🦇 Sign of the Slayer Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD Vampires, werewolves, or witches? ❓

🦇 Life has always been a little weird for Raven, but after her bus is attacked by a vampire, she accepts that it's about to get weirder. She's whisked away to a Slayer training academy, where she learned how to battle beasts that go bump in the night. It's not until weeks after she loses her friends that she realizes the man who saved her is a vampire prince—and that they have to work together to take down an even bigger threat. Can Raven play nice, or will her new powers, bloodlust, and need for revenge get in the way?

💜 The total Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes this book was giving off totally snagged me. From the get-go, Raven's narration is very much like Faith's; all sassy, bittersweet snark. While that makes her a fun, engaging MC, it's a voice that can either get annoying fast or takes half a book to get used to. The concept of a vampire slayer academy seemed badass and entertaining, but the story doesn't focus much on the academy. Pretty quickly, Raven gets her first field mission, and though that should help the pacing, the story lags due to a mixed bag of concepts that aren't fleshed out well enough to matter.

🦇 The heavy world-building and mythology feel like too much. By the time readers get a grasp on one concept, they're forced to adjust to another. It might have helped if we stuck with Raven's POV, but introducing Khamari's POV as well forces readers to navigate vampire politics, too. Raven harbors so much animosity that she becomes a chaotic, pouty, annoying MC to follow. It's hard to relate to her (yes, I know it's fantasy fiction, but we should still relate to her grief, at the LEAST). It's also difficult to fall for Khamari, who comes off as another typical, broody vampire harboring a secret. The insta-love between them lacks any tension or appeal as well. With so many fragmented plot points and underdeveloped ideas, the story becomes difficult to follow very quickly. Names and information are repeated often enough to become annoying, too.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🩸 Buffy Meets Vampire Academy
🩸 Snarky Faith-esque MC
🩸 BIPOC Author
🩸 Broody Vampire Love Interest
🩸 Dual POV

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher @entangled_publishing / @entangledteen for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I read Sign of a the Slayer as part of book tour for Hear Our Voices. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for sending me this arc.


I always wanted to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I still haven't watch this, but it sounded amazing so I wanted to read this book. The idea for this book is something I really loved (even though I didn't understand all pop culture references).

But I never got really invested/interested in this book. That is also the reason why I didn't finish reading this. I could see other people like this.

This book is a very complicated mixture of Buffy verse, the vampire academy and shadow hunters. And you know what? I liked it so much. Yes, the beginning is confusing, there are a lot of events, characters, but you get used to it. Slayer Society is an amazing idea, because that’s what I wanted after the Buffy final. Those girls should have something like this! I love the school vibes. The main character, Raven, is very angry, but it’s okay, she lost everything, it’s relatable. Alexandr the great is a vampire. Such a cool move! But I really hope that the second book will give more answers, because I really like world building, but the main characters are still just going around. To sum up, it was such a great experience. I will be waiting for the second book, because I love the way the author brings slayers back to life.

I am so happy this turned out to be just as great as I hoped! I absolutely loved this fastpaced, Supernatural romance.

It was a perfect read for Buffy fans and those who enjoyed fast-pacing adventure like Maximum Ride series.
I enjoyed it a lot! Love how Raven/Texas is strong and stoneheaded lol her personality is something else. Khamari was amazing too (honestly I just love his name so much) and all the supporting characters! Little thing I would change was maybe lessening the pop references and more backstory/world building. But it was a nice ride!

I have read and reviewed this book voluntarily and honestly. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen!

When I first saw this book, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style description got me excited right away. Academia, vampires, curses – it sounded promising!

The concept of slayers, supernatural beings, magic, and pop culture references was super fun, but unfortunately, I had difficulty getting into the story. The beginning felt so chaotic, making it challenging to follow the unfolding events. From the bus crash to the awkward initial interaction between Raven and Khamari, the story wasn't making much sense to me.

When we meet Khamari my initial reaction was that the author was going for that brooding, good-looking, mysterious male character like Angel from Buffy, who would eventually become the love interest. However, their romance felt like instant love without much substance, which bothered me personally – but that's just a matter of my preference, not the author's fault.

Additionally, the story presented fragmented ideas that never fully developed, making it hard to connect with the characters and their decisions. It felt like every scene just jumped to the next.. it was all very choppy for me.

In the end, I had to DNF this book. Despite having high hopes, it turned out to be a struggle to get through. I pushed myself, hoping it would improve, but unfortunately, the writing and characters didn't resonate with me as I had hoped.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Vampire Academy.

Sign of the Slayer is a YA paranormal romance book by Sharina Harris. Sharina’s story is very immersive and you WILL be drawn into the world she has created.

The story is written from the point of view of Raven. Raven is a high school student who has her world turned upside down when she discovers that the things that go bump in the night are very real. Raven is sent to a slayer training academy to learn to fight and survive the monsters. Raven is hell bent on revenge and the destruction of all vampires; until she meets Kharmari-a vampire prince.

This was a very fast paced story, but it was an enjoyable read filled with pop culture references. The author included bits of Raven’s internal dialogue and she’s snarky as well as funny. Kharmari has a tragic backstory and I feel that draws him to Raven more than just their chemistry, but it also makes him complicated and real. It is a YA story, so the spicy level is very low, but this doesn’t detract from the story at all if you’re a spice lover.

I am looking forward to book two being developed and released!!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. I always love a good YA fantasy, but this read a little younger than YA based on the main character’s personality, not her actual age. I also don’t enjoy when a book that falls into the fantasy genre references current pop culture - just a pet peeve of mine. I LOVED the diversity of the characters and the initial premise of the book. Nothing ever really grabbed my attention and I had times where I struggled to read it. I think this would be great for a reader that enjoys a vampy, urban fantasy with diverse younger characters, is preferably a former band kid, and doesn’t mind the heaps of pop culture references.

I loved it! A lot of twist and turns but in a good way. This took me back in high school I would look high and low for books like this and this author delivered! I cannot wait for book 2 😊

After tragedy hits her marching band, Raven finds out she is a vampire slayer and makes it her life’s mission to kill all vampires.
The problem? She can’t stop thinking about Khamari, a vampire royal.
As Raven attends slayer academy to learn about her new powers, the school is having problems of it own. Fortunately, Raven is committed to being the best slayer in her class and gains the favor of the Commander.
Together they work to protect slayer and vampire secrets even when they might not be able to trust everyone.

This was a fun read! It was fast-paced and did a great job world building. Raven has an amusing internal dialogue and Khamari’s backstory keeps the story interesting. Even the side characters have depth!

While several vampire series already exist, this one feels fresh and new.

Oh how I love me a good vampire slayer. I thought this was a Buffy-verse book just judging by the cover but no such luck. That being said, the book was still good.
Some of the book tended to drag and some was way over the top predictable. Other parts left questions unanswered to the point I think they got forgotten.
Definitely left on a cliffhanger I didn't enjoy but I'll read the next if I get a chance. I can see this author going far.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars
While I loved the southern vibe of Raven and I think the idea was great, the execution was lacking slightly. The lack of world descriptions had me at a loss when trying to imagine what was going on. I also felt like there were lots of plot holes, why and what things were is what was missing. Also, wasn’t a fan of the love interest. It felt rushed and lusty too soon and with a lack of character development it had me begging for more.

Lots of potential. I would read another book by this offer in hopes that the writing and world building would tighten up.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! This is a series that I’m excited to see where it goes. Honestly it’s about time we had another good ole vampire / human love story. This was a fun and witty book, and I found myself snickering at times from the sarcastic but blunt nature of the Mc, Raven. While the book did rely on some tried and true tropes, there were a few moments where I was pleasantly surprised by where the plot / characters were going. A few things that I was kinda “ehhh” on in the beginning made sense by the end of the book (no spoilers here). I also enjoyed the world building and getting introduced to this world of alchemist vampire slayers. Not to mention I’m from Atlanta, where the majority of the book takes place, so I was tickled by that. All in all very excited to see where this series goes.

Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris was so much more than I originally anticipated.
This new fun and exciting dark academia series is going to be an amazing adventure.
Harris has created some intriguing characters.
The world-building is phenomenal.
The author's vivid descriptions transport readers into this world of vampire slayers, magic and romance.
And the story is captivating, fun and really exciting.
This is a promising start to a thrilling series that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy. This book was exciting, with great characters, fantastic world-building, and just enough romance to keep things interesting. I am very eager to get my hands on the next book to see what happens next!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Entangled Teen for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I received an advanced copy of this book, but my thoughts shared below are entirely my own.

This was a book I didn't know I needed and at times the main character seemed a lot like myself! Black saxophone playing marching band girl from the south, check check check. However, I have never seen or slayed a vampire, but after this book I would definitely sign up to join the Society!

The plot was action packed and the writing and language had me cracking up with laughter. I also appreciated the nods to Southern and Black culture and the historic elements woven throughout.

There was also a bit of romance, which I loved, but I truly loved the growth we saw in the main character. Raven goes from this unsure marching band girl to a strong and determined slayer and the transformation is something that any reader can embody and learn from.

I'm not usually a YA lover, but this action packed paranormal vampire romance was a great read! I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

I used to adore Buffy when I was growing up (still do, putting on re-runs of the show), so this book was a great vampire slayer depiction.

I loved the pop culture references, the forbidden romance (always a sucker for forbidden romances), the characters and the plot.

I'm not always a fan of insta-love, however I was drawn in with Raven and Khamari's relationship, but do wish we had more time with them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for this copy. This review is voluntary.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the arc.

As someone who has watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer over twenty times, I really wanted to love this book. The idea for this book is amazing: slayers, supernatural beings, magic, and pop culture references. We really needed better world building for all of this to work together. It felt like reading fragmented ideas that never got fully fleshed out.

And with all the organizations and societies, I really wanted more of the academia. It felt like we spent one chapter in the school and moved on to the real world with no real effort from the heroine. If we followed Raven (Texas), learning how to use her powers and this new world she was forced upon, the world building would have came naturally. Instead, Raven is a prodigy that already knows everything and we are playing catch up.

The romantic plotline took me out of the story every time Khamari and Raven were together. This was intsa-love at it's finest with no real substance.

I give this book a 2/5🌟 rating. Maybe I set my hopes to high, but it was really hard to get through. Usually, I burn through a book this size in 4-5 hours and this took me almost a week to get through. I had to force my self to get through a chapter.

So I was so excited to read this book/ arc. I could not put it down, it’s one of those types of books that sucks you in.
I love the idea and concept of a band geek! I’m a band geek. I got so excited of this main girl being a section leader and she’s in marching band. Also becomes a kickass girl and a fighter. She’s a bit annoying but all teenage girls are. She has an attitude, her mouth keeps getting her in trouble, and does not know how to keep her face and mouth in check.
Towards the end, like the last 100 pages I started to get annoyed, because this whole book is the main focus is the philosopher stone. Then not only that Alexander the Great put his soul in his half breeds.
Don’t get me wrong, but this concept I felt was stolen from jk Rowling Harry Potter. I just felt that the author could have been more original with the story than make a modern time Harry Potter/Texas Alexander the Great/ Voldemort.
It’s basically Buffy the vampire slayer/Harry Potter combined
I feel like the whole book is good. It dragged a little. It did feel like it was like Harry/Voldemort in the end.
It does leave in a cliffhanger.
I would read the second one.
This book is not horrible, I loved the writing. It’s very captivating. But I’m hoping in the second book, it doesn’t feel more like Voldemort plot.

This was… weird

The premise sounded amazing but I was confused for a majority of this book. I feel like the author probably just had all of the details of the workings of the vampire world and slayers in their head, and just forgot to actually include it in the book. There were so many plot holes.
I think the writing didn’t really go with the plot either. It felt too blunt and matter of fact to get any good dialogue or weave in any complex emotions. It just kind of… moved on.

Also I never really got too interested in the book. One where I just wanted to finish it and move on. At the beginning I really didn’t care. It didn’t hook me. I didn’t care that she was in marching band or black or kids were not performing right. It just seemed like a weak place to start her book when the premise is about vampires. I know that’s the exposition, but it felt weird.