Book Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

 
The Replacement

Publisher: Razorbill

Publish Date: September 21, 2010

Hardcover, 352 pages
Young Adult Paranormal

My Review:
Why I read this:  The cover, the blurb, the talk around the blogs, all made me want to read this, did I mention the cover?


How is the novel driven:  Since I started doing this as a part of my review, I've realized some books are really hard to decide.  This was plot-driven, yet character-driven as well since it's about Mackie learning about himself and his world.  So I would say a great balance of both.




My thoughts: Unfortunately this one did not live up to the hype for me.  I really really wanted to love it, but I come out only liking it.  I expected it to enthrall me from the beginning, but it really didn't pick up until about 100 pages in for me, then it was great for about 100 pages then it was just back to so-so.  I don't want to feel this way about the book at all - I feel it should be outstanding, but it really just fell flat for me.  And I am probably the only person out there that feels this way.

I think part of the problem for me is this was trying to be a deep book with messages, too many messages for me.  I think from the cover I just wanted a suspenseful, horror-type book.  Re-reading the back copy I see what the book was going for and the cover deceived me.  I am not faulting anyone for this - this was my own fault.

I did enjoy the book, just not as much as I expected.  Mackie was an interesting character and I enjoyed the storyline.  It's worth a try if it sounds like a good book for you, just read the cover copy and make sure  you understand what the book will be about.  I don't want to turn readers off to it at all, because I honestly think it was just me.  Others I believe will really get this book and love it.


Truthfully the story was just flat, it seemed a little bit unfinished.  It seemed like the author was trying to go somewhere with it and got there, but just didn't get there in a complete way.  I'm not really sure how to explain it.  I believe the author has great potential, the writing is well-done, there was just something lacking for me personally.

My Rating: 3.0/5.0


Have you read it?  Feel differently?  Feel the same?  Please let me know.

Here are some additional reviews:
Alexia's Books and Such
Pure Imagination
YA Highway
Reading Angel
The Bibliophilic Book Blog
Squeaky Books
Reading Teen
Bookyurt

About the Book:
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.


Edward Scissorhands meets The Catcher in the Rye in this wildly imaginative and frighteningly beautiful horror novel about an unusual boy and his search for a place to belong.

About the Author:
Brenna Yovanoff is a debut author who has published in various journals. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

Her Website
Her Blog


FTC Information: I received this book through 1-ARC Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.