Review - The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle 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 fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, 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.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff is different kind of book than I'm used to reading.

Mackie is a changeling. Or a Replacement. Whatever you call it he's not really human. He replaced something human a long time ago and it seems the only one who's ever truly loved him is his "sister". She's more or less what's kept him alive up until the point that the book really takes off, and the one person willing to sacrifice everything to make sure he stays that way for as long as she can keep him. His parents know what he is and while they've done their best to take care of him, he feels like he's never really fit in with the family. But really, who can blame them? Some monster came and took their TRUE son out of his crib when he was tiny and helpless and replaced him with something that looked similar, but was dying... and NOT their son.

He has managed to make a few good friends during his years as Mackie Doyle but when he starts crushing on Tate it kind of sends his world spinning. She indirectly and sort of directly almost brings about his downfall. Something his friends are trying to help him prevent.

Mackie is an interesting character. Kind of a typical stupid guy, in a way. Always going for the pretty girl with no personality instead of the girl with personality to spare but who may be a little bit of a hard shell to crack. He came around though. But it sure took him a long time to get with the program. You don't always see that. A guy who is reluctant to play the hero, even when it means he gets the girl. But Mackie doesn't want to be the hero. He doesn't want to be noticed at all. Even if it means disappointing Tate. Eventually he screws his brain back on the right way though. So he redeems himself.

Poor Tate. We first meet her after her sister's been taken and after the thing that replaced her has died. So she didn't get much of a chance to establish herself as anything but depressed and moody (and rightly so). But I did feel it was kind of unfair of her to expect Mackie to just automatically save the day when he's just as clueless as she is.

Roswell is a perfect best friend. And a seemingly unlikely one. He's popular and outgoing and fun loving. A complete contrast to Mackie. Which, I suppose, is part of what makes him perfect. With Roswell around no one really pays too much attention to Mackie. On top of the fact that he kind of lets Mackie hide in his shadow, he's loyal and understanding and would really do anything for Mackie. Despite the fact that Mackie's different.

When Mackie ventures down in to the Slag Heap it gets a little weird and disturbing. And kind of confusing. But they help him, in their own way. It was kind of hard to tell at some points if The Morrigan (sort of like the ruler of the "otherworldy" and "undead" who lived under the Slag Heap) was really supposed to be a GOOD character or a BAD one. At some points she helps, but then at others she really doesn't care what happens. She has something to gain with Mackie and if he fails to deliver then it seems she washes her hands of him.

It's a weird story, I will give it that. But it was a good one. A quick one. And different enough to keep me interested even when it moved kind of slow. I'd recommend it to anyone (probably 16 and above) who loves paranormal things or dark and creepy things. It fits the bill quite nicely if you're in to that stuff. Go check it out!

Review - House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake

Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah and her daughter Elissa find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared - leaving only a brother, Ryan, as the sole survivor. Against Sarah's wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan - and the closer they get, the deeper they're all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined.

So House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake is a book based on a screenplay based on a story according to the inside cover. I wanted to see the movie but I didn't want to see it without reading the book first.

Turns out, I probably should have just gotten the movie.

Elissa was a great character. I liked her from the beginning and felt sad for her. But she was the only character I got to know past a short description. There wasn't a lot of development of the other players in this story. It was like they were all thrown at you one right after the other. Which was sad because there were potentially some great stories behind those characters that we never got to see. Like Jillian. And Sarah we don't learn anything about until almost the very end of the book.

The build up in the first half of the story was good. I was getting excited for the stuff to hit the fan finally you know? But when the point finally came where that was supposed to happen it kind of fell flat. The first twist in the story was interesting, but somewhat predictable. I didn't see the curveball coming at the end though. Which kind of saved the book a little. It's too bad that that curveball didn't come until the epilogue.

To me, the end of the book just felt like it would if someone was trying to explain it to me like they'd seen it in a movie or something, but just couldn't remember all the details so it ended up being a "I guess you had to be there" kind of deal. It wasn't really horror to me. Not in the way I remember horror stories. And I used to LOVE them. They were the only kind of book that I'd read for a while. This wasn't thrilling and exciting like it was supposed to be.

I'm not sure I'd recommend the book to anybody. It would probably be better to just go see the movie.

Stacking the Shelves #9

Thanks to Tynga at Tynga's Reviews for hosting Stacking the Shelves every week!


This week I couldn't help myself... I went and bought The House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake. Movie edition cover and all.

Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah and her daughter Elissa find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared - leaving only a brother, Ryan, as the sole survivor. Against Sarah's wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan - and the closer they get, the deeper they're all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined.

What did you all get this week?

Daring You to Read - Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Daring You to Read is hosted every week by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

Here's how it works:

- You choose a book you’ve read, loved and would dare your readers to read!

- The book you choose must be an older release (at least 6 months ago), because let’s be honest, we’re all quite aware of the latest releases.

- Write your own blog post, using the button and linking back to Tynga’s Reviews, inviting your readers to read your chosen book.

- Come back on Tynga’s Reviews and put your link in the linking tool.

- Browse other bloggers Dare and let them know if you’ve read their featured book, or plan on reading it.

- Super easy and an awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

This week I'm daring you to read Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

I need to start off by saying I love Neil Gaiman books. They're always so fantastical and magical. This one is no different.

When Coraline explores her new home, she steps through a door and into another house just like her own - except that things aren't quite as they seem. There's another mother and another father in this house and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. Coraline must use all of her wits and every ounce of courage in order to save herself and return home... but will she escape and will life ever be the same again?

This was a fast and simple read. I actually saw the movie long before I ever read the book. The movie scared both of my kids so I just had to see how closely it resembled the original story.

I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have read this story to my girls. It would have freaked them out more than the movie did (and I loved the movie!). It's the kind of book you read to kids, maybe ages 10 and up, by candlelight during a storm that's knocked the power out.

Coraline (or Caroline as her clueless neighbors call her) is bored. Her parents don't pay enough attention to her and NOW she can't even go outside. So she explores the inside of this new strange house they've moved into and finds herself, literally, with a key to another world. What seems to be an almost parallel dimension, if you will. One that she very much prefers to her true reality. Other Mother and Other Dad love her and shower her with attention and let her do all the things that she wishes she could do at home.. er... her other home. But they're hiding a dark and dangerous secret. One that Coraline discovers with the help of a cat that can speak, but only in the alternate reality.

All of the sudden her real Mom and Dad seem more appealing to her, but her Other Mother won't  give up so easily. She's determined to have Coraline. To keep Coraline. To make Coraline just like her. After all, why would Coraline want to go back to her real parents who are too busy to pay any attention to her?

I may not be in the age range this book is recommended for, but I don't care. It's imaginative and thrilling and completely suspenseful. From the acrobat and his mouse circus to the aging and nostalgic actresses with their terriers, Coraline is full of mystery and fantasy... even horror. It's a perfect read if you want something quick and exciting... even if you ARE an adult.

So go on and pick it up, I dare you.