Embrace the Slayer: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington (TheSunnydaleProject)

“It’s time for you to know who you are . . . ” – Jessica Shirvington

Last Saturday I told you about my absolute favorite Buffy readalike, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Today, I am going to share another readalike with you – the Embrace series by Jessica Shirvington (technically called The Violet Eden series).

Into every generation a chosen One is born and Buffy is our girl. She fights. She slays. She quips. But the deal is, she honors her destiny while staying true to the core of who she is. And girl can seriously kick butt.

Meet Violet Eden. She too has a destiny (please note the angel wings on the cover – it is a big hint). She becomes aware of it when strange voices begin to whisper to her. And then there is the matter of a strange tattoo that is appearing on her arm. Violet doesn’t know her destiny when we first meet her, but in some ways she has already been in training for it.

The Violet Eden series begins with book 1, Embrace (read my review here), and continues with book 2, Entice, which just came out this month. They are written by Jessica Shirvington and published by Sourcebooks Fire.


Embrace introduces us to Violet and Linc and a few other interesting characters. In Entice, we learn more about what, exactly, Violet is and what her calling is. It involves a hierarchy of angels, yin and yang, good vs. evil and the battle for the world – you know, Buffy stuff.

Like Buffy, Violet is a strong female character who has to make important choices. Not just once, but over and over again. And like Buffy, there are sometimes HUGE consequences for those choice, including who to love. Destiny is always a tricky business.

When I originally read Embrace, I was bothered by a scene in the book that I felt could be construed as rape and I struggled with how to contextualize it. But Entice helped me to be at more peace with the relationship involved. And a recent discussion about Spike over at Bookish Comforts helped me to remember that even Buffy had scenes that really bothered me but we can’t take them out of context because they are part of a whole story arc. Each new book is a new piece to Violet’s story just as each episode helped us flesh out Buffy and the Scooby Gang’s stories.

I also recently mentioned the cover for Entice in my post regarding ya lit book covers an the influence I feel they have on teen body image. And although I worry about the message of the cover, I reiterated even then that I really like the series.

But here is the really interesting thing about the series, The Mr. is a HUGE fan. When I came back from Midwinter, it was the first arc out of all the arcs I brought back that he chose to read after reading all the back covers. And the same thing happened with Entice. He likes the characters and says they are well developed (they are), he likes the action (it is good) and he likes the Buffyness of it (we are both fans). It just goes to show you, we can’t always predict what guys will like to read.

If you are a Buffy fan, you’ll want to be reading this series. Violet, like Buffy, is an example of a strong female character (a kick-butt girl) who can save the world. Like Buffy, she’ll probably do it more than once. And I am not the only one who has noticed the Buffy vibe to this series, the CW recently announced that it was developing this series into a tv show and the press release called out to Buffy fans. Violet Eden has answered the call to her destiny, you should answer the call to Buffy fans and read this series.

Please note: I already have a great programming idea put together for you with this book series.  You’re welcome.

As part of The Sunnydale Project, I will be giving away my Embrace and Entice arcs by Jessica Shirvington to one lucky winner. Leave a comment with a way to get in contact with you via email or Twitter by next Saturday’s post for your chance to win.

• Each week on our Slayer Saturday posts look for the words highlighted. There will be 3 sets of words each weekend, so make sure to visit all three blogs (Bookish Comforts, Patricia’s Particularity and Teen Librarian Toolbox).
• Write down the words each week (Sept. 8 – Oct. 20), putting them in an order that makes sense. All together these words create a quote from Buffy.
• During the last week a form will be made available on all three blogs where you can turn in the quote that you have pieced together.
• On the last weekend of The Sunnydale Project, Oct. 27, the quote will be revealed! We will then draw a winner from those who have correctly completed the quote.

Filed under: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Embrace, Entice, Jessica Shirvington, Sunnydale Project