Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
Title: Team Human
Author: Justine Larbalestier, Sarah Rees Brennan
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen (Imprint of HarperCollins)
Date Published: July 3rd, 2012
Edition: Paperback
Source: ARC (Provided by Publisher)
Rating:

Just because Mel lives in New Whitby, a city founded by vampires, doesn’t mean she knows any of the blood-drinking undead personally. They stay in their part of town; she says in hers. Until the day a vampire shows up at her high school. Worse yet, her best friend, Cathy, seems to be falling in love with him. It’s up to Mel to save Cathy from a mistake she might regret for all eternity!

On top of trying to help Cathy (whether she wants it or not), Mel is investigating a mysterious disappearance for another friend and discovering the attractions of a certain vampire wannabe. Combine all this with a cranky vampire cop, a number of unlikely romantic entanglements, and the occasional zombie, and soon Mel is hip-deep in an adventure that is equal parts hilarious and touching.

My Review:

When I first picked up Team Human, I think I was assuming it was a bit of a spoof book. You know, kind of lightheartedly poking fun at all the vampire books popping up everywhere. This was because of both the title of the book and because of a few reviews I read.

It’s not so much a spoof book though, although it does have humor and in some ways it’s poking fun at vampire books. The vampire and girl in love resembled a certain famous vampire/human couple who you might see sparkling around here and there. But it read as if they were meant to be like that because it was poking fun at them a little bit.

But where the main humor comes from is the main character Mel. She’s a fun and spunky chick who is very funny and easy to love. She has a lot of funny lines in this one, although I did find her snarkiness to be more towards the beginning of the book and it toned down a bit as the book moved forward. The one problem I had with her was that her determination to break up her friend (Cathy) and the vampire (Francis) got a wee bit annoying. I get why she was doing it and I really appreciated that she has a solid head on her shoulders. She’s smart and doesn’t swoon over anyone who smiles at her. But it got to be a bit much after awhile.

The story is light and there’s a bit of mystery but it’s not too crazy. I would say this is a good read if you’re looking for something not too heavy and that you don’t need to think about too much. Just something fun and fluffy. Those who are fans of vampire books (which is I’m sure most of you who read this blog are) will more than likely enjoy the parallels between some of our favorite vampire stories, only a little more…cheesy. ;) On purpose of course though of course.

3 Hearts Read more reviews & Buy it up! Goodreads LibraryThing Shelfari Amazon Barnes & Noble Book Depository Half.com Abebooks Alibris Better World Books Paperback Swap

  • woman sitting on window reading book

    131 Most popular YA books of the last decade (according to Reddit)

    There are so many great YA novels to choose from, but sometimes it’s hard to pick favorites or figure out what ...
  • woman in black tank top and denim jeans reading a book

    Young adult literature: top 100 YA books of all time

    Young Adult Literature: The Best of the Best Hey fellow book nerds, if you’re looking for the best of the best ...
  • You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister

    Aisling Grey is a courier enjoying a free, work-related trip to Paris when she learns she's a Guardian. That's a keeper of the Gates of Hell, for those who don't know. She finds this out from Drake Vireo, who's scrumptiously sexy-at least in his human form. Now Drake has stolen the package Aisling was sent to deliver, and she must track him down, get the package, and try to resist the passion boiling inside her.
Load More Related Articles
  • You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister

    Aisling Grey is a courier enjoying a free, work-related trip to Paris when she learns she's a Guardian. That's a keeper of the Gates of Hell, for those who don't know. She finds this out from Drake Vireo, who's scrumptiously sexy-at least in his human form. Now Drake has stolen the package Aisling was sent to deliver, and she must track him down, get the package, and try to resist the passion boiling inside her.
  • Written in Red by Anne Bishop

    As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others. Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.
  • Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

    When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.
Load More By Sarah
  • Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

    When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.
  • Upon the Midnight Clear by Sherrilyn Kenyon

    Ever think Scrooge had it right before the ghosts ruined his life? Meet Aidan O'Conner. At one time he was a world-renowned celebrity who gave freely of himself and his money without wanting anything in return...until those around him took without asking. Now Aidan wants nothing of the world--or anyone who's a part of it. When a stranger appears at his doorstep, Aidan knows he's seen her before…in his dreams. Born on Olympus as a goddess, Leta knows nothing of the human world. But a ruthless enemy has driven her from the world of dreams and into the home of the only man who can help her: Aidan. Her immortal powers are derived from human emotions--and his anger is just the fuel she needs to defend herself… One cold winter's night will change their lives forever… Trapped together in a brutal winter storm, Aidan and Leta must turn to the only power capable of saving them--or destroying them both: trust.
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

    Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what. A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark
Load More In 3 Hearts

Leave a Reply

Check Also

You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister

Aisling Grey is a courier enjoying a free, work-related trip to Paris when she learns she's a Guardian. That's a keeper of the Gates of Hell, for those who don't know. She finds this out from Drake Vireo, who's scrumptiously sexy-at least in his human form. Now Drake has stolen the package Aisling was sent to deliver, and she must track him down, get the package, and try to resist the passion boiling inside her.

Welcome to The YA Shelf

Helping you find the BEST young adult literature online! We're YA authors, readers and bibliophiles, who read everything and sometimes post book reviews and fandom summaries. Check out our "best books for teens" lists to see our favorites, or browse nearly 300+ book reviews!

Check out today's deals or See what's hot! Today's FREE books
Today's BestSellers


imlovingbooks

Top Posts & Pages

The Best YA Fae Fantasy Books
Sarah J Maas and YA cancel culture (what's up?)
The Best Angel and Fallen Angel Romances for Teens
50 YA fiction tropes and cliches we can't get enough of!
The Best YA/Teen Fiction Books With Zombies
The Best YA Magic Academy Books
Young Adult Bloggers, Sites and More
The Best Time Travel Books for Teens

Search

Category Posts