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nataliemarie29's review against another edition
4.0
*SPOILERS*
This book was phenomenal, so unexpected and that twist at the end was everything. And to think I originally only picked this up because of the beautiful cover. I'm definitely going to have to pick up the second one! Is it bad I'm kind of rooting for Brooklyn and Sofia? Even though Brooklyn is actually the devil. I like the idea of evil being inside of us all, especially Sofia. Man, just what a twist. I love it!
This book was phenomenal, so unexpected and that twist at the end was everything. And to think I originally only picked this up because of the beautiful cover. I'm definitely going to have to pick up the second one! Is it bad I'm kind of rooting for Brooklyn and Sofia? Even though Brooklyn is actually the devil. I like the idea of evil being inside of us all, especially Sofia. Man, just what a twist. I love it!
mudmule's review against another edition
2.0
First let me start by saying I thought this was going to more of a witchcrafty type book, like the Sweep series. Was it a page turner? Oh yeah, I read this in two sittings. I don't like the characters. None of them are likable. Sofia is a bit of a wimp. Riley is a head case. Brooklyn is surprising.
I didn't care for the storyline either. Its more of fanatical bible thumpers, almost cultish. Now this isn't a bad subject, it's just not what I expected. I did feel like suspense never stopped so it really just became a rushed story. I did alot of thinking things were a bit ridiculous and not really believable.
In defense of the author, I've been reading up on my writing skills and am picking through everything I read.
I'm still on the fence if I want to read the next installment.
I didn't care for the storyline either. Its more of fanatical bible thumpers, almost cultish. Now this isn't a bad subject, it's just not what I expected. I did feel like suspense never stopped so it really just became a rushed story. I did alot of thinking things were a bit ridiculous and not really believable.
In defense of the author, I've been reading up on my writing skills and am picking through everything I read.
I'm still on the fence if I want to read the next installment.
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
2.0
The overall story and the twists were fun, and Vega can put together some fast, violent action sequences. But the pacing does a disservice here because there's not enough plot, so it feels rushed and as though it's all happening within the span of a couple of days.
If Vega had built it out into a book twice as long and really spent time developing the character relationships, this could have been great (and the writing could have used more time, too; there are some pretty over-used and awkward passages in here). But as it stands, it's an entertaining one-day read that I would only recommend if you already have a copy hanging around and need something to do for a few hours.
If Vega had built it out into a book twice as long and really spent time developing the character relationships, this could have been great (and the writing could have used more time, too; there are some pretty over-used and awkward passages in here). But as it stands, it's an entertaining one-day read that I would only recommend if you already have a copy hanging around and need something to do for a few hours.
pageobsessed17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bookitchewie's review against another edition
2.5
This was fine. A little YA for me. I read it in 3 hours for a reading challenge. It went really quickly. The twists were a little predictable, but the gore was genuinely unsettling, so that's a bonus.
wendythegeekgoddess's review against another edition
3.0
RATING: 3 1/2 STARS!!!
REVIEW: The Merciless is a horror teen fiction novel that is not for the faint of heart. The first thing that dew me to the book was its cover, it was a hardcover novel that looked like it was missing its jacket but the most interesting thing about its appearance was just that, it didn't have a jacket. The novel was bare and plain and pink with simple golden wording and a pentagram and in the back there was no synopsis, just one simple quote that drew me in even more than the synopsis itself," Forgive us father for we have sinned". Based on the pentagram I knew it was going to contain some extent of horror but what I received was so much more than just horror, it was gore. Bloody, Brutal scenes littered the book everywhere the kind that can either make a person even more intrigued or make them close the book entirely and never pick it up again. I was drawn to it no matter how disgusting and brutal the torture got, it just added to the creepiness of the book and was somewhat needed to create a more interesting story. In the story we follow Sofia Flores, a Mexican American teenage girl. I think this just made me like the book even more because it was one of those rare books in which the character is of Hispanic race and tell a normal story like that of the paranormal. (It's hard to explain). I knocked a few stars off because the book didn't get me to sucked in for some reason, it was just lacking SOMETHING.
IF YOU ENJOYED "THE MERCILESS" YOU'LL LIKE:
1. [bc:The Devouring|3374819|The Devouring (The Devouring, #1)|Simon Holt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407355839s/3374819.jpg|3414354] [b:The Devouring|3374819|The Devouring (The Devouring, #1)|Simon Holt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407355839s/3374819.jpg|3414354] By: [a:Simon Holt|1423732|Simon Holt|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-e89fc14c32a41c0eb4298dfafe929b65.png]
WHY THE DEVOURING?
"The Merciless" reminded me of this novel in the sense that it was about demons and possession and how teenagers become victims
REVIEW: The Merciless is a horror teen fiction novel that is not for the faint of heart. The first thing that dew me to the book was its cover, it was a hardcover novel that looked like it was missing its jacket but the most interesting thing about its appearance was just that, it didn't have a jacket. The novel was bare and plain and pink with simple golden wording and a pentagram and in the back there was no synopsis, just one simple quote that drew me in even more than the synopsis itself," Forgive us father for we have sinned". Based on the pentagram I knew it was going to contain some extent of horror but what I received was so much more than just horror, it was gore. Bloody, Brutal scenes littered the book everywhere the kind that can either make a person even more intrigued or make them close the book entirely and never pick it up again. I was drawn to it no matter how disgusting and brutal the torture got, it just added to the creepiness of the book and was somewhat needed to create a more interesting story. In the story we follow Sofia Flores, a Mexican American teenage girl. I think this just made me like the book even more because it was one of those rare books in which the character is of Hispanic race and tell a normal story like that of the paranormal. (It's hard to explain). I knocked a few stars off because the book didn't get me to sucked in for some reason, it was just lacking SOMETHING.
IF YOU ENJOYED "THE MERCILESS" YOU'LL LIKE:
1. [bc:The Devouring|3374819|The Devouring (The Devouring, #1)|Simon Holt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407355839s/3374819.jpg|3414354] [b:The Devouring|3374819|The Devouring (The Devouring, #1)|Simon Holt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407355839s/3374819.jpg|3414354] By: [a:Simon Holt|1423732|Simon Holt|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-e89fc14c32a41c0eb4298dfafe929b65.png]
WHY THE DEVOURING?
"The Merciless" reminded me of this novel in the sense that it was about demons and possession and how teenagers become victims
angeofnovels's review against another edition
4.0
This book truly kept me entertained the entire time.
tytoavalon's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, and Murder
tessa_faith's review against another edition
2.0
I’m all for horror stories, but this was all horror and no story. So many plot lines led to nowhere and it seemed like the author was just trying to come up with the most disturbing situations instead of focusing on an actual story. I think she was trying too hard to outdo Stephen King in the gore department, but didn’t realize that it’s not just gore that makes Stephen King’s books worth reading.
I also found the writing to be very juvenile. If it wasn’t for the disturbing content I’d imagine it would be a pre-teen level of reading which I just don’t think matches the tone of the book.
Charlie showing up no questions asked and acting like Sofia was the love of his life doesn’t make any sense considering the two of them only spoke like twice.
How was Sofia able to just walk away from Grace’s crime scene and why would her mother (who I guess is supposed to be experienced in this sort of thing) move the body when anyone who has a basic understanding of forensic science, knows the first rule of a crime scene is not to disturb any evidence?
Why was Grace willing to help poison the wine one second , but then back to following Riley a second later?
I thought the whole Grandma plot line was kind of pointless. Except that she called Sofia diablo in the end as a kind of clue I didn’t really get the point. I also don’t understand why she didn’t call her Diablo until after the fiasco at the house and not after the train incident?
I also found the writing to be very juvenile. If it wasn’t for the disturbing content I’d imagine it would be a pre-teen level of reading which I just don’t think matches the tone of the book.
Charlie showing up no questions asked and acting like Sofia was the love of his life doesn’t make any sense considering the two of them only spoke like twice.
How was Sofia able to just walk away from Grace’s crime scene and why would her mother (who I guess is supposed to be experienced in this sort of thing) move the body when anyone who has a basic understanding of forensic science, knows the first rule of a crime scene is not to disturb any evidence?
Why was Grace willing to help poison the wine one second , but then back to following Riley a second later?
I thought the whole Grandma plot line was kind of pointless. Except that she called Sofia diablo in the end as a kind of clue I didn’t really get the point. I also don’t understand why she didn’t call her Diablo until after the fiasco at the house and not after the train incident?