The Replacement

Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy/Horror
Publication Date: September 21, 2010
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 343
Date Scoot Read: December 2010
Source: Hardcover Library Book
Scoot's Rating: 8- Really good!

Synopsis (via 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.

Scoot’s Review:Can a book be creepy and sweet at the same time? Apparently it can. The Replacement follows Mackie Doyle, a replacement for a human child who was stolen by the Others as a baby. Mackie grows up to be a sweet misfit teen who really just wishes he was like everyone else, and was the REAL Mackie Doyle. Instead Mackie ends up having to face a part of his life he never wanted to admit to. The darker side. Learning to navigate between a potential love interest (who is pissed at him), the slow poison of iron all around him, and creepy monsters that go bump at all times of day, Mackie learns what is really important in life. The book kept a steady pace and had me enthralled from the first page. It is often bittersweet, occasionally a little disturbing, but also very heartwarming. I loved Mackie’s relationship with his sister and his closest friend. Mackie himself was a great character and he was easy to connect with. The character and world building was great. There is a romance in the story, but the main plot goes deeper. I would love the story to continue, but as of right now this book is a stand alone. Go check it out!