MISFIT by Jon Skovron

Misfit
Jon Skovron

Rating: F
Synopsis:
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 on the book:
Misfit is one of the dullest books I've ever read. The characters have no personality, the writing is awful, the plot is boring, and the pacing is slow as molasses. I honestly don't think there's a single thing about this book that I liked, except for the concept. This had the potential to be an awesome novel, but it fell so terribly flat. Misfit was a major disappointment. 

Jael is extremely boring and the typical cookie-cutter "good girl." There is nothing special about her. I mean she's half demon, but she's such a pansy that it really doesn't matter. All she does is whine about how bad her life is and then get herself into messes she can't handle. She's one of the worst main characters I've read lately. Paul, her father, is also boring. He has secrets, which should make him mysterious, but without a personality, I didn't really care what the secrets were. He's the typical overbearing-but-with-good-reason father. He doesn't really stand out. The demons aren't creepy at all. Britt, Jael's best friend is a skank. Rob, the love interest bored me to tears. The characters have no emotions for the most part, and when they do act out an emotion, it seems forced. Also, Skovron must think teenagers are just stupid brats because every teenage character in this book couldn't speak to save their lives and said and did stupid things constantly. If I were still a teenager, I'd be insulted. As it stands, I'm just annoyed. 

The plot is boring, and the writing is atrocious. Skovron's writing is so juvenile, I felt like I was reading a Middle Grade book half the time instead of YA. He tells instead of shows. The idea of alternating between memories and the present in the chapters is cool, but it seemed as if the memories were being told to me instead of being shown. There are parts in which Skovron overly describes every little minute detail and other parts where the description is sorely lacking. The pacing is so slow - the story doesn't even get started until after 100 pages. Once the plot begins to reveal itself, it's still not very coherent, and it's still... yep, you guessed it... boring. 

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. I know it had some great reviews, but I personally couldn't stand it. I was barely able to make myself finish it. Needless to say, I won't read anymore books by this author.