Book Review: The Replacement!

Release Date: September 21, 2010


Title: The Replacement


Author: Brenna Yovanoff


Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin Group)


Format: Hardcover, 352 pages









Synopsis 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?


Brent's opinion of the novel:
     A brilliant writer, Alyson Noel, once said "Every single story, every premise, has already been told. So, as writers, it is our job to tell the stories in a fresh, original, crazy, beautiful way." And that is exactly what Brenna Yovanoff does in The Replacement. It is one of my top ten reads of 2010. Foreal. It's hard to say what I loved about The Replacement, because what is there not to love about it? The characters are intriguing (especially Tate, I <3 her!), the writing is effortlessly fluid, and Brenna Yovanoff writes like a pro. I'm not really sure which I liked more--Brenna's writing style, or the actual novel itself. It's a tie!
     As everyone knows, vampires and werewolves are the "it thing" these days. There is a never-ending supply of YA fantasy titles, and I'm starting to get sick of it! But Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement is just such a refreshing read. She uses a not-that-popular topic, faerie changelings. And if the premise doesn't suck you in enough, the story is perfectly paced. There was not a moment in The Replacement where I was bored reading. The deepness of the emotion in this novel was matched equally with the action & suspense.
    I usually tend to shy away from novels with male characters (I mean, all they talk about is sex and sports, and like all I talk about is shopping and Teen Vogue, you feel me? Haha)  but with The Replacement, Mackie is very easy to relate and sympathize with. Like, wouldn't it suck if you knew your parents weren't your actual parents? And that you were a total freak, compared to everyone else? Yupp it sure would. Mackie, like us all, just pines to fit in. But, there's just a tenacious a barrier between him and society. He's a . . . . (don't wanna ruin the book for you) dark creature.
     Another great writer, Stephenie Meyer, once said "Love is the best part of any story." And she was so right. In my opinion, the relationships in The Replacement were the best. Mackie's admiration and love for his sister made me say "awwwwww." (Omg, I really did say "Aww." I was in class reading, and I said "Aww" and everyone stared at me like I was rambling and talking to myself! Gosh, what I go through for reading).
     I know you're not suppose to judge a book by it's cover, but we all know everyone does it. Who gives a fuck? Not me! I love love love pretty covers, and The Replacement's cover is crazy beautiful. (Oh and this Jesus-loving lady gave me a dirty look when she saw the cover of this, she told me "Is that about killing babies?! Read a christian novel, for god's sake." She needs to get up outta my kool-aid! I can read what I want!)
      One more thing: The Replacement isn't a novel you buy, read, then never look at it again. It's a story you read and read again, over and over. Now days, there is an abundance of fantasy novels, but The Replacement is the most original of them all :P

Cover: Five Stars!
Originality: Five Stars!
Characters: Four Stars!
Ending: Four Stars!
Plot: Five Stars!