Series and Book #: none
Pages: 343
Synopsis:
Mackie Doyle is the Replacement.
Mackie 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 slowly dying in the human world.
Mackie would give anything to live among us. He just wants to play bass guitar and find out more about an oddly intriguing girl named 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.
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This is definitely one of those novels you can read after dark and jump at the slightest sounds. Trust me. It happens.
Mackie was a wonderfully unique character. He wasn't particularly brave and he wasn't incredibly strong. Really, he was very weak and very quiet. He tried to keep his head down and avoid blood, iron, and churches. I thought this was great because you don't see a lot of weaker characters in novels. Mostly they're very strong and they're very curious. But Mackie knows what happens, and he doesn't feel he can change it, so he doesn't. And despite his otherness, he acts like a regular human boy. Which might be provocative to some, but it's true, and I like how Brenna doesn't fuzz up the reality of him being a high school boy.
Gentry was a character in itself. The town's fascination with the creatures that ruled them was beautifully written. Mackie always points out that the townspeople could change what happens to them, but they never do because things are the way they are and that's how it should be. Hopelessness overshadows this book immensely.
Overall, this is a beautifully written novel that touches base with scary, dark things. Though the Morrigan was sweet, she was dangerous when she had to be, and the Lady was wonderfully horrific. Brenna also added just the right amount of humor and wit in the story, and though it was a depressing novel, Tate spiced things up by implying that things could be different. Mackie was a very real character and he wasn't made out to be a super heroic boy. Great first novel!
The Cover: Quoted from my best friend, "Are they trying to kill the kid?" It catches your eye and it speaks that this book isn't going to be about pleasant things.
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