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The Bewitching Hour: A Tara Prequel
In this Buffy the Vampire Slayer prequel, fan-favorite and LGBTQIA+ icon Tara Maclay gets the main character treatment . . . whether she wants it or not.
Tara Maclay isn’t thrilled to be in a new town for her senior year of high school. She misses her mom, her garden, her magic—and the way her dad treated her before her mom passed. But if Tara can just keep her head down, then maybe she can make it through this year in Hellborne, Vermont without the town living up to its name.
Of course, her plan falls apart immediately, as dead students start turning up around her, and she’s suddenly voted Most Likely To Have Murdered Them by the rest of the senior class. Oh, and the fellow new girl Tara’s crushing on? Turns out to be a witch-hunter. . . . So maybe it’s not the worst thing that Tara’s magic is majorly malfunctioning.
As the body count rises, Tara has to get past her fears, reconnect with her magic, and cast herself in a more central role to save the town—even if it means putting her new relationship at risk.
The Bewitching Hour is a full of '90s nostalgia, mysterious murders, and a star-crossed sapphic romance, blended perfectly together by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ashley Poston.
Tara Maclay isn’t thrilled to be in a new town for her senior year of high school. She misses her mom, her garden, her magic—and the way her dad treated her before her mom passed. But if Tara can just keep her head down, then maybe she can make it through this year in Hellborne, Vermont without the town living up to its name.
Of course, her plan falls apart immediately, as dead students start turning up around her, and she’s suddenly voted Most Likely To Have Murdered Them by the rest of the senior class. Oh, and the fellow new girl Tara’s crushing on? Turns out to be a witch-hunter. . . . So maybe it’s not the worst thing that Tara’s magic is majorly malfunctioning.
As the body count rises, Tara has to get past her fears, reconnect with her magic, and cast herself in a more central role to save the town—even if it means putting her new relationship at risk.
The Bewitching Hour is a full of '90s nostalgia, mysterious murders, and a star-crossed sapphic romance, blended perfectly together by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ashley Poston.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2023
About the author
Ashley Poston
47 books27.7k followersNew York Times best-seller by day, fanfic author by night.
Viist her at www.ashposton.com.
Viist her at www.ashposton.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
September 4, 2023
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is a book based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is a prequel as we explore the character Tara before she even thinks about being in Sunnydale. In this one Tara's family moves to a new town where teenage boys are being murdered. Tara believes this is the work of a witch and soon she is involved with her own version of the Scooby gang to find out what is going on.
This is the second prequel that has been released in this universe and I enjoyed this one a little more. For the most part I thought the author did a very good job with her time in this universe. There were a couple of flaws. The author did a terrific portrayal of the main character. I had no problem picturing the character from the television series. As for the rest of the characters I was split. I enjoyed the addition of a couple of characters but other characters were not differentiated enough. This was a problem when we were dealing with the mystery as the suspects ran into each other. As for the mystery I did not think it was anything special until the payoff. That was excellent as the author brought it full circle which I appreciated. Getting back to the characters it seemed incidents would happen that did not make complete sense or were not fully explained. At parts of the story it felt like the progression did not happen organically.
I believe your overall enjoyment of this novel depends how much you like the character from the show. If you are team Tara thru and thru you most likely will get the full compliment of enjoyment from this book. I am not a member of that team and I had some minor issues with this story. These issues were not enough to completely affect my enjoyment of this book but enough that I noticed them.
This is a book based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is a prequel as we explore the character Tara before she even thinks about being in Sunnydale. In this one Tara's family moves to a new town where teenage boys are being murdered. Tara believes this is the work of a witch and soon she is involved with her own version of the Scooby gang to find out what is going on.
This is the second prequel that has been released in this universe and I enjoyed this one a little more. For the most part I thought the author did a very good job with her time in this universe. There were a couple of flaws. The author did a terrific portrayal of the main character. I had no problem picturing the character from the television series. As for the rest of the characters I was split. I enjoyed the addition of a couple of characters but other characters were not differentiated enough. This was a problem when we were dealing with the mystery as the suspects ran into each other. As for the mystery I did not think it was anything special until the payoff. That was excellent as the author brought it full circle which I appreciated. Getting back to the characters it seemed incidents would happen that did not make complete sense or were not fully explained. At parts of the story it felt like the progression did not happen organically.
I believe your overall enjoyment of this novel depends how much you like the character from the show. If you are team Tara thru and thru you most likely will get the full compliment of enjoyment from this book. I am not a member of that team and I had some minor issues with this story. These issues were not enough to completely affect my enjoyment of this book but enough that I noticed them.
January 11, 2023
*whispers* please don't do my lesbian witch love dirty. Tara Maclay means everything to me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Love that Tara's character is kept true to herself. Love that her love interest is a Black girl. Love that Baz is an asexual demon. Just a lot of love for that.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Love that Tara's character is kept true to herself. Love that her love interest is a Black girl. Love that Baz is an asexual demon. Just a lot of love for that.
March 16, 2023
I’m always a bit skeptical when it comes to reading new Buffyverse novels — the show is my favourite thing in the world, and I’m not a huge fan of continuing the story outside of the seven seasons. I ended up enjoying The Bewitching Hour much more than I thought I would and, even though it’s not without its flaws, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to Buffy fans.
The Bewitching Hour is a prequel story centred around Tara Maclay during her high school senior year in Hellborne, before she arrives at UC Sunnydale and meets the Scooby Gang. It delves into her troubled family history, her witchcraft, and her life outside of the Hellmouth, and it’s actually a really decent portrayal of her character. She’s the literary embodiment of Amber Benson’s on-screen persona, and I enjoyed seeing more of her past than the show was ever able to explore.
Of all the other characters introduced in this book, Bastion ‘Baz’ Leto is my absolute favourite. I loved everything about him, and I’m really hoping he might show up in another prequel Buffy novel somewhere down the line, even if it’s just a quick mention. Daphne is also a great new addition, befriending Tara as the fellow new girl, and being a lot more important than I initially thought she would be.
The Bewitching Hour has its fair share of Buffy references thrown in, but it can easily be read as a standalone novel without needing to watch the show or have any prior knowledge of the world of Buffy. It’s a bit slow in places and doesn’t always have the best writing, but overall it’s a very enjoyable foray into Tara’s life. She’s a beloved character among fans, and I’m glad this book did her justice.
3.5/5.
The Bewitching Hour is a prequel story centred around Tara Maclay during her high school senior year in Hellborne, before she arrives at UC Sunnydale and meets the Scooby Gang. It delves into her troubled family history, her witchcraft, and her life outside of the Hellmouth, and it’s actually a really decent portrayal of her character. She’s the literary embodiment of Amber Benson’s on-screen persona, and I enjoyed seeing more of her past than the show was ever able to explore.
Of all the other characters introduced in this book, Bastion ‘Baz’ Leto is my absolute favourite. I loved everything about him, and I’m really hoping he might show up in another prequel Buffy novel somewhere down the line, even if it’s just a quick mention. Daphne is also a great new addition, befriending Tara as the fellow new girl, and being a lot more important than I initially thought she would be.
The Bewitching Hour has its fair share of Buffy references thrown in, but it can easily be read as a standalone novel without needing to watch the show or have any prior knowledge of the world of Buffy. It’s a bit slow in places and doesn’t always have the best writing, but overall it’s a very enjoyable foray into Tara’s life. She’s a beloved character among fans, and I’m glad this book did her justice.
3.5/5.
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March 29, 2024Poor Tara! Her family are awful to her after her mother's death and she goes through so much. :(
Other Buffyverse Reviews:
My review of Pretty Maids All in a Row Christopher Golden is here.
My review of In Every Generation by Kendare Blake is here.
My review of Bloody Fool for Love by William Ritter is here.
My review of Slayer by Kiersten White is here.
My review of Big Bad by Lily Anderson is here.
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
Other Buffyverse Reviews:
My review of Pretty Maids All in a Row Christopher Golden is here.
My review of In Every Generation by Kendare Blake is here.
My review of Bloody Fool for Love by William Ritter is here.
My review of Slayer by Kiersten White is here.
My review of Big Bad by Lily Anderson is here.
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
August 15, 2023
I was really excited for this book, as I have enjoyed some of the author's other works, the recent Spike YA novel was pretty good, and I love Tara as a character-- but I hate to report that this one is just extremely basic. If you've even read only one other YA supernatural book, this one will still not stand out; it follows every single trope, the writing is mid, and the plot is so basic. This was maybe trying to be a "love letter" to supernatural YA books, but it only succeeded in coming across as very uninspired. I wish we had focused much more on Tara's home life and her struggle with being told she's a "demon" because of her witch powers; that was interesting. It didn't make sense to me that we spent 90% of the book at high school with characters I couldn't keep track of in a mystery I didn't care about. I spent the first half of the book not loving it, but thinking it would get better; it did not and only doubled down on everything I wasn't enjoying. It felt like an original book that no one wanted to publish until someone suggested "Hey, make it a Buffy prequel!" I take no pleasure in saying any of this because I love Tara and being in the Buffyverse, but this book didn't provide a story that justified using Tara or even make it feel like I was having a fun adventure in the same world as the TV show. To me, it failed the two main things it needed to accomplish and much more. PS: the nicknames in this book were the most cringe I've ever seen. 2.5/5 stars for the potential I glimpsed and the author's note because it seems like Poston actually really loves the Tara character, which makes it all the more depressing this book didn't live up to the hype.
July 8, 2023
Thank you to Disney Publishing for giving me an ARC at ALAAC23!
One of the biggest crocks of absolute horseshit on my beloved BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER was when they killed Tara off to give Willow a reason to lose it and go all Dark Willow on Sunnydale. For one, it was probably one of the earliest pop culture 'bury your gay' moments, but it was also such a terrible way for such a lovely character to go (and knowing the way that Joss Whedon was to pretty much everyone on set that weren't his favorites, you just know it was doubly shady to do this to Amber Benson). So when I saw that there was a new BUFFY prequel out with a fan favorite character, and it was Tara, I snatched it up. Justice for Tara, dammit. THE BEWITCHING HOUR is a pretty fun fantasy novel that looks at Tara's time in high school as she is trying to suppress her witch powers while adjusting to a new town and new school. ANd wouldn't you know it, it's a town that has a dubious history involving witch trials. AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, strange deaths of fellow classmates start happening when she arrives, and when she starts to get close to her class mate Daphne, it turns out Daphne is a witch hunter. I really enjoyed seeing Tara get the spotlight, and i thought that Ashley Poston did a good job of capturing the quiet power (and general insecurities and anxiety) of the character. I also liked the original characters, from love interest Daphne to vaguely mysterious but super charming Baz. As someone who loved Tara and mourned her quite a bit, I liked seeing her shine on her own two feet.
One of the biggest crocks of absolute horseshit on my beloved BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER was when they killed Tara off to give Willow a reason to lose it and go all Dark Willow on Sunnydale. For one, it was probably one of the earliest pop culture 'bury your gay' moments, but it was also such a terrible way for such a lovely character to go (and knowing the way that Joss Whedon was to pretty much everyone on set that weren't his favorites, you just know it was doubly shady to do this to Amber Benson). So when I saw that there was a new BUFFY prequel out with a fan favorite character, and it was Tara, I snatched it up. Justice for Tara, dammit. THE BEWITCHING HOUR is a pretty fun fantasy novel that looks at Tara's time in high school as she is trying to suppress her witch powers while adjusting to a new town and new school. ANd wouldn't you know it, it's a town that has a dubious history involving witch trials. AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, strange deaths of fellow classmates start happening when she arrives, and when she starts to get close to her class mate Daphne, it turns out Daphne is a witch hunter. I really enjoyed seeing Tara get the spotlight, and i thought that Ashley Poston did a good job of capturing the quiet power (and general insecurities and anxiety) of the character. I also liked the original characters, from love interest Daphne to vaguely mysterious but super charming Baz. As someone who loved Tara and mourned her quite a bit, I liked seeing her shine on her own two feet.
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January 26, 2024
This was an okay addition to the Buffyverse. I liked the nods to Sunnydale and everything and Poston captured Tara's character and personality really well. It was fun to read about her learning a little more about her magic and getting involved in some shenanigans. The plot was a little slow, though, and the twists were predictable.
July 23, 2023
As a fan of Ashley Poston's work when I found out she was doing Buffy prequel around Tara Maclay, the mega Buffy fan in me just HAD to read it and she didn't let me down.
Having just lost her mother, Tara's father moved the family away from her home town. Enrolling her into a new school, Hellborne academy. After being there just a couple of days a student dies a horrible death and others are attacked by a witch.
At Hellborne academy she met Daphne, who she falls in love with but the problem is Daphne is a witch hunter and Tara is a witch. As their relationship grows Tara is worried about hiding what she really is.
Ashley Poston portrayed Tara's character really well including her horrid family and how they treat Tara, forcing her to suppress who she truly is. Her characters inner turmoil is written well, struggling with being a witch and suppressing it like her family are forcing her too.
Baz is my favourite character, he is the best, he took Tara under his wing and helped her even though he was hiding a secret of his own.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this and loved my Buffy fix. It really set things up for future Tara.
Having just lost her mother, Tara's father moved the family away from her home town. Enrolling her into a new school, Hellborne academy. After being there just a couple of days a student dies a horrible death and others are attacked by a witch.
At Hellborne academy she met Daphne, who she falls in love with but the problem is Daphne is a witch hunter and Tara is a witch. As their relationship grows Tara is worried about hiding what she really is.
Ashley Poston portrayed Tara's character really well including her horrid family and how they treat Tara, forcing her to suppress who she truly is. Her characters inner turmoil is written well, struggling with being a witch and suppressing it like her family are forcing her too.
Baz is my favourite character, he is the best, he took Tara under his wing and helped her even though he was hiding a secret of his own.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this and loved my Buffy fix. It really set things up for future Tara.
April 2, 2024
I've collected Buffy Merch since '98. This includes Buffy novelizations. I've got a pretty decent collection of them at this point. How many of them have I read?
More than none, is all I will admit to.
But, I saw this on my library's list, along with the Spike prequel, and decided to go for it.
I kinda forgot the rule when reading the novelizations, which is you have to turn your crazed fan brain off to do it.
This book takes place in the same timeline as season 3, arguably the best season of the show. I think this would be an excellent Season 2 filler episode. With a little....work.
It slogs in the beginning, I'll say that. Despite the fact that Poston does a really good job of characterizing early Tara, shy and nervous and scared, while also showing the Tara we would eventually know and adore.
But man. Did I have to work for it. And constantly remind myself that novelization = novelty and you don't collect them for the literary value.
More than none, is all I will admit to.
But, I saw this on my library's list, along with the Spike prequel, and decided to go for it.
I kinda forgot the rule when reading the novelizations, which is you have to turn your crazed fan brain off to do it.
This book takes place in the same timeline as season 3, arguably the best season of the show. I think this would be an excellent Season 2 filler episode. With a little....work.
It slogs in the beginning, I'll say that. Despite the fact that Poston does a really good job of characterizing early Tara, shy and nervous and scared, while also showing the Tara we would eventually know and adore.
But man. Did I have to work for it. And constantly remind myself that novelization = novelty and you don't collect them for the literary value.
Want to Read
May 5, 2023a TARA MACLAY book??? be still my buffy heart
June 18, 2025
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite TV show of all time and I’ve read a fair amount of the comics and tie-in novels they’ve released over the years. Even when I don’t love the books I still have an enjoyable time reading them and spending more time with these characters. I thought it was a fun idea to focus a prequel on Tara and her time in high school before she meets the rest of the characters and becomes Willow’s love interest.
Tara is an interesting character to have as a main character since she’s so timid and shy. She has a hard time speaking up for herself, but she’s determined to use her magic to help others. If you’re a fan of the episode Family, this book goes deep with exploring Tara’s relationship with her family and their views on her magic. The overall plot of Tara trying to solve the mystery of who is killing teens in her new school while falling for a girl who turns out to be a witch-hunter was a lot of fun.
The part of the book that I didn’t appreciate that much was that it did not feel like it was taking place in the 90s. There was some slang or words used that didn’t feel period appropriate. Also, I was hoping for more conversation or explorations of Tara’s queer identity and how it would’ve been perceived by others. Especially in the 90s. But that barely comes up at all. I don’t think that the words gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or anything like that are used even once throughout the story. Yes, I suppose that the commentary comes in with how people (her dad especially) are talking about witchcraft as being something evil and demonic. Metaphorical or subtextual explorations of queerness are great aspects of genre stories… But when there is textual queerness involved that doesn’t get much conversation at all… I don’t know. It just felt like a missed opportunity.
Tara is an interesting character to have as a main character since she’s so timid and shy. She has a hard time speaking up for herself, but she’s determined to use her magic to help others. If you’re a fan of the episode Family, this book goes deep with exploring Tara’s relationship with her family and their views on her magic. The overall plot of Tara trying to solve the mystery of who is killing teens in her new school while falling for a girl who turns out to be a witch-hunter was a lot of fun.
The part of the book that I didn’t appreciate that much was that it did not feel like it was taking place in the 90s. There was some slang or words used that didn’t feel period appropriate. Also, I was hoping for more conversation or explorations of Tara’s queer identity and how it would’ve been perceived by others. Especially in the 90s. But that barely comes up at all. I don’t think that the words gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or anything like that are used even once throughout the story. Yes, I suppose that the commentary comes in with how people (her dad especially) are talking about witchcraft as being something evil and demonic. Metaphorical or subtextual explorations of queerness are great aspects of genre stories… But when there is textual queerness involved that doesn’t get much conversation at all… I don’t know. It just felt like a missed opportunity.
January 8, 2026
Cute and fun, a worthy prequel for fan-favorite Tara. The audiobook was well done. I love YA queer joy and I love Buffy so this was just all around great!
August 24, 2023
***I received an Advance copy from Goodreads Giveaways***
This was pretty good, with the back half feeling more Buffy-esque and the first half running a bit long in some places.
I really love the nostalgia. As a kid in the 90’s, I caught pretty much every reference to 1998. I also love, though expected, the references to the show.
Poston really understood the character of Tara Maclay, which goes a long way in making this a successful novel, and not just fanfic.
It also seemed that Poston was really dying to develop the relationship between Tara and Daphne as this is where the writing is strongest. The character of Baz is also quite enjoyable and well-written, fitting in nicely with the fantasy elements of this world.
There were errors, like anachronisms and repeated lines, but this is all forgiven as I read an advance uncorrected copy.
Overall, totally worth a read if you watched/read Buddy stuff and really wished more time could have been spent with our friend, the good witch, Tara.
This was pretty good, with the back half feeling more Buffy-esque and the first half running a bit long in some places.
I really love the nostalgia. As a kid in the 90’s, I caught pretty much every reference to 1998. I also love, though expected, the references to the show.
Poston really understood the character of Tara Maclay, which goes a long way in making this a successful novel, and not just fanfic.
It also seemed that Poston was really dying to develop the relationship between Tara and Daphne as this is where the writing is strongest. The character of Baz is also quite enjoyable and well-written, fitting in nicely with the fantasy elements of this world.
There were errors, like anachronisms and repeated lines, but this is all forgiven as I read an advance uncorrected copy.
Overall, totally worth a read if you watched/read Buddy stuff and really wished more time could have been spent with our friend, the good witch, Tara.
November 1, 2023
Finally some good fucking food!!!!
After a string of mediocre reads, this book had everything I wanted. It was the perfect Tara prequel, the perfect October read. The plot had a lot of Wednesday vibes too, which I adored. And all the Buffy easter eggs (especially the Willow one) were so good.
A stand out character for me was Baz! I loved him so much; he brought so much beautiful energy to the story and the fact that he is asexual just made me love him even more. I really adored Daphne too; she and Tara had great chemistry.
The author wrote Tara so well; she never felt out of character and at times Amber Benson's voice came through in the dialogue, which I found to be impressive.
Basically, this is a strong 5/5 for me. And whether or not you've watched BTVS, I highly recommend this, even for just a fun sapphic witch story.
After a string of mediocre reads, this book had everything I wanted. It was the perfect Tara prequel, the perfect October read. The plot had a lot of Wednesday vibes too, which I adored. And all the Buffy easter eggs (especially the Willow one) were so good.
A stand out character for me was Baz! I loved him so much; he brought so much beautiful energy to the story and the fact that he is asexual just made me love him even more. I really adored Daphne too; she and Tara had great chemistry.
The author wrote Tara so well; she never felt out of character and at times Amber Benson's voice came through in the dialogue, which I found to be impressive.
Basically, this is a strong 5/5 for me. And whether or not you've watched BTVS, I highly recommend this, even for just a fun sapphic witch story.
December 26, 2023
3.75 stars, rounding up. A little uneven at times, but the characters were strong and Tara's personality came through so well. I'm a little bummed that Baz doesn't actually exist in the Buffyverse outside of this novel, because he's fun.
And now I want to re-watch "Family."
And now I want to re-watch "Family."
July 28, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy!
While this book is great, please know that Joss Whedon is a pretty terrible person and will profit off of this book.
The Bewitching Hour is a realistic fantasy novel about teenage Tara Maclay moving to Vermont and starting a new high school rife with murder and mystery. Ashley Poston did a great job with Tara, one of the most beloved Buffy characters. When I saw Poston’s name attached to the project, I knew it was going to be great. You do not have to have seen Buffy to enjoy this book, but there were some really cute nods to the tv series. Ashley Poston also did a great job of including diversity with all the new characters she introduced.
While this book is great, please know that Joss Whedon is a pretty terrible person and will profit off of this book.
The Bewitching Hour is a realistic fantasy novel about teenage Tara Maclay moving to Vermont and starting a new high school rife with murder and mystery. Ashley Poston did a great job with Tara, one of the most beloved Buffy characters. When I saw Poston’s name attached to the project, I knew it was going to be great. You do not have to have seen Buffy to enjoy this book, but there were some really cute nods to the tv series. Ashley Poston also did a great job of including diversity with all the new characters she introduced.
October 10, 2023
Tara refers to Taco Bell takeout as “fresh Mexican food” and my brain shut down
January 11, 2025
2.5 stars
June 4, 2023
I read some, but not a ton, of YA- so I went into reading this trying to keep the genre in mind. Tara Maclay is precious to me and I so wanted the story to do right by her, especially as the author says she is a fan.
And, it does, kind of.
The author writes Tara with the qualities that make her who she is: sweet, smart, talented, and sometimes self-doubting- I am very grateful that the author didn't try and 'fix' her by making her more gregarious and quippy- we need characters who are shyer, more social awkward, not always 'on'- and to see Tara recognize her own strength is lovely.
The plot itself is...ok. It's a YA book about murders that people don't seem to care enough about and there are the requisite 'cool kids', football games, this book's version of 'prom queen' gone weird (the why of this is never explained and the event itself ends up being less relevant than built up) and the threat of being sent to boarding school (why this would be a worse choice given Tara's home life is also not really looked at).
I enjoyed Daphne a lot (her story is very familiar though if you have watched Netflix lately). She is well rooted and fun to read, but also, I was ok saying goodbye to her by the end of the book.
I had a hard time with the conflicting and/or completely off-character ways Tara's relationship with magic were written- in the scheme of the story these could be tidbits- but in the scheme of keeping Tara true to who she is, these are essential. There are truths fundamental to Tara and these seemed to be thrown about without much thought- or maybe hurriedly and thus messily.
MINOR SPOILER: There is one thing written- basically about a price- that was a fatal stroke for me against this author's characterization of Tara's story (basically it suggests that what happens to Tara in S6 is because of her choices made within this story-and just no, I do not like the blame being placed on Tara- valiant or not) I admit though that is taking into consideration everything within the Buffyverse- and that within The Bewitching Hour, it narratively makes sense.
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I found the characterization of Tara's family similarly conflicting- especially in regards to her father's opinions on magic and his relationship with her mother. In two paragraphs, completely different histories are written. This leaves Tara's foundation nebulous and the choices her father makes unclear.
However, the way the author wrote Tara's relationship with her mother, the grief and love, are absolutely beautiful and my favorite thing about the book.
There is a sweetness to the story and I was very glad that Tara is her own motivation in the end- that she recognizes and embraces her capabilities.
So, overall... it's ok. There are very lovely parts, there are parts that conflict and don't make sense, a few parts that make me angry, parts that are formulaic and a bit shallow, and parts where we see the Tara we know and love. It's not a story I will likely revisit though.
And, it does, kind of.
The author writes Tara with the qualities that make her who she is: sweet, smart, talented, and sometimes self-doubting- I am very grateful that the author didn't try and 'fix' her by making her more gregarious and quippy- we need characters who are shyer, more social awkward, not always 'on'- and to see Tara recognize her own strength is lovely.
The plot itself is...ok. It's a YA book about murders that people don't seem to care enough about and there are the requisite 'cool kids', football games, this book's version of 'prom queen' gone weird (the why of this is never explained and the event itself ends up being less relevant than built up) and the threat of being sent to boarding school (why this would be a worse choice given Tara's home life is also not really looked at).
I enjoyed Daphne a lot (her story is very familiar though if you have watched Netflix lately). She is well rooted and fun to read, but also, I was ok saying goodbye to her by the end of the book.
I had a hard time with the conflicting and/or completely off-character ways Tara's relationship with magic were written- in the scheme of the story these could be tidbits- but in the scheme of keeping Tara true to who she is, these are essential. There are truths fundamental to Tara and these seemed to be thrown about without much thought- or maybe hurriedly and thus messily.
MINOR SPOILER: There is one thing written- basically about a price- that was a fatal stroke for me against this author's characterization of Tara's story (basically it suggests that what happens to Tara in S6 is because of her choices made within this story-and just no, I do not like the blame being placed on Tara- valiant or not) I admit though that is taking into consideration everything within the Buffyverse- and that within The Bewitching Hour, it narratively makes sense.
..............................................................
I found the characterization of Tara's family similarly conflicting- especially in regards to her father's opinions on magic and his relationship with her mother. In two paragraphs, completely different histories are written. This leaves Tara's foundation nebulous and the choices her father makes unclear.
However, the way the author wrote Tara's relationship with her mother, the grief and love, are absolutely beautiful and my favorite thing about the book.
There is a sweetness to the story and I was very glad that Tara is her own motivation in the end- that she recognizes and embraces her capabilities.
So, overall... it's ok. There are very lovely parts, there are parts that conflict and don't make sense, a few parts that make me angry, parts that are formulaic and a bit shallow, and parts where we see the Tara we know and love. It's not a story I will likely revisit though.
December 3, 2025
Tara was one of my favorites from Buffy the Vampire Slayer so I was really looking forward to The Bewitching Hour: A Tara Prequel by Ashley Poston. It was nice to see Tara get to shine on her own. I also really liked getting to know the new characters, Baz and Daphne. It was also fun to see the references to the tv show as well. I wouldn't mind Poston doing more tie-in novels in the future.
August 7, 2023
*Thank you to Disney Hyperion, Penguin Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this wonderful book*
The Bewitching Hour by Ashley Poston is the prequel story of one of my favourite queer characters from a TV show: Tara Mclay, from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It’s an exciting and straightforward novel, perfect for the summer vacation! The book is the perfect blend between 90’s nostalgia, references to the show, a murder mystery and a cute (but maybe not so perfect) sapphic romance.
I really enjoyed this book and I devoured it within a few days. After a bunch of heavy books this was the perfect book to make me smile and warm my heart.
I believe the author perfectly captures the essence of the character and I felt like I was watching a Buffy episode (one of the good ones too!) while reading it. It has all the elements that I love as a fan of the show: witches, a mystery, funny side characters and a touch of queerness that makes everything better.
One of my favourite things about Tara in this story is the way she deals with grief. You can see more about Tara’s relationship with her mom, which adds depth to the character.
The pace of the book can be described as frenetic, it advances continuously and it’s full of twists. You’ll be hooked from the first page and won’t be able to stop reading while you’re trying to discover all the mysteries.
The side characters, especially Daphne, are well-written. They are complex and their motives and personalities are clear from the beginning. The author plays with archetypes, and you will find some clear ones in this story: the hero, the badass girl, the funny guy, the mean girl…
Even when the ending is somehow predictable, it didn’t make the book any less enjoyable. I found myself smiling and hoping that Tara would have a nice life after this adventure. Sadly, we all know that’s not the case but I can always come back to this story whenever I need some happiness.
The Bewitching Hour is the perfect origin story for a beloved character that didn’t get what she really deserved. I was happy to meet Tara again from a different perspective and I’m sure you’ll enjoy all the little things that make this story a memorable one.
4⭐/5⭐
🏳️🌈 Rep: (L)GBT – Main and side characters
The Bewitching Hour by Ashley Poston is the prequel story of one of my favourite queer characters from a TV show: Tara Mclay, from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It’s an exciting and straightforward novel, perfect for the summer vacation! The book is the perfect blend between 90’s nostalgia, references to the show, a murder mystery and a cute (but maybe not so perfect) sapphic romance.
I really enjoyed this book and I devoured it within a few days. After a bunch of heavy books this was the perfect book to make me smile and warm my heart.
I believe the author perfectly captures the essence of the character and I felt like I was watching a Buffy episode (one of the good ones too!) while reading it. It has all the elements that I love as a fan of the show: witches, a mystery, funny side characters and a touch of queerness that makes everything better.
One of my favourite things about Tara in this story is the way she deals with grief. You can see more about Tara’s relationship with her mom, which adds depth to the character.
The pace of the book can be described as frenetic, it advances continuously and it’s full of twists. You’ll be hooked from the first page and won’t be able to stop reading while you’re trying to discover all the mysteries.
The side characters, especially Daphne, are well-written. They are complex and their motives and personalities are clear from the beginning. The author plays with archetypes, and you will find some clear ones in this story: the hero, the badass girl, the funny guy, the mean girl…
Even when the ending is somehow predictable, it didn’t make the book any less enjoyable. I found myself smiling and hoping that Tara would have a nice life after this adventure. Sadly, we all know that’s not the case but I can always come back to this story whenever I need some happiness.
The Bewitching Hour is the perfect origin story for a beloved character that didn’t get what she really deserved. I was happy to meet Tara again from a different perspective and I’m sure you’ll enjoy all the little things that make this story a memorable one.
4⭐/5⭐
🏳️🌈 Rep: (L)GBT – Main and side characters
January 6, 2024
Tara! She is definitely someone worth emulating, whether she is a fictional character or not. Just a kind empathetic person.
You get a little more backstory as to why her family is so terrible to her, and of course, it is in no way her fault. They are just really terrible people who seem to be missing a few screws and a sensitivity chip in their noggins. I think if her mother were still alive they would still be awful but Tara would have her mom to help her stand tall and stick up for herself a bit sooner in life...WAY before she met the Scooby gang.
I enjoyed Baz's character in the Buffyverse. I wish he had made an appearance outside of the book, but alas, can't have too much of a good thing I suppose.
If you liked this one I recommend Slayer & Chosen
You get a little more backstory as to why her family is so terrible to her, and of course, it is in no way her fault. They are just really terrible people who seem to be missing a few screws and a sensitivity chip in their noggins. I think if her mother were still alive they would still be awful but Tara would have her mom to help her stand tall and stick up for herself a bit sooner in life...WAY before she met the Scooby gang.
I enjoyed Baz's character in the Buffyverse. I wish he had made an appearance outside of the book, but alas, can't have too much of a good thing I suppose.
If you liked this one I recommend Slayer & Chosen
September 3, 2023
This one took me a while to work up to reading, and then to actually get through. Not because it wasn't engaging - it really was! And not because I didn't love the subject - Tara is one of my favorite characters from my more formative years.
But it's hard not to read a book like this and NOT think..."but I know how this story inevitably ends..." Prequels are hard. Prequels about beloved characters who died years and years ago...are harder.
Ashley Poston pulled it off beautifully, though. She gave Tara the background we needed for her. She gave Tara joy and friendship and HOPE, and weaved it so effortlessly into the bits of her past that we knew. Not only that, she gave us other characters we DIDN'T already know and love, and made us fall in love with them to.
Yes, I'm talking mostly about Baz. I would take a bullet for Baz, the asexual incubus of my heart. Bless him. He's perfect. I want twelve more books and a TV series just about him.
Really just a lovely story all around, and made me crave a rewatch just to revel in everything Tara for a while. <3 <3 <3
But it's hard not to read a book like this and NOT think..."but I know how this story inevitably ends..." Prequels are hard. Prequels about beloved characters who died years and years ago...are harder.
Ashley Poston pulled it off beautifully, though. She gave Tara the background we needed for her. She gave Tara joy and friendship and HOPE, and weaved it so effortlessly into the bits of her past that we knew. Not only that, she gave us other characters we DIDN'T already know and love, and made us fall in love with them to.
Yes, I'm talking mostly about Baz. I would take a bullet for Baz, the asexual incubus of my heart. Bless him. He's perfect. I want twelve more books and a TV series just about him.
Really just a lovely story all around, and made me crave a rewatch just to revel in everything Tara for a while. <3 <3 <3
September 10, 2023
3.5 stars. I just love that a Tara prequel was written. And can we take a pause to appreciate this beautiful cover?! Stunning. It was a cute YA that did a decent job of capturing the voice of Tara and it read like a fun Buffy episode. I loved how they tied and forshadowed things from the actual the show.
August 24, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Couldn’t put it down. Who doesn’t love a good witch story? Especially one related to the Buffyverse. Tara is a relatable and likeable character and I didn’t suspect who the red witch would be. It ended well.
February 4, 2025
I was excited that there would be a prequel novel about Tara Maclay, my favorite Buffyverse character.
However, while Tara does feel like Tara, the various choices made by the author kept me from enjoying it completely (or even mostly).
The novel occurs concurrently with early season 3 (fall of 1998). Tara is a high school senior, and she has recently moved with her dad and brother to a town in Vermont. Tara starts at the new school. But kids have been dying. Tara gets swept up into solving the mystery by Daphne, the love interest of the book, who is (surprise!) a witch hunter from a family of hunters. Solving the case and killing the witch is Daphne's "rite of passage" (a concept that I just hate in general). But Tara's a witch! What's a girl to do?!
I don't like Daphne. I find her condescending, nosy, and pushy. She constantly calls Tara "cupcake", which gets on my nerves. We don't find out until late in the novel that Tara actually likes being called that.
Oh, and don't think I didn't put together that Daphne is named after the redhead (wink, wink) from Scooby-Doo (wink, wink), a role that SMG played on the big screen.
Some of the chapters are named after '90s movies, including Cruel Intentions, which also starred SMG - but came out in 1999, after this novel is set.
There are references to various things from the '90s. Daphne fails at making a Sailor Moon reference, mistaking a transformation phrase for an attack phrase (this is never corrected, so it's clearly an error on the author's part).
There are some forced references to the TV series sprinkled in. Buffy is mentioned (not by name). Giles is Daphne's parents' "contact", and she mails the evil witch's spellbook to him near the end of the novel (in case someone needs to open up a portal to Hell). I think we're supposed to believe it "appears" in an episode of the series, but I can't think of anything that might be it. There's a minor character named Harris (not related to Xander, as far as we know). One of Daphne's brothers is named Fred (reference to Scooby-Doo or Angel?). There was a willow tree in the yard of Tara's old house, and Tara has a vision or dream or whatever of her mother telling her that she'll find a willow.
Tara also gets a scholarship in the novel, and she starts researching colleges near the end. Daphne suggests UC Sunnydale, because she plans to attend as well to investigate the "weird shit" in that town. So why don't we see Daphne on the show? Unless she's supposed to be a random background character. This novel is so weird in setting up "future" stuff for Tara that the TV series doesn't pay off.
With one exception. And I hate this. Tara rewrites some of the evil witch's markings with her own blood and creates her own spell on the fly, which she sends out to the universe, pleading to defeat the witch and agreeing to pay any price. Then the novel (which is written in such a close third that it might as well have just been written in first) breaks from the narrative to let us know Tara wouldn't learn the price for years. Yeah, it's heavily implied the price that Tara agreed to pay for defeating the witch in this novel (as well as saving the town and possibly the entire world and also, specifically, Hailey, the teen girl that had summoned the witch for vengeance and was possessed by her) is getting a bullet through her very heart in "Seeing Red".
Also, Tara wears a red dress near the end of the novel, and Daphne says it's her color, but it would look better "soaked in the blood of our enemies". Yeah, this author has a weird sense of humor. We get it: Tara died, and there was plenty of red blood.
We see little of Tara's family. Whenever she needs to sneak out of the house (something that she mentioned doing on the show), she casts a sleeping spell on her dad and brother. We spend so much time on the mystery and on Tara interacting with original characters that we've never seen before and will never see again (I often had to remind myself: "Tara. I'm reading this for Tara."). I would have preferred to see more of Tara's home life, as shitty as it was.
Cousin Beth shows up late in the novel, and she's like a completely different character than who we saw in "Family". While she is, of course, indoctrinated and believes the men's bullshit, this Beth is described as taking over the matriarch role after the death of Tara's mother, and she's very zealous. She finds Tara's mother's spellbook (the one thing of hers that Tara had saved) and rips out the pages in front of her. She constantly yells at Tara. She literally tries to barge her way into Tara's bedroom to stop her from climbing out the window. She chases after Tara in a car. The worst thing that Beth did on the show was call Tara a selfish bitch. This isn't Beth. I'd more believe these actions coming from Tara's dad.
Oh, and Tara ends the novel "grounded for the rest of forever". But here's the thing: Tara is 18 (a fact that the novel acknowledges; her gravestone on the show said she was born on October 16, 1980). So why is she even still living with her family at the end of the novel? She should have asked one of the friends that she made at her new school if she could possibly live with them. Maybe Hailey, since Tara literally saved her life.
It feels like Tara has grown a lot by the end of the novel. She's had a major confrontation with Beth. She's met a good demon. She's had friends tell her that she's not evil. She's no longer going to hide what she is. She acknowledges her father's words have no power over her except what she allows. The meek, shy Tara that "later" appears in "Hush" feels like a regression from where she is at the end of this book. Even in "Family", her father expresses surprise that she's no longer hiding being a witch, even though, if this novel is to be believed, she spent most of her senior year out of the broom closet. And Tara still believes she's a demon in "Family", even though she starts getting reasons to doubt it in this novel. Tara has grown a lot, and she shouldn't have. That was handled on the show.
Overall, this was an okay book, but it's not the Tara story that I would have written, and it's not a story that I would have read except for Tara.
However, while Tara does feel like Tara, the various choices made by the author kept me from enjoying it completely (or even mostly).
The novel occurs concurrently with early season 3 (fall of 1998). Tara is a high school senior, and she has recently moved with her dad and brother to a town in Vermont. Tara starts at the new school. But kids have been dying. Tara gets swept up into solving the mystery by Daphne, the love interest of the book, who is (surprise!) a witch hunter from a family of hunters. Solving the case and killing the witch is Daphne's "rite of passage" (a concept that I just hate in general). But Tara's a witch! What's a girl to do?!
I don't like Daphne. I find her condescending, nosy, and pushy. She constantly calls Tara "cupcake", which gets on my nerves. We don't find out until late in the novel that Tara actually likes being called that.
Oh, and don't think I didn't put together that Daphne is named after the redhead (wink, wink) from Scooby-Doo (wink, wink), a role that SMG played on the big screen.
Some of the chapters are named after '90s movies, including Cruel Intentions, which also starred SMG - but came out in 1999, after this novel is set.
There are references to various things from the '90s. Daphne fails at making a Sailor Moon reference, mistaking a transformation phrase for an attack phrase (this is never corrected, so it's clearly an error on the author's part).
There are some forced references to the TV series sprinkled in. Buffy is mentioned (not by name). Giles is Daphne's parents' "contact", and she mails the evil witch's spellbook to him near the end of the novel (in case someone needs to open up a portal to Hell). I think we're supposed to believe it "appears" in an episode of the series, but I can't think of anything that might be it. There's a minor character named Harris (not related to Xander, as far as we know). One of Daphne's brothers is named Fred (reference to Scooby-Doo or Angel?). There was a willow tree in the yard of Tara's old house, and Tara has a vision or dream or whatever of her mother telling her that she'll find a willow.
Tara also gets a scholarship in the novel, and she starts researching colleges near the end. Daphne suggests UC Sunnydale, because she plans to attend as well to investigate the "weird shit" in that town. So why don't we see Daphne on the show? Unless she's supposed to be a random background character. This novel is so weird in setting up "future" stuff for Tara that the TV series doesn't pay off.
With one exception. And I hate this. Tara rewrites some of the evil witch's markings with her own blood and creates her own spell on the fly, which she sends out to the universe, pleading to defeat the witch and agreeing to pay any price. Then the novel (which is written in such a close third that it might as well have just been written in first) breaks from the narrative to let us know Tara wouldn't learn the price for years. Yeah, it's heavily implied the price that Tara agreed to pay for defeating the witch in this novel (as well as saving the town and possibly the entire world and also, specifically, Hailey, the teen girl that had summoned the witch for vengeance and was possessed by her) is getting a bullet through her very heart in "Seeing Red".
Also, Tara wears a red dress near the end of the novel, and Daphne says it's her color, but it would look better "soaked in the blood of our enemies". Yeah, this author has a weird sense of humor. We get it: Tara died, and there was plenty of red blood.
We see little of Tara's family. Whenever she needs to sneak out of the house (something that she mentioned doing on the show), she casts a sleeping spell on her dad and brother. We spend so much time on the mystery and on Tara interacting with original characters that we've never seen before and will never see again (I often had to remind myself: "Tara. I'm reading this for Tara."). I would have preferred to see more of Tara's home life, as shitty as it was.
Cousin Beth shows up late in the novel, and she's like a completely different character than who we saw in "Family". While she is, of course, indoctrinated and believes the men's bullshit, this Beth is described as taking over the matriarch role after the death of Tara's mother, and she's very zealous. She finds Tara's mother's spellbook (the one thing of hers that Tara had saved) and rips out the pages in front of her. She constantly yells at Tara. She literally tries to barge her way into Tara's bedroom to stop her from climbing out the window. She chases after Tara in a car. The worst thing that Beth did on the show was call Tara a selfish bitch. This isn't Beth. I'd more believe these actions coming from Tara's dad.
Oh, and Tara ends the novel "grounded for the rest of forever". But here's the thing: Tara is 18 (a fact that the novel acknowledges; her gravestone on the show said she was born on October 16, 1980). So why is she even still living with her family at the end of the novel? She should have asked one of the friends that she made at her new school if she could possibly live with them. Maybe Hailey, since Tara literally saved her life.
It feels like Tara has grown a lot by the end of the novel. She's had a major confrontation with Beth. She's met a good demon. She's had friends tell her that she's not evil. She's no longer going to hide what she is. She acknowledges her father's words have no power over her except what she allows. The meek, shy Tara that "later" appears in "Hush" feels like a regression from where she is at the end of this book. Even in "Family", her father expresses surprise that she's no longer hiding being a witch, even though, if this novel is to be believed, she spent most of her senior year out of the broom closet. And Tara still believes she's a demon in "Family", even though she starts getting reasons to doubt it in this novel. Tara has grown a lot, and she shouldn't have. That was handled on the show.
Overall, this was an okay book, but it's not the Tara story that I would have written, and it's not a story that I would have read except for Tara.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
I wasn't too sure about this book at first. I'm a BIG fan of the original Buffy. But I gave it a chance because I really like Tara’s character in the t.v show and thought the tv show should have shown more of her story. The book was good. It was a good read. I loved all the twists and turns in the story. I think the author got the character right. It made me think of Stephen King's Carrie a little. I’m happy I got to read
It. If you like Buffy you will probably like this book. Even if you haven’t seen Buffy you can read this and not be confused . The author did an awesome job.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Hyperion for giving me a chance to read and review this book.
It. If you like Buffy you will probably like this book. Even if you haven’t seen Buffy you can read this and not be confused . The author did an awesome job.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Hyperion for giving me a chance to read and review this book.
July 29, 2023
Phenomenal! I've never seen buffy the vampire slayer, but I'm going to have to now! this book officially releases on august 1st, so guy get yourself one and read it because it is so cool! If you like mysteries and fantasy, this is the perfect book for you! the romance was not as good as I was hoping however, I think the book would have been better had it been more balanced. You never get to see Tara and Daphne talk about anything but the mystery they are trying to solve, so it's hard to believe they actually got together. I feel like if the author had put as much focus into their romance as she did the mystery the book would have been perfect!
May 7, 2025
I was reading (well, listening to it, actually) this based on vibes alone, as I have never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I really liked the premise and overall it was just a fun story. I flew through it in a couple days, which is rare for me with audiobooks.
The plot twists were all pretty easy to see coming, and the love story could have been more fleshed out, but enjoyable all the same.
Favorite character: Sebastien. An asexual incubus? Obviously my favorite.
If you like this book, I would recommend Dante Valentine by Lilith Saintcrow.
The plot twists were all pretty easy to see coming, and the love story could have been more fleshed out, but enjoyable all the same.
Favorite character: Sebastien. An asexual incubus? Obviously my favorite.
If you like this book, I would recommend Dante Valentine by Lilith Saintcrow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2024
I didn't quite get a lot of this book and stupidly I picked a book from an author that I'm interested in reading without reading a lot about it and it turns out you should know a decent amount about Buffy the Vampire Slayer because they make a lot of references that seemed like they would mean something. I just didn't get them and frankly should have skipped this book but it was interesting enough and I enjoyed the writing style.
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