The Merciless IV: Last Rites by Danielle Vega // This Series Is Just SO Good

The Merciless IV: Last Rites, by Danielle Vega
Publication: June 12, 2018, by Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Horror
Pages: 290
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

The 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?

The Merciless III: Origins of Evil by Danielle Vega // One of the Best YA Series Ever

The Merciless III: Origins of Evil, by Danielle Vega
Publication: July 11, 2017, by Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Horror
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

Brooklyn knows that there's no good without evil, no right without wrong. And when a helpless girl calls her teen helpline, whispering that someone is hurting her, Brooklyn knows that she needs to save her anonymous caller, even if it means doing something bad.
Her parents and friends assure her the call was probably a prank but Brooklyn has always had a tendency to take over, whether someone has asked for help or not.
She discovers the call came from Christ First Church and finds herself plunged into the cultish community of its youth group. She's especially drawn to Gavin, the angelic yet tortured pastor's son.
Torn between an unstoppable attraction to Gavin and her obsession with the truth, Brooklyn is forced to make a devastating choice to rid Christ Church of evil once and for all. . . . But the devil has plans for Brooklyn's soul.

My Thoughts:

I love reading series when I own all of the books personally. That way, I'm able to read one after the other, not forgetting what previously happened. There is also no chance of me changing my opinion of a certain genre, which, in this case, is horror. I LOVE HORROR BOOKS. Both horror books and movies, actually. There's no better way to fulfill this obsession and adoration I have than to be immersed in the gorgeous writing of Danielle Vega. Every book in this series has been amazing. When I read the first Merciless story a few years ago, I was ecstatic to read the others in the series, and I agree that it took me too long to do so. NEVERTHELESS, I did read them now, and I now feel that the reading slump I experienced a month ago is long gone. Thank you, Ms. Vega, for showing me what it is like to read an amazing story. 

From the start of the novel, we are introduced to Brooklyn, who is a girl trying to help others by starting a teen helpline. On her helpline's first night of debuting, she receives a phone call where she hears a girl calling for help, stating that someone is hurting her. Automatically, Brooklyn becomes interested in helping this girl (with asking for minimal aid from the police), and discovers that the call came from Friend, Mississippi's Christ First Church. While 'investigating,' Brooklyn meets Hope and Gavin, the children of the church's pastor, and becomes immersed in the cultish community of the church, even to the extent that she begins to fall for Gavin. Then, things get insane very quickly.

This third book in the series is actually a prequel to The Merciless, and I must say that it helps us readers truly understand how everything came to be. How the world the book takes place in was able to form, and how the cultish vibes came to be. The protagonist we deal with in this story is Brooklyn, who, in the first novel, is seen as the "weirdo" evil character. Through this story, the audience definitely was able to better understand Brooklyn's character, and partially form a character-reader relationship. I actually grew to like her as a character, even though she took too many risks and did not think rationally, which led her to become involved with the Christ First Church (the cultish church that basically began this series and affected all of the characters). Although she fell heads-over-heels a little too quickly for Gavin, the son of the pastor of the church, she can definitely be classified as a kick-butt character. Kudos to her (but too bad things went SO wrong in this story).

This was one of the most well-written stories I've read in a while. The major perk that allows me to say this is that it is that it practically made me nauseous. Why nauseous, you ask? THE GORE. Every single one of these stories involve some kind of traumatic experience for a character(s) and when these events occur, they will haunt you and give you nightmares. I'm not kidding or am even close to over-exaggerating this. While reading, you'll kind of feel as if what's happening to the characters is (almost) happening to you. Yikes. I also extremely appreciate the fact that every single book in this gorgeous series involves some romance. Because if they were just focused on the horror aspect, I would have to sleep with my lights on, every single night, to help me calm down. 

I don't think it's possible to recommend this book and series more. If you haven't heard of this series already, then I am very upset with you and would like to force you to head over to your local bookstore (or online bookstore, haha) and purchase all four (the fourth one just released!) of the books this instant. You will not be disappointed, and if you are, then you're an exception. *winks* Get ready to be scarred, in a good way.

What is a YA series you've read that has been consistently good?

The Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sofia Flores by Danielle Vega // Unexpected Gorgeousness

The Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sofia Flores (The Merciless #2), by Danielle Vega
Publication: July 5, 2016, by Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Horror
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

Sofia is still processing the horrific truth of what happened when she and three friends performed an exorcism that spiraled horribly out of control. Ever since that night, Sofia has been haunted by bloody and demonic visions. Her therapist says they’re all in her head, but to Sofia they feel chillingly real. She just wants to get out of town, start fresh someplace else . . . until her mother dies suddenly, and Sofia gets her wish.
Sofia is sent to St. Mary’s, a creepy Catholic boarding school in Mississippi. There, seemingly everyone is doing penance for something, most of all the mysterious Jude, for whom Sofia can’t help feeling an unshakeable attraction. But when Sofia and Jude confide in each other about their pasts, something flips in him. He becomes convinced that Sofia is possessed by the devil. . . . Is an exorcism the only way to save her eternal soul?
Readers won’t be able to look away from this terrifying read full of twists and turns that will leave them wondering, Is there evil in all of us?

My Thoughts:

I was unfortunately unimpressed with Danielle Vega's Survive the Night, a horror standalone story about a group of teenagers intending to 'survive the night' in a New York City rave full of monsters and weird creatures. I suspected that my taste in YA genres have changed, and that perhaps I wasn't into the horror genre anymore. However, I was wrong — I just wasn't interested in that standalone story. I adored the second novel in The Merciless series. I never expected that Sofia Flores' story would take this turn and turn out to be so gory and addicting. If you're not the type of person who enjoys reading about gore, then definitely do not pick this up. But, I'm hoping you will so that you are able to see how gorgeous the writing and storyline is. It's rare for YA readers to come upon such amazing horror stories, and this is one of them.  

This story takes place a little while after the first Merciless novel ended. Sofia is still trying to relax after the previous trauma she endured with Brooklyn and her friends in Friend, Mississippi. When her mother suddenly dies in a car accident, Sofia is forced to look towards a change in her life as she is unable to live by herself in Friend anymore. She chooses to head to a Catholic boarding school where things start to go wrong too, and she feels connected to Brooklyn once again.

THIS STORY WAS JUST ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. I read it in a day (which is rare for me to experience these days after my countless reading slumps), and I'm telling you: it's been a long time since I've felt this way about a book. I am so in love with Vega's writing and I love how she is able to mix different aspects of a story together, such as romance, suspense, gore, and absolute horror which still scars me when I think about it. This is the first YA book that has left me terrified. I find that even if you don't think of yourself as a horror fan, there is a huge chance that this book will mould you into one. 

Yay to the success of this story and yay to YA horror! I truly do hope that more authors will tend to this genre as it's so underrated. I am so STOKED for the sequel to this novel (which I am about to start), and I cannot wait to become more terrified.

Have you read a YA novel that terrified you?

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega // A Book That Threw Me Into a Three-Month Reading Slump

Survive the Night, by Danielle Vega
Publication: May 24, 2016, by Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Horror
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

Just back from rehab, Casey regrets letting her friends Shana, Julie, and Aya talk her into coming to Survive the Night, an all-night, underground rave in a New York City subway tunnel. Surrounded by frightening drugs and menacing strangers, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse...
...until she comes across Julie’s mutilated body in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Casey thought she was just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music. And by the time they get back to the party, everyone is gone.
Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway tunnels, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.
They’re being hunted.
Trapped underground with someone—or something—out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to Aya’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here.”

My Thoughts:

I am a huge fan of Danielle Vega's debut novel, The Merciless, which is now becoming a series with four books (which I don't really know what to think about) so I ultimately couldn't wait to pick up Survive the Night. A standalone horror story? I was so in. However, when picking this one up in March, I quickly discovered that I was just bored. Eventually, school came in the way, and I lost interest in reading a cliché horror story about a group of reckless teenagers doing drugs and dreaming about having boyfriends. Whoops. *shrugs* But please: don't get me wrong; I love books full of drama as otherwise they wouldn't be entertaining. But when picking up this standalone of Vega's, I had different expectations. I expected to read a story that will scare the jeepers creepers out of me, which The Merciless did. This is a book that's more fantasy-like, with some abnormal creatures making a quick appearance. Emphasize the 'quick' part of the previous sentence. This was not a scary novel whatsoever. 

So after I realized that this book was boring and not my type, life got in the way and I never had time to read anymore. Or maybe this book gave me that illusion, as I realized that if I wanted to read, I would have to read this book to get to read those other anticipated novels on my bookshelf. So, I fell into a reading slump, which totally diminished my opinion of this book. I now decided to get back into it, as I suddenly have the urge to read, and I am still kind of disappointed.

This book is about seventeen-year-old Casey, who is slowly heading back to her old life with her old friends after she spent some time in rehab, recovering from her suspected 'drug abuse.' Her badly-influenced friends suggest the idea for Casey and them to head to an underground rave in New York City called Survive the Night, where they ironically are forced to survive the night as people begin dying and are hunted by an unknown creature.

Eh. *shrugs for the fifteenth time* I didn't find anything special about the premise of the story. I found that I honestly have the potential to come up with this kind of story. You know those books that are so masterfully polished and created, that you start to wonder if the author is a human prodigy for coming up with something like that? Sorry to say this, but Survive the Night wasn't part of this description. It wasn't my cup of tea. I'd probably recommend this to younger teens who are being introduced to the YA genre, and specifically, horror stories. This may frighten them. But it didn't frighten me or leave me traumatized. That's kind of what we always look for, don't we, when we read "scary" stories or even watch horror movies? We always seek the adrenaline and crave more. This was really Disney Channel-like, if that description makes sense.

Danielle Vega's Survive the Night was not terrible and the most outrageous book I've read, but it surely wasn't her best work. I'll soon be picking up the sequel to The Merciless, ready to judge if my tastes have changed, or if this book was the sole problem. 

What are some GREAT YA horror stories?