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Discuss: Chapters 25 - Epilogue
- Thread starter Taake
- Start date
Foxy
I am cookie dough!
I just finished it. What an ending. That plot twist??? I have lots of thoughts, but it is 1 am here and I need to go to bed!
Spanky
Scooby
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
- Messages
- 20,004
What was it?!?
Foxy
I am cookie dough!
I predicted a lot of things. This book was a tad bit predictable, but there were a few things which surprised me. I hadn't seen them coming!
What I liked:
What I disliked:
Final thoughts: I think the ending of the book saved the book itself for me. It showed that the author is definitely capable of emotional suspense. There is potential.
I've probably have more to say, but I will save that for in a day or two when all my thoughts have settled.
What I liked:
- Leo also being a demon and having to die. I feel like it raised the stakes (haha, get it?). It's all tortured romance vibe and I liked it. I love the scene where he tries to save her by telling her to run away from the castle, but she thinks he is kidnapping her. I genuinely thought he was going to try to kill her for a while there.
- The plot twist! Imogen has been evil all along! I am looking forward to seeing that plot develop in the next books. I was so convinced Eve was the 'hunter' narrative, but it was Imogen.
- I'm glad that Artemis left with Honora, which hopefully leads to her becoming super evil. A girl can dream, right?
- The scene where Nina has to choose between going after the demon who killed Cillian or save Cillian with CPR. It was a good character piece and I loved that Artemis didn't understand Nina's choice.
- Even though the ending was a bit corny with the castle becoming a Sanctuary, I did kinda dig it. I like that the next generation took over the old tradition-bound Watchers and decided to be useful for once. It will be interesting to see how this will play out in future books.
- Nina's acceptance that she is the Slayer. I liked the bit where Buffy told her she needed to define what a Slayer was in her own terms.
What I disliked:
- Some of the references were really...in your face. Again, this is my main criticism of the book.
- The lesbian romance between Honora and Artemis...felt a bit forced. I'm not sure if I'm a fan.
- Honora suddenly being accepted as good again. I didn't understand it at all and actually went back to see if I had skipped a page.
- I loved that Nina lost her Slayer powers and I get why they were returned to her on the last page, but I'd rather have had that on the first page of the second book. It just felt forced, but I understand it for the sake of the plot. Not sure if I like that angel Leo (or whatever that was) gave her powers back to her.
Final thoughts: I think the ending of the book saved the book itself for me. It showed that the author is definitely capable of emotional suspense. There is potential.
I've probably have more to say, but I will save that for in a day or two when all my thoughts have settled.
ItMustBeBunnies
Bugger off, you brolly!
I finished the book last week.
What happened in it is already a bit fuzzy for me so obviously I wasn't super impressed or invested. I did settle into the story as it went along and just sort of accepted the constant Buffy references.
It could be a bit predictable and repetitive. I found a number of the plot twists really obvious and I had figured them out way before any of the reveals - eg. Eve being the bad guy, Nina getting her slayer powers back at the end etc. The Imogen twist I didn't see coming though so that was nice.
Its not badly written, I liked the majority of the characters and I found it entertaining enough so I got through it quite easily. I will most likely read the next one when it comes out but I wont be rushing to get my hands on it.
So yeah, basically that was one big pile of average to me, sadly.
What happened in it is already a bit fuzzy for me so obviously I wasn't super impressed or invested. I did settle into the story as it went along and just sort of accepted the constant Buffy references.
It could be a bit predictable and repetitive. I found a number of the plot twists really obvious and I had figured them out way before any of the reveals - eg. Eve being the bad guy, Nina getting her slayer powers back at the end etc. The Imogen twist I didn't see coming though so that was nice.
Its not badly written, I liked the majority of the characters and I found it entertaining enough so I got through it quite easily. I will most likely read the next one when it comes out but I wont be rushing to get my hands on it.
So yeah, basically that was one big pile of average to me, sadly.
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"It's different when you're the one with the power. The choices are so much harder and so much more important. What would Buffy do?" (p. 349)
Should've tossed this into the garbage where it belongs at this point. Seriously, seriously!? What would Buffy do?
Not to mention dream conversations with both Faith and Buffy, 'forgiving' Buffy. And did we need like 5-6 references to Buffy's love life with souled vamps and killing Angel in ONE book? Gees louise, the company must've had NO FAITH in this story because they're pushing the Buffy nostalgia way too hard.
I mean:
"She stuck a sword into the man she loved, sending him to hell in order to save the world. She dove into a dimensional portal, closing it - and dying - so her sister wouldn't have to. She destroyed the Sunnydale Hellmouth. She defeated the First Evil. She gave up being an actual goddess so she could save our sad broken little world. Her life has been an endless series of impossible decisions that she's had to make, because if not her, then who? And she's still just a person. Just a young woman." p.365-366
Yeah, Nina didn't like Buffy, but what the actual... did we need a reminder, in a book about Nina, about how wonderful Buffy is? I watch Buffy for that. Is this to pander to old Buffy-fans, or to spoil-excite potential new Buffy fans? Who is this for?
This book taught me not to spend my money on things related to the Buffyverse anymore. I thought I had learned that lesson, but I love YA, I love Buffy, so this hit me in the soft spot and now I feel like fool.
Also Jamison-Smythe sounds like a fanfiction name to me, it was annoying whenever they said it. And yes, the Honora and Artemis romance was strangely forced. I wasn't attached enough to Leo, or their 'romance', to care much about his death. That should've come later. He's the Jesse of this story. Except this is YA, in subsequent books she'll obsess about this as if it was the emotional equivalent of Becoming pt2. Another reason not to read on!
The Imogen twist is the only thing I like. No wait, I also like Doug. Doug was great.
Should've tossed this into the garbage where it belongs at this point. Seriously, seriously!? What would Buffy do?
Not to mention dream conversations with both Faith and Buffy, 'forgiving' Buffy. And did we need like 5-6 references to Buffy's love life with souled vamps and killing Angel in ONE book? Gees louise, the company must've had NO FAITH in this story because they're pushing the Buffy nostalgia way too hard.
I mean:
"She stuck a sword into the man she loved, sending him to hell in order to save the world. She dove into a dimensional portal, closing it - and dying - so her sister wouldn't have to. She destroyed the Sunnydale Hellmouth. She defeated the First Evil. She gave up being an actual goddess so she could save our sad broken little world. Her life has been an endless series of impossible decisions that she's had to make, because if not her, then who? And she's still just a person. Just a young woman." p.365-366
Yeah, Nina didn't like Buffy, but what the actual... did we need a reminder, in a book about Nina, about how wonderful Buffy is? I watch Buffy for that. Is this to pander to old Buffy-fans, or to spoil-excite potential new Buffy fans? Who is this for?
This book taught me not to spend my money on things related to the Buffyverse anymore. I thought I had learned that lesson, but I love YA, I love Buffy, so this hit me in the soft spot and now I feel like fool.
Also Jamison-Smythe sounds like a fanfiction name to me, it was annoying whenever they said it. And yes, the Honora and Artemis romance was strangely forced. I wasn't attached enough to Leo, or their 'romance', to care much about his death. That should've come later. He's the Jesse of this story. Except this is YA, in subsequent books she'll obsess about this as if it was the emotional equivalent of Becoming pt2. Another reason not to read on!
The Imogen twist is the only thing I like. No wait, I also like Doug. Doug was great.
ItMustBeBunnies
Hehe. I'm a bit more lenient than you obviously, but I agree with pretty much everything you just said.
Not to mention the whole... "Oh now I don't have powers anymore everyone finally trusts me enough to lead... but I don't know what to do! Oh well, I guess I just need to look inside myself and find out that I was a true hero all along, I didn't need super powers to save the world." 
Ok, I'll stop ranting about this now.
Ok, I'll stop ranting about this now.
Spanky
Scooby
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
- Messages
- 20,004
Wait. That's not an actual quote is it?Not to mention the whole... "Oh now I don't have powers anymore everyone finally trusts me enough to lead... but I don't know what to do! Oh well, I guess I just need to look inside myself and find out that I was a true hero all along, I didn't need super powers to save the world."
Haha, no, that it is not. Just a summation of the final act.
Spanky
Judging from the other quotes above, I thought it might have been.
Okay, so Nina is a moron. Things that were so completely obvious went right over her head. And her “poor me” stuff was really grating by the end. The book was predictable, but maybe if I was an actual “young adult” I wouldn’t have minded so much. But it was clear from the first she was introduced that Eve was a bad guy. Come on.
Sadly, I still think this is one of the better Buffy books I’ve read.
I too liked Doug. I wish they had had Honora sneak him backstage at a Coldplay concert in the end as a method of redemption instead of having Artemis ride away with her.
I’m assuming book 2 will be a lot about Artemis? Which would make it potentially better.
Sadly, I still think this is one of the better Buffy books I’ve read.
I too liked Doug. I wish they had had Honora sneak him backstage at a Coldplay concert in the end as a method of redemption instead of having Artemis ride away with her.
I’m assuming book 2 will be a lot about Artemis? Which would make it potentially better.