Publication: June 12, 2018, by Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Horror
Pages: 290
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating:
½The ropes tighten on Berkley Hubbard's wrists. Blood drips down her fingers and lands with a smack on the cold floor of the church basement. She's trapped, bound, and petrified by fear. A knife punctures her fragile skin as Berkley's captors search for the mark of the devil on her body. They say they want to save her--drive the devil away and cleanse her soul--but will she make it out alive?
When Berkley arrived in Italy a week ago, the last thing she expected was that she'd end up fighting for her life. After spending six months at the Institute, confined to a room with the dangerous-yet-alluring Sofia Flores, Berkley was certain that a vacation in Italy with her two best friends would be the perfect getaway. But Berkley is hiding a terrible secret, one that threatens to undo everything. As she's forced to face her wicked past, she learns that the devil is always watching, and no one is coming to save her.
My Thoughts:
The Merciless series is my absolute love and treasure; each book keeps impressing me and scaring me to the point that I silently tell myself that I will never turn my lights off at night and will never watch a horror movie again. Let's just say that I never fulfill those promises I made for myself and I keep being addicted to the horror genre. As each of the other books, I was completely obsessed and terrified both at the same time. I was unable to stop reading once I flipped to the first page; Italy is the best setting ever for these kinds of books.
Last Rites introduces us to a new character in this saga: Berkley, a NYU student visiting Italy while her two friends attend a summer art program in a small town. Prior to her entering Italy, she had a major panic attack leaving her in an Institute, rooming with Sofia Flores. Once Berkley heads to Italy, she suspects that everything is good and no one remembers her dark past where she betrayed her best friend, however, strangers see her as a devil and will do whatever it takes to prove so. These 'strangers' capture Berkley and search for the devil's mark on her body, seeking the spot where Berkley is unable to bleed from.
As you can already tell from the summary, this is messed up. There are points during the reading experience where you suspect that the story is a normal, YA contemporary novel, however, things always suddenly take a turn and leave you guessing. That's the best way to describe Danielle Vega's writing; she makes readers think that she is weaving an innocent story set in an innocent setting (such as Italy - who would suspect that an exorcism is on the agenda?)
This book left me in shock, as the ending was unbelievable. It had both closure and opening, leaving the possibility for this series to continue (which I hope it will), but closure in the sense that if Danielle Vega feels that this must come to an end, it can. I just want to pray to the book gods that it doesn't end here. I feel that there's so much more that can happen. More chances for readers to be terrified and more chances to see our favourite character, Sofia Flores.
What are some enjoyable horror books?
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