The Replacement

By: Brenna Yovanoff

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

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 16 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.

©2010 Brenna Yovanoff (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Unsettling villains and intriguing moral ambivalence make this effort shockingly original and…breathtaking.” ( Booklist)

"A fast-paced, dark delicacy." ( Kirkus)

Great!

The story is great, and I just couldn't stop listening until the end. The plot is interesting and so are the dark creatures from the underground of Gentry. The concept of changeling was pretty well explored by Brenna Yovanoff and I could almost feel the creepy atmosphere.

Kevin T. Collins is one of the best narrators out there and did a fantastic job.

Undecided

I felt this story had a solid premise but as others have commented about, it dragged and was slow in several parts. Overall I felt the background story, the characters, had a really good basis. But that too much of the book was 'filler' that could have been used to give the characters more than their two dimensional feel. Alot of the language felt odd for teenagers to use. Alot of the reactions were under or over exaggerated, especially for Tate. She either has a really good theory of what's going on in the town and is angry over it or totally oblivious when proof is presented to her, it felt silly. It was also very confusing what sort of relationship Macky and Tate really had throughout the book, which was frustrating. I didn't know if I should like her or be wary that she was just using him. It wasn't consistent. Macky's personality was timid and frail at one point and then BAM! heroic and a confident jock the next, then back to being an uncertain outcast teenager again. There was an attempt at character growth but it came in jolts which didn't fit the slow pace of the the rest of the book.
Like I said, I felt this was a great start, very interesting premise, and I didn't hate it. But it felt more like a rough draft then a final revision of a story.
Having said all that I would still love to see a continuation or another attempt at the story, because I do think the premise is a very interesting one, and deserves more attention.

Very Dark but Interesting

Initially I thought it wasn't going to be that great but perhaps an hour in it started to get interesting and I couldn't stop. It does get a bit of a drag listening to the main character moan a lot about all the things that's wrong with him but the strange bond he has with the town and his weird people is intriguing. I like his assortment of friends as they're odd in their own ways too which fits his character quite well. The visual descriptions are great and I will be rereading it again just to enjoy those descriptions again.

Good but lacking

The story was interesting but the male protagonist was lacking. I felt underwhelmed and wished I could skip his tantrums. The "Sisters" were MUCH more interesting and their dialogue was dark, spooky, and edgy. I'm still going to read her next novel because she has a great understanding of the dark and edgy world.

Good book

Intriguing story. I've read lots of stories lately about fae, and this wasn't the strongest but it was good. A big focus on family, birth family and the family you choose, which I enjoyed. The fantasy elements were a bit underdeveloped and underplayed, sometimes to the story's detriment and sometimes for the best. Overall I'd say I'm glad I listened to it and will probably do so again in a few years.

Eh... it's okay...

This story has it's moments, but i felt like the conclusion was too predictable. If you enjoy myths and paranormal story lines. This story is right up your alley, but i just could not relate to the character and the plot felt like it had too many ideas jammed into it. The narrator was pretty good. Not the most exciting, but he was definitely able to handle all the different characters.

Awesome listen!

easy listen, engaging and entrancing. awesome book, best listening experience yet. please read this book

Gentry Would Have Creeped Out Shirley Jackson

If you could sum up The Replacement in three words, what would they be?

Creeptastically Original Book

What did you like best about this story?

The atmosphere.

Which character – as performed by Kevin T. Collins – was your favorite?

Toss up between Mackie's best friend, Roswell and his sister. The portrayal of unconditional love and acceptance was well done and believable.

I liked Tate and the twins as well.

The beings from Mayhem were interesting to me, and I thought Yovanoff did a great job with them.

Probably my least favorite character (and only because I liked everyone else so much - not because I disliked him - there was no character I found distasteful or unlikable) was Mackie himself.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both.

I thought Yovanoff really showed family in a good light. Both of Mackie's families love him, all of the people around him support him, even if they are damaged.

This is an interesting, dark novel, and I enjoyed both the written and narrated version.

Excellent !

Keeps you interested all the way through. The Narrator made you believe he was Malcolm. The story left me feeling good about the world.

Not a horror but good mystery

I enjoyed the story but it is not a horror.. More of a mystery. It seemed to change its characters drastically changed without having to. Although it was still enjoyable and a good listen