Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris

Welcome Back, Booklovers! This is a book that has gone through a few title and cover changes since I added it back to my TBR well over a year ago. Author Sharina Harris reached out to me upon seeing my excitement over the book in my 2023 Most Anticipated Reads video series offering me the chance to read it before release.

Eighteen year old Raven's biggest concern is band and going off to college next year until one night after a big football game the band gets ambushed by vampires leaving her as the only survivor. It's that night that she discovers she's a slayer when a handsome vampire comes to her rescue. Soon she's forced to leave her old life behind and join the Slayer Society. While Raven is training to be a field agent she's also trying to figure out what the vampires are plotting.

The pacing was a little confusing for me at first because readers are quickly thrown into action with a vampire attack and then Raven's need for vengeance has her immediately ready to join the Slayer Society. But it soon settled as the world building started coming together and the societies of the slayers and vampires were explained. 

I would say this is more urban fantasy than paranormal romance. While there is a romance with some instant attraction here a lot of time is dedicated to Raven training and trying to figure out what the vampires are up to. For urban fantasy fans all the hallmarks we know and love are here right down to the secret club run by supernatural beings.

There are references to Buffy which I think older millennials will related more to. But even though the characters are 18+ this still feels like a book written for teens. It doesn't toe the line like a lot of recent releases and instead Raven actually feels like a teen girl. She has an actual personality that shines on page and gets you to keep reading. The side characters also have their own identities. Even though Raven is going through grief there's still a lot of levity in this book with many funny moments. There's a lot to look forward to in book 2.