To be honest, The Merciless was not what I would call a great book. I started it three or four times before I finally committed to finishing it - and the only reason I felt compelled to do that is because I impulse-bought the entire series at Barnes & Noble six or so years ago. This is billed as a teen horror on par with Stephen King, which is a laughable comparison. The plot twists were predictable and boring, and not much actually happened, despite Vega's desperate attempts to make it seem like there was a lot going on. It was just a slog through a nothing burger. Also, gore and grossness alone don't make a piece of media good horror. They have to serve a particular theme or plot in an interesting way. This book had so much potential, too, in its premise - a teen mil brat moves to a new town and gets embroiled with religion? That's a great premise. But it was rushed and it was nothing. Disappointing.

I may eventually read the other three books... but only because they're sitting on my shelf collecting dust.