Started reading: November 18th 2017
Finished the book: November 25th 2017
Pages: 302
Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, YA
Published: September 8th 2011
Source: Got a digital copy from the publisher
Goodreads score: 4.07
My score:
For Tommy, there is only one thing he needs to do: survive. Only surviving isn't that easy. The hunt for blood can be tricky when humans know to fear the night. Desire sits on the edge of his mind, urging him to become the monster humans think he is. Vampire Forces, a special branch of police, is determined to turn every vampire to ash. Tommy included.
The only human Tommy can trust is his twin brother. A bond connects them, and with Danny's help, Tommy starts to understand the human world he struggles to survive in. He'll learn what friendships means and feel the sting of betrayal, find that sometimes the worst monsters are very human, and come to understand that family means more than blood.
My thoughts
Oh, how I dread writing reviews about books that I didn't LOOOVE. I don't want to upset anybody, but I still want to be a critical and believable reviewer. I'm one of the few people that did not like this book, but it gets great scores on Goodreads. Maybe I'm too old for this book? Maybe I've read too many Fantasy/YA books and got very critical? Maybe I just didn't feel the connection.. I don't know exactly why I didn't like this book, but I will try to explain in this review post.
Pros
- Time span: I like the time span in this book. It contains almost 20/30 years and it keeps the story going. I think I would've quit reading, if it wouldn't have switched in time. It makes you experience very different times in the lives of Tommy and Danny. It's what kept me going during reading and I felt more excitement every time I started a new chapter in this book.
- Original take on vampires: I've seen a lot of vampire movies and have read a lot of vampire books, but this book has a really original take on vampires. I also like the way it is described. Of course, the POV of a vampire in this book is a great new switch in this genre as well!
Cons
- Characters: I had no connection with any of the characters. I didn't feel for Tommy who I didn't understand at times. Danny was weird as well, especially in his teen years. Then we have Amber and Mackenzie and Rissa, who I felt didn't have any depth as characters, so no connection for me there..
- Didn't see the point: Usually a story gets a sort of problem in a book after 10/15% and you read the book because you want to know how the problem is going to be solved. A character experiences something and you want to know how they get through.. I didn't see the point of this book.. Tommy is a vampire since page one and there was no tension for me what so ever, until 85% into the book..
- Dragging on: Because I feel like the book only gets a bit of tension at 85% I felt like the story kept dragging on. I felt that the book was too long, a lot of things didn't add anything to the story and I really lost interest after 40%. I still wanted to finish the book, because I will only quit books that I think were absolutely horrible, and I didn't feel that way about this book.
Overall
Okay, this book isn't horrible. A lot of people even like it. I just didn't see the point and I didn't have a connection with any of the characters. I do believe the take on vampires was very original and I had hoped for a great problem or event in the story that kept me on edge. It took 85% of the book for that to happen and that was a bit too late for me...
Other opinions about this book
"Addicting, heart-warming, and thought-provoking. Being Human is an original tale of love, friends and family that will have you questioning what it really means to be human, and wondering if the real monsters aren't already in our midst."
- Daniel A. Kaine, author of Dawn of Darkness
"Being Human is everything other current vampire stories are not. Surprisingly touching, the story of Tommy trying to regain his humanity after being turned will have readers wanting to befriend him and help him learn to live again."
- M.B. Mulhall, author of Near Death
Memorable quotes from this book
"If I wanted her blood, I wouldn't have wasted time talking to her; I would have bit her neck and enjoyed myself. Who wants to talk while they eat anyways."
"Sometimes what you think is love isn't, other times what you think isn't love is."
Thanks for reading!
Please let me know what you think about this book/review.
