(Arc) Book Review (87).

Team Human

by Justine Larbalestier, Sarah Rees Brennan

Publication: 1st July 2012
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia
Pages: 372
Genre: Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult


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 Thoughts.

I loved this book it was a totally different aspect to your normal everyday vampire book, ever since this appeared on Goodreads I've been dying to read it and so I was really happy when I received this arc.

Best friends Mel and Cathy are walking to school one day when they are distracted by somebody in a hazmat suit, knowing that it could only be a vampire inside it Cathy is extremely excited having been interested in them her whole life.

You see New Whitby is described as Las Vegas but with vampires who have their own section of town patrolled by their own policeman, they live in houses that are from centuries past and some of them even dress in clothes from the olden times.

So straight away Cathy is smitten with Francis (the vampire) but Mel is not a fan especially since another good friend Anna's father ran away with a vampire patient he had.

So while Cathy is trying her best and finally achieving to get close to Francis, Mel is totally against them being together and after threatening Francis with some information she found out about why he was enrolled at school he leaves  without a word to Cathy so she turns up at his house, Mel realises where she's gone and after breaking into his house they are caught by the owner of the house Camille a vampire cop and her human son Kit.

After professing their love to each other Cathy and Francis after only being together not even a month decide that they want to be together forever and so Francis asks Cathy to change into a vampire and she agrees.

The problem is there is a 10% chance that Cathy could become a zombie, yes in an original idea in a vampire book,  in turning a human if it doesn't work you die or turn into a zombie who then gets destroyed.

So Mel teams up with Kit who has some classic lines in never having associated with humans before he knows only what he's seen on t.v and his reactions to things had me laughing out loud, to change Cathy's mind.

We also have a subplot in which her friend Anna is worried about her mum who is the school principal acting suspicious so Mel investigates sometimes with Kit tagging along.

I loved Mel as a character she was a tough tell it to you straight kind of person who would do anything for her friends and I can't wait to continue on with her other adventures in the next book being released next year.

I highly recommend you pick up this book  it puts a spin on your classic vampire stories and it's full of action and humour and may even get you thinking that if you had the chance to become a vampire would you take it?

I give this 4/5.

A Big Thanks To Allen & Unwin Australia.