Misfits by Hunter Shea is a tale about a group of teens that will do anything to have each others backs, especially after one of their own was brutally attacked.
Content Warning: Rape – I personally think the author handled this extremely well. While the reader clearly knew what happened was absolutely horrific and brutal, it cuts away before seeing too much of the initial act. However, this is a strong thread that continues throughout the story as you see the character still recovering.
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I also had a copy preordered from my local indie. Unfortunately the order got delayed, and the ARC copy from the publisher arrived first. Per usual, this did not affect my rating in any way.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on Misfits by Hunter Shea
In the very first chapter of this story, we see two boys traveling down Dracula Drive on their bikes, but only one of the boys makes it back out alive… This is another Hunter Shea novel where this first chapter really sets the tone of the rest of the novel and boy was this one dark!
In chapter two, we jump sixteen years in the future and begin to meet the crew of teens that we will follow for the rest of the story. I immediately loved each of these characters! They had a good dose of teenage angst. I also found myself relating to them quite a bit. I would have been so happy to be friends with this crew when I was a teen… minus all the bad things that happen next.
From a plot standpoint, will leave that up to you to discover on your own. The only thing that I will say is that I was totally hooked and I absolutely could not have guessed at what was going to happen next. This read certainly kept me on the edge of my seat!
One last note- I had never heard of the Melon Heads before, so diving into that lore was a treat! I really enjoyed that this tale mentions a few origin story possibilities very briefly but leaves some mystery.
My Favorite Passages from Misfits
They wove around thick-trunked trees bathed in almost total darkness. The thick canopy above was like a dome, keeping the real world out.
And the Melon Heads in.
She curled into herself, the icy touch of a finger slowly running up and down her spine. This was a bad place. You didn’t need to know the legend of the Melon Heads to sense that something was very wrong here.
Was it just him, or was the darkness growing, like a wine stain spreading out across a white tablecloth?
He ran into the second bedroom, his footfalls sounding like thunder, Heidi’s much lighter footsteps like the patter of rain on a cabin roof.
Vent was at the bottom, waving them on like a Little League coach signaling for his player to slide into home.
There was one good thing about fear. While it had your full attention, you couldn’t fixate on the pain in your body.
A soft breeze rattled the crisping leaves in the deadly quiet woods. It sounded like thousands of teeth chattering.
My Final Thoughts on Misfits
This is such an awesome read! It’s dark and extremely brutal, but there’s also plenty of hope and friendship loyalty to keep the reader wishing for the best.
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Darkness that spreads like spilled wine on a tablecloth . . . that’s an effective image for me. Great review. Misfits sounds fantastic!
Right?! It’s such a great line 🙂
I love that there’s a strong theme of friendship, and I always love a big group cast 🙂
<3