In which my plans always fail

So despite the fact that I'm literally drowning in too many writing projects at once--editing EK I, drafting EK II, and editing RF--this weekend I decided to start yet another thing! And I got about 11,000 words down before I started to stall!

Sigh. Well, to be fair, it's not a totally new idea; it's one that has been stewing in my head for a while, and one that I've really wanted to write. And it probably will be about the same length as RF, max--in other words, fairly short.

But still.

Review - Team Human

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

I was pretty psyched when I heard about this book, first because I'm a fan of SRB's The Demon's Lexicon (though the sequels, not so much) and second because I hate vampire romances with a passion, so I was looking forward to a deconstruction.

Team Human is a light, charming read, with lots of wit and interesting characters (I especially liked the idea behind Kit de Chartres), but it ultimately falls far short of critiquing its genre and falls back on usual conventions. I liked it, but it didn't stay in my mind after I'd read it; like cotton candy, which tastes good but ultimately isn't that fulfilling.


Probably my biggest gripe is with Cathy and Francis's romance. No, I do not accept that people can find True Love after a few days of knowing each other. I'm also having a hard time believing that vampires will remain in love forever and ever, considering they're immortal. And for the love of God, I nearly headdesked when Cathy ranted about how she was ready to become a vampire, and even if she died during the turning process (a hazard in the world of Team Human) or turned into a zombie instead (also a hazard in the world of Team Human), I could not accept that any, what, seventeen-year-old? would think that way. How many teenagers do you know would think, "I'm ready to die now"? Most of the time, when teenagers do stupid things, it's because they don't think they have a chance of dying. Show them that the danger is real, and I highly, highly doubt none of them will have second thoughts.

While some of the disadvantages to becoming vampires is explored in the book, I also found it disappointing that Cathy didn't really emphasize the downside of immortality. Who wants to be immortal? Wouldn't it just get completely boring after a while? If you're not one of those people with goals or drives that might take several lifetimes to exhaust--like an artist, or a writer, or a scientist, or someone dedicated to learning all the languages in the world--I think you'd be hard pressed to enjoy immortality after a while.