Team Human

Team Human made me laugh–a lot. It was exactly what I needed to get out of a mild reading slump I had, but moreover, it definitely deserves bonus points for being a great read filled with laughs at every page and a novel that’s much, much more than just a vampire book.

PLOT

If someone read a plot summary to me without getting me to read the actual book, I would have been disinterested. It’s not my kind of plot. I am an action girl. I’m all for punches and epic battles and roundhouse kicks and war between good and evil. I’m just dramatic that way. But Team Human didn’t focus on action whatsoever. (No vampires out to drink your blood either.) There’s a running theme of friendship and love–there’s so much more than vampires in this book. It’s a mystery/contemporary disguised as a paranormal comedy.

Larbalestier and Brennan had me laughing every minute I read this book. The book is chock full of witty jokes and hilarious moments, and never once did Mel disappoint in humor. The romance was subdued but nevertheless adorable–both in Cathy and Francis’s “getting-lost-in-the-other’s-eyes” relationship and in Mel and Kit’s “trying-hard-to-make-you-laugh” relationship. I never felt overwhelmed with “oh-my-gosh-he’s-so-hot-how-can-I-talk-to-him-without-making-a-fool-of-myself” or with steamy romantic scenes that might go a little too far (in my opinion). Things just clicked for both couples. It was just natural.

This book was probably the most original vampire novel I’ve ever read. I’m glad that Larbalestier and Brennan decided to make vampires already a known existence to everyone in their world–it would have been a pain to go through the finding-out-what-species-that-mysterious-guy-is trend again. And though there were a ton of clues pointing out the solution to the mystery, I never caught it until the page before it was revealed! Larbalestier and Brennan were masterful at diverting my attention until the last second.

CHARACTER

Mel is the best protagonist. Ever. I can relate to her on so many levels–mostly because she’s an ABC (American Born Chinese) like me. We deal with the same problems–trying to decide what to do when we’re set loose into the world, trying to please our parents (though she rebels more often than I do), and trying to solve other people’s problems.

But not only is she relatable, she is the funniest protagonist I’ve ever encountered in my entire reading life. Her jokes cracked me up every single time, and never once did I get bored of her. She’s not a Mary Sue, and she’s got her own problems just like a normal teenage girl.

WRITING STYLE

I didn’t find many grammatical errors, and Larbalestier and Brennan kept the description to a minimum–no flowery language and no ambiguous settings or characters. I powered through this book in three days (though I totally think that if I didn’t have massive loads of homework, I could have read this in one sitting).

Team Human is not a vampire novel. Even though the entire plot revolves around the existence of vampires, this mystery/comedy could be suitable to anyone–both vampire lovers and vampire haters. Themes of friendship and love with amusing characters and a curious mystery would definitely hook anyone in. Larbalestier and Brennan have created a story to remember.

This book was funny! Mel came across as spunky and loyal. When her best friend falls for a vampire she makes her dislike of him clear. Mel juggles her friends, vampires, zombies, and a boy called Kitten and the story comes together in a colorful piece with a heart felt ending.

Before I even started Team Human I knew it was going to make me laugh, because it was going to make fun of the stereotypical teen vampire story lines. Story lines that I enjoy sure but also make fun of, you know what I am talking about, girl meets new hot guy in school who happens to be a vampire, knows him for two seconds and they fall madly-can’t-live-without-each-other love. And Team Human did make me laugh but what I didn’t expect it to also do was make me cry. I also didn’t expect the amount sleuthing the main character Mel would be partaking in and although I don’t gravitate to much mystery books I really enjoyed the mystery in this one.

It’s the beginning of September and Mel and her best friend Cathy are starting their senior year, strange thing though so is a 100+ vampire named Francis, who may look seventeen but sure doesn’t act like any seventeen year old in the 21st century. Cathy who has been obsessed with everything vampire since Mel has known her is instantly enamoured…Mel is not. Mel doesn’t trust Francis, what kind of vampire wants to go to high school? Not to mention it seems the school’s principal doesn’t want him around either and Mel has made it her job to find out if it’s because the Principal’s husband ran off with a vampire and she’s prejudice to all of their kind or that something a lot more sinister is going on.

Team Human wasn’t just a story about poking holes at a cliché. It was a story about looking past one’s own prejudices and narrow minded beliefs and about accepting the decision and choices of those you love even if it goes completely against what you want. Team Human was about friendships and what it truly means to be a good friend, not just doing what you think is best for others but allowing others to do what they think is best for them even if you completely disagree.

This book was filled with so much character growth and development, not just for our main heroine but for supporting characters as well. Mel goes from being naïve and blinded by her own perspective to someone willing to seeing different points of views before stubbornly deciding that she knows everything. And Kit, a human raised by vampires finally steps out of the world of the undead and interacts with people with a pulse. It also showed the development of relationships between several different characters and not just in a romantic sense. Although, the drama and the mystery was what propelled the story along I enjoyed the character-side of things the most.

If I didn’t know any better I never would have guessed that this book was written by two authors, the storytelling is coherent and consistent from beginning to end and I would never be able to point out which author might have wrote what. The style was smart and witty and this story had me giggling throughout most of it and shedding tears later on while still unexpectedly leaving me with a good, warm fuzzy feeling as I read the last line. If you’ve been on the fence about reading this book then just give in and get it, you won’t regret it.