Early Review - Misfit by Jon Skovron (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 384 pages

Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: August 1, 2011
ISBN-13:  978-1419700217
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in a series?
Source: eGalley through NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
 

I got an advanced reading copy of this book through NetGalley(dot)com.  I was intrigued by the cover and the premise sounded wonderful too.  It was a very good book.  Started off a little shaky but by the end I was totally engaged and wanted to read more about these characters.

Jael has known she was different since she was eight years old.  Her mother is an ancient demon, her father is a crabby Catholic priest.  For some reason Jael's father always keeps them moving from place to place which results in a lot of loneliness for Jael.  Then on her sixteenth birthday Jael's father gives her a necklace from her mother and when Jael puts it on things start changing.  The great thing is that everyone thinks she is totally hot, the bad is that Jael's mother's enemies are coming out to play.

This book starts of a little shaky and awkward sounding, but as it continues the author really hits his stride and delivers a wonderful story.  I liked Jael as a character; her demon uncle is an absolutely wonderful character, and the male lead Rob is a wonderful blend of ironic qualities.

A lot of things are done really well in this book.  I loved how various mythologies were blended in with demon culture; this was exceptionally well done.  I loved the flashbacks to Jael's parents' earlier lives.  I also absolutely loved the magic system and how magic is explained.  The author does an excellent job of correlating magic to science.

The writing is well done, easy to read and very engaging.  The book ends well but with lots of room for more trials for Jael, Rob, and her father.  By the end of this book I was really enjoying the world, the characters, the magic, and was sad that it was over.

Overall a great start to a new paranormal young adult series.  At points it reminds a little bit of Michelle Rowen's Demon Princess books; although this book has more depth to it.  I loved how mythology was tied in to the story and really enjoyed how magic and science are correlated.  I also loved Jael and Rob's relationship;  it is a nice healthy teen relationship that really makes the reader smile.  I hope there is another book in this series and can't wait to read it if there is.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 100+ Reading Challenge
- E-book Reading Challenge