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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Misfit + Jon Skovron = Me, craving a sequel!
This book is one of the most unique and intriguing novels I've read all year. It actually reminded me a lot of Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha manga, but was so different and alluring at the same time.
I have to thank the author for writing this novel; it held me in it's sway the entire time I read it. The beginning was a bit to get through, but once I was in I did not want to get out!
It was a rather darker novel in the paranormal genre, but that only made me love it more. Combining mythology, religion and science with what seems like such little effort made for a really tantalizing read. Everything really flowed and progressed with such elegance that I got swept away in all the history mentioned in the story. Pivotal moments in history were explained with such disregard from the gods/demons' POV, it was really enlightening and refreshing.
Being someone familiar with the Catholic school routine, I could really relate to Jael. Her attitude towards the beliefs and faith of the Catholic Church around her mirrored mine exactly and really put me in her place. Dagon was, without a doubt, my favourite character. His cheeky behaviour made me laugh and I couldn't get enough of him.
What I loved about this novel the most was how the world was set up. Skovron painted the world in such a way that made me contemplate how I view it. The elements had personality, worked as a whole and really made Gaia alive as a living, breathing being.
The only way I can see to express this is with a quote. And so I leave you with one which really made me stop and think about the world me:
"The bus is empty. But of course, she’s not alone. If nothing else, there’s the earth beneath her and the air all around her. And in Seattle, more often than not, the rain that falls from the sky. She asks the condensation on the windows if it would like to draw its own pictures. She finds out that it does. So she leans back in her seat and watches images of clouds and mountains and forests slowly appear up and down the bus windows until she’s surrounded by a silvery panorama dimly recalled by raindrops."
This book is one of the most unique and intriguing novels I've read all year. It actually reminded me a lot of Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha manga, but was so different and alluring at the same time.
I have to thank the author for writing this novel; it held me in it's sway the entire time I read it. The beginning was a bit to get through, but once I was in I did not want to get out!
It was a rather darker novel in the paranormal genre, but that only made me love it more. Combining mythology, religion and science with what seems like such little effort made for a really tantalizing read. Everything really flowed and progressed with such elegance that I got swept away in all the history mentioned in the story. Pivotal moments in history were explained with such disregard from the gods/demons' POV, it was really enlightening and refreshing.
Being someone familiar with the Catholic school routine, I could really relate to Jael. Her attitude towards the beliefs and faith of the Catholic Church around her mirrored mine exactly and really put me in her place. Dagon was, without a doubt, my favourite character. His cheeky behaviour made me laugh and I couldn't get enough of him.
What I loved about this novel the most was how the world was set up. Skovron painted the world in such a way that made me contemplate how I view it. The elements had personality, worked as a whole and really made Gaia alive as a living, breathing being.
The only way I can see to express this is with a quote. And so I leave you with one which really made me stop and think about the world me:
"The bus is empty. But of course, she’s not alone. If nothing else, there’s the earth beneath her and the air all around her. And in Seattle, more often than not, the rain that falls from the sky. She asks the condensation on the windows if it would like to draw its own pictures. She finds out that it does. So she leans back in her seat and watches images of clouds and mountains and forests slowly appear up and down the bus windows until she’s surrounded by a silvery panorama dimly recalled by raindrops."
My library back home recommended this book after I mentioned that I loved the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. I can see where the recommendation came from--both feature teenaged girls finding out they came from somewhat demonic origins, but other than that, I honestly don't see any similiaries. DoSaB crafted a beautiful story complete with a mythology and unparalleled worldbuilding. There's none of that here. This story is plain and simple and kind of boring. Meh.
I liked this book a lot. It was an interesting twist on the whole demon/religion perspective, and I liked the characters a lot. Read it!
I wasn't expecting too much from this book when I randomly came across it during Borders' massive clear-out sale (poor Borders). I honestly only grabbed it because I liked the cover. True story. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that I more than enjoyed my fair share of Misfit.
One of the things that had me worried most was the romance. I thought it was going to be another cookie-cutter "dark mysterious brooding boy is hot and attractive" thing. Rob McKinley was none of the above: he's a sweet and funny skater guy who happens to have a pretty good brain in his noggin. What's more, he understood Jael in a way that I rarely see in YA books anymore. What I also found refreshing was that the romance wasn't a core part of the book. Jael didn't base every movement of her body on whether or not Rob would approve or benefit from it (unlike some other YA "heroines" we know of). And when Rob fell out of the picture a little bit midway through the book, Jael didn't go pining over him like a brokenhearted slob.
Speaking of our hybrid heroine, I really liked her. She was sassy and independent, and she could kick some major butt. She wasn't a faux-heroine that had to be rescued during every fight scene. Sure, did she make some dumb mistakes? You bet. But again, I liked her for that because she wasn't perfect; she was prone to mistakes that any human would make (no pun intended).
As for the whole Christianity/Heaven & Hell debate in the book, I'm not a Catholic so I wouldn't be in a good position to say whether or not it crossed a line. For me, it was fine. The viewpoints were fresh and the ideas were different. I'd probably like to make conversation with some of my more religious friends about this book to get a feel for whether or not it could be construed as offensive, but I personally saw nothing wrong with it.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was a different take on the way we read about demons in YA literature.
One of the things that had me worried most was the romance. I thought it was going to be another cookie-cutter "dark mysterious brooding boy is hot and attractive" thing. Rob McKinley was none of the above: he's a sweet and funny skater guy who happens to have a pretty good brain in his noggin. What's more, he understood Jael in a way that I rarely see in YA books anymore. What I also found refreshing was that the romance wasn't a core part of the book. Jael didn't base every movement of her body on whether or not Rob would approve or benefit from it (unlike some other YA "heroines" we know of). And when Rob fell out of the picture a little bit midway through the book, Jael didn't go pining over him like a brokenhearted slob.
Speaking of our hybrid heroine, I really liked her. She was sassy and independent, and she could kick some major butt. She wasn't a faux-heroine that had to be rescued during every fight scene. Sure, did she make some dumb mistakes? You bet. But again, I liked her for that because she wasn't perfect; she was prone to mistakes that any human would make (no pun intended).
As for the whole Christianity/Heaven & Hell debate in the book, I'm not a Catholic so I wouldn't be in a good position to say whether or not it crossed a line. For me, it was fine. The viewpoints were fresh and the ideas were different. I'd probably like to make conversation with some of my more religious friends about this book to get a feel for whether or not it could be construed as offensive, but I personally saw nothing wrong with it.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was a different take on the way we read about demons in YA literature.
This tale of half-demon, Jael, has potential. You really feel for her…her moving around, strict dad, and out of control hair. She receives a locket from the mother she never knew on her birthday. It reveals to her images from her parents’ past. These flashbacks are well done. They are full of action and fleshed out. I felt like I was watching them on the big screen. Ultimately she is going to have to come to grips with her half-demon self, deal with an attempted exorcism, and epic battle with the demon that killed her mom. Kind of crazy, huh? The connection between the past and the present is where the story breaks down a bit. The reader is required to take a few leaps without the proper structure.
Eh, I did put this down for a while; but I actually got through it! I enjoyed when Jael discovers her powers and how the author describes how each of the elements responds to one that commands them.