tempted if this was good. And – killed Buffy? Why would you do this?? Anywho, you being the expert between us I defer to your knowledge. Thanks for the heads up.
Lynn 😀
Lynn Williams recently posted…Friday Face Off : Simply the Best – A top 10 read of 2021
I’m wondering if casual fans will even enjoy it…
Not so long ago I rewatched all of Buffy and Angel so it’s all fresh in my head and already I hate the beginning with the explosion that you explained in the review. My heart hurts to even think of it, even if Buffy and the others aren’t really dead. I also don’t like that they rebuild Sunnydale because Buffy seemed to glad to get away from it all. I do kinda wanna know how the author explained the ending of Angel because I hate that ending so much. But yeah I’m gonna stay away from this book.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: Total Law of Attraction by David Che
Yeah, I’m still shaking my head about rebuilding Sunnydale!
Ouch! Sorry to hear it was such a disappointment! Better to re-watch the series, I guess 😉
I am sorry this book was so disappointing and… Bad! I hope your next reading would be amazing and more satisfying!!!
Oh wow, this does sound pretty awful. I think the opening scene alone would have done me in.
Ugh, I kind of get where you’re coming from. But, you know Buffy died so many times on the show and came back, so isn’t it possible/probable that she’ll be back in the series too? I kind of just overlooked a lot of the things that bugged you, because it’s fiction and all the stuff that happened in the show itself often was a bit unbelievable as well, I mean, again, fiction. I loved Spike and felt this brought more of the humor that I loved on the show than the comic series ever did. I gave up on the comic series pretty quickly. So sorry you didn’t enjoy it. You can read my review if you want in the link below!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: In Every Generation by Kendare Blake
I was late to the party on this one, its been on my TBR list for a while and I’m glad to know I’m not alone. I finished the first few chapters but just could not make myself finish it. I have seen so many glowing reviews and all I can think is “are we reading the same book???”