REVIEW: DEMONS OF THE HELLMOUTH, A GUIDE FOR SLAYERS

DEMONS OF THE HELLMOUTH, A GUIDE FOR SLAYERS

by Nancy Holder

Pages: 160

Publisher: Titan Books

Publication Date: September 4th 2015

ISBN: 9781783293384
Received From:  Titan Books

Summary 

Demons of the Hellmouth is a fully licensed guide to the vampires and other demons that flocked to the Sunnydale Hellmouth in Joss Whedon’s cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This in-universe illustrated guide is written by Rupert Giles, and also contains handwritten notes from Buffy and Willow. This unique book promises a diabolical romp through the highlights of the beloved show. 

Review

**Apologies for the lateness of this review, I have had it sitting in my drafts for a while and due to university commitments never got around to posting it. So I am happy to FINALLY give my review of Demons of the Hellmouth, a Guild  for Slayers.** 

Okay so this is something rather special, especially for all you Buffy loves like me. So it has been a long time since we watched our kick ass slayer dust a vamp or thirty but all you die hard fans will have watched your Buffy box sets so many times you know all seven seasons word for word by now. Titan books has published a great little companion book that will make every Buffy fan smile, Demons of the Hellmouth is basically Giles on paper. 

Okay maybe not the best representation of the great man but I couldn't help myself

This guide for slayers goes through all the demons and most of the vampires that appeared in the series, giving you information about the monsters and how to kill them. Think Charmed book of shadows but for vampires. Although it is great reading up on the characters and reliving many a night watching the show it is the little notes in the margin that make the book for me. Scribbled all over the book are notes from our favourite characters such as Buffy, Willow and Xander. These notes were probably my favourite part of the book because as a fan I could imagine them saying the little annotations. 

This was my first thought when the book came through the post

For any Buffy fan this is a must have, its been over 10 years now since the teenage slayer left our screens and this little book of demons will bring it all flooding back. It's easy reading for the summer and it will put one big smile on any fans face. Not to mention you'll have everything you need to survive the Hellmouth!

**I received this book as an ARC from Titan Books to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: James Nicol

The Apprentice Witch

by James Nicol

Publisher: Chicken House 

Publication Date: July 7th 2016

Summary

Arianwyn has fluffed her witch’s evaluation test.

Awarded the dull bronze disc and continuing as an apprentice – to the glee of her arch-rival, mean girl Gimma – she’s sent to protect the remote, dreary town of Lull. 

But her new life is far from boring. Turns out Gimma is the pompous mayor’s favourite niece – and worse, she opens a magical rift in the nearby Great Wood. As Arianwyn struggles with her spells, a mysterious darkness begins to haunt her – and it’s soon clear there’s much more than her pride at stake …

Q&A 

with James Nicol

1.     What was the inspiration behind The Apprentice Witch?

It was a combination of wanting to write a story that had magic at it’s heart but was also set in a world where the magic was real and everyday and not a secret.

The main character popped into my head one day she was casting a spell in a garden at night. I wrote it all down in a furious hurry and then took it from there!

2.     How did it feel to see The Apprentice Witch develop from your initial idea into a physical book?

SO amazing! But there were so many milestones between that initial idea and seeing the book whizzing around the printers warehouse that it’s all been pretty exciting one way or another. Seeing so many other people invested in something that I really just made up is a little bit weird in the most wonderfully bonkers way!

3.     Where did your love of writing come from?

From my love of stories and my love of reading. I think all writers are really just over excited readers who get a bit carried away. I’ve always had a vivid imagination and its very handy to have that when you are trying to write a book. Books have a great power to transport us, give us knowledge and to inspire us and I have always been fascinated by that.

4.     Who was your favourite and least favourite character to write and why?

Oh, I loved writing ALL the characters, each one for different reasons. They were all needed to create the story and all play their part. Some of the more minor characters  like Mr Thorn who drives the bus and Aunt Grace and Uncle Mat where trickier as they are not in the book as much as others so you don’t have so much chance to develop them on the page. Actually some of the more unpleasant characters were perhaps more fun to write than they should have been.

5.     What was your biggest challenge writing your first book?

Knowing what I was doing as I really didn’t know how to go about it! I wrote out of sequence, had about 36 different word documents on my laptop and wrote myself into several corners and out again (thankfully!)  Thankfully I was accepted to work with The Golden Egg Academy for Children’s Writers and they helped me a great deal from sorting out the structure of the book to helping to find my authors ‘voice’ I would not have gotten this far without them, and it certainly wouldn’t have been so much fun!

6.     Are you working on anything at the moment?

Yes! I’m pleased to say that Arianwyn and her chums will be off on another adventure next year sometime in book 2, so I’m writing that currently and thinking about a 3^rd adventure for them for 2018!

7.     Lastly describe your book in five words… Go!

YIKES!!! Magic, friendship, courage, enchantment, adventure!