4 out of 5 stars
Published by Razorbill
The Replacement has this eerie fairy-tale feel. It's really hard to describe this book, it's different from the average young-adult novel. I'm having troubles reviewing this book (which is quite rare for me), but I'll do the best I can.
Mackie lives in Gentry with his parents and sister yet he is not their real family. He comes from a place no one talks about. He is something no one talks about. Evil lurks in Gentry, and this time it might get personal.
The setting of The Replacement reminds me of a young-adult version of Derry, the town Stephen King has created. It has the same foreboding feel to it, the same sense of evil. And even though everyone feels it, and everyone knows, they don't move to another town. They are used to the fear.
Horror is one of the hardest genres to write in. To make a story truly scary you need more than just some gore and bloodshed. You need true evil, something that sends shivers up your spine. I love how Ms Yovanoff sets the ambience. Although it really isn't that scary, I refrained from reading this book in bed. I'm very prone to nightmares, and I don't want to meet any of her monsters in my sleep.
In The Replacement it evil isn't just black and white. It has many shades of grey and the main character's perception changes throughout the story. Mackie really undergoes a transformation. From a shade of a person that only wants to disappear he turns into someone that looks problems into the eye.
To be very honest this was a strange book. At times it felt dreamlike, fairy-tale like while at other times it felt like a contemporary paranormal novel. I'm still not sure what to think about The Replacement, and I'm not sure yet whether or not I will read it again. I am curious to maybe read some of Ms Yovanoff's other works. She has an interesting voice that I would love to see more of.
Blurb
Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he 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 fighting to survive in the human world.
Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, 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.
Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, 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.
Other reviews you might be interested in
- Review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton (4/5 Stars)
- Review: Deadline by Mira Grant (5/5 Stars)
- Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (4/5 Stars)
- Review: Blood Beast by Darren Shan (3/5 Stars)
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7 comments:
I read this not so long ago and I also didn't know quite what to make of it once I'd finished, though I definitely enjoyed it! Glad you liked it too! :)
It's a confusing book, but that's why it's pretty awesome (: I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that doesn't know what to make of it, hehe
Strange sounds good, I like the idea of a YA Stephen Kingesque world. Definitely staying on the wishlist.
I actually wasn't a fan of this book. I liked the idea behind the story but I found that the story didn't really go where I was expecting it. It was also a little slow going for me. But I did like that Mackie undergoes the change you mention. Glad you enjoyed this one.
I think you'll like it Ellie (: At least, I hope you do, hehe
Yeah, it doesn't have the standard built-up that most books do. Somewhere in the middle I was scratching my head, wondering where this was going. But I liked that, because usually I know exactly how a book is going to end, and with The Replacement I had absolutely no clue. It was nice for a change, but I can completely understand that it might not be for everyone.
I liked your blog thanks for sharing this
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