Review: "The Replacement" by Brenna Yovanoff

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. Published by Razorbill on September 21, 2010. 343 pages (paperback). Source: Purchased. My Rating: 5/5 Stars.

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.

My Review

This book. Ahhh, I have so many feelings about this book. This was an amazing read for me. First, this book is so out of the YA loop it's not funny. I'm not saying it's not YA. What I'm saying is that the topics it touches on is nothing like other raved about YA books. There aren't any vampires, werewolves, faeries, assassins, zombies, or dystopian worlds. It didn't even focus on hot topics or today's issues. It was a wonderful story set in a small town that tried to deny their fear of the 'other worldly' town citizens that take a small child every seven years to replace with a revenant, or a look-a-like, that will die in short time.

Mackie is one of those children, but he didn't die young. He grew to be a teen boy attending high school with good friends and a lovely family, having to avoid iron and steel. But when he starts feeling more weak than usual, his sister seeks help from the people of the underground, Mackie's other family. But their help comes with a price..

This book had me on edge! And that cover. Woah! I have to admit, I bought it before I even read the synopsis all because of that marvelous cover! Every time I told my mom I wanted to stop reading everything I was trying to finish just to read this book, she kept mentioning that it looked like the cover of Rosemary's Baby.



That just makes it creepy. And, slightly awkward that my mother makes a connection between this beautifully chilling book and a 1968 classic film.

This book earns every one of those five stars from me. I love love LOVED it!