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A review by snakeboba
First Kill by Z Brewer
4.0
The existence of Joss McMillian would forever be altered the night his baby sister, Cecile, is murdered by what everyone else believes was a lunatic even though he witness the last moments of her life. He knows it was not a man. He knows it was a monster. The only problem is Joss is a child and he can’t recall the face of the thing that took Cecile from him.
Until his Uncle Abraham approaches Joss at the funeral giving him the reality about what had been in her bedroom and what Joss really is he. Though this does not stop him wanting revenge. It adds fuel to the fire within him when he learns it was a Vampire that murdered Cecile. With this knowledge he must choose to follow the path others have within his family each generation or walk away never able to speak of the Slayer Society or getting justice. Joss vows to dedicate his life to ridding the world of Vampires.
Three years later the letter from Abraham comes to Joss earlier than expected, but he has been training for this exact moment since the service. He will become a Slayer. He will put Cecile’s soul to rest. He will do all he possibly can to ensure no one else will have to suffer the agony he has.
Yet it is not at all what he anticipated when he arrives. Abraham appears to be irritated with having to train Joss and it is as if he does not want Joss to excel with any task given leading to being inducted into the Slayer Society. The other slayers seem to be behind him wanting Joss to make it through, although fear his uncle more. Not to mention the members are being picked off by the local hive.
Is Abraham behind the betrayal? Is it someone else in the cabin? Or is it simply an outside source? Will Joss make it through his training? At the very least, will he survive the summer at all?
The Slayer Chronicles: First Kill is a re-read for the simple reason I believe many of us who were fans of its predecessor, [b:Eighth Grade Bites|530848|Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1)|Heather Brewer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433470335s/530848.jpg|518471]The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, did not give the series a chance it deserved. So it did not become a successful successor as Brewer would have hoped or wanted. I can admit without shame the first time I read this I did not finish it and gave First Kill two star rating. Though three years later after reading a few reviews I realized maybe there were not too many readers who gave this book a chance. So, that is a short answer as to why I re-read it and bought a copy for myself, which actually happens to be a signed edition.
Anyway, I raised the score from a two to a four as I truly did value Joss’ perspective. Viewing this story outside of Vlad’s made it more enjoyable in the end since I was not comparing Joss to Vlad with every flip of a page. He became a cherished character who I needed to overcome the obstacles before him. In short, Joss had to be the hero I knew he could be for Cecile. Dishonorably I will admit for a bit I had forgotten my awareness he would become a Slayer as I rooted for him to make it through his training. I suppose what I am saying is for Vlad Tod fans to give Joss McMillian a chance again because it was worth it.
Now, the reason for not getting a perfect score was the confusion experienced while reading First Kill. When Joss received the letter from Abraham it was described as if he was eighteen then, yet pages later we learn it is only three years later. After re-reading it a few times as well as getting to Abraham rant it was made clear he had gotten an premature pass since the Society needs new Slayers desperately. There were a few more moments similar to the above occurrences; however, I do not want to use those as examples since those are major parts of the plot I do not wish to give away. It took from the immersion and caused me to spend a few more minutes to get back into the story.
Though at the mention of the plot, First Kill has a bit more than Joss becoming a Slayer. There is a sub-plot that helps develop his character. He has to figure out if there is a defector within the Slayers he is with helping the Vampires or if it is simply the hive. He has to defend his motives for wanting to be a Slayer since it is known the last few years new recruits have deserted their training to be in ranks with local hives. There is a lot against Joss not to mention between the threats and training his life is truly on the line. It becomes very clear why he is so determined.
To put this review to an end, Brewer has made a magnificent addition to his series. Adding on the universe many of us fell in love with, yet make it another side was a brilliant idea. There are some minor flaws, but ultimately it was a nice read to gain more depth into understanding the Slayers. I would not personally re-read this book for a third time, but I am unquestionably picking up the other two books that follow to discover the rest of Joss’ life. I courage other Vlad Tod fans to pick this up or give it another chance or even anyone interested.
Until his Uncle Abraham approaches Joss at the funeral giving him the reality about what had been in her bedroom and what Joss really is he. Though this does not stop him wanting revenge. It adds fuel to the fire within him when he learns it was a Vampire that murdered Cecile. With this knowledge he must choose to follow the path others have within his family each generation or walk away never able to speak of the Slayer Society or getting justice. Joss vows to dedicate his life to ridding the world of Vampires.
Three years later the letter from Abraham comes to Joss earlier than expected, but he has been training for this exact moment since the service. He will become a Slayer. He will put Cecile’s soul to rest. He will do all he possibly can to ensure no one else will have to suffer the agony he has.
Yet it is not at all what he anticipated when he arrives. Abraham appears to be irritated with having to train Joss and it is as if he does not want Joss to excel with any task given leading to being inducted into the Slayer Society. The other slayers seem to be behind him wanting Joss to make it through, although fear his uncle more. Not to mention the members are being picked off by the local hive.
Is Abraham behind the betrayal? Is it someone else in the cabin? Or is it simply an outside source? Will Joss make it through his training? At the very least, will he survive the summer at all?
The Slayer Chronicles: First Kill is a re-read for the simple reason I believe many of us who were fans of its predecessor, [b:Eighth Grade Bites|530848|Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1)|Heather Brewer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433470335s/530848.jpg|518471]The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, did not give the series a chance it deserved. So it did not become a successful successor as Brewer would have hoped or wanted. I can admit without shame the first time I read this I did not finish it and gave First Kill two star rating. Though three years later after reading a few reviews I realized maybe there were not too many readers who gave this book a chance. So, that is a short answer as to why I re-read it and bought a copy for myself, which actually happens to be a signed edition.
Anyway, I raised the score from a two to a four as I truly did value Joss’ perspective. Viewing this story outside of Vlad’s made it more enjoyable in the end since I was not comparing Joss to Vlad with every flip of a page. He became a cherished character who I needed to overcome the obstacles before him. In short, Joss had to be the hero I knew he could be for Cecile. Dishonorably I will admit for a bit I had forgotten my awareness he would become a Slayer as I rooted for him to make it through his training. I suppose what I am saying is for Vlad Tod fans to give Joss McMillian a chance again because it was worth it.
Now, the reason for not getting a perfect score was the confusion experienced while reading First Kill. When Joss received the letter from Abraham it was described as if he was eighteen then, yet pages later we learn it is only three years later. After re-reading it a few times as well as getting to Abraham rant it was made clear he had gotten an premature pass since the Society needs new Slayers desperately. There were a few more moments similar to the above occurrences; however, I do not want to use those as examples since those are major parts of the plot I do not wish to give away. It took from the immersion and caused me to spend a few more minutes to get back into the story.
Though at the mention of the plot, First Kill has a bit more than Joss becoming a Slayer. There is a sub-plot that helps develop his character. He has to figure out if there is a defector within the Slayers he is with helping the Vampires or if it is simply the hive. He has to defend his motives for wanting to be a Slayer since it is known the last few years new recruits have deserted their training to be in ranks with local hives. There is a lot against Joss not to mention between the threats and training his life is truly on the line. It becomes very clear why he is so determined.
To put this review to an end, Brewer has made a magnificent addition to his series. Adding on the universe many of us fell in love with, yet make it another side was a brilliant idea. There are some minor flaws, but ultimately it was a nice read to gain more depth into understanding the Slayers. I would not personally re-read this book for a third time, but I am unquestionably picking up the other two books that follow to discover the rest of Joss’ life. I courage other Vlad Tod fans to pick this up or give it another chance or even anyone interested.