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Friday, July 12, 2013

Replacement Review


Replacement Review

                The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff is a sometimes dark sometimes heartwarming tale of a dead little boy who is trying to find his place in the world.

                Mackie is a replacement (which is the dead’s version of changeling). He wasn’t born like most humans.  He was a cast off from the world of the dead, left in a crib so a family wouldn’t notice their real child was missing. Most replacements die fairly quickly, after the ruse is no longer needed. Thanks, to the constant care and support of his big sister Emma, Mackie has managed to live sixteen years.  They haven’t been a breeze though. Ever since he was a babe Mackie’s Dad told him the tale of another replacement, named Kellan who lived years ago. It pretty much went like this “Kellan was a friendly guy. Kellon was good at fixing violins. Kellons was fair and honest. Yet that didn’t matter to the town. The town blamed him for the missing children in the depression. Kellon was then murdered.”

           Great bedtime story Dad. Real heartwarming.  You raise your children right. Yet it’s no wonder Mackie wouldn’t trust anyone! It was drilled I his brain. Still maybe it was necessary precaution, there something weird about Gentry. Every seven years, a child goes missing and the replacement dies leaving behind a heart -broken family.  Tate, a classmate of Mackie’s, own little sister's funeral was in a few days. Instead of being sad though Tate was infuriated. She saw thorough the ruse no else would admit was there and demanded Mackie see it too.   

This leads Mackie to visit the two groups of the undead.  Sharped- tooth Morrigan’s outcasts  who mostly meant no harm and the terrifyingly vicious and power hungry Lady and her groupies who craved blood and sacrificed children to keep the town running strong. Mackie although part of the living-dead himself didn’t agree with their ways. He hatched a plan. One that would get Tate’s sister back no matter the cost.
 I loved Mackie.  He was a really nice guy. Although Mackie came across as a jerk to other characters sometimes it was mostly through misunderstandings. Mackie really did always want to do the right thing.  Tate was kickass.  Not only was she best big sister ever,  but she brought an iron crowbar to the graveyard and  went toe to toe to the with the Cuter who kept beating the boys senseless. Mackie and Tate's  romance was cute but less than necessary.
           Lady was would she appeared to be a  psycho. Her predictability left me with a level of comfort unlike her sister Morrigan.  Little Morrigan who looked like a six year old yet talked like an age forty English professor. That alone confuses me. Seemingly, she was the good guy, the one you could trust.  Yet if that was so what was Morrigan doing sending her little rotting dead girls to rough up Mackie’s sister Emma. Also it was really creepy how she stabbed her sister without  regret after stating multiple times she loved Lady. Mackie needs to watch out, in the very end Morrigan said she loved him and as you already seen her love goes hand and hand with the knife 
 
     The good: The character interactions where a lot of fun, and the author did a good job developing the M.C s and side charies.  

      The bad: The mythology was underexplored, which was sad as it was really interesting. Also it isn’t appropriate for younger teens, there was a lot of language and Tate and Mackie’s romance was kind of inappropriate for kids at times.
my ratings:
          
                                                          


    

       

     
 


(Three top hats out of 5, a good read but not breath taking)
Have you ever read the Replacement? Who was your favorite character? What should I review next


 Fare thee well ~ Milady


 
 




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