Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Pub. Date: 2012
Genres: Paranormal Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
I have mixed feelings about how to rate Jon Skovron’s Misfit. On the one hand, the writing isn’t good and the plot is predictable and not satisfying. On the other hand, I know a younger version of myself and at least one of her friends might have enjoyed it.
Misfit is about a half-human, half-demon girl coming into her powers and realizing just how much danger she is in from one of the Grand Dukes of Hell. Her father is also an ex-Catholic priest who was an exorcist. Oh, and her demoness mother assisted in those exorcisms.
Jael Thompson is this half-demon girl, and she’s kind of flat. All we know about her is that she’s half demon and attends a Catholic school. Her father has made them move many times to avoid certain death at the hands of Belial (the Grand Duke of Hell mentioned earlier). She seems to just exist at school, has problems keeping her socks up, and has a chip on her shoulder about her father. She doesn’t change much. Even when there are claims that her demon half’s sudden presence changed something in her, it’s not an earned shock with the character because we don’t know much about her.
My issue is that there isn’t a lot going on in this book. Half the book is her having visions about her parents’ past. There are small ways it adds to the story, but it’s pretty unnecessary and not changing Jael again. When there are things happening to Jael’s actual life, she’s not in major conflict. It feels like things are happening and they’re scary, but there’s no real worry that she won’t make it. It never even feels like she’s really gained something or had an earned power upgrade.
Just to explain why I feel nostalgia toward it, I think I might have liked this in high school. I once liked this genre and type of scenario a lot. I think the author knows his audience. If it’s in the right hands, I think it would be fun to read. As an adult, it was at least keeping me reading, even though I thought it wasn’t good – almost a guilty pleasure. It was easier on the eyes to read than most of the other books I tried that week. It has merit for the flow of writing.
I think you might enjoy this if you like Blue Exorcist, but Misfit is not a great book. I think the book requires a specific teen audience, and I am not it. If you are not that audience, however; it might be more enjoyable to read than other books on hand.
Cat on the Bookshelf 