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Buffy and Angel
Cursed
Author: Mel Odom
Reviewed By: Justine Manzano
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It's been awhile since I have reviewed a media tie-in novel. I have been tied up with numerous other styles of writing (not to mention music), but finally, I've found time to return to my not-so-secret obsession with novels based on the cult television hits, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. 
And what Buffy and Angel fan could resist a story following the adventures of the Vampire with a soul, Angel, and soulless but redeemed vampire, Spike and their incredible disdain for one another?
Cursed weaves a tale that begins in the past, when both Spike and Angel were the fully evil versions of themselves. In that time, they managed to cause the death of a female demon from a gypsy-like species called the Kalochner. Before her death, the woman, Lyanka cursed the two vampires to live tortured, pain-riddled lives. An offshoot of the Kalochner, led by the evil Chavula Faa is attempting to collect Seven Founding Stones-Stones that lead the way back to the Kalochner home world but can be explosive in the wrong hands. In Chavula Faa's hands they could spell destruction for the Kalochner's home, and for this world. Now, in the present day, Spike and Angel are in their own ways, called on by Lyanka's ghost and the new generation of the Kalochner people to stop the very thing they set into motion by aiding in Lyanka's death. Spike is driven to help by his guilt at having been responsible for the murder of Lyanka as well as a threat from Lyanka's ghost to inform Buffy, the vampire slayer that Spike is in love with, on the horrors of his past and present activities. While Angel is driven by an intense fear that his sins and curses will pass down to his son Connor. Suddenly, it's up to the now reformed vampires to work on their own and come together to stop Chavula and lift Lyanka's curse once and for all.
First of all, there are always available nitpicks at the ready with a media tie-in novel. In this case, my big (and only real) nitpick is the fact that neither vampire has ever mentioned this other curse before. The author's explanation isn't very helpful either. A nod to the cheesiness that can reign whenever you try to make excuses for plot holes, Mel Odom has our hero Angel explain that he didn't believe in Lyanka's curse because at that time, while he was Angelus (his evil form), he didn't believe in simple parlor tricks, and had thus forgotten about it as soon as it had happened. An explanation that doesn't truly help to explain why he gets so incredibly nervous the minute he sees the Kalochner again.
But, there is no need to nitpick (so much) when there are so many great things to discuss! For instance, this novel takes place in the middle of season 6 of Buffy and season 3 of Angel. In a genre like this, it is tough to make sure you don't violate the past or future of the series and this story does a great job of avoiding mistakes like this. As a matter of fact, thanks to the fortune-tellers in this book, it even does a great job of foreshadowing the events that end the Buffy series, as well as events in season 4 and even season 5 of Angel. In fact this story could have easily plugged into the series as a crossover episode.
Another thing I love in a tie-in novel is the creation of a new section of mythology for the series and Odom does this brilliantly with the creation of Chavula Faa and his war with the Kalochner people. The backstory to Cursed is written with the same historical enthusiasm and true-sounding demon mythology as the series. The characters we know from the television show are written to a fitting tee, a statement I have found to be continuously true for Odom. He flawlessly captures Spike's ruthlessness and his desperate yearning to love and be loved, Angel's nearly insane over-protective nature towards his son, Cordelia's sarcastic comments, Fred's innocence; and he does so all while holding up an impeccably well-written plot. This is definitely one of my top picks for this continuing book series!
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