The Darkening: Wicked Willow I

This is sort of an alternate-reality story in which Willow really embraces her dark side after killing Warren. It's an interesting story, especially in the way in which Willow sets out to gain even more power than she already has in order to bring Tara back from the dead.

It's also a relatively dark story in which Willow's former friends become her targets, leading to one showdown in which Giles is left partially paralyzed. Willow's conversations with the ghost of Tara are quite important; on the other hand, at least in this first novel, Dawn is a throw-away character, contributing almost nothing to the story.

The first book has potential. It's a good story, but whether it turns out to be a really good addition to the Buffy novels will depend on the events in the last two books in the series.