The Bewitching Hour

The subject of this article is non-canonical. While created as part of licensed material, it has not been confirmed as part of the "real" Buffyverse continuity.

The Bewitching Hour: A Tara Prequel is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel. Written by Ashley Poston, it was originally published on August 1, 2023, by Hyperion Avenue Books.

Synopsis[]

In this Buffy the Vampire Slayer prequel, fan-favorite and LGBTQIA+ icon Tara Maclay gets the main character treatment… whether she wants it or not.

Tara Maclay isn't thrilled to be starting her senior year of high school in a new town. She misses her mom, her garden, her magic — and the way her dad treated her before her mom passed. But if Tara can just keep her head down, then maybe she can make it through this year in Hellborne, Vermont without the town living up to its name.

Of course, her plan falls apart immediately, as dead students start turning up around her, and she's suddenly voted Most Likely To Have Murdered Them by the rest of the senior class. Oh, and the fellow new girl Tara's crushing on? Turns out to be a witch-hunter. So maybe it's not the worst thing that Tara's magic is majorly malfunctioning.

As the body count rises, Tara has to overcome her fears, reconnect with her magic, and cast herself in a more central role to save the town — even if it means putting her new relationship at risk.

Written by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ashley Poston, The Bewitching Hour is the perfect blend of '90s nostalgia, mysterious murders, and star-crossed sapphic romance.^[1]

Summary[]

Continuity[]

• The events of the story take place in October 1998, before Tara moves to Sunnydale (as first seen in "Hush").
• Tara reflects on the death of her mother, which she discussed in the episodes "The Body" and "Intervention."
• Tara endures her family's prejudice against witches and the lie about her having demon blood, which she will deal in the episode "Family."
• Daphne believes Giles might be too preoccupied at the moment to help her. In Sunnydale, he has been dealing with the events from the episodes "Dead Man's Party" and "Faith, Hope & Trick."
• Daphne received a mission from the same coven in Devon Giles would first mention in "Grave."
• Tara remembers her grandmother also being a witch; she will mention inheriting a doll's eye crystal from her in "The I in Team."
• Tara wants to burn into her memory the dinner she had with the Frost family, "with a table full of friends — a Scooby gang." She will have at least a Christmas dinner with her group of friends known as the Scooby Gang, as seen in "The Body."

Appearances[]

Individuals[]

• Aberhorn
• H.B. Abernath
• Aisling (Only mentioned)
• Albedo
• Amala
• Apollo (Only mentioned)
• Apperson (Only mentioned)
• Athos (Only mentioned)
• Beth
• Cory Bouvard
• Connie (Only mentioned)
• Hailey Conrad
• Dupont (Only mentioned)
• Marissa Ellis
• Augustus Feehan (Only mentioned)
• Daniel Frost (Only mentioned)
• Daphne Frost
• Gabriel Frost
• Fred Frost
• Michael Frost
• Sean Frost
• Rupert Giles (Only mentioned)
• Peronne Goguillon (Only mentioned)
• Adelaide Grey
• Greaves
• Gunn
• Harris
• Hygeia (Only mentioned)
• Chad Jackson
• Moss Jedon
• Jonathan
• Lee
• Bastion Leto
• Ryan Lopez
• Mr. Maclay
• Mrs. Maclay (Only in flashbacks)
• Donald Maclay
• Evelyn Maclay (Only mentioned)
• Tara Maclay
• Mathilda (Only mentioned)
• Ermon Merow (Only mentioned)
• Minerva (Only mentioned)
• Nate
• Mister Ribbit
• Atticus Herold O'Toole the Third (Only mentioned)
• Elaine O'Toole
• Joseph O'Toole (Only mentioned)
• Samuels
• Brian Shorter (Only mentioned)
• Starino
• Lan Stroud (Only mentioned)
• Buffy Summers (Only mentioned)
• West (Only mentioned)

Organizations and titles[]

• Devon coven (Only mentioned)
• Hellborne Devils
• Hellborne Hurricanes
• Hellborne Police Department
• Slayer (Only mentioned)
• Warlock (Only mentioned)
• Watcher (Only mentioned)
• Witch
• Witch hunter

Species[]

• Angel (Only mentioned)
• Demon (Only mentioned)
  • Lei-ach demon (Only mentioned)
• Half-demon
• Higher being (Only mentioned)
• Human
  • Werewolf (Only mentioned)
• Incubus (Only mentioned)
• Succubus (Only mentioned)
• Vampire (Only mentioned)
• Zombie (Only mentioned)

Events[]

• Burning
• Halloween

Locations[]

• Bennington Triangle
  • Hellborne, Vermont
    • Conrad residence
    • Crossroads
    • Frost residence
    • Hellborne Academy
    • Hellborne Museum
      • Grey House
    • Main Street
    • Leto residence
    • O'Toole residence
    • Oleander Street
      • Maclay residence
    • South Street
• Canada (Only mentioned)
• Chicago (Only mentioned)
• Hellmouth (Only mentioned)
• Michigan (Only mentioned)
• New York City (Only mentioned)
• Omaha, Nebraska (Only mentioned)
• Salem, Massachusetts (Only mentioned)
• Sunnydale, California (Only mentioned)
  • University of California, Sunnydale (Only mentioned)
• Utah (Only mentioned)

Objects[]

• Ancient Rituals of the Lei-Ach
• Aura
• Auras and Their Secrets
• Blood
• The Book of Blood
• Cross
• Hellborne: A Tragic Story
• A History of Herbology
• Maths and the Modern Magic
• Soul (Only mentioned)
• Spellbook
• Stake
• The Study of Demonic Arrays: Ancient Lore and Modern Management
• Taglarin Mystic Rites
• The Tragedies of William Shakespeare
• Winnie
• The Witch Project (Only mentioned)
• Witchstone (Only mentioned)
• Writings of Dramius

Rituals and spells[]

• "Animam agere" (Only mentioned)
• "Discede"
• Karmic spell (Only mentioned)
• Plea to Hygeia
• "Somnum"
• Taglarin mythic rites (Only mentioned)
• "Veritas"

Death count[]

• Chad Jackson, skull punctured with a metal hook.
• Moss Jedon, succumbed to injuries from a fallen bookcase (only mentioned).
• Cory Bouvard (only mentioned).

Behind the scenes[]

Production[]

• The book was also released as a hardcover, ebook, and an unabridged audiobook read by Emily Ellet.
• Tara casts spells calling for Apollo and Hygieia, deities from Greek mythology.
• The twins discuss their found footage-style horror film about seeking a witch, which alludes to the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project.

Pop culture references[]

• Daphne's satchel was decorated with iron-on patches of the singer Alanis Morissette and the bands Boyz II Men, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Green Day.
• Students play Snake on their Nokia and Motorola phones.
• Tara thinks she does not need to watch the series Boy Meets World to figure out guys in letterman jackets are not as nice as Baz.
• Donny could live off Cheetos corn puff snacks.
• Mrs. Albedo's classroom has posters of the musician David Bowie and the actress Whoopi Goldberg reading the novel series Goosebumps and the novel Fahrenheit 451 and an old poster of the 1978 animated film The Lord of the Rings.
• Mrs. Albedo's classroom has a skull with a sticky note written "Poor Yorick!", a reference to the character from the play Hamlet.
• The class reads the William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth.
• Students were huddled over a Game Boy playing the 1993 video game The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
• Tara compares Cory's appearance with male models in the teen magazine Tiger Beat.
• Baz describes Harris as dressing like the character Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.
• Chad's former locker has pictures of models from the magazine Sports Illustrated.
• Tara finds herself among books from Lord Byron, J. R. R. Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, and Mary Shelley.
• Tara and Daphne discuss people who wears shoes from the brands Doc Martens and Nike.
• Tara thinks Daphne probably tastes like Pop Rocks candies.
• Tara also finds in the library the book with the play Romeo and Juliet.
• Mr. Maclay and Donny intend to visit Dartmouth College.
• Donny eats a bag of Bugles corn snacks.
• Tara feels like Goody Proctor, a woman convicted of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
• Baz asks Tara about the girl group Spice Girls and compares them to *NSYNC, singing the latter's 1997 song "Tearin' Up My Heart."
• Tara tries to emulate heroines from Agatha Christie's detective novels.
• Tara mentions the writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights Mary Wollstonecraft
• The Frost family dines Mexican-inspired fast food from Taco Bell.
• Sean looks at the time in his watch from the brand Rolex.
• Tara considers her brother is listening to the Foo Fighters.
• Gabe argues people didn't go see the Scream films because of the character Ghostface.
• Tara imagines a group of friends like the gang from Scooby-Doo.
• Mr. Samuels mentions a class on the Reynolds Pamphlets.
• Elaine's locker has a collage with cutouts of Paul Rudd, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Nick Carter.
• A student has a Discman blaring Green Day's 1994 album Dookie.
• Hailey mentions the ghost story from the 1993 film Hocus Pocus.
• Miss Aberhorn reads a novel from the romance writer Nora Roberts.
• Tara eats the pastry from the brand Pop-Tarts for breakfast.
• Tara was choosing between the candies Snickers and Runts at the hospital.
• Students ask if there's a serial killer like in the horror films Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
• Baz's house party plays the 1996 Backstreet Boys song "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)."
• Baz asks if Tara's costume is a reference to Luna, the talking black cat who guided the Sailor Scout in Sailor Moon.
• Tara recalls the novel Howl's Moving Castle (1986), mentioning its characters Wizard Howl and the fire demon Calcifer.
• Donny liked cartoons such as Batman (1992–1995) and Goof Troop (1992).
• The diner's jukebox plays Bruce Springsteen's ballad "Hungry Heart" (1980).
• Daphne asks Tara, "Et tu, Brute?", quoting William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.
• Daphne's personal library includes the books Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley, Interview with the Vampire (1976) by Anne Rice, and many by Anne McCaffreys.
• Daphne chews on a Fruit Roll-Up.
• Tara tries to see if Baz's face is some sort of skin suit like Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs.
• Baz tries to explain the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons to Tara.
• Daphne picks an edition of the Iliad and mutters about the character Patroclus.
• Baz drives a Ford Mustang.
• Hailey's bedroom has posters of the boy bands *NSYNC and 98 Degrees.
• Tara sarcastically considers the dialogue for the Burning was worthy of the Pulitzer Prize.
• Daphne's car radio blares music of the band Nirvana.
• The mare nibbles on a copy of the play The Crucible.

Gallery[]

Cover artwork

Quotes[]

References[]