Sign of the Slayer is a YA fantasy about a senior in HS band member that witnesses and survives a vampire attack on her band bus and finds out that she is a vampire slayer. During that attack she is saved by a mysterious boy that turns out to be a vampire prince. So how is she suppose to kill vampires but work with this one....

I found many pieces of this book confusing and I have to many unanswered questions. While I enjoyed parts of this book I think I was more annoyed with more of it. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit underwhelming. Now I'm a vampire girl so this caught my eye. While it does have Buffy vibes a little bit, Raven is definitely more of a Faith character than a Buffy. I don't know about anyone else, but Faith's attitude was annoying and Raven had so many moments that irked me.

besides Raven, the pacing and the writing style kept me from really enjoying it. The pop culture references were okay, but the slang was a miss for me.

All in all, this book wasn't for me but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Unfortunately, I really did not like Sign of the Slayer. There were quite a few aspects of the book that just did not work for me. To begin with, the writing style and the pacing were both off. The author would spend a lot of time and details on a certain scene that ended up being unimportant and then rush through scenes that were vital to the story. The characters were all over the place too and most were under-developed. Grandma Lou, Charlotte, Richmond, Dakota - none of them got the backstories or the development they needed. The dialogue was forced and unnatural. And, finally, I found the main character, Texas, to be extremely whiney and unlikable. I know she was supposed to be strong and determined, but that is not how she came across. I really struggled to finish this book, and I will not be reading the sequel.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Spoiler ahead!!!
I truly believe that the description of this was correct. It was very Fullmetal Alchemist and Vampire Diaries just with black characters. Aso buffy the vampire slayer. It was a very fun read that had me enthralled the whole time. I even cried while reading this book. I do love the main character there was sometimes I felt annoyed with her but I then thought about her situation. She went from seeing all her friends be killed to then being told she has powers to then being told she can never see her family again to then going from Texas to Atlanta to then being in love with a vampire to then having to basically fight in a war. There was a lot talked about in this book but some of it wasn't explained/talked about as much they needed to be. I thought there was some stuff missing. I truly love the characters and the world-building. It had me thinking what if we had vampires in our world? Some of the plot twists were predictable but some also had me completely shocked. I found a lot of this very relatable and very exciting. I loved a lot of the one-liners and quotes. I would definitely recommend this book to others. I didn't really like the way the sex scene was written but i feel like everyone is different and there were probably people who liked it.

This was a great book based on buffy the vampire slayer TV show. Love any book that is about vampires. Really enjoyed the writing style

Thank you to Entangled Teen for an eARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed it, but it took me a while to get into it. I also found it felt really long. Some of the plot points seemed to be introduced only to be forgotten about for a large chunk of the book. I was expecting more of the Slayer Academy aspect, and I found it to be very minimal. I was also expecting more of Raven and Khamari being partnered to uncover secrets, and that also felt like it was only a minimal part of the story.
Instead what happened was a bunch of different plots that seemed kind of crazy and intense all happening one after another. I think that the book could have benefited from having some of this cut out, and introduced later.
The parts about Raven and Khamari’s history felt like they were thrown in just to create a past and tragedy. I liked their relationship and how it was developing until that was dropped. I also felt like both Raven and Khamari ran hot and cold and were back and forth a lot on their feelings and actions. Khamari’s POV was interesting, and I liked seeing more of the vampire powers and politics.
I did like the way that the author wrote the action and fight scenes. I thought they were intense and exciting, and the book really picked up around the 70% mark for me and I couldn’t put it down. I also liked the way that the author explored the character dynamics and relationships. I thought Charlotte was intriguing, and I liked seeing Rose challenge Raven’s views. I wish that more had been explored with some of those characters, but I did like the secondary characters.
Overall I liked this one and I’ll probably be reading the sequel to find out what happens with the Alexander plot and discover more secrets about slayers.

A colleague of mine sent me this because of the Full Metal Alchemist and Vampire Diaries tagline. That is probably the most accurate description of this book. It is a little dark at times but all around very well written.

Give me anything with Vampire Slayers and I'll gobble it up. I loved Harris' take on this genre and this kind of story. It was fresh and unique.

Apparently the leap from Marching Band to Vampire Slayer Academy is not that big for some people, specifically brand-new slayer, Raven. She is my kind of heroine – quick-witted and a certified butt-kicker!

I had a lot of fun reading Sign of the Slayer. From the hilarious, snarky one-liners and dialogue to the 90s/early 2000s pop culture references to the code names. The world building that included vampire lore and a hi-tech slayer academy are easy to latch onto and you find yourself wanting to learn more right along with Raven.

I also feel like it wouldn’t be a proper slayer story without a little romance with the supposed enemy. I enjoyed watching the dynamic between Prince Khamari and Raven aka Texas unfold. Especially since she has trust issues with him being a vampire. And I’m liking the flavor of a possible love triangle blossoming too.

I’m looking forward to this being a series!!!! If you grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then you are definitely going to want to check this book out.

This book is advertised as Fullmetal Alchemist meets The Vampire Diaries ad that feels pretty accurate. It’s also what drew me into the story. That’s my favorite anime after all. Add in that the main character is Black and I was sold!

The FMA influence is strong. And there were some things about the vampires that I really liked. Like vampires that were made by being bitten are called ticks (derogatory) and I adored that! It was smart, it was funny.

Now, I will say this book suffers from having a lot of ideas in it. To the point where some things aren’t explained very well and that left me feeling a little lost but context was always enough to get me back on track. The unfortunate thing is that happened a few times. I feel like some of the ideas could have been streamlined.

Now where this book absolutely shines is character voice. I was laughing hard while reading. I highlighted so many lines. This character is funny. Very funny. And it was so refreshing to read a character who I could see myself in. Who talked like me and my family.

While it has some issues, I’m giving this a 4 out of 5. The character kept me reading, even when I was tired. I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks so much to them and the publisher.

I really liked the storyline and plot of this story, as well as Raven. Sometimes main characters just can be a hit or miss, but I enjoyed her. I also really liked the worldbuilding and the Slayer Society!

I loved everything about this book. Alchemy, Egyptian mythology. Historical parallels. Revenge. Secrets. Forbidden love.

I ended up dnfing this book. the writing style just wasn’t for me. however i really liked the mc and the whole concept of the story! i’ve been thinking about attempting it again!

Talk about a thrilling read! Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris sees the introduction of two different societies mixed with classic tropes, urban fantasy staples, and tons of actions.

Meet Raven. Her world is turned upside down when her friend is murdered. By vampires. Then, she discovers she’s a vampire slayer. She is pulled into the Slayer Society and is planning to seek vengeance, but she has a lot to learn. She has to work with a Prince to gather intel on disruptive vampires. What could go wrong?

I adored Raven and her personality. Harris was able to engage me throughout the story and I loved the different elements of the magic system. I was also here for the Buffy references! As someone who watched the show, I found them to be warm hugs when I least expected it. My biggest nod to Harris is for the historical and present-day elements of Southern and Black culture that was woven throughout the story. Three cheers for Harris and a terrific read!

I love it when books call to me. It’s a sign that I’m going to be invested in the story and really like it, if not love it beyond words. Sharina Harris’s Sign of the Slayer was truly everything.

Eighteen-year-old small-town Texas girl, Raven is simply trying to survive high school and overcome her past. The bright side is she’s currently the section leader of her high school band’s saxophone section. The downside, her life as she knows it will be changed forever when the band bus gets into an accident and she gets thrust into a world she didn’t know existed. Good thing her Grandma Lou taught her how to fight.

The bus accident was no simple accident, thanks to the vampires who attacked it. When Raven sees a man fighting off the vampires, she’s compelled to help him. When she survives the attack, he tells her that she’s now a slayer and takes her to a rundown motel. Leaving her there, he says someone will come to help her. That someone turns out to be Charlotte, co-leader of the Slayer Society, and her boyfriend Richmond who happens to be the Maximus, the strongest of vampire slayers. Raven is then taken to Atlanta, Georgia, and the Tria Prima Academy where she will live and be trained. Unfortunately, this means that she isn’t able to have any sort of communication with anyone from her past. That includes her Grandma Lou.

At slayer academy, Raven excels and quickly becomes an unofficial trusted leader. So much so that she gets welcomed into the inner sanctum. She soon learns that her mystery stranger is none other than Khamari St. John who isn’t just a vampire, but a prince and the future king of the Ankh clan. While Khamari is an ally of the slayers, there are others in the clan who frown upon this. Especially when there is something big in the works.

Sign of the Slayer is an enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance. I thought I was going to get a Buffy/Angel type story. Nope. This story was so much better than I ever could have imagined. Raven is smart, determined, fierce, and snarky. There’s so much more to her and her story than she even knows. Khamari hides a lot of secrets, but his feelings for Raven aren’t one of them. Their banter is oftentimes fun. Sharina had me glued to the pages of this upper young adult fantasy that’s full of betrayal and mystery. There are so many twists, turns, and surprises in this story. Intense is a very good word to describe this book. You will be left with so many questions and theories. I can not wait for the next book. Because “The war has yet to come.”

It should be noted that this story contains death and violence. Check the publisher’s website for more warnings.

~ Favorite Quotes ~

“Your mind and imagination are your greatest weapons.”

“The more you learn, the better your odds of survival.”

“There are no victors in war.”

“You are something else. Something special.”

“I think you can achieve anything you direct your energy toward.”

“I’m stronger than you think.”

“A mother’s love is too strong.”

“You’ve got to have faith.”

“It’s never too late. Don’t give up.”

“Don’t be afraid of who you are. Trust the voice inside of you.”

“You’re everything.”

I loved the writing style and how Raven came across the page. She felt like a real person especially with her thoughts and dialogue. I didn't really love the plot, for so much going on it felt slow still? I got about 40% through before I just wasn't interested in picking it back up. I really loved how the characters were written though so I won't totally write this one off.

When I first started reading Sign of the Slayer I had some trouble staying focused on it. It felt like it was trying to do too much too fast, but as I kept reading, I saw the world that Sharina Harris was building and found myself unable to stop reading. Raven's journey into the world of the slayers is unique enough to keep you immersed but self-aware enough to make jokes about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though many of the "reveals" were telegraphed pretty far in advance (if you were watching for them), they still gave the story the necessary umph to launch into the next part. By the time the novel ended, I wasn't ready to leave the world Harris had created and I look forward to seeing where she takes her slayers in the future.

Enjoyable, but for me not one I would reach for again!

The pacing was a bit slow, and then all over the place, but that kind of fits with Ravens chaotic journey!

I loved the geeky pop culture references, and definitely recommend if you’re a dark academia lover with some vampires and supernatural vibes mixed in!

Sharinaaaaaaaaa!!!! 👏🏾 Do I have a new favorite author?! Abso-freaking-lutely!! This book was amazing!! AHMazinggggg! It’s like Legendborn and Vampire Dairies had a baby and made this beautiful work of art! *chef kiss*

First of all, Mrs. Sharina got me with the Prairie View reference! Immediately hooked! Immediately! Because duh, Prairie View A&M is a fine institution! One of the finest! And I was laughing throughout this book! Like wheeeeeezing! Had my husband looking at me like something was wrong with me 😂

I loved Robin/Texas and I related with her so much! Her snarky comments, her nonchalant demeanor; Robin didn’t care who she was talking to, she showed her 100% self, 1000% of the time and had no problems letting anyone know what was on her mind!

I loved the characters and their development throughout the book! The plot unfolded so well and there was a wonderful amount of action from the jump! I loved that I didn’t have to wait for world building or explanation of the slayer society for the action to pop off! And Robin was getting in some vampire ass immediately! I just loved it!

I am no Sherlock Holmes, but I predicted a few of the twists in the book. I am a-ok with that because it did not take away from my book experience at all! I stayed up until 4am to finish this book, and it was well worth it!

I cannot wait for the next book, and I would love to meet Mrs. Harris in person! Ma’am, when are you coming to the DFW area! I want to give you a hug and take a picture with you! Also, where can I get a signed book?!