Reviews

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier

emrodav's review against another edition

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5.0

Don't judge this book by it's "Oh dear lord, another love triangle?" cover. Team Human is nothing like that.

It's a very amusing parody of the endless vampire love stories in teen fiction. A group of vampires is even called a "murmur" at one point, and I think I died because that has to be my least favorite word for describing dialogue. How do you talk to anyone if you're always murmuring?

Moving on, the story is interesting, imaginative, humorous, has just the right amount of romance (the over-the-top vampire love story is not the focus), and even a bit of a mystery that adds to the story.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a light, funny book that's different from nearly every other vampire tale in YA lit.


Side note: On the back cover, it says they're writing a sequel, but SRB has confirmed that they aren't. I'm quite disappointed about that, but not because the story ends badly. I'd just like to have more of these characters and this world.

sarahrheawerner's review against another edition

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3.0

A light, quick, and fun read -- I always love Sarah Rees Brennan's uniquely human (no pun intended) and multidimensional characters. :) Full review to come.

alicebme's review against another edition

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3.0

I loved Justine's book Liar, and I'm cool with vampire-themed media, so I got this for my library. It was fine. I felt like it took a while to get going. My favorite part of reading this book was that I attached a former student firmly in my mind in place of the main character, and I had a few extra giggles.

pbraue13's review against another edition

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2.0

This was written as a response to the cultural vampire fatigue and boom and starts quite funny and good, but loses steam towards the middle and end.

ladytiara's review against another edition

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4.0

Young adult writers Justine Larbalestier (author of the acclaimed Liar) and Sarah Rees Brennan (author of the awesome Demon’s Lexicon trilogy) teamed up to create Team Human, an entertaining send up of the young adult vampire craze. Mel Duan is a human teenager who lives in New Whitby, Maine, a city where humans and vampires co-exist peacefully, but a bit uneasily. When a teenage vampire named Francis enrolls in her high school, Mel’s best friend Cathy falls hard for him. Mel frantically tries to convince Cathy that a relationship with a vampire is a terrible idea. There’s also a mystery about another friend’s father, who left his family to run off with a vampire, and a further complication added by a teenage human boy who was raised by vampires.

Team Human is a fun, fast read. Mel is an engaging narrator, devoted to her friends and determined to keep Cathy from making a terrible mistake. She’s refreshing in her lack of awe when it comes to vampires (in this respect, she’s a far cry from many YA heroines). Priggish, old-fashioned Francis is extremely funny (all the more so because he has no sense of humor), and he definitely owes a debt to Twilight’s Edward Cullen. I found this book to be a nice break from the usual angst of YA vampire books. There are some tense moments of course, but the humor always shines through, and I really liked that.

I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.

charms1976's review against another edition

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4.0

How do you write a review on a book that is so different that what you were expecting? When I first saw the cover of this book, I thought I would be reading about a group of teens and adventure. Then I read the back of the book and thought that it might be a lighter than the normal drama and angst with some adventure still. Then when I started reading the book I found it was so much different than what I thought.

This book actually had me laughing out loud at times. I loved the humor that the authors injected in the paranormal world created. With all of the paranormal books that are out there, it is refreshing to read something that pokes fun at it sometimes. What I loved is how this book is written to be one that you don't take to heart. I also loved the witty and comical dialogue of the characters.

If you are looking for a read that will lift your spirits and revive your interest in vampires and such, then I recommend getting a good laugh from this book. It pokes fun at things, keeps you smiling, and gives you just a feel good feeling when you are in a funk from paranormal overload.

mhmissey's review against another edition

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4.0

Fun book about how humans and vampires can learn to live together

eyreguide's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a fun book to read - light on emotional investment when it comes to the characters, but full of quirkiness and a great sense of humor. Having read Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, I found that this book didn't have quite the number of jokes and one liners that I anticipated so instead I felt this story was amusing instead of laugh-out-loud funny. The story did have some legitimate and interesting points of view in Mel and Cathy in their attitudes towards vampires. It's interesting to see Mel grow from her almost irrational dislike of vampires to understanding, and because this is a bit of a parody of vampire stories, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Cathy is ultimately not belittled for her point of view as a character. I don't want to reveal too much though about the choices the characters make in the story.

There is a nice romance between Mel and another character too which gave more dimension to the vampire vs. human aspect. The romance is predictable, but sweet, and it was entertaining to see the little bumps in their romance along the way. The story also features a side mystery with one of Mel's other friends, and that also became a bit predictable towards the end, but it contributed much to keeping the plot more interesting.

This wasn't a book I devoured so much as quietly enjoyed. The message in the end is a great one for tolerance and choice however, and it was delightful to go on this journey with the characters.

fyrekatz's review against another edition

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4.0

this was a very cute read... team human all the way!

alboyer6's review against another edition

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3.0

It was good. I had expected it to be more of a spoof of the vampire genre. It really wasn't that. Vampires were neither good nor evil but that doesn't like Mel from not liking them. One of her best friends father's is missing because of one and now her other best friend is dating one. A nice resolution that made sense for each of the characters, plenty of humor. It was good.