This is a book where there are more demons than vampires running about, but the true evil in "Sweet Sixteen" has a human face. Arianna's mother is such a horribly abusive parent that it seems reasonable to both the poor girl and the readers that her father would have to be an improvement. But this is the Buffy universe where the dictum that it is better to deal with the devil you know is pretty much gospel.

One of the strengths of this book is the way Ciencin captures the horrible way young teenager girls treat each other. What Buffy and Willow had to endure with Cordelia and the Cordettes is nothing compared to what Dawn and Arianna have to put up with the Sweater Mafia at school. (Question: What grade is Dawn in? Arianna is the one who turns 16 in "Sweet Sixteen," which is the same age Buffy was at the beginning of Season 2, when she was a junior in High School. But I certainly have never gotten the feeling Dawn was that old at this point, i.e., late in Season 5.)

My main complaint is that Ciencin engages is one of those convenient plot manipulations that drive me crazy, wherein Arianna discovers she has a particular power and then avoids using that particular power because if she did the story would be over. Ciencin puts off this eventuality until the key dramatic moment, but it is just too artificial for my tastes, especially after a couple of scenes where Arianna toys with the idea of using her power but backs off each time. However, Ciencin has an excellent feel for dialogue for these characters and exploring the idea that there are others out there besides the Slayer who have been called by the Powers that Be (or whoever is behind the Buffy universe) has long been overdue.