Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Book Description via Goodreads:

Mackie Doyle is the Replacement. Thought he lives in the small town of Gentry, Mackie 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 slowly dying in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass guitar or spend time with an oddly intriguing girl called 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.

Source: Bought

My Thoughts:

Mackie Doyle is the Replacement, someone exchanged for the real Mackie Doyle. Living in the world has not been easy for him. Mackie knew he was different from other people, that he was an outsider in his own town. This secret hung on his shoulders, especially when Tate’s sister dies and Tate begins talking to him about the creature who was buried as her sister. All Mackie ever wanted was to be normal, so that he could feel that he actually belonged in Gentry and Tate was not making it easy for him to pretend he was normal. The attraction between Mackie and Tate was unlike any other. It was strained, hesitant, and at times impulsive. They were annoyed with one another. One was persistent, defiant and sarcastic while the other was complicated, confusing and simply weird.

The House of Mayhem was a place that made my skin crawl and charmed me. The Morrigan, the ruler of all the wicked and charming creatures that live there, was a very interesting girl. Childlike but wise and calculating. The Fey mythology of Yovanoff was often said to be vague but I found it all-encompassing. It was rich, outstanding, showing the Fey as what they really were: mysterious, unconquered, magical and unexplainable. The town of Gentry coexisted with the House of Mayhem and the House of Misery with a give and take relationship. The exchange came with a cruelty that was viewed as just.

Beautifully written with careful details, I found myself lost within the pages. Mackie’s voice was what I thought was an ideal one for a YA guy main character. He was not human but he feels like a human does although the feelings in his words were often checked when he was interacting with other characters.

The Replacement is an exceptional debut novel. Dark, creepy, violent and dangerous, this reminded me of the blood and violence in Bleeding Violet and Slice of Cherry and the hair-raising moments of Tyger, Tyger and Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. I loved it! I recommend this to people who love dark reads, Fey novels and to those who are looking YA guy reads.

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