Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Replacement in Review


I had the honor of not only reading THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff, but also of interviewing her here on the Enchanted Inkpot.

First about the book (taken from Brenna's website):

Though 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 or spend time with an oddly intriguing girl named 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.


As you know, before I give my own review, I like to have a guest give his take. In this case I decided to go with the classic monster, Frankenstein.

Me: Franky - what did you think of the book?

Franky: I don't really know what all the fuss is about. I mean it was very well written. But scary? Palease. You want horror? Try grave-robbing and then bringing the freak back to life with lightning and a mad scientist. Now that's a good book.

Me: Um, okay. But isn't that your OWN book?

Franky: You wanted my opinion. I'm giving it. I mean yes, The Replacement was great. But who do you identify with more? Me or Mackie? Pfft. No contest. Right?

Me: Uh, no. No contest at all. I really fell in love with Mackie. Sorry, man.

Franky: Fine! Just because he's all handsome... You know what you are? You're a freakist!

Me: Hey now, no need for calling names. And yes, Mackie is supposed to be cute, but that's not why I loved him. Thank you for your opinion though, Franky. Please be careful to avoid the angry mob out front. I think I saw a couple of pitchforks..

Okay, now my opinion. I LOVED it. Again my favorite part was the MC. I fell for him right away, and continued to be completely invested throughout. Yes, the plot was good too. But to me the character was the clincher. Beautifully written. I'd read another book by Brenna in a heartbeat.

16 comments:

  1. Lisa, I checked this out from our local library because I was worried the hype over the cover might not live up to what was inside. Wrong! Amazing. I read it so quickly that there was still time to loan it to Martina before it came due. So glad you're talking about it here :)

    Marissa

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  2. Hilarious! My 14 year old daughter reviewed this book today from an actual YA perspective over at Lisa and Laura's blog.

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  3. Marissa - Me too! When the opportunity to interview her came up I jumped on it, and boy was I glad!

    Matthew - That is AWESOME!! I'm going over to check it out for sure! Love that blog.

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  4. Sorry Frank, I have to side with Lisa on this one too. A compelling character makes the book! Which means I'm going to have to read this one. Thanks for the fun recommendation Lisa!

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  5. Heather - glad to recommend it! Let me know what you think.

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  6. This is on my TBR and can't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks for the post.

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  7. The book sounds interesting, and that cover, wow. And I love books that have rich characters!

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  8. Regina - So glad!

    Julie - I highly recommend it, even if you don't usually read Paranormal

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  9. Oh, this is like the best review. ever. loved Frankies commentary. I'm definitely buying the book now. Okay, hot guy might have something to do with that. ;)

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  10. Oh Stina, Mackie's so much more than just a hot guy - he's a character that grows with the story. LOL, yeah, I'd read it anyway. He's adorable. And thanks for the compliment. I'll pass it on to Frankie.

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  11. This book is sooooo on my xmas list. :) If no one takes the hint, I do have a B&N gift card burning a hole in my wallet...! :)

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  12. Dangerous - I most definitely approve!

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  13. I've had this book on my wishlist forever it seems. I love the cover and the concept - so great!!! My apologies to Franky, but I think I'll be loving Mackie too! :)

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  14. This is the second time I read a blog about this book today. Forget where the first one was. I think you're Matthew's daughter. I think. Been a long day. Very cool about getting exposure at different blogs. Best wishes for your success.

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  15. Stephen - Nope! Not Matthew's daughter. But we both blogged about the book the same day and felt pretty similarly I think. :D

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