The Bewitching Hour: A Tara Prequel

by Ashley Poston

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Romance, Horror, Fiction, Paranormal

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2023

About the author

New York Times best-seller by day, fanfic author by night.

Viist her at www.ashposton.com.

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

*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.

[Jenny / Wondrous Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Rebecca Crunden]

Poor 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 ☆

[julia ☆ [owls reads] · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Caitlin]

a TARA MACLAY book??? be still my buffy heart

[ElphaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Gemma Ironside · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

***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.

[shatterinseconds · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

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."

[Kayla Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tara refers to Taco Bell takeout as “fresh Mexican food” and my brain shut down

[iris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Beth Ricketson · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.
..............................................................

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.

[Sapphic Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

*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

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Melissa F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Christina Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Nev · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 episode 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.

[Anik - MamaBearsBookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Ava Lyczkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Debby Tiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Yvonne Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tara is an underrated character in the Buffyverse, and just happens to be my partner's favorite character.

I wish I liked this more. It is nice to dive into a prequel, before-the-scooby-gang story, but I couldn't keep my interest high. It felt like it could have just been any witchy novel, not Buffy.

[erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

AAHHHHHHH im weeping i love tara maclay so much. even though the dialogue was kinda corny and childish at times i couldnt resist myself from being all giddy when i realized tara had such a beautiful life left to live (and we ignore what joss did to her!)

[Teddy Goetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Cute YA book with magic and giving more development to a beloved queer witch character.
I feel compelled to warn people that Taco Bell is referred to as “Mexican food” twice in short succession. I almost stopped reading then on principle, but am glad I stuck it out! Lol