This was such a fun book to read. The author has beautifully woven reality and fantasy to create a perfectly blended world in which a woman is a van while a kid just wants ice cream. There is plenty of excitement, action and an epic battle but there is also a touching core message around chosen families and the ties that bind people who love one another.

Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines is everything I love about fantasy wrapped into one page-turning, action-packed story. If you’re a fan of clever world-building, snappy dialogue, and heroes who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, this book is an absolute treat.

The plot is full of twists and turns, but it’s the characters that really drive the story. Hines excels at making even the most battle-hardened slayers feel real, flawed, and relatable. Each character is dealing with their own baggage, their own challenges, and watching them navigate these obstacles—both external and internal—was what kept me hooked. The dynamics between the group of slayers is so well done, full of banter, loyalty, and a surprising amount of heart.

What really stands out to me in Slayers of Old is how Hines subverts typical fantasy tropes. The slayers, while skilled and tough, aren’t invincible or all-knowing. They make mistakes. They second-guess themselves. And that makes the stakes feel even higher, especially as they’re up against dangerous, mysterious enemies from a time long past.

The world-building is immersive without being overwhelming. Hines drops just enough detail to make you feel like you’re truly stepping into this universe, but never bogs you down in too much lore. There’s a balance between action, character development, and world-building that kept me engaged from start to finish.

By the end, I was both satisfied with the resolution and hungry for more. Slayers of Old has the perfect mix of humor, heart, and epic adventure. If you love fantasy that’s both fun and meaningful, I highly recommend this one—it’s a wild ride from beginning to end.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Jenny Winter: Former Hunter of Artemis. Nurse to all kinds of magical creatures. Co-owner of bookstore and gift shop.

Temple Finn: 99-year-old sorcerer. Magically bound to his house. Lactose is now his enemy.

Annette Thorne: Half-succubus. PI Detective. Grandma.

All of them have saved the world on multiple occasions. Can they do it one more time?

#ThxNetGalley #JimC.Hines #SlayersofOld

"All this because you'd rather bring a world-devouring forgotten god to out doorstep than go to therapy."

Ex Hunter of Artemis, half Succubus retired private investigator and a sorcerer own a book and trinkets shop, sound like a start of a joke huh? But it's actually start of a great book with unique, greatly fleshed out characters. The humor was top notch, the three main characters were such a delight to follow and their friendship and squabbles made me laugh so many times I lost track, all of them witty and intelligent. The three seniors were such a breath of fresh air, even though they are quite far along in their lives, they still have the youthful spirit that can not be squelched by arthritis or hot flashes.

There were so many crazy good things in this book, such as Cthulhu-like kitty, possessed van, goddess who loves getting tributes in form of pop song and a sentient house!

I loved how the house is ingrained in their lives and helps them with everyday mundane stuff such as providing bigger closets, additional rooms for quests, opening and closing doors when one needs it, but also offering protection from those who want to harm them.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review, I absolutely loved it!

This was such a fun and cozy read! It took me back to my childhood of watching Buffy. I 1000% enjoyed every single word of this book and it's definitely on my favorites list for 2025.

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.