Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, Mackie comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement--left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is slowly dying in the human world.
Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with an oddly intriguing girl called Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.
Title: The Replacement
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Horror
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: September 21, 2010
Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Vimala from Penguin Canada for sending me this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is also part of The Replacement blog tour courtesy of Teen Book Scene. You can follow along with the tour here.
My rating: 5/5
The Replacement is about a boy named Mackie. He isn't ordinary by any means as he was left in the place of a human baby sixteen years ago. He has grown up knowing he is different, and in Gentry, different is a bad thing. Mackie hopes that he can avoid drawing attention to himself, but when another child goes missing, he knows people might start looking at him.
I absolutely loved the premise of The Replacement. It is eerie, foreboding, and yet you can't help but want to know more. The vivid descriptions and overall sense of wrongness within the town, and within Mackie, made this story appeal so much more to me as well. From the first chapter, I was hooked. I loved the writing style, and found the words flowed easily throughout. I love how the town was presented, and while reading about the rituals, and the prosperity that Gentry gained, I couldn't help but notice some similarities to one specific Supernatural episode, Scarecrow. I love how Yovanoff tackled the superstitions and legend, playing upon the fears of the people of Gentry. The similarities I found between Scarecrow and The Replacement were in how the communities reacted to their situations. They both were aware of the issues, but turned a blind eye towards it.
I found the characters were rich, and illustrated beautifully. Individually, they all brought something to the table. I loved Mackie's character, and fully appreciated his dilemma. He has a lot going on, he doesn't really know much about his history, but is willing to learn. I love his relationship with his sister, Emma, as well. The siblings really care for each other, and won't let anything happen to each other if they can help it. I really liked that aspect.
Mackie's friends were also detailed nicely, and I really enjoyed their relationship with him. His best friend, Roswell, is also amazing, though I thought he could have questioned things more, rather than turn a blind eye when certain aspects were presented to him.
All in all, I absolutely loved this book. I can't stress how much I enjoyed it. It gets a full five stars from me, and I know I'll be reading this one over and over again. I loved how everything was relayed to the reader, and that things were alluded to, but not given away right off the bat. I loved the atmosphere surrounding the town, and Mackie. This is definitely one that I would recommend to those who are fans of horror, or urban fantasy.
1 comment:
Great review, Corinne! I adored this book, and I gave it five stars, too. I loved how dark it was :)
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