Bewitching Hour

This novel is a prequel to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and centers on Tara Maclay, a character who has become an LGBTQIA+ icon among the show's fans. Here she takes the lead. Tara is beginning her final year of high school in a town she did not choose. She aches for her mother, misses her garden and the magic she once practiced openly, and remembers how her father treated her before her mother died. Her goal is simple: keep her head down in Hellborne, Vermont, and hope the town does not live up to its name.

That plan collapses almost at once. Dead students start appearing around her, and her classmates vote her Most Likely To Have Murdered Them. The new girl Tara has a crush on turns out to be a witch-hunter. Meanwhile, Tara's magic is malfunctioning badly. As the body count climbs, she must face her fears, reconnect with her powers, and step into a more central role to save the town, even if doing so puts her new relationship at risk.

The story mixes 1990s nostalgia, a murder mystery, and a star-crossed romance between two girls. It is written by Ashley Poston, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.