fitzsbeloved's review against another edition
3.0
The Replacement is Yovanoff's debut novel, and after reading The Space Between, I was dying to read this. Sad to say that, despite all the great reviews and loving her other book, I was quite disappointed in this one.
Mackie lives in the eerie town of Gentry, where infants are sacrificed to the demons below the surface once every seven (I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong) years. Mackie is one of the changlings that replaced the child of his human parents. Despite this, his parents treat him as their own child and do their best to help him hide his secret.
It's hard, though, as Mackie is allergic to iron and blood. If he stays near too long, he will become sick.
Tate, the quiet loner in him school, confronts him after her sister died. She believes it wasn't really her sister, but a changling. She also believes Mackie to be one, which is why she went to him.
At first, he blows her off and tells her she is crazy, but as his feelings for her grow, he becomes a little more willing to help.
First of all, the main reason I don't like this book is because of Tate. She is a complete and utter bitch! She's nice to Mackie until he doesn't do exactly what she wants. She is constantly questioning his motives. I just didn't see the appeal for her, and their relationship seemed very forced.
It took me a while to get into this book. The beginning was very tedious and just flat-out boring. I never did quite get into the characters.
This book, all-in-all was just okay. Nothing spectacular. As creative as it was, the execution was just alright.
Mackie lives in the eerie town of Gentry, where infants are sacrificed to the demons below the surface once every seven (I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong) years. Mackie is one of the changlings that replaced the child of his human parents. Despite this, his parents treat him as their own child and do their best to help him hide his secret.
It's hard, though, as Mackie is allergic to iron and blood. If he stays near too long, he will become sick.
Tate, the quiet loner in him school, confronts him after her sister died. She believes it wasn't really her sister, but a changling. She also believes Mackie to be one, which is why she went to him.
At first, he blows her off and tells her she is crazy, but as his feelings for her grow, he becomes a little more willing to help.
First of all, the main reason I don't like this book is because of Tate. She is a complete and utter bitch! She's nice to Mackie until he doesn't do exactly what she wants. She is constantly questioning his motives. I just didn't see the appeal for her, and their relationship seemed very forced.
It took me a while to get into this book. The beginning was very tedious and just flat-out boring. I never did quite get into the characters.
This book, all-in-all was just okay. Nothing spectacular. As creative as it was, the execution was just alright.
marisamoo's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like reading slump kinda ruined this for me because I had trouble getting through it which was weird because it was really engaging and good. What really stood out to me was the relationships and creatures and chars, but everything else wasn't as phenomenal as I wanted. I kinda really wanted to adore this book? Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset
Still. It was a solid book, and really well done. Yovanoff. Y u so good its not fair. GLAD I picked it up
Still. It was a solid book, and really well done. Yovanoff. Y u so good its not fair. GLAD I picked it up
rainmisoa's review against another edition
4.0
What an amazing ride this was! I'm not even sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. So let's start shall we? I've seen this book around everywhere. People kept saying how good it was and how scary it was and me, being a huge fan of the horror genre, decided to check it out. I go to the library taking out my usual eighteen plus books (no lie) and I see it there on the shelf. Of course I had to bring it home with me to read. It took me a while to get to it and I finally did. Oh, and I am so glad I did. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting and I did have a few issues with it but it was still worth my time.
Brana Yovanoff wrote a great book. I love her writing style. It's smooth and engaging. It sucks you in from the get-go and I did not want to put it down. Her ability to write a story is among the best I have ever come across. I am looking forward to reading more books by her. Especially if she has more characters in her books like Emma, Roswell, and the Cutter! Oh my God! The Cutter! He is freaky, mad, and terrifying all in one! (Not to mention sexy as hell!) Definitely one of the best horrifying creatures to ever be created in a book. Emma is sweet, smart, and looks out for her brother. Roswell = Best. Friend. Ever. Yovanoff did a fabulous job in creating these characters.
There is one thing that bugs me about this book, though. The romance aspect. In my opinion, it came out of no where. Mackie and Tate were decent characters. I thought Tate was pretty badass. I liked her attitude and how she didn't put up with anyone's bullshit. Mackie was tragic and I felt for him... at the beginning. The moment he started acting like a douche, I lost all respect for him. Still, overall, they were good characters... as individuals. Pair them together as a couple and it went down the toilet. Whenever they were together, all Tate did was yell at him and insult him whilst Mackie just tried to ignore her. Then, all of a sudden, they were doing the nasties. I still don't see how their relationship worked. So, even though I love this book (the world, the plot, the side characters, etc.), I did not enjoy the romance aspect of it. Yovanoff still needs to work on that, I'm afraid.
Overall, I do recommend this book. It was such a fantastic read! So engaging! You will NOT want to put it down! Especially once you get introduced to the Cutter! Ugh! So amazing! My advice to readers, ignore the crappy romance to the book and you will be fine. You shall enjoy it. It's not necessarily scary as it is creepy which, if you ask me, is just as good! Have fun with this lovely book! <333
Brana Yovanoff wrote a great book. I love her writing style. It's smooth and engaging. It sucks you in from the get-go and I did not want to put it down. Her ability to write a story is among the best I have ever come across. I am looking forward to reading more books by her. Especially if she has more characters in her books like Emma, Roswell, and the Cutter! Oh my God! The Cutter! He is freaky, mad, and terrifying all in one! (Not to mention sexy as hell!) Definitely one of the best horrifying creatures to ever be created in a book. Emma is sweet, smart, and looks out for her brother. Roswell = Best. Friend. Ever. Yovanoff did a fabulous job in creating these characters.
There is one thing that bugs me about this book, though. The romance aspect. In my opinion, it came out of no where. Mackie and Tate were decent characters. I thought Tate was pretty badass. I liked her attitude and how she didn't put up with anyone's bullshit. Mackie was tragic and I felt for him... at the beginning. The moment he started acting like a douche, I lost all respect for him. Still, overall, they were good characters... as individuals. Pair them together as a couple and it went down the toilet. Whenever they were together, all Tate did was yell at him and insult him whilst Mackie just tried to ignore her. Then, all of a sudden, they were doing the nasties. I still don't see how their relationship worked. So, even though I love this book (the world, the plot, the side characters, etc.), I did not enjoy the romance aspect of it. Yovanoff still needs to work on that, I'm afraid.
Overall, I do recommend this book. It was such a fantastic read! So engaging! You will NOT want to put it down! Especially once you get introduced to the Cutter! Ugh! So amazing! My advice to readers, ignore the crappy romance to the book and you will be fine. You shall enjoy it. It's not necessarily scary as it is creepy which, if you ask me, is just as good! Have fun with this lovely book! <333
lakesandquarries's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mackenzie_h's review against another edition
3.0
Could have been a really great story. The idea was brilliant but the details sucked and not in a keep you guessing so its interesting way but a wish I actually knew what was going on so I could enjoy this story way. I wasn't a fan of the character development, everyone felt very distant from the reader. I gave it three stars mostly because of the story lines potential.
samantha_89's review against another edition
1.0
Let me start by saying how much I wanted to love this book! I generally do not buy hardback books by authors I don't know or of books with unique plot lines. This book reminded me why I do that. I only finished it because I spent twenty bucks on it.
The writing was clunky and awkward. A lot of people have been saying that it was all telling and no showing. I think they might be right. Awkwardly long paragraphs of description got in the way of the plot, odd word choices and poor scene endings left me confused most of the time. I was constantly wondering what the hell the book's editor even did to it.
The only character I cared about at all was Tate, and then at the end when she decides to stay at home instead of following Mackie I couldn't believe it. Just seemed too weird, and perhaps only done because it was convenient to the plot. I did think Emma was an interesting character, though I wasn't particularly drawn her story.
I will give this book a few things. First off, it had very interesting idea and set up. I loved that it was from a creatures perspective and I really liked how dark it was. There simply aren't enough dark YA books out there right now. Secondly, I had no idea what was going to happen the next the entire time... I also didn't care what happened next.
Overall, I would say if you want to read this book try and read a chapter or two at the book store first or read it at the library. The set up is interesting, the cover is gorgeous... but the book just didn't do anything for me!
The writing was clunky and awkward. A lot of people have been saying that it was all telling and no showing. I think they might be right. Awkwardly long paragraphs of description got in the way of the plot, odd word choices and poor scene endings left me confused most of the time. I was constantly wondering what the hell the book's editor even did to it.
The only character I cared about at all was Tate, and then at the end when she decides to stay at home instead of following Mackie I couldn't believe it. Just seemed too weird, and perhaps only done because it was convenient to the plot. I did think Emma was an interesting character, though I wasn't particularly drawn her story.
I will give this book a few things. First off, it had very interesting idea and set up. I loved that it was from a creatures perspective and I really liked how dark it was. There simply aren't enough dark YA books out there right now. Secondly, I had no idea what was going to happen the next the entire time... I also didn't care what happened next.
Overall, I would say if you want to read this book try and read a chapter or two at the book store first or read it at the library. The set up is interesting, the cover is gorgeous... but the book just didn't do anything for me!
srgreen's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
I wanted a little more to the story, but I enjoyed the book :)
I wanted a little more to the story, but I enjoyed the book :)
mothmans_library's review against another edition
5.0
This story was strange and disturbing, buy it had meaning. I think that made the journey all the worthwhile.