Not Just a Feyse

Over my almost three years as a book blogger, I've read all kinds of YA. Despite pushing beyond my own reading comfort zone on occasion, I gravitate to those stories involving the paranormal or the supernatural, in other words, books that often involve creatures or magic of some kind.

When I began diving into YA, I thought, knowing that I loved vampires and magic, that reading novels involving the fey, fairies, sprites, forest-dwelling magical creatures, and the like, would be right up my alley.

(click on a book's cover to be taken to its Goodreads page)

Turns out, I was mostly wrong.

I started with books like Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Tithe by Holly Black, and Need by Carrie Jones. All three are fey books, but pretty different from each other as well. While there were good things about each, none of them really grabbed me and I was quite surprised with my reaction to them. It wasn't just that I came away not really feeling the books, but I was honestly put off.

But I kept trying. I read Wings by Aprilynne Pike, which was a nice read but the fey aspect was removed enough from the traditional fairy scenario that it didn't feel like a fey book to me as much as the others, more like fey-lite. Glimmerglass by Jenna Black came after that, but again, they fey did not do it for me.

Still, I kept trying, choosing next The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. And here is where things changed: I loved it. Absolutely adored it. Now, I know that the fey being the focus of these books does not make all things equal (as there are a lot of factors that go into whether or not I like and enjoy a book), but here is the odd part: after reading and loving The Iron King, I have read two more books that center on the fey and really enjoyed them both.

The first was The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black, a book of short stories. Not every story focuses on the fey, but of the ones that did, I loved them way more than I liked Tithe. Same author, different reaction.

Next I read Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement. Not only did this novel have much the same feel to me as Holly Black's work, but I was enthralled. Was this change of opinion due to reading a fey book that I loved? Maybe. But does that mean that a book like The Replacement gets the highest rating that I can give a novel? No.

After examining my experience with these books, here is what I have determined: I like well-written, action-packed, fantastical stories that involve the fey. But if the fey are too twisty, too dark, or just too much in general, I can't love the book. I can't love something that either grosses or creeps me out too much. The Replacement is the only fey book of that type that has come close.

So what does this mean going forward? Well, I'm not ruling out fey novels. I'm going to try to be open and hope I pick one up that really captures my interest and attention, but I'm also going to do a little research before diving in to give myself the best chance of an enjoyable read.

What do you think of YA fey novels? Have you read any that I mentioned? Got any recommendations?

Review: The Space Between

by Brenna Yovanoff
publisher: Razorbill
date of publication: November 15, 2011
format: hardcover
pages: 363
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.

This second novel by rising star Brenna Yovanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.

What I Thought 

I had very high expectations for The Space Between, as I had loved The Replacement so very much.  Brenna Yovanoff's writing is so fully of grit, yet has a flawless quality that makes my English major heart go pitter-pat.  The description promised an intriguing tale full of eeriness, sadness, and beauty.  While the book did deliver on several of those aspects, there was a little something missing for me that I had counted upon finding within.  While the plot was everything I hoped it would be, other areas failed to capture my full attention.

First and foremost, the plot was amazing.  The whole idea of a story surrounding the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith who has grown up lonely in a steel-forged world is intriguing and unique.  The background information and politics that lay the groundwork for the events that take place are truly mind-boggling and so amazingly detailed that I found myself very impressed by the groundwork that has been laid to support every other aspect of the book.  How the demons do things in this book was much more surprising than I would have originally thought.  There were some truly horrific things in Pandemonium.  However, there was an added element of business included that took me completely by surprise.  It all came together to provide me with a unique reading experience, as well as a new take on things that maintain the horror while offering something fresh.

The characters, while very compelling by the time the main action commenced, were difficult for me to connect with, at first.  Daphne was somewhat flat (though this is somewhat explained by the nature of the world she lives in) and Truman, in all of his dysfunction, almost completely lost me.  I felt for him, but I found it difficult to keep up with his thoughts, at times.  However, once he began to clear up and started working with Daphne to find Obie, I grew to respect him much more.  He is a boy who has had a difficult time and lacks a certain something that will carry him through.  Seeing him begin to come to a realization and begin to fight was beautiful, and I loved how he developed as a character, in the end.

The setting is what I had the most difficulty with.  I am not sure exactly why it is so, but I found myself having a hard time picturing everything clearly.  The most clear setting was Pandemonium, but when it came to the descriptions on earth, I became a bit lost.  In a way, it speaks to the nature of both Daphne, who has existed for her entire life in Pandemonium, and Truman, a boy cut off from his surroundings and reality.  For me, however, I didn't feel as much of an impact and wasn't left with many impressions of the backgrounds outside of Pandemonium.
If you are looking for a new take on demons in a book, you should definitely give The Space Between a try.  Although it didn't ring all of my bells, it still proved to be a pretty good read.  I don't regret having read it and am already eager to see what else Brenna Yovanoff will write in the future.  The writing is truly lovely, so if you appreciate good prose, you will definitely want to check this one out!

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.