Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron

Release date: August 1, 2011
Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

My Thoughts:  This is a weird thing to write but I liked this book and at the same time it drove me batty.  I liked the story and the idea behind it A LOT.  The thing I didn't like is that over half the book is told in present tense ("he says/she says") and the rest is told in past ("he said/she said").  I'm not used to present tense at all and it really threw me every time it would pop in.  Seriously, I would go back and have to reread the first few paragraphs when it switched over to present because it unnerved me so.

Let me assure you the story is a good one.  I really like the idea that the old Gods had to evolve with the times and those that we perceive as demons used to be so much more.  In fact, I think evolution is a big factor for all the characters, including the minor ones.  Jael has to become more than just a normal mortal girl while her father goes from a bad-ass demon hunter to a fragile, broken man.  At one point, Jael's mother enlists the aid of a halfbreed to help Jael later on and the priest who sees the interaction begins to understand that the demons he's been fighting against aren't all bent on destroying humanity- some of them are just trying to survive the bigger demons in the Underworld.

There are some genuinely creepy moments scattered throughout the book (sandpaper and a kitchen come to mind), balanced out by the sweetness of Rob and Jael's blossoming romance.  My biggest hurdle was getting my mind around the writing tense changes.  Once again, though, I admit that I'm a little neurotic and that could be all me.  I found the overall story to be by turns creepy, sweet and empowering.  It seems like there's still a lot for Jael to learn about herself and I can only think that her journey could span several books and multitudes of bad guys.

More books by Jon Skovron

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Misfit was provided for review by Abrams through NetGalley.