Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme - Nerf Herder

Angelfire
Angelfire, Book 1

Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Pages: 464
ARC Acquired From: HarperTeen via NetGalley

Brief Summary:
She is the only one who can kill the forces of evil. With the help of her guardian, she, a teenage girl with amazing strength, will protect humans from Hell's efforts on earth. Her name is Buffy. Oh wait, no, it's not. Ellie, her name is Ellie. The vampire slayer. Wait, wrong again. She is the Preliator and slays reapers. Whatever, same difference.

Review:
There is no way this book would exist without Buffy; even I (who does not gamble ever) would pretty much be willing to lay down money that Moulton was a fan of the show. The main difference between the two stories is that Ellie reincarnates, rather than the powers being reborn in different girls. Also, her guardian is young-looking and hot. And her friends do not help her in her battle or know anything about it.

On the other hand, Ellie, like Buffy, dates the 'good' version of the creatures she kills. Without any other really important character, the book feels like what Buffy would be with just Buffy, Angel and the "I love you, but we can't be together" thing. Oy. Ellie also seems to experience a ridiculous amount of trouble in her battles before winning no matter the difficulty of the enemy being fought (which always seemed to be the case on Buffy too). Gotta keep the battles interesting right? Only, it's not so cool when the supposedly bad ass heroine drops her sword in EVERY SINGLE FIGHT.

I also had trouble taking a heroine seriously when she chooses to dress like a skanky nurse for Halloween. She's really one of those girls? You want to dress slutty on Halloween, fine, but at least use some creativity! Don't just buy a package from a costume labeled sexy nurse, cop, devil, witch, etc. Ellie also will delay practice for battle to put makeup on. A girl like this just is not going to survive very long in this gig. Additionally in the not a smart fighter category is that she continually talks her guardian into not standing watch. Bad plan. In the real world, this would backfire so hard.

While somewhat entertaining, Angelfire does not stand out for me. Buffy fans will find it a weak copy and lament the loss of the excellent ensemble cast which made Buffy so fabulous. Nevertheless, expect this to be pretty popular with teens.

Note: This is the first in a series of four reviews of books I read while on vacation in Cancun last week. :-) That's why they came all in a row.