Review: The Replacement

by Brenna Yovanoff
publisher: Razorbill
date published: September 21, 2010
format: hardcover
pages: 343
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement is a spectacularly creepy adventure into the world of changelings and faeries. These faeries, however, are unlike anything you've ever seen before. What happens when people begin to forget the gods, goddesses, and faeries of yore? Brenna Yovanoff sets out to examine just such a scenario in her town of Gentry, where mysterious disappearances and an unexplained fear haunt the citizens. The Replacement takes place during the aftermath of just such a disappearance, and what results is a revelation about the darkness underneath the surface of a once prosperous town and the difference that a single person can make in the life of another.

Mackie Doyle isn't a typical boy, let alone a typical protagonist. Mackie isn't really a boy at all. Mackie is a changeling, left behind when the real Malcolm Doyle was stolen away as a baby. Though apparently expected to die, Mackie survives and grows to be a quiet, strange teenage boy with crushes and hobbies of his own. He has something that sets him apart from others his age, however. Mackie must contend with a horrific allergy to iron, whether it be in the form of steel or even blood. As Mackie attempts to avoid contact with such substances and hide his differences from those around him, he feels as if he is on the outside looking in. As he begins to grow more sick and sets out to find out what happened to the baby sister of his classmate and love interest, Tate, Mackie discovers that perhaps he isn't quite the outsider he thought. He is an appealing protagonist in that he exhibits kindness, a finely honed set of morals, and a hidden inner strength that completely makes the story.

Other characters in the story were a lot of fun to read, as well. Mackie's sister, Emma, was possibly my favorite aside from Mackie. She is the epitome of unconditional love and I really enjoyed the ways in which her bond with her adopted brother were portrayed. I also enjoyed Mackie's interactions with his friends, Roswell, Drew, and Danny. Each of the boys appreciate Mackie for who he is and you can really tell that they would go to bat for him no matter what. Tate, on the other hand, is a complicated character that was a bit difficult to get a read on. She shaped up to be an enjoyable character in her own right, however, and added another facet to the story overall. The one character I really took issue with, however, is Mrs. Doyle. It felt as though she didn't receive as much character development as the other characters and I wound up being blind-sided by her sudden coldness. While her past is explored, her present is perhaps left without an equal amount of attention.

The Replacement includes references to pieces of mythology that completely made my day when I read them. One such example is Morrigan, the head of the House of Mayhem, who it turns out was once the Morrigan, Irish goddess of war. I loved that Yovanoff post a what-if scenario in relation to what happens to goddesses when the beliefs of humanity begin to change. It added a dimension to the back story that was compelling and fun to ponder. Also, many of the charms the citizens of Gentry put up to ward their homes and children against the (to them) unknown menace are also an intriguing glimpse of folklore. Even the town's name is a nod toward one of the many nicknames for the fair folk. I thoroughly enjoyed such inclusions and appreciated Yovanoff's writing even more for it.

The pacing took a little while to get used to, but once things got moving, the story really sucked me in. The Replacement is a great mix of horror and fantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat. With a nice blend of characters and setting, it wasn't at all difficult to picture the happenings in the mind's eye. I look forward to reading more works by Brenna Yovanoff in the future. I give The Replacement 4 hoots.