Product Description

What are the consequences when a Vampire Slayer herself becomes a vampire? Buffy is about to find out when she discovers that her latest vampiric adversary - a particularly dangerous individual, who goes by the name of Celina - was once a Slayer too.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #222284 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 243 pages

Customer Reviews

A new vampire shows up in Sunnydale looking for Buffy
WARNING! WARNING! DO NOT READ THE BOOK DESCRIPTION ABOVE OR THE BACK COVER OF THIS BOOK! YOU WILL REGRET IT. HEED MY WARNING MORTALS OR KNOW A HANDY WICCA WITH A SPELL OF FORGETFULLNESS!

Talk about having a book spoiled. I should have known better, but I looked at the back cover of "Tempted Champions" before I read it and it ended up spoiling my enjoyment of Yvonne Navarro's latest "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" novel. Usually I am smart enough to just pick up a book and start reading, but unfortunately this time that was not the case. This is important because not only does Navarro have a first rate twist for the vampire that shows up in town hoping to put the bit on Buffy, but also she saves the revelation for the climax of the novel. If the author has a surprise for the reader when they are more than halfway through the novel, then the people assigned the job of writing the tantalizing description on the back of the book should not give the game away, including the heroine's big dramatic choice at the end. Sheesh.

Ironically, "Tempted Champions," which is set during the LAST part of the show's fifth season (not the beginning as the historical note claims), hit the shelves the same week that we saw the "Hell's Bells" episode from season six. This is ironic because in both D'Hoffryn shows up in Sunnydale and offers Anya a chance to go back to work as a vengeance demon. We might be wondering what sixth season Anya will say but obviously we know what fifth season Anya told her former demon overlord. However, Navarro does an excellent job of having Anya work out her feelings. Anya has been the most problematic character on BtVS; when she first turned human she still had an edge to her, but then she was flunking math and was going with Xander to the prom, and by the time she showed up in that bunny outfit she had become the show's comic relief. Often I find the character overwritten, especially in terms of her preoccupation with sex (I am talking strictly the writing her, I find nothing to fault in Emma Caulfield's captivating performance). However, in "Tempted Champions" Navarro presents a more fully developed characterization of Anya that is a strength of the book, albeit the major subplot.

The main plot involves the mysterious Celina who has arrived in Sunnydale to take down Buffy. Celina has crossed paths with both Angel and Spike in the past, although under different names, but with nearly fatal results for the guys in both instances. What is Celina's secret? Well, hopefully you will discover it when you read the book (and avoid the spoilers), because it makes their final confrontation quite dramatic. As she did with Anya, Navarro manages to crystallize Buffy's thoughts at a critical juncture on some rather heavy subjects. Angel shows up in Sunnydale to help Buffy weather this particular storm and at first I thought it was an unnecessary crossover. But Navarro surprised me by making it integral to the story's climax. She also deals explicitly with one of my biggest concerns for this particuarly story, which is why Celina agreed to be turned into a vampire, obliterating my reservations about the character. "Tempted Champions" is Navarro's finest BtVS novel that compares favorably to "The Lost Slayer" serial novel. I only wish I had been able to fully enjoy it without the specter of that stupid back cover.

Not worth your hard earned cash!!
When I read the reviews for this book which came to an average score of about 5 stars I really thought this was going to be good.
I was wrong.
The book is very slow and the plot lines aren't exactly breath taking! The whole sub plot with Anya in my opinion just doesn't feel right although Anya's soliqueys are well written. The fight scenes can get a bit dull and I found my mind drifting off to other things as I read them.
Also theres the part where Angel comes in. The book is set in series 5 but it acts as if it is series 2 or 3. The whole Buffy and Angel love story is OVER!! I wish writers would stop coming back to it.
Overall I don't think it is really worth your hard earned cash. Go buy the Buffy books by Chris Golden and Nancy Holder which are superb!
Thanks for reading. :)