As an avid reader growing up, I was always very specific about what interested me in a book. There was no genre that could cancel out my 10-second attention span quite as effortlessly as horror could, especially not before I read The Merciless by Danielle Vega.

Now, I must warn that this book is not for everyone. It’s definitely not meant for those with a weak stomach, or maybe even people of weak faith, in this case. There were moments in the book that made me put it down for a few seconds to recover from what I had just read. Though as someone who finds enjoyment through reading and prefers indulging in content that fits the season, it was definitely worth the brief discomfort. 

Vega knew exactly how to rope young adult readers into horror, treading lightly on the line between just right and too much. As the reader, we get to follow 16-year-old Sophia’s journey about adjusting to her new (temporary) life at Adams High School in the proudly Catholic town of Friend, Mississippi. She lives with her mother who has a traveling job as a medical technician for the army and a once-lively grandma, who is now completely unresponsive due to a stroke she suffered years prior.

Sophia has learned the art of detachment; therefore she doesn’t expect too much out of her first day at school. Little did she know she would be introduced to a situation much bigger and extraordinary than herself. 

Of course, what interest would we have consuming something in a high-school setting without the typical cliches? Sophia finds herself stuck in the middle when she involves herself with the tightly knit, three-member friend group of well-off pretty girls who warn her about the weird girl of the school, Brooklyn. Sacrifices of skinned cats and Latin chanting in the back of the classroom were just some of the rumors that surrounded her. Sophia was not immediately convinced, however, she was willing to engage in the gossip for the welcoming of her into their friend group. 

This would immediately backfire on Sophia when the Regina George of the story, Riley, lures her into an abandoned house to help perform an exorcism on Brooklyn after deciding that she had evil in her. Sophia, acting on what she knew was right at the time, focused more on helping Brooklyn escape while trying not to enrage the girls- in which she miraculously succeeds after multiple near-death experiences. However, she would quickly learn that the girls’ assumptions of Brooklyn, albeit handled in all the wrong ways, were true.

Overall, The Merciless is a very thrilling, toe-curling read that is perfect for anyone looking to dive into the spooky essence of this fall season. Though it is important to remember that the target audience is young-adult, so the writing felt blander and less engaging from when I remember reading it as a 15-year-old.

The revelations that were supposed to be the highlights of the story were a bit predictable, but how the events played out throughout the book was what really made it shocking. You could tell by the certain actions done in the book Vega did not hold back on gory detail. She was making sure her objective of making readers cringe with uneasiness was met. 

It was also interesting to see the back and forth of Sophia’s ethics while going through the book. To be stuck in a “damned if you- do-damned if you don’t” situation will really show the true nature of characters that are thought to be the heroes of the story. Sophia was not just this innocent new girl-next-door who found herself stuck in an unfortunate situation.

She came with a tainted past that she ran away from and refused to acknowledge until she was met face-to-face with evil itself. The unfolding of events and discoveries that came with it make you wonder if her involvement was by chance or if her sinister past attracted this fate to her. 

Unlike other horror stories where the captives manage to escape to safety and put the danger to justice, this was not an option for The Merciless, which makes it all the more interesting and horrifying. This is not only a way of differentiating the story from others in the genre, but it is a great way of preparing to open the story up to a series- much to my relief to find out since the book was quite a quick read of under 300 pages.

The ending alludes to the characters having no choice but to run around in endless circles trying to escape a situation they themselves indulge in. The occurrence teaches Sophia something she never thought she’d need throughout the rest of the series- keep your friends close but your faith closer.