As a consequence, her six brothers are cursed into assuming the form of cranes by day. Things take an even worse turn, however, when she uncovers her stepmother’s secrets. Her emerging talents in forbidden magic and a run-in with a young shape-shifting dragon help to pass the time before she is doomed to relocate to the cold North. About to turn 17 and be married off to a third-rank barbarian lord, Shiori desperately looks for ways out of the engagement. Shiori’anma, Princess of Kiata and eldest daughter of Emperor Hanariho, is the intrepid protagonist in this folktale retelling. Esme is presumably white, Cassandra identifies as Mexican, and Janis and Brian are black.Įsme may be witty, but when it comes to fulfilling her destiny, Buffy she is not. Many secondary characters feel hollow, including Esme’s crush (Cassandra’s brother, Dion). However, the explanation behind Esme’s powers comes late, and even as the conflict heightens, readers will struggle to buy in. To debut novelist Williams’ credit, much of the humor lands her unusual descriptions delight (Esme’s hands shake “like cold Chihuahuas,” while “nice” is “the chicken Caesar wrap of compliments”), as do Esme’s and her best friend Janis’ daily wardrobe inspirations. The tongue-in-cheek humor never manages to find a balance with the purportedly high-stakes plot. The characters themselves draw the obvious comparison to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (“So basically, we’re like Slayers, and you’re our Watcher”), but despite basic worldbuilding parallels, the novel misses the mark if it’s attempting to fill the cult classic’s large shoes.

The girls bumble their way through beginning spellcasting until Brian, the school football coach, explains that they are Sitters: girls (typically babysitters) predestined to protect humanity from interdimensional monsters. Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl can’t explain the strange things happening to her until the new girl, Cassandra Heaven, reveals to Esme that they both have powers.

A fashion-minded babysitter in small-town Kansas discovers her magical powers and the responsibility that comes with them.

The babysitters coven by kate williams