I really enjoy Kiersten White's writing and she did not disappoint with this follow up to the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer saga created by Joss Whedon. This Slayer story keeps to the original mythology, but also has its own twist. The character development is on-point and the story's action will have the reader speeding through pages. I recommend to any fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, adults looking for 90s nostalgia, teens who need a vampire story, and fans of any supernatural retelling.

This book was as exciting as the first - long live badass girl vampire hunters! White does an excellent job with the narrative, per usual.

It was funny, full of action and surprises, a little bit of romance, and Buffy, and slayers, and demons! I completely devoured and loved it!

I wanted to love this one because I enjoyed the first one in the series. As well as being a huge Buffy nerd. However something fell flat for me with this one. I think it was the whole second book syndrome. But unlike in the first book the characters got on my nerves more in this one than than the first one.

Probably. 3.5 stars for me. I love Buffy and wanted a little bit more of that world built in. Writing was good but the pacing seemed a little slow and I lost interest at times.

This is an epic sequel to the first book in this series. If you are a fan of Buffy like Kiersten White you should absolutely pick this one up!

Loved going back into this world. Fun, fast paced, and enjoyable read. At times I do wonder if this book is more for the kids of the 90s and early 2000s but would recommend for anyone.

OMG! Yes!
Ok I thought this was better then the first book, which is saying something because I really enjoyed Slayer!
This book has EVERYTHING! You want some fights? Cool this has it, You want some seriously bas add characters. Yep that too! Vampire are my jam and Kiersten White Stayed (heheh) these books!

Listen, overall if you are looking for a fast pace, plot AND character driven book with action and badassery! READ THIS BOOOOOOK!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed Slayer, but admittedly, I think part of it was that I just enjoyed being back in one of my favorite worlds. I think this one was the same way. Where Slayer had a plot that I could follow and characters I enjoyed, This one just felt kind of flat to me. My absolute favorite part were the cameo appearances and mentions of Buffy and the Scooby Gang. I still didn't like Artemis or Honora and I especially didn't like the parts from her POV. I feel like the actual ending was a bit rushed and could have used more set up so that the ending felt like it had been worked for.

A decent follow-up to "Slayer," readers, will be satisfied with the conclusion to this duology and will enjoy their fill of the twin dynamics between sisters Nina and Artemis. Did it have all the magic of Slayer? Not exactly, but it's fast paced enough to keep readers reading and White's trademark charm and wit. Additionally, a duology is just enough story and I appreciate that White isn't trying to stretch the story out beyond its means. Overall, definitely necessary to add to collections that house "Slayer" and those who enjoyed the first book can still have fun with book two.

Chosen by Kiersten White is the second book in the young adult paranormal fantasy Slayer series.

It takes place in the same world as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A new Slayer is chosen and she begins to come into her powers. In this series Nina and Artemis are twin sisters that have grown up in the Watcher’s Academy. Nina has always been the bit of an outsider finally finding her place at the academy as a healer, but soon it becomes obvious that Nina has been chosen to become the next Slayer gaining all of the abilities that come with the job.

Nina continues to learn how to use her slayer powers against enemies old and new.

We follow the characters we got to know in the first book. The sequel raised some interesting questions about good and evil. Nina continues to grow and begins to accept the light and the darkness that comes with being the slayer.

And the readers are looking forward to hopefully more slayer stories.

Wonderful second to its successor! I really love White's writing and her characters leap off the pages in such a wonderful way. I will be continue to enjoy her books and this series!

I read Slayer, the first book in the series and loved it. It was the perfect nod to Buffy and it made this Buffy heart jump for joy. Chosen was just as good and I loved every single second of it. There was so many Buffy and Faith moments in this book. I highly recommend this series!

I absolutely loved reading this! White does an amazing job doing Buffy right but also making the book her own! I fell in love with each chapter, fell in love with the characters along with the development. I couldn’t stop reading too immersed in the plot and lost in the vivid description of the setting. This series is for fans or for people who have no idea what Buffy is. It is an enjoyable read and White does it once again by making me fall in love with her works. White has done a wonderful job with this second installment, for those who haven’t read the first—please do so! It’s worth picking up. 4.5 STARS

After learning she was a Slayer, Nina did the unthinkable – having to choose, as Buffy once did, between the world and her love. Dealing with the aftermath of the decisions made, her family falling apart, and her heart in shambles – Nina sets out to stop a growing threat, one that she fears is taking her sister from her. Now, the stakes are as high as ever, and she must rely on the one thing she fears the most to help her save everyone she loves.
With Easter Eggs that brought way too many girlish squeals, characters that we know and love, and new ones that we root for; Kiersten White creates a world that feels both brand new and completely like home. CHOSEN will take your heart on a roller coaster of emotions until the very end. After all, isn’t that the life of a Slayer?

Welcome home, Slayers. Welcome home.

Reading Chosen, being back in the Buffyverse, made me feel twenty years younger. It made me feel as if anything - and everything - is possible, the way I did before adulthood punched me in the face. Twenty-something Michelle shouted with joy every time a beloved character entered a scene. Hells, I practically sobbed with joy at every Buffy mention. The nostalgia factor is just as huge in this sequel as it was with the first book.

In this book, Kiersten White really proves that she understands what makes the Buffyverse so special. Yes, she did this to some extent in the first book, but her knowledge of the voice and tics of the story really shine in this second novel. She perfectly captures the tenor of the dialogue and the pacing of the story. She also excels at balancing the violence with the humor with the lessons learned. Plus, her characters are stars in their own right. Nina has the best sense of community. Yet, you totally understand Artemis' desire to feel special. I may have started the Slayer series because of my love of all things Buffy, but I continue to read the series because it is everything I love about Buffy with a modern-day approach to inclusion, duty, and love.

Scheduled to post 1/28/20.

Yup. A good sequel. The story went where it needed to go, despite all the screaming and kicking the characters did to trudge through all that syrupy demon murk.

I felt CHOSEN  was more White and less Buffy, which I'm perfectly okay with. There's nothing wrong with Buffy, of course, but like I mentioned in my SLAYER review about how White dabbled in the Buffy tone but still made it her own? I felt like CHOSEN was all White. The characters settled into her groove, and into their own groove. They found their own snark, their own jokes, and their own dynamic. Kind of hard not to when they all went through what they did.

I'm a fan of the cameos, though. Buffy was far more present in SLAYER, although still not all that present, but we got to see Faith and Oz here, which was kind of awesome. Despite me not watching the entirety of the Buffy series (which I'm remedying now, I'm in season 3), Faith is a character that's very hard to forget and she came through as authentic on the page to what she was in the series, as far as I could remember. Oz was a little harder. Seth Green is one of those actors who's [actor] playing [actor]. Like Nicolas Cage. They either play all the same characters that you have to wonder if that's just the actor or their personality and mannerisms are so obvious that they transcend character. So I remembered Oz and again, didn't get very far into the series, but I didn't remember him being this mystic-type dude. Laid back, sure. But not how he was presented in CHOSEN so it was hard reconciling the two, but that could rightly be entirely on me not getting to that point in his character development in the series.

I really liked the plot in CHOSEN and how Artemis and Nina just kept missing each other. Chance to stop it, nope. Chance to stop it, nope. Chance to stop it, nope. It could have been repetitive but it didn't come off that way. It felt natural and glaringly obvious for a girl trying to find herself in this whole mess (and by girl I mean mostly Artemis). Honora is really the only character I'm meh about. I think considering the ensemble cast, she was mostly relegated to the chorus because there was just too much going on with too many characters (not a bad thing at all, mind) that there just wasn't room for a deeper dive into Honora's character arc. Everyone else, I liked them all.

I wish there was more, but at the very least I still have nearly 4 full seasons of Buffy to get through (plus Angel, if I'm so inclined), plus the rest of the canon reading so I think I can keep myself occupied for a while until White/the publisher realize they should continue on with this series because they can't hang me out to dry like that with Cillian. C'mon.

4.5

Chosen by Kiersten White is the second book in the young adult paranormal fantasy Slayer series. This series is a spin off and takes place in the same world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer after Buffy’s time when a new Slayer is chosen as she begins to come into her powers. This second book has picked up after the end of the first so it’s best to read this fantasy series in order starting with Slayer.

In this series Nina and Artemis are twin sisters that have grown up in the Watcher’s Academy and couldn’t be more different from one another. Artemis has always been the strong and dominant twin training to become the best of the best of the Watchers while Nina has always been the bit of an outsider finally finding her place at the academy as a healer.

However, when a hell hound attacks Nina and her friends Nina quickly dispatches of the demonic beast to the amazement of those around her. Nina finally admits that she has felt different for the past few months and it becomes obvious that Nina has been chosen to become the next Slayer gaining all of the abilities that come with the job.

This series really can be read by anyone whether they were a long time fan with that same feel of the old or whether a new generation of fans who were never caught up in the original. There is just enough explanation of the world to allow new readers to be comfortable with the new characters and their story but also to set the stage of the classic for those that remember that feel too. And while I still feel Kiersten White has done a wonderful job balancing this new series with the iconic feel of the Buffyverse and inserting in her new characters and situations to continue the story this second installment seemed a little predictable to me as I noticed just the moment the story took a twist towards the end and guessed where it would go. Regardless though the series is still a fun read overall I’d just give this second book 3.5 stars in the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book so much. The story was a great, well-crafted adventure, and the characters recall all the best inner turmoil of the original Buffy cast. It was lovely to see some of them turning up in cameos too. I could have done with a bit more romance, but that’s because I’m a sucker for a love story.
All in all, this was a lot of fun.

Now, let’s talk about the next book, Chosen. I enjoyed this book way more than Slayer, and I think it’s because there was a much clearer theme to this book, plus we got to see more and even read from Artemis’s perspective. Really I would go so far as to say that this story is Artemis’s and not Nina’s. Both sisters are struggling emotionally, but while Nina came to terms with herself in the first book-Artemis is the one in Chosen that is really having a rough time accepting the fact that Nina doesn’t need her anymore, that she’s not the strongest anymore, she’s not her mother’s chosen daughter anymore. She has left the watchers, and basically everything has changed. So, Chosen is about Artemis trying to find her way to prove to the watchers and to her sister that she is still important and should be valued equally if not more than Nina, but in the process she keeps mucking things up and continually hurts those she loves.

Another aspect to this book that I really loved was the making of the castle into “Sanctuary”, a place where watchers, slayers, and demons could all live peacefully together. It really reminded me of Halloweentown High to the point that I kept picturing Nina as Marnie! Another movie/show that kept popping into my mind was Monster High. My daughter was obsessed with those movies and dolls a few years ago, and while the dolls were kind of creepy looking, I didn’t mind because the whole show was about acceptance, that no matter what type of monster you were, you were welcome at Monster High. The same applies to Chosen and the Sanctuary Nina started. Really, acceptance is what I felt was the biggest overall concept of the whole book. Because in the end, Artemis finds self-acceptance, and Nina was successful in accepting who she was (extra dose of demon and all), and other slayers, watchers, and demons, maybe even some gods sprinkled in, are accepted at the castle.

We’re not alone in the dark. Not as Slayers, not as sisters, not as friends. Not when we hold the people we love as close as we can.

Kiersten White, Chosen
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an e-arc copy of Chosen for review.