Just Human
by Angel Hellyer
November 12-15
New Release. Novella.
Hague Publishing
Supernatural classmates, deadly mysteries, and homework!
In a world turned upside down, where half of humanity has transformed into mythical beings, diary writing has become more than just a school assignment – it’s a lifeline.
No one knows how or why people became vampires, werewolves, banshees, pixies, elves, and more. Some woke up with wings or pointed ears, while others only discovered their transformation when they burst into flames under the sun or turned into werewolves on the next full moon. The world has shifted, and those left human have found themselves at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
For our protagonist, being the nerdy outcast was hard enough before this supernatural upheaval. Now, as a human in a school filled with “cool” Creatures, life has become even more challenging. But just as things had settled, strange and terrible occurrences shake their life – events more mysterious and dangerous than their dad turning into a werewolf.
With curses looming, disasters brewing, and school assignments piling up, they need to unravel the mysteries and save their friends and town from impending doom.
“Just Human” is a gripping tale of resilience, friendship, and the courage to stand out when everything around you changes.
Universal link for the book on Amazon
Hellyer’s riveting young adult fantasy blends an alternate reality storyline with the empathy of its narrator, whose singular voice comes from active and impassioned contemplation. This Australian high school student is nameless, and Hellyer, befitting the title, doesn’t put labels on the character’s gender identity—touchingly, the narrator and their sibling Leigh feel stung by the “the gendering and inequality” they observe at a potluck put on by a church’s “women’s group.” In first-person journal entries, the narrator reveals a penchant for teenage snark and a heightened sensitivity to their small town’s new social order. It’s been nearly a year since half the population were transformed into folklore creatures, and while the narrator has remained human, the change has widened their already expanding consciousness.
Some things remain essentially the same. Their werewolf dad needs to be caged during his full moon transformations, but he’s still an overprotective workaholic. Becoming a vampire hasn’t stopped the school’s most popular girl from demanding the spotlight, even if she can only attend daytime classes via video link. The narrator remains annoyed by authority figures, especially the oddball school counselor, who’s making the student body write diaries that she’ll peruse. Despite their initial skepticism, the narrator finds the writing process therapeutic and wants to keep their musings private—especially when strange occurrences (unexplained death and pestilence) strike their community.
Buoyed by an outspoken older sibling and stalwart best friend, the narrator takes it upon themself to unearth this new menace. Hellyer (The Design of Resistance) smartly makes observation and acceptance the narrator’s superpowers, while emphasizing how the latter is always an ongoing process. When the narrator reminds themself not to use the pejorative “critters,” young readers will see a peer struggling to make sense of their place in a rapidly shifting environment. As a “boring human” surrounded by exotic creatures, Hellyer’s teen narrator realizes that instead of manifesting utopia or dreading dystopia, a new normal could be constructed on their common ground.
Takeaway: Touching fantasy of staying human as half a town becomes mythic creatures.
Comparable Titles: A.R. Capetta’s The Heartbreak Bakery, Anna-Marie McLemore’s Lakelore.
—Publisher’s Weekly’s Book Life
About the Author
Angel is a queer writer and communication professional.
An avid reader as a young person, Angel loved losing themselves in fantasy novels and roleplaying games. But they didn’t consider themselves creative and, following a rough childhood, prioritised clarity in life, so they studied maths and computing.
As Angel grew into their authentic self, they developed a love for the greys between the blacks and whites. They moved into a communication career and built belief in their imagination.
After a vivid dream that they thought would make a great book chapter, Angel wrote their first novel, ‘The Design of Resistance’, and eventually self-published it.
Over time, they became far more progressive than they would ever have expected from their rural Queensland upbringing, working both personally and professionally to advance social justice, equity and equality. This inspired their second novel, ‘Just Human’.
Angel lives in Canberra with a chatty and fluffy cat.
