Monday, January 20, 2014

Mini Reviews: Consume by Melissa Darnell and Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

From Goodreads: Tristan Coleman has survived the change from Clann magic user to vampire, much to Savannah Colbert's joy - and despair. By changing the Clann's golden boy and newly elected leader, even to save him from death, she has unleashed a fury of hatred and fear that they cannot escape. As the Clann and the vampire council go to war, Tristan and Sav face a new threat - a fracturing of the all-consuming bond they share. To fight for peace, they must forge a new trust and risk everything to take down their deadliest enemy, even as they must run for their lives. Soon they will learn that some bonds are stronger than love - and some battles cannot be won without sacrifice.

My Rating: 2 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Although I didn’t love Crave or Covet, I’ve kept up with Melissa Darnell’s The Clann series because of their cliffhanger endings. The final book in the trilogy, Consume, was arguably the weakest from all three novels. There was very little action for most of the book because Tristan and Savannah were on the run with their families. What frustrated me more though was that they kept having to come back to their hometown for what I felt were very contrived reasons to move the plot along. Additionally, the romance in Consume was rather nonexistent since Tristan and Savannah were angry with each other for a large portion of the book. 

Consume was released in August 2013 by Harlequin Teen. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) for free via NetGalley.
..................................................................................................

From Goodreads: Mel is horrified when Francis Duvarney, arrogant, gorgeous, and undead, starts at her high school. Mel’s best friend, Cathy, immediately falls for the vampire. Cathy is determined to be with him forever, even if having him turn her could inadvertently make her a zombie. And Mel is equally determined to prove to her BFF that Francis is no good, braving the city’s vampire district and kissing a cute boy raised by vampires as she searches evidence in this touching and comic novel.  

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: After seeing so many novels with heroines falling for vampires, Mel from Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan’s Team Human clearly stands out. Unlike her supposedly smart best friend Cathy who automatically falls for the new vampire attending their school, Mel can’t comprehend why anybody would want to be a vampire and continually discourages her friend from engaging in a romance with Francis. Although she seemed almost prejudiced against vampires, I generally liked Mel because I found her to be snarky and very loyal. Through her interactions with Kit, a human raised by vampires, Mel also comes to realize that not every vampire is evil incarnate.

An entertaining satire about vampire romances, Team Human was released in July 2012 by HarperTeen.

7 comments:

  1. I read CRAVE and had sort of mixed feelings about it, and was never really moved to pick up the sequel. It's too bad this third one turned out to be such a bummer, though. Contrived plot devices are definitely annoying.

    And I like vampire romances so I might have to pick up TEAM HUMAN sometime soon! I've heard it's cute from other people, too.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

    ReplyDelete
  2. I adored Team Human for its humor. That book had me cracking up throughout. Glad you enjoyed it! As for the other series, it seems like your average paranormal romance without any flair. I'm going to skip that one. Great minireviews, Z!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't read Crave yet but I read a lot of mixed reviews about it. As for Team Human, I've been meaning to read it but at the same time, there's something about it that always puts me off. I didn't know it was satire too! I almost always end up not liking satire but I guess I'll read more reviews about it first before deciding.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well good on you for completing off that series. But dang, does that finale sound disappointing. Now Team Human is much more my style. I can't speak about Justine Larbalastier because I've never read any of her stuff, but I know well Sarah Rees Brennan's talent for humour so it doesn't surprise me that it was a fun read!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad you liked Team Human overall Z! I just thought it was a really fun read and I'm hoping the two of them team up again to write something else. I really enjoyed their writing styles. Too bad on Consume, I haven't read that series and am in no hurry to pick it up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The first book is new to me but I have heard a lot about Team Human. I'm glad you liked it, it seems like is has some humor in it which is always good. Great mini reviews!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just how frustrating does Consume sound?! I read Crave two years ago and I couldn't bring myself to pick up the second book. Now I know why... very much appreciate your honest opinion on this.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments and will reply back via either email or stopping by your blog. Please note that this is an award-free zone.