Misfit

Misfit by Jon Skovron (NY: Abrams, 2011). Reviewed from e-galley provided by publisher via netgalley.com.

Jael has known she's different since she was eight years old and her dad told her she was half demon. Her mother, a demon, had died when she was three months old, and Jael and her father had led an itinerant existence, moving from one place to another to protect Jael from the demons who felt threatened by her existence. Jael understands her dad's motivations but feels hemmed in by his overprotectiveness. On her sixteenth birthday, Jael's dad gives her a special necklace from her mother, and Jael starts to learn more about her demon heritage--and all the dangers and powers associated with it.

Skovron has a lively writing style, and Jael is a feisty character, so overall Misfit reads well. However, the plot shifted around too much between the past and the present. Also, there was a huge disconnect between Jael's dad's character in the past and what Jael sees in the present. He and Jael's mom had a passionate partnership and battled demons all over the world, yet he seems timid and fearful in the present. Some of this is explained, but not too convincingly. Jael's romance with Rob is not well developed, a surprising contrast to Jael's parents' relationship. Uncle Dagon, a gigantic fish-like creature, is a great character, gross and funny simultaneously. All the shifts in the plot made the story harder to follow than it should've been. The end was somewhat abrupt and the resolution somewhat easy. Perhaps there's a sequel in the works that will explain Jael's special role in vanquishing the demons and continuing the Reclamation that is hinted at but never fully explicated in this novel.

This is a good read for paranormal fans, ages 13 & up. Language, sexual situations, and violence.

Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (NY: HarperTeen, 2010).

Like many sixteen-year-old girls, Evie likes the color pink, shopping for clothes, and teen television drama. But unlike most teenagers, Evie has to spend a lot of her time capturing paranormal creatures for the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA) because she has the unique ability to see beneath the glamours paranormals use to deceive humans. She's lived at the agency's headquarters since she was found abandoned on the streets at age 4, and she's fashioned a sort of home for herself with a best friend (who happens to be a mermaid) and a mother-like figure (the head of the agency, Raquel), plus assorted paranormal creatures.

Upon returning from a routine bag-and-tag, Evie goes to debrief with Raquel, the head of the agency, but immediately notices that she's not talking to Raquel but some guy glittering beneath the surface. She tases the guy and he gets carted off to a containment cell, but she's become interested in him. What is he, for instance? How does he take on other people's appearances? Why was he spying on the agency? Evie's questions, and Raquel's reluctance to tell Evie anything, lead her to spending time with the guy, Lend, and she soon finds herself liking him and wanting to help him escape.

Simultaneously, a spate of paranormal killings erupts, and no one knows who or what is killing the paranormals. Evie has been having nightmares, and not just about her old boyfriend, a beautiful faerie named Reth, though he seems to be involved in the mystery somehow, too. Can her murky past and the current situation have some connection?

Paranormalcy is an exciting read with lots of action and a spirited heroine who deftly balances her normal and paranormal sides. Parts of the plot are somewhat convoluted, but overall the novel reads well enough that I will look for the next installment, Supernaturally (due out in July). Recommended for teens, age 13 & up. Some sexual situations, but nothing graphic.

Maximum Ride

Max (A Maximum Ride Novel) by James Patterson (2009)

In this volume of the series, Max has to save her mother from evil criminal mastermind Mr. Chu. Max is also dealing with her romantical feelings for her flockmate, Fang, and a mild rebellion from Nudge, the bird-kid fashionista. The nonstop action makes this a quick read. No cussing, no sex, just lots of action and violence. And fart jokes. Appropriate for boys or girls, 11+.