New Pocket novel - Tempted Champions

[SeanGaffney]

Unseen wasn't a glitch - we have genuinely moved the Buffy novels out of Season 3 and into Season 5. The new one is by Yvonne Navarro. I just got it, and haven't had time to search for W/T goodness, but Tara seems to be in the book quite a bit. The stars are Buffy and Anya. (yay for Anya fans!)

--SG

[SeanGaffney]

And now I've skimmed the book.

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There isn't much of either Willow or Tara, to be honest. But we do get them talking about love, and disappointment to Anya. And Willow and Tara do a blessing spell with Dawn to keep Buffy safe (Buffy finds out and gets PISSED, making them promise no more Dawn and magic.)

Dating the book is problematic. The blurb at the front says it's at the beginning of Season 5, which isn't true. It's post-Family, as Anya mentions Tara finding out she's not a demon. It's post-Blood Ties, as Dawn knows she's the Key. And it seems to be post-The Body, as Joyce isn't in it and Buffy speaks about loss (that seems fairly vague). So it's NOT early Season 5 in terms of how characters mention events.

One thing that struck me skimming this is how much Tara has changed since Hush. Tara's not written all that fabulously, to be honest (though not utterly horribly either). She tends to act in show cliches. Either she's the shy girl who blushes when people mention sex, or she's the shy girl who says weird things that cause people to stare at her and *then* she blushes. Sigh. I hope when we get Season 6 books we get strong, forceful, adult Tara.

Still, I wouldn't say don't get this book. It's an excellent book for Anya fans, and Willow and Tara get enough to do so it's worth your $6.99.

--SG

[The Rose]

I think there is already a thread about Buffy novels, but I do not know how to move this stuff. It is called life after "Unseen" and "The Lost Slayer."