This reads like a delightful "a few decades later" fanfic epilogue to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with a sprinkle of meddling kids from Scooby Doo and the most apocalyptic cozy mystery stakes possible. Hines nails every aspect of this monster-of-the-week style urban fantasy, condensed into one standalone novel that somehow still teems with seasons of backstory and callbacks and nods to all the trope staples.

One thing to appreciate here is the how Hines slightly spins all the familiar story beats to make this story breathe. Our semi-retired protagonists don't quite read as Golden Girls to me like the blurb, but they have already experienced the change of heart and deprogramming from their youthful slaying days, and the maturity that only comes with age and experience is crucial to making this story stand out. It's still a classic "heroes/heroines save the day with the power of friendship" story, but the execution of all these subtle tweaks makes it feel fresh and endearing.

Just a great time reading this all around.

this was such so cozy and well written, entertaining from start to finish. buffy the vampire slayer is one of my favorite shows, so i couldn’t help but imagine the characters from it as i read this but you know older. this book has such a unique concept and is utterly entertaining from beginning to end. i loved seeing older protagonists in the spotlight, it’s so refreshing and something i’ve never read before.

the multiple POVs added so much depth to the story, giving each character their own arc and emotional weight making them really well developed. the found family element will always be a win for me. i’ll definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC — opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really liked this book. It checks the boxes for a cozy read but there is a lot more action and danger than would be expected, and the stakes were literally the fate of the world. That’s a lot to ask of two middle-aged retired monster hunters and a ninety-nine year old wizard with a sentient house. Jenny was a Hunter of Artemis ridding the world of monsters until she had an epiphany about the ethics of turning a thirteen year old girl into a weapon. It’s been twenty years and she and her friend Annette, a half demon P.I. who chased down the supernatural but now wants to reconnect with her family live with the wizard Temple selling books and gifts in Salem. Unfortunately someone from the past has some unresolved issues and is trying to open a way for an Elder God. There is a lot of action and danger, a very few swear words; but there is child endangerment, if that triggers you. It is a cozy, though, so it ends well. The characters are likable and understandable, the story moves along at a brisk pace and the ending is satisfying while leaving room for further adventures. Thanks go to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Slayers of Old is clearly, obviously Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic, with Jennifer Winter, a Hunter of Artemis, standing in for Buffy Summers; a demon whose name begins with An-; a teenage group of monster-killers--here the Slay Team replaces the Scoobies--a Watcher (oops, Guardian) from a Council of old white men who get teen girls to fight evil for them, and who has a relationship with the Slayer's--I mean Hunter's--mom, a Bad Xander whose name is, in fact, Alex, a Faith stand-in (Hope), and so much more. That said, part of the fun of reading it was finding the references and Easter eggs and being happy about the changes introduced--the more diverse Slay Team beats the mostly-white Scoobies for representation by a long shot. And it's a fun read! Jennifer, Annette (a succubus), and their magician friend Temple share a magic house/bookshop in Salem, where they have a mostly quiet life among the other supernatural folks of the area, until they're suddenly attacked and have to fight for their families, friends, and home. I loved the Artemis of this book, who likes Beyonce and Taylor Swift, and the characters are nicely developed and individual. There's banter and quips and good fighting scenes, and teamwork and community coming together in the best ways possible. I'm delighted to recommend it to my readers!

Have you ever wondered what life would be like for Buffy and her friends 30 years in the future?

Slayers of Old follows the aging trio of Jenny, Annette and Temple as they come face to face with an apocalyptic supernatural threat that forces them out of retirement. I found the book to be decently well paced with a fairly interesting concept, but the true standout were the characters. They were funny, caring, and fleshed out enough that I was able to get a feel for who they are and what they’ve gone through - even though we’re picking up years after they’ve stepped away from their heroic pasts.

I would give Slayers of Old a solid 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed my time with it, and I think Jim Hines did a good job at following through with a premise that could have potentially not landed as well in someone else’s hands.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Fans of Jig the Dragonslayer will be a bit disappointed, I think. The prose is middle-of-the-road, the characters are formulaic, the plot fairly pedestrian, and overall it reads like a YA urban fantasy.
There is very little depth to the concept of older slayers (the gradual decomposition of the aging human body isn't quite the issue if you have magical healing spells etc on hand), and the constant snacking on sugar-rich foods seemed, again, more aimed at a teen market. Only occasionally does the humour and wit present in the Jig Chronicles surface, and - ironically - there is far more social commentary in those 100% fantasy books, than in this half-set-in-the-real world story.
I only finished this out of loyalty to Jig, and wouldn't be rushing to read a sequel.
My thanks to Netgalley for the DRC.

Did I request this book solely because of the cover? Yes. Did I end up being completely charmed by the cast of elderly magical beings who come out of retirement to save the world while giving my Xennial heart all the Buffy vibes it didn't know it was missing? Also yes.

This was such a fun, cozy, charming read!

Hines latest is delightful, focusing on an older cast of heroes than usual. The shifting viewpoints worked really well to tell the story, and helped get me attached to all the characters quickly.

This one is a lot of fun and has an urban fantasy feel. There are a *lot* of lightly changed (but in a creative way) things that we've seen before so you get a familiar comfort (e.g. one of the characters is quite similar to a Slayer from Buffy, but there's a divine twist to it and a different backstory, one of the characters is a wizard (but gets most of his power from his house)), but there's also the twist that the protagonists are older and allegedly 'retired'. The personalities are all well drawn, all 3 main characters get viewpoint chapters with their different voices, and there are various plotlines that tie more or less to one of the characters and then bring in the others. I would love to see this as a series but it also works on its own.

Such a fun book! I love seeing books with older characters as MCs, and they were varied with different plots/character arcs. I wouldn't call this 100% cozy, but more of a low-mid modern fantasy, with mystery and humour elements.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I saw retirement age ex-chosen ones with an Eldritch-cat on the cover and I knew I had to read this book.

This book was so unexpectedly funny. I obviously expected it to have humour based on the premise, but didn't expect it to be this good. And wile this was a funny book, it also delivered on the emotional scenes very well and those things are very hard to do at the same time. Funny quips can easily undercut emotional moments, but this book let those moments breathe.

The found family trope and how it was interwoven with the sentient house trope worked great and were very touching. All of the characters were so loveable.

I also really appreciated some of the themes the book explored that wouldn't have been possible (or believe) with a younger cast of characters.

I loved all the cats in the book, especially Squidward and Chunk.

Definitely one of the weirder lover stories I've read. Especially a certain dream sequence.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes A Man Called Ove. It provides the same great balance of funny and emotional writing.

I adored this cozy mystery, featuring three retired former “slayers” of evil. It’s told in the perspective of the three main characters. I thought the characters were fantastic and the story was great. I had a hard time putting this one down and I had a hard time saying goodbye to it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This will be out in October! Make sure to add it to your calendar.

Great comical fantasy novel with lots of magic and things that go bump in the night. Loved the strong female leads and focus on sixty something year old characters. Thank you to the author, enjoyed this a lot. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

A cozy, eldritch horror.
Slayers of old is a fun take on a fantasy/Lovecraft mythos novel that shows not everyone can retire. Fun, relatable characters, and a fast paced plot keeps you turning pages.

You’ll be doing yourself a favor by picking up this book! Who knew kicking butt and saving the world could be so cozy?

Short n’ sweet plot:
A Hunter of Artemis, a half Succubus, and a Wizard gotta save the world.
Again.
Several years past their prime.
Arthritis won’t wait and neither will a hungry god born before time.

Why you’ll want to read:
If you loved Kings of the Wyld, House on the Cerulean Sea, or Killers of a Certain Age, I think you’ll appreciate this one. It’s less gritty than Kings, but still keeps a banter and camaraderie that comes from age old friends.
Older protagonists! They’ve already been through angsty teen years and the mistakes of youth, so you’re left with a wiser batch of heroes.
Multiple POVs, I found seeing from each character helped flesh them out and I appreciated the different forms of magical creatures they were. Their past mattered to the plot!
It’s a found family that keeps on growing.
Page length is perfect for a standalone that keeps its pace steady and engaging.


Thank you so much to Netgalley and DAW for my arc, I had such a great time reading!

Jim Hines is a better and more original writer than some who have won more honours, in my opinion, and this book is an example of that. It's an urban fantasy that's pitched as "Buffy meets Golden Girls," and with some justification. Of the three viewpoint characters (I approve of urban fantasy with multiple first-person viewpoints and an ensemble cast), all of them are, to different degrees, old, ranging from sixties-but-looks-younger-because-supernatural-ancestry to almost a hundred. One was a very Buffy-like child soldier for a group called the Guardians Council, who raise young girls as slayers; she got out because they finally went too far in what they called upon her to do, but not before she'd got her friend group, the Slay Team, in way too deep and messed up all of their lives. One is a half-succubus; she's the Blanche of the group, if you like. The third character is male, a wizard from a long line of wizards, who has a symbiotic relationship with their house, his ancestral home.

They're trying just to run a shop selling books and tourist tat in Salem, Massachusetts, in addition to which the ex-slayer is, presumably as atonement, dedicated to helping and healing members of the local supernatural community. But, of course, they get pulled back in. With the help of a young man from a long line of monster-hunters who takes himself far too seriously, and whose late mother haunts his van, they have to take on a supernatural threat that is recruiting young people to your standard Great Old One cult and causing them to break out in eyes.

Everyone's backstory and every relationship ends up mattering. Everyone gets an arc of development and realization. Everyone, including the villain, believes they're doing what is right, but how you can tell that the protagonists are actually the ones doing what's right is that they don't hurt anyone if they can avoid it (and also they're not seeking power over others at the risk of causing a world-ending disaster).

It's a strong recommendation from me, and I hope it becomes a series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jim C Hines and DAW for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an extremely charming cosy-ish fantasy book about a group of retired magical beings who are forced to come out of retirement to save the world.

The characters were the strongest element of this story, I felt very attached to all of the main and side characters (even the house). I would read a whole series of books following various adventures if Hines were to write more!

I’d recommend this to fans of less intense fantasy such as ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ or ‘Rivers of London’.

A fantastic read! I greatly enjoyed Slayers of Old, and it was exactly as advertised: a cross of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Golden Girls. I enjoyed every little nod to Buffy I spotted, and the whole book felt like an episode of Buffy. I highly recommend this book for all BTVS fans. It was fun, exciting, nostalgic, and just a little tragic. I truly hope to someday see Slayers of Old in theatre.

A delightfully magical adventure filled with humour, heart, and heroic retirees. 🧙‍♀️📚💥

Slayers of Old is like a warm cup of tea spiked with demon-slaying mischief—equal parts cosy and action-packed. Jim C. Hines delivers a fresh and funny take on the “Chosen One” trope, turning it on its head with a cast of retired monster hunters who are older, wiser, and absolutely not here for the nonsense (unless that nonsense involves saving the world… again).

I adored the premise: three former Chosen Ones running a charming bookshop in Salem, content with their quiet life—until ancient creatures start creeping up from the basement. The mix of humour, found family, and magical mayhem makes this an irresistible read, especially for fans of Buffy, Golden Girls, or Legends & Lattes.

There’s a strong sense of friendship and second chances at the heart of this story, and the pacing balances light-hearted moments with real stakes. The banter is witty, the action fun, and the magical elements blend well with a touch of cosy mystery flair. Also, can we talk about how refreshing it is to see older protagonists kicking butt and stealing the spotlight?

Whether you're in it for the magical monsters, the laugh-out-loud dialogue, or the deep appreciation for scones and second chances, this book has charm in spades.

I had high hopes for this one, as the premise had so much potential—part Killers of a Certain Age, with a vibe that reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The mix of older protagonists and an action-packed storyline promised an intriguing read, and the idea of seasoned characters taking on new challenges was definitely appealing. However, while the concept was engaging, I found myself losing interest as the story progressed.

There was plenty happening, but I just found myself getting bored with it at times. Despite the action and the witty moments, the story didn’t quite hold my attention as much as I’d hoped. I wanted to love the characters and the dynamic, but overall, it just didn’t click for me.

While this book wasn’t for me, I can absolutely see how others would enjoy it, especially fans of action-comedy or those who love a bit of snark mixed with supernatural elements. If you’re looking for something light, with a dash of mystery and humor, this could be a good pick!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.