Humans: The Worst Kind Of Demon

"Humans" describes the fantastical adventures of a young man (Minho) who is transported to an alternate universe to become the servant of a domineering school girl (Mira). Mira has cheated her way into magic school, and summons Minho to help her win an important magical contest. It is written clearly and concisely, with realistic, immersive dialogue, page-turning suspense, surreal humour, and clever, original action sequences. The well-written characters are complex, unusual but convincing. Mira is a self-centred, narcissistic, entitled, insensitive, manipulative, insecure, jealous brat who cruelly abuses Minho and coerces him into serving her. Minho is courageous, caring and clever, but his extreme submissiveness and hatred of schoolboys can make him unsympathetic. Their slowly developing relationship adds a background level of intrigue that complements the main action. The novel's battle scenes are it's main strengh: brilliantly written, with plenty of imaginative twists and turns, and satisfying, inventive endings The magic school setting is very brutal: students compete in animal-killing contests, with those performing in the bottom half expelled, and they are constantly gossiping, belittling and bullying each other. Whilst this may seem unrealistically cruel, it may be symbolic of the highly pressurised school enviroment of South Korea. This dystopian world can make for uncomfortable reading, and the amount of swearing and casual violence makes it unsuitable for those under 15. For example, Mira frequently attacks Minho with kicks to the balls, punches to the face and choke-holds, habitually puts him down as an "idiot" and "fool", puts him in many life-endangering situations, and shows no consideration for his welfare. Such transgressions go unchecked in the novel, and the lack of morality and whiff of sado-masochism will be disturbing for some. There is a lack of physical description about the characters and their world which makes the novel a blankish canvas for readers to project their imaginations on to. Character ages are withheld: Minho appears to be a young adult, but sometimes acts like one of the school children, whilst Mira could be anything from 14 to 17 years of age. The internal thoughts of the characters are also withheld at times, perhaps to allow the reader to imagine things that would be awkard for the writer to make explicit. For example, there are clear hints that Minho may be physically attracted to the school girls - he calls Mira "cute", and he appears enchanted by Celestine - yet the writer never discloses Minho's private thoughts that could confirm or refute this. This omission is significant because, by withholding the character's thoughts and ages, the potential for a shady hebephilia-compatible interpretation is kept open. There are a few plot holes that might benefit from filling. For example, why has Mira joined a magic school when she is incapable of learning magic? Why can Minho conjure up all manner of items, but not the food and money that he and Mira would clearly benefit from? How can a school that presumably relies on tuition fees afford to expel half of its students? Toobo by name, Taboo by nature - "Humans" won't be for everyone, but if Harry Potter is too wholesome for you, this Toobovian tsundere tale of teenage terror and titillation may be the perfect tonic.

Good synopsis. Right contentbut just feels a bit too un-intimate? If it can be more homely, I think it can become a perfect synopsis