Misfit

Misfit
Jon Skovron

Jael Thompson has never really fit in. She’s changed schools too many times to count. The only family she’s ever known is her father, a bitter ex-priest who never lets her date and insists she attend the strictest Catholic school in Seattle. And her mother—well, she was a five thousand year old demon. That doesn’t exactly help.

But on her sixteenth birthday, her father gives her a present that brings about some unexpected changes. Some of the changes, like strange and wonderful powers and the cute skater boy with a knack for science, are awesome. But others, like the homicidal demon seeking revenge on her family? Not so much.

Steeped in mythology, this is an epic tale of a heroine who balances old world with new, science with magic, and the terrifying depths of the underworld with the ordinary halls of high school.

So, overall, this was a pretty good book. It made me laugh and cringe and get excited, like most good books, but it took me a while to actually understand what was going on (think about 50 or so pages in). After I got it, I really started to get into it. I think my main problem was that it was written in third person, I usually prefer first. It's so much more fun that way.

The plot was really interesting, once I understood it. It was fascinating to watch Jael grow into herself, and truly understand how powerful she is. I loved reading about the development of their relationships, and hidden things that came out about people she met and already knew throughout the story. It had a lot of humor thrown in (especially from Rob, more on him later), and that really made me like the book. I loved when he switched back and showed things from Jael's father's past, those were probably the coolest and freakiest parts of the whole book. The fight scenes were extremely awesome (I love me some good, fast-paced book fights), they were intense and shocking and just made me need to know what was going to happen next. 

I loved the character development throughout the book. I really didn't like any of the characters in the beginning of the book, but as I learned more things about them, they were incredibly interesting. Take Rob, for instance. He's the poster-child for skater dudes everywhere. But then I found out he's really smart, too. I loved that! I like it when characters have these hidden depths that you have to finish the book to find out. It makes everything interesting. Rob was one of the funniest characters in the whole book, if you ask me. For example:

"I had nightmares last night for the first time in, like, forever." [Rob]

"Oh God, sorry!" [Jael]

"No," he says, his eyes bright. "It was so incredible. It was like some crazy superintense horror movie. I mean, scary, sure. But the best dreams I've ever had." 

He kind of just made me smile, a lot. At first, I kept thinking "Jael, what on Earth could you see in this kid?!" and then it started to make more sense!

It was definitely an interesting book. I almost quit reading it, but I stuck through it, and was glad I did. I give it four out of five, since I was confused for a good part of the book. It was good, though. It definitely made me think while I was reading it. So yeah, it's worth reading if you are interested, and if you get confused stick to it and it'll make sense later!

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