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juushikaTitle: The Replacement
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Published: New York: Razorbill, 2010
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 343
Total Page Count: 109,184
Text Number: 316
Read Because: reviewed by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
faeriesfolly, borrowed from the Corvallis library
Review: Mackie is a replacement, a changeling, a fairy child cuckoo'd into a human crib. He's managed to survive for sixteen years, but the human world is poisoning him—and now, as Halloween approaches, the slight safety of the strange town of Gentry seems to be crumbling. The Replacement could easily be an anonymous iteration of fairy urban fantasy young adult literature; instead, it's just good enough to renew my faith in the genre. In many ways, the book is familiar: there's a dozen high school clichés, from shallow cliques to an improbably lively teen music scene and a bas-playing protagonist; the good guys are predictably a gang of awesome outcasts, and Mackie's story is at its heart the traditional journey of a suburban outcast undergoing self-actualization. But while the metaphor is familiar the changeling premise is unique, and Mackie's physical strangeness and iron allergy make him convincingly different—justifying his elsewise indulgent angst and revitalizing his familiar story. His journey towards self-acceptance may not be revelatory, but I enjoyed it—as I always enjoy seeing characters discover an option other than isolation or assimilation. At their best, the supporting cast can shine—prickly, unforgiving, nontraditional love interest Tate is fantastic, and Mackie's relationships with his sister and best friend managed to win me over. The Replacement errs towards prosaic rather than tear-jerking, but it's a solid coming of age story with a handful of strong moments.
Meanwhile, the strange town of Gentry, haunted by rain and peopled by fairies, has a fantastic atmosphere. Not all of Yovanoff's worldbuilding is original or strong: its great sin is that it lacks conviction, and many of the would-be predominant figures and fantastic elements fade into the background. But Mackie's circumspect origin casts an ethical shadow over the world, blurring the line between good and bad and denying the simplicity of the light and dark fairy courts which are so common in the genre. Shamelessly written for—and set in—the haunted time around Halloween, the atmosphere is indulgent without being predictable: pervasively damp, rickety and rusty, it's not as gothic as the cover implies but is utterly delightful, if that's your thing. It is mine, and so while I didn't fall head over heels for The Replacement I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fantastic to read during the first cool days of the season while my thoughts were turned towards autumn, and may be even better just before Halloween—and it's a solid story to boot. Not a must-read, but a ready distraction. I recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Published: New York: Razorbill, 2010
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 343
Total Page Count: 109,184
Text Number: 316
Read Because: reviewed by
faeriesfolly, borrowed from the Corvallis libraryReview: Mackie is a replacement, a changeling, a fairy child cuckoo'd into a human crib. He's managed to survive for sixteen years, but the human world is poisoning him—and now, as Halloween approaches, the slight safety of the strange town of Gentry seems to be crumbling. The Replacement could easily be an anonymous iteration of fairy urban fantasy young adult literature; instead, it's just good enough to renew my faith in the genre. In many ways, the book is familiar: there's a dozen high school clichés, from shallow cliques to an improbably lively teen music scene and a bas-playing protagonist; the good guys are predictably a gang of awesome outcasts, and Mackie's story is at its heart the traditional journey of a suburban outcast undergoing self-actualization. But while the metaphor is familiar the changeling premise is unique, and Mackie's physical strangeness and iron allergy make him convincingly different—justifying his elsewise indulgent angst and revitalizing his familiar story. His journey towards self-acceptance may not be revelatory, but I enjoyed it—as I always enjoy seeing characters discover an option other than isolation or assimilation. At their best, the supporting cast can shine—prickly, unforgiving, nontraditional love interest Tate is fantastic, and Mackie's relationships with his sister and best friend managed to win me over. The Replacement errs towards prosaic rather than tear-jerking, but it's a solid coming of age story with a handful of strong moments.
Meanwhile, the strange town of Gentry, haunted by rain and peopled by fairies, has a fantastic atmosphere. Not all of Yovanoff's worldbuilding is original or strong: its great sin is that it lacks conviction, and many of the would-be predominant figures and fantastic elements fade into the background. But Mackie's circumspect origin casts an ethical shadow over the world, blurring the line between good and bad and denying the simplicity of the light and dark fairy courts which are so common in the genre. Shamelessly written for—and set in—the haunted time around Halloween, the atmosphere is indulgent without being predictable: pervasively damp, rickety and rusty, it's not as gothic as the cover implies but is utterly delightful, if that's your thing. It is mine, and so while I didn't fall head over heels for The Replacement I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fantastic to read during the first cool days of the season while my thoughts were turned towards autumn, and may be even better just before Halloween—and it's a solid story to boot. Not a must-read, but a ready distraction. I recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
