The Merciless really is just a crappy version of Mean Girls with a heavy dose of gratuitous violence and sensationalism. I kept seeing the Mean GirlsThe Merciless really is just a crappy version of Mean Girls with a heavy dose of gratuitous violence and sensationalism. I kept seeing the Mean Girls parallels as I was reading - the two really are astonishingly alike, but this book fills up the absence of clever irony with senseless melodrama and angst. Even Kirkus called this "Mean Girls with an occult twist."
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The lack of an ironic tone makes the girls bitchy language seem incredibly immature and damn annoying after a while. This book may struggle to find an audience as it reads too young for the targeted mature teens and young adults, but contains too much gruesome imagery of nails being pulled off to be one I could easily recommend for younger kids. The language is very simplistic - not necessarily a bad thing - and I found myself flicking through pages very quickly in the beginning, but it soon became too ludicrous to read without rolling my eyes.
Following the plot of Mean Girls, this book is about a new girl in school called Sofia Flores and how she ends up torn between the rebellious outcast girl (Brooke), and the group of beautiful, popular girls who try to take her under their wing. She ends up hanging around with one to spy on the other, etc, etc. You probably remember the story yourself, even without reading the book. Then there's the whole occult twist angle, as these popular girls are deeply religious and believe Brooke is possessed by a demon.
And that's another thing! I'm not giving away any information that isn't readily offered up by the official blurb... and yet this essentially spoils the entire first half of the novel, rendering the author's attempts at suspense pointless. There is an overwhelming sense of pointlessness about this whole story; it feels created to shock us with blood and ritual sacrifices, instead of containing any actual substance. Such a shame really, because it sounded so good.
Despite the impression we are given by the blurb, I didn't find this scary at all. Laughable is more like it. I did speed through it and found the writing very easy to digest, so I upped my rating a little, but the fact remains that this book is nonsensical, sensational and utterly unbelievable. The scenes that are supposed to be loaded with suspense and fear are just cheesy, and all the girls' reasons for doing what they do are so stupid that I couldn't even consider any one of them serious villains. It's not that I don't believe teen girls can be fucking crazy... but they were shown to have such a shallow pointless mentality.
The ending was easy to predict too. Maybe this is more suited to fans of traditional horror, because I admit that I can see this making a wonderful slasher film that could be shown every Halloween. But if you're looking for a psychological thriller starring teen girls, then I would recommend shifting your sights towards the works of Abigail Haas instead of this.
“It's not the world that's the stage - it's social media, where you're trying to put on a show. The rest of your life is rehearsals, prepping
“It's not the world that's the stage - it's social media, where you're trying to put on a show. The rest of your life is rehearsals, prepping in the wings to be fabulous online.�
Well, hmm. I'm not sure what to say.
On the one hand, Beukes once again reminds me what a great writer she is and also reminds me why I insist on checking out all her latest releases. I'm sure I'll continue to do so. This book is packed full of characters that are complex, well-developed, flawed, and realistically human. She has a talent for getting inside the minds of many different people and dragging the reader along for the ride.
The thing is: I really do appreciate this book. I just didn't really like it or enjoy it that much. Frankly, the plot was too messy and all over the place for my tastes. A jumble of perspectives, plot lines and characters all move alongside one another. We are introduced to one set of characters and then quickly jump to an entirely different set, only to once again jump to someone else a few pages later. I barely had time to become invested in one story before I was pulled out of it and planted in another.
Then there's that whole contemporary mystery turned paranormal/sci-fi thriller thing this book has going on. In this case, it wasn't a successful mix. I preferred this book so much more when I thought I was dealing with your regular mystery/thriller - the paranormal aspect actually took something away from the plot, in my opinion. Weakened the overall effect, I'm tempted to say.
I can't deny that the book draws you in with the dramatic opening in which the upper body of a boy is discovered fused to the hindquarters of a deer. Grisly, gruesome awesomeness... I was definitely intrigued. The main focus of this book is on the dangers of social media and the internet - something I am yet to be completely sold on, but whatever - and the way all information is forever, displayed publicly for the world to see. I guess this latter could indeed be an important message.
Broken Monsters is a book that I like more in theory than I actually enjoyed the experience of reading. It had a lot of potential, but never wowed me.
I first read this when I was about thirteen/fourteen and don't remember that reading at all.
I then watched the movie when I was about eighteen/nineteeI first read this when I was about thirteen/fourteen and don't remember that reading at all.
I then watched the movie when I was about eighteen/nineteen, which I remember better and didn't really like. Bit too weird for me.
Third time lucky, I guess. I thought this was a great read in 2022. Super easy to read, eerie, unsettling, and the second Levin I've read where women are gaslighted by those around them, which is something I find especially terrifying-- I understand both sexism (being labelled "hysterical" or "crazy" for normal emotions) and mental illness, so when both are used against you at once and you can't quite be sure which is at play, whether the people around you are out to get you or your own mind is, that is a really scary situation.
It is also a testament to an author's skill when the fate of minor side characters has a big impact, I feel....more
Not my favourite. King writes well as usual, but cars are boring. Sorry, you can't convince me otherwise.Not my favourite. King writes well as usual, but cars are boring. Sorry, you can't convince me otherwise....more
I truly expected to enjoy this book that has been described as creepy, sinister, unsettling and disturbing, but I honestly found it none of those thinI truly expected to enjoy this book that has been described as creepy, sinister, unsettling and disturbing, but I honestly found it none of those things.
Very little happens beyond going through the motions of Constance and Merricat's daily lives. There is a single revelation and it is extremely anticlimactic, making me instantly not give a damn the moment it appears. I did not find it eerie or interesting... just lacking in everything.
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