Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron

From Goodreads: Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: After repeatedly trying to type up a review for Misfit by Jon Skovron, I’ve finally given up and figured I might as well just write down what I liked and disliked about the book. So here it goes:

Pros: 

• I liked seeing the relationship develop between Jael and Paul, her father, as he went from being someone who is distant to someone who learns to accept and see his daughter for who she is.

• Reading about Paul’s past was interesting because it allows you to see him as much more than just Jael’s father.
• Normally I tend to avoid books with a huge amount of religion, but Misfit wasn’t preachy. Instead, Catholicism provides a framework by which to view demons, and allows Jael and others to question their beliefs rather than to take them at face value. 

Cons:

• The pacing kept throwing me off since the book would switch from Jael’s present to Paul’s past without any warning.
• While I can understand Jael’s unwillingness to move again and sympathize with her situation, her stubbornness and dumb decisions made me dislike her. Her story couldn’t really hold my attention and portions about Paul’s past became a welcome reprieve.
• Jael’s best friend, Britt, appears selfish and obsessed with boys early on. I hate characters like that and being told that she goes down on a guy just for dinner didn’t win her any points. It was a little too late for me to like Britt by the time I found out she was broken.
• Though I liked Rob, the romance felt forced to me. A completely platonic relationship would have been much better.
• After getting her butt kicked the first time, the second confrontation between Jael and the demons hunting her just didn’t seem that epic to me. 

Misfit was released by Amulet Books on August 1, 2011. 

Comments About the Cover: I like the simplicity and darkness of the cover. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (ABRAMS) for free via NetGalley.