The Replacement

This is going to be a short and not so sweet review. I really like the authors writing style and the character developement, but I did not like the plot structure. it was hard to follow and even harder of a concept to grasp. I think if the author had written one more draft and edited it, I could have gotten into the story more. "Paper Valentine", the authors newly published novel is much more polished. Read that one first. ( )

by Brenna Yovanoff

Opening line: "I don't remember any of the true, important parts, but there's this dream I have."

Despite appearances, the town of Gentry has something wrong with it. Oh, sure, its inhabitants are unnaturally lucky. There are still things that happen, children who disappear, children who turn strange and then die, places you don't go. And then there's Mackie Doyle, our narrator.

I think this book has been generating a fair amount of buzz, and let me tell you, it's getting it for a reason. Think fairy tales--the creepy kind--and Tam Lin, in some weird inverted way, and Sarah Rees Brennan, and awesomeness, all mixed up in one chilling, beautiful story. I was caught in from the very first page, and when I had to go out for the afternoon it felt like I was literally ripping myself away.

Mackie is a fabulous narrator. I realized pretty quickly that no one else could tell this story--not Emma, not Roswell, not even Tate. Of course, when I think about recent books centering on Mackie-type characters, they're almost always the narrator (White Cat, Demon's Lexicon). They need to be, because otherwise they're too distant. And the whole point is that they can't be distant--we have to care about them. Despite ourselves maybe, but we have to care about the nonetheless. Mackie is easier to care about than, say, Nick. Even when he's trying really, really hard not to care, he does. (Of course, his declarations of affection carry a tad less weight than Nick's, which always reduce me to the verge of tears.)

I loved the fact that Yovanoff didn't play around with the question of who or what Mackie is. It's fairly apparent early on, and knowing early means not having to devote a lot of energy to what isn't really a mystery. It means the rest of the story has a chance to happen without a ton of angst over questions of identity and so on. I mean, of course there's angst about questions of identity. They're all in high school. But they happen in a different way than if Mackie, and by extension the readers, were in doubt about his origins. I think this quote sums it up quite well:
"'This is the defining event of my life and you'e treating it like it's normal. Like it's nothing.'
[Roswell] leaned back, looking up at the sky. 'Well, maybe it should stop being the defining event. There's a whole lot more to an average life than something that happened before you were a year old.'"

It's a refreshing attitude, both on the part of the author and the characters.

And parts of this book are genuinely creepy. I don't get creeped out all that easily, but I shivered. There's something about this depiction of the fair folk that reminded me of The Perilous Gard. There are some specific similarities, but even more than that, there's a more vague similarity in the tone of the depictions. They're scary and sinister and not really human, but they're also tragic. The Morrigan certainly is, and even the Lady has her moments.

So, yes. It's sinister and creepy and it's also beautiful and oddly heartwarming. It's an incredible first novel--I can't wait to read more by Yovanoff, whether about Gentry or not.

Book source: public library
Book information: Razor Bill (Penguin), 2010; YA ( )

Quick review: Love the cover, liked the concept, but felt the story was rushed. Interesting read, regardless. ( )

Mackie Doyle doesn't quite fit in with his gloomy, outwardly perfect town. His eyes are just too dark. He has an allergic reaction to iron. And most people don't know this, but consecrated ground blisters his skin. See, the town of Gentry pays a price for its perfection; it pays with its children. And Mackie is just a replacement for one of them.

3.5 stars but I can't bring myself to round up.

This was actually creepier than I expected it to be. Let's face it, that cover is a lot to live up to. I love it, but it even caught my husband's attention. The book and the cover actually went well together in this case.

We kind of learn things as Mackie does, which leaves us with questions that are answered in a way that feels right. This storytelling technique can sometimes backfire horribly for me as a reader and leave me feeling that the author cheated. Not the case here. There's a reason Mackie doesn't know things and there's a reason people don't talk about what's going on.

Mackie was feeling a little too sorry for himself throughout the book, and that's the biggest thing that knocked this back a couple of stars. I kind of understand it now (he's really, really not feeling well, and who doesn't feel sorry for themselves then?), but I didn't realize that this was new for him and how bad it was until well into the book, when my opinions were pretty firmly set. If I could have seen him on some good days in some flashbacks or something, I would have had more empathy for him.

Tate was a great character. I was confused by her at first, but as things are explained, I understood why she was acting like she did. I loved that she didn't take crap off of anyone and was not afraid to finish a fight that someone else started.

Roswell. I have things to say about him but I don't want to spoil anything. Hmmm. Let's just say that I expected his character to go in a different direction and I would really like to read the story that would have happened if my expectations had come through. Things would have gotten even more interesting.

The setting for the book was just perfect. It's dark and damp and rainy and eerie in a way that's hard to put your finger on in this old steel mill town.

I have to say that the underage drinking and hinted-at sex bothered me a little. The adults must be on vacation or clueless, because no one notices what's going on. It wasn't anything too terrible, but it's so far outside the realm of my own experiences as a teen that I have a hard time relating to it. I know it happens, it just didn't happen in my world.

Those few negatives aside, I do recommend this for a dark and stormy night when you want some pleasant shivers to travel down your spine. ( )

Creepy and eerie, but also full of humor and touching moments. An impressive debut. ( )