Slayers

Dragon's exist. Descended from alchemically altered knights, the Slayers know this to be true. Now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator's daughter, must prepare to save the rest of us at any cost. Because after laying dormant for centuries, the dragon eggs are ready to hatch.

“Slayers” is the first book in this YA series by C.J. Hill, the noms de plume of a YA romance writer with 18 other books published. The writing of “Slayers” is generally tight, the pace and action following an escalating pace, but the book is not without its faults. Reading “Slayers,” one gets the impression that the author wasn't completely comfortable breaking away from romance novels. At inconvenient and even inappropriate times, the action is interrupted with spurious romantic observations and thoughts.

I have no problem with the fact that there is romance in the story - only with the odd way it interrupts the action, sometimes literally in mid-fight having the protagonist wonder if so-and-so likes her, and maybe he'll kiss her? Its as though the author tried to merge two different stories, or went back through to add the romantic elements to flesh out the story after the fact. Because while both the action and the romance are well written, they don't mesh well together, leaving the reading a bit disjointed.

All that said, the story has potential. There is a temporary resolution in the story and we are left with enough nuggets to know that the story will continue. I only hope its handled better.

Readers of YA fiction looking for something new and contemporary, but with fantasy elements, will enjoy this novel. With a title like “Slayers,” I had envisioned something more like Buffy vs. dragons instead of vampires, an expectation that tainted my appreciation for the story.