ARC Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Title: The Replacement
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Release Date: 9/21/2010
Publisher: Razorbill
Number of Pages: 352
Reading Level: Young Adult


4 out of 5 Stars










Description from Goodreads:


Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants. 

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world?


My thoughts:


Malcolm “Mackie” Doyle is a replacement brought from an underground world. A cast off of his own kind brought to replace a human child snatched from its crib. Mackie struggles daily with his sensitivity to the world he lives in. Iron, steel, and even blood wreak havoc on his delicate system. Never expected to live past infancy, he has defied all odds. Growing up in a world where he doesn’t really belong. Sharing an unconditional love with his older sister, Emma, and a precarious relationship with his parents who have tried to keep what he really is a secret from their small town. He attends the local high school where he learns that his classmate’s sister has passed away. The classmate, Tate, corners Mackie and drops a bombshell on him. She knows her sister was replaced, and she seems to want his help. This leads Mackie into the middle of a very dangerous situation.


Let me start by saying I was in awe of this cover since the first time I laid eyes on it. I had to read it. I was anticipating spookiness and The Replacement delivered. I really liked Mackie, and respected the loyalty he shows to the family that raised him.  He’s brave and willing to stand up for what he believes in. I’m also thrilled to see another guy added to the slowly growing list of male protagonists in young adult novels. The menacing creatures that inhabited the town of Gentry were pretty frightening, and faced with them I would have packed up and moved far away. 


The plot was a slower pace than what I expected, but it worked.  I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing. It was extremely descriptive without overwhelming you with details. My only complaint is that some of the characters didn’t seem necessary. I would have preferred to see more relationship building between Mackie, and his parents, Tate, or his best friend Roswell. I could have done without the token perfect, but bitchy girl that was tossed into the cast to stir things up. I’m always left disappointed when the amount of characters in a book get out of hand, and take away from pages that could have focused on those I actually cared about. 


While the story didn’t live up to the amazing cover,  I  can still say I enjoyed this one. It does contain a fair amount of violence, as well as some sexual situations. I’d consider it suitable for ages 14 and up.


A dark and twisted story of a boy who isn’t exactly what he seems. With a release date of September, I would recommend reading this during the Halloween season. 

Brenna Yovanoff on the web:

Website | Blog | Twitter

*Received from Book It Forward Tours.