Who: Jon SkovronWhat: Misfit
When: August 1st, 2011
Where: Amulet Books
Why: Premise Interest
How: For Review (BEA)
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.
Misfit is the story of Jael, a girl whose mother died when she was a baby but she finds out was a demon when she was eight years old. With a father who doesn't want to talk about old memories, she turns sixteen and receives a necklace that opens up hell itself, and reveals everything she had been missing in her head. The story here was brilliant, and I loved every second of Jael's discovery of not only herself, but the dreams of her parents. Her parent's story was so heartbreaking and beautiful, I looked forward to every dream.
And then the characters! I love how Jon weaved humor into a book chock full of bad consequences, while still managing to not make it sound out of place. Jael was headstrong, funny, and perfectly capable of beating some demon ass, even if she didn't believe it for herself. Uncle D had to be my favorite, Rob was hilarious and adorable, and her father discovering himself and his daughter was heartwarming. By the way, Jack? Totally called it. It's the type of book that takes in biblical references without sounding all preachy and actually making it relevant to the story.
Overall, definitely pick it up when you see it!
Happy Reading!
