Book Review- Team Human

I finished Team Human by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan yesterday for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

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.

While I really liked the premise of this book, unfortunately it was just okay for me.  The idea of vampires being out in normal society, with the option of humans applying for a license to transition to a vampire, was an interesting one.  And then add on the fact that if the transition didn't go right, the person either died or became a zombie.  Definitely interesting.

But it was the characters that didn't do it for me.  I didn't like Mel.  At all.  I thought that she was rude and seriously lacked in manners.  And for vampires to be such a common thing, Mel seemed kinda racist (not sure if that would be the right term, but seriously judgemental and in the wrong).  Cathy just seemed weak to me.  I get that she found the guy that she thought was the one but she just suddenly seemed to be all about Francis.  Francis was just ehh for me.  No personality really.  Ty was funny and I figured him out early on.  I find it hard that the other characters didn't.  Anna was okay.  I felt bad for her.  But now Kit on the other hand.  I really liked him!  He was funny and I loved his lines about things humans find normal (or what he thinks is normal). 

So overall, not one of my top books, but not horrible either.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

Team Human will be released on July 3, 2012.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 43
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 38
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 40
2012 Standalone Reading Challenge: 11

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.