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The Merciless #2
The Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sofia Flores
Danielle Vega—YA’s answer to Stephen King—once again brings major scares in the spine-tingling sequel to horror hit The Merciless, which MTV calls “Mean Girls meets The Exorcist.”
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?
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?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2016
194 people are currently reading
5117 people want to read
About the author
Danielle Vega
16 books1,789 followersDanielle Vega is the author of THE MERCILESS and SURVIVE THE NIGHT. She's also the author of BURNING, under the name Danielle Rollins.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 643 reviews
April 5, 2018
In the same light but still refreshingly different than the first.
I’m ready for the next one 😊
I’m ready for the next one 😊
May 21, 2020
While I did very much enjoy this book, it just wasn’t quite as good as the first in the series and that’s why I gave it four stars instead of five. It doesn’t mean that it wasn’t excellent, it just lacked a little bit of oomph that the first book had. I think the main reason I disliked it was the setting. I wasn’t a fan of the school setup and how preachy and religious it was. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It’s creepy and disturbing in all the right ways! It had me cringing and having to put the book down because I was so bothered by some parts. And then the ending totally threw me for a loop, I definitely wasn’t expecting it to play out that way. It actually made my jaw drop and now I’m itching to get my hands on the next book!
November 3, 2016
The Merciless is one of my favourite horror books and books in general so I was excited but nervous when I heard a sequel was happening. I LOVED this though! I did have a couple of issues, but overall it was exactly what I needed. I feel like I’ve been neglecting my love of horror lately so I can read current releases and popular series I haven’t gotten to and this reminded me that it’s my favourite genre for a reason.
January 19, 2019
These books definitely build on each other. Whew, the end, here, is the key. You can see it coming like a slow motion train collision and I discovered that no amount of clenching, hoping, or chewing hard candy makes it change of speed up.
I have a really bad cold or something from traveling so my reading has been going slow.
These all real with possession of perceived demon possession; and ppl who think they know enough as boorish amateurs to exorcise it from someone. The thing is, the real danger is never where they think it is. Ugh.
I'm going to read the third one next which is some kind of prequel. Here we go! 4****
I have a really bad cold or something from traveling so my reading has been going slow.
These all real with possession of perceived demon possession; and ppl who think they know enough as boorish amateurs to exorcise it from someone. The thing is, the real danger is never where they think it is. Ugh.
I'm going to read the third one next which is some kind of prequel. Here we go! 4****
September 15, 2018
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3.5/5 Stars
Months after being plagued with terrifying images in her head after an exorcism gone wrong and the death of her best friends, Sofia is trying to get her life back together. When her mother dies suddenly, she is sent to St. Mary's boarding school where she meets a mysterious boy named Jude. As they get to know each other, Jude becomes convinced that Sofia is possessed by the devil and decides that she needs an exorcism for God to forgive her for her sins.
I definitely enjoyed the first one better, but this was still a very fast and entertaining read. The writing style flows very nicely and its so easy to read! It is very similar to the first book, just a different setting but I still had fun reading it. It was a bit boring until we got to the actual exorcism part where I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
I'm a big fan of the cliffhanger at the end and I'm very interested in picking up the next in the series!
3.5/5 Stars
Months after being plagued with terrifying images in her head after an exorcism gone wrong and the death of her best friends, Sofia is trying to get her life back together. When her mother dies suddenly, she is sent to St. Mary's boarding school where she meets a mysterious boy named Jude. As they get to know each other, Jude becomes convinced that Sofia is possessed by the devil and decides that she needs an exorcism for God to forgive her for her sins.
I definitely enjoyed the first one better, but this was still a very fast and entertaining read. The writing style flows very nicely and its so easy to read! It is very similar to the first book, just a different setting but I still had fun reading it. It was a bit boring until we got to the actual exorcism part where I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
I'm a big fan of the cliffhanger at the end and I'm very interested in picking up the next in the series!
October 19, 2017
You read a book and you fly through it, eating up all of the words in one night and wanting more. You go into the sequel on this high, knowing it's going to be just as good if not better. Suddenly, you're hit by a wall and realize, this series has the darn sophomore syndrome.
Warning, this review might include spoilers.
I won't spoil much about the premise of the second book, especially if you haven't read the first and want to read the series. All you need to know is, Sofia is now at a Catholic school in a brand new setting, with a brand new cast, and brand new... romances?
I went into this book, expecting it to be far worse than the second in terms of scariness and disgusting acts. Gone are the moments that make you squirm with there overly graphic details and instead we get fits of jealousy of a girl falling for a guy she shouldn’t. It was almost like it was two completely different series. Until the last few chapters, there were no scary moments, no grotesque imagery. There were many times where the description could’ve gone a bit further to make us afraid and disgusted but instead we see the end results. An ambulance rushing because someone is dead, but not the body. A pet missing and dead, but not the act. It was almost like they made the author tone everything down compared to the first book, and then removed what she wrote. While the ending explained those moments, again we only get told about it and not shown.
Not to mention, the cast of characters were really blah this time around. We meet the usual brooding male, who has dark secrets and is a tad messed up in the head. Two girls who could've had way more action than given, along with some other people. Compared to the cast of the first book, everyone was super tame. It wasn't until the end that things started happening and by then you didn't really care for them. On top of that, Sofia was being super dumb, dique she's in love with this guy. Girl... you just met him. You guys barely had an exchange of dialogue. Get yourself together. It's 2017 honey, you don't need no man.
The fits of jealousy, which was really the only evil thing she could think of, were so lackluster. I wanted her to go crazy and then regret it. I wanted to see Sofia do insane things, or even just a bit crazy, in a way that shows you what's happening to her, and then show her emotions remind her who she is. Instead we see Sofia wish her friend would get hurt because the guy she liked looked at said friend. Vega's reasoning for jealousy were just a bit immature. Had the friend and guy been dating, and Sofia was jealous and walked in on them making out or having sex or whatever, then I could understand the jealousy. But girl, they were in a school play reciting lines, it's not that serious.
In the end, I expected so much more from this book and barely got it until the end, where we get sort of a censored version. I say censored version compared to the first book. The ending did leave me with a bit of excitement, I might add. It left me with hope that the third book would be just like the first if not even more evil. Let's hope!
Warning, this review might include spoilers.
I won't spoil much about the premise of the second book, especially if you haven't read the first and want to read the series. All you need to know is, Sofia is now at a Catholic school in a brand new setting, with a brand new cast, and brand new... romances?
I went into this book, expecting it to be far worse than the second in terms of scariness and disgusting acts. Gone are the moments that make you squirm with there overly graphic details and instead we get fits of jealousy of a girl falling for a guy she shouldn’t. It was almost like it was two completely different series. Until the last few chapters, there were no scary moments, no grotesque imagery. There were many times where the description could’ve gone a bit further to make us afraid and disgusted but instead we see the end results. An ambulance rushing because someone is dead, but not the body. A pet missing and dead, but not the act. It was almost like they made the author tone everything down compared to the first book, and then removed what she wrote. While the ending explained those moments, again we only get told about it and not shown.
Not to mention, the cast of characters were really blah this time around. We meet the usual brooding male, who has dark secrets and is a tad messed up in the head. Two girls who could've had way more action than given, along with some other people. Compared to the cast of the first book, everyone was super tame. It wasn't until the end that things started happening and by then you didn't really care for them. On top of that, Sofia was being super dumb, dique she's in love with this guy. Girl... you just met him. You guys barely had an exchange of dialogue. Get yourself together. It's 2017 honey, you don't need no man.
The fits of jealousy, which was really the only evil thing she could think of, were so lackluster. I wanted her to go crazy and then regret it. I wanted to see Sofia do insane things, or even just a bit crazy, in a way that shows you what's happening to her, and then show her emotions remind her who she is. Instead we see Sofia wish her friend would get hurt because the guy she liked looked at said friend. Vega's reasoning for jealousy were just a bit immature. Had the friend and guy been dating, and Sofia was jealous and walked in on them making out or having sex or whatever, then I could understand the jealousy. But girl, they were in a school play reciting lines, it's not that serious.
In the end, I expected so much more from this book and barely got it until the end, where we get sort of a censored version. I say censored version compared to the first book. The ending did leave me with a bit of excitement, I might add. It left me with hope that the third book would be just like the first if not even more evil. Let's hope!
April 30, 2020
Oh yikes. This was... not great. Mostly nonsensical and completely unrealistic in any aspect. Cardboard characters and a paper thin plot. I did read it over the course of one day, so I guess that's the only positive I can think of in its favor.
Full RTC when I can dedicate some time to writing out my thoughts.
Full RTC when I can dedicate some time to writing out my thoughts.
September 25, 2017
4.9/5
Now Sofia is recovering from the past events. With the help of a psychiatrist she's now convinced that everything that happend was part of her immagination and that nothing really happened.
After her tragic mother's death, she is sent to St. Mary's Catholic school where she befriends pretty easily her two roommates, Leena and Sutton.
When Jude enters Sofia's life, strange and unexplicable things start to happen there, and Sofia starts a fight against herself to undestrand if there might be evil inside of her after all.
I love this series.
I found myself once again literally glued to the book.
The plot is full of creepy and disturbing things too, and even if the setting is very simple, everything that was built around it made the book exciting.
I loved the new characters, everyone has a meaning for the story and helps building it.
This is a case where it's not needed a super elaborated world building or three millions characters to make a very good and intersting story.
Once again the book never slows down, it's a page turner because the chapters end right when you need to know what the hell is happening, so you start the next one right after.
I loved the whole idea and concept, it's a perfect sequel for the first book and it's not at all less exciting like sometimes happens with second books.
This is absolutely not the case, it was like the first book had been split into two big chapters.
As I said some parts were pretty creepy and disturbing and I LOVED THEM! I'm a huge fan of horror movies and I really hope that someday this is turned into one of them, because this is a perfect story for a movie, I can't wait.
Usually I'm pretty good at guessing how it might end BUT THAT FINALE was completely unespected, very well done Danielle Vega!
"You should be careful what you wigh for, Sofia"
Now Sofia is recovering from the past events. With the help of a psychiatrist she's now convinced that everything that happend was part of her immagination and that nothing really happened.
After her tragic mother's death, she is sent to St. Mary's Catholic school where she befriends pretty easily her two roommates, Leena and Sutton.
When Jude enters Sofia's life, strange and unexplicable things start to happen there, and Sofia starts a fight against herself to undestrand if there might be evil inside of her after all.
I love this series.
I found myself once again literally glued to the book.
The plot is full of creepy and disturbing things too, and even if the setting is very simple, everything that was built around it made the book exciting.
I loved the new characters, everyone has a meaning for the story and helps building it.
This is a case where it's not needed a super elaborated world building or three millions characters to make a very good and intersting story.
Once again the book never slows down, it's a page turner because the chapters end right when you need to know what the hell is happening, so you start the next one right after.
I loved the whole idea and concept, it's a perfect sequel for the first book and it's not at all less exciting like sometimes happens with second books.
This is absolutely not the case, it was like the first book had been split into two big chapters.
As I said some parts were pretty creepy and disturbing and I LOVED THEM! I'm a huge fan of horror movies and I really hope that someday this is turned into one of them, because this is a perfect story for a movie, I can't wait.
Usually I'm pretty good at guessing how it might end BUT THAT FINALE was completely unespected, very well done Danielle Vega!
July 8, 2016
Just read this in one sitting cause I could not put it down! Which is no surprise to me considering I have devoured both of Danielle's other books in the same manner! ❤️ can't wait to read more from this amazingly twisted author
June 8, 2018
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Horror (possession)
Actual Rating: 3 Stars
Hmmm.... This is a hard book to review because I liked it BUT I didn't. One of the things I did like is that is started off right where The Merciless left off and continued to follow Sophia after her ordeal with the girls from book 1. At first I was concerned that I wouldn't remember the first book well enough to enjoy this, but everything swiftly poured back into my brain so it wasn't an issue. However, I didn't find this one as exciting as I did The Merciless and frankly think the series would have been better of without this book. This book seemed like a lot of extra crap we didn't need to learn about and sort of made the first book seem less scary. Another thing that grated on my nerves was the fact that there was barely any buildup before the big finale. I wanted to be sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what was to come and I wasn't.
Other than all that, I think this book is perfect for young adult horror fans. It certainly speaks more on the level of the younger generation for which it is targeted for, but can be enjoyed by all who like the genre. The ending, which was my favorite part of the entire book, is terrifying and can scare the pants off of anyone regardless of how old they are. I remember getting chills the minute I finished it! So if you like scary books with possessed teenagers and exorcisms, you are probably going to want to read this series. I recommend reading them in order!
Perfect for fans of
➜ The First book, The Merciless (https://amzn.to/2JAHmhb)
➜ Young Adult Horror Novels
➜ Mean Girls and The Exorcist
➜ Possessed Teenagers
Genre: Young Adult Horror (possession)
Actual Rating: 3 Stars
Hmmm.... This is a hard book to review because I liked it BUT I didn't. One of the things I did like is that is started off right where The Merciless left off and continued to follow Sophia after her ordeal with the girls from book 1. At first I was concerned that I wouldn't remember the first book well enough to enjoy this, but everything swiftly poured back into my brain so it wasn't an issue. However, I didn't find this one as exciting as I did The Merciless and frankly think the series would have been better of without this book. This book seemed like a lot of extra crap we didn't need to learn about and sort of made the first book seem less scary. Another thing that grated on my nerves was the fact that there was barely any buildup before the big finale. I wanted to be sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what was to come and I wasn't.
Other than all that, I think this book is perfect for young adult horror fans. It certainly speaks more on the level of the younger generation for which it is targeted for, but can be enjoyed by all who like the genre. The ending, which was my favorite part of the entire book, is terrifying and can scare the pants off of anyone regardless of how old they are. I remember getting chills the minute I finished it! So if you like scary books with possessed teenagers and exorcisms, you are probably going to want to read this series. I recommend reading them in order!
Perfect for fans of
➜ The First book, The Merciless (https://amzn.to/2JAHmhb)
➜ Young Adult Horror Novels
➜ Mean Girls and The Exorcist
➜ Possessed Teenagers
February 2, 2021
What is this hot mess?
Oh where did we go wrong? So, after I had read the first book I went and ordered all the rest (thankfully mostly off a discount site), so I could go on a gory binge fest. I was really excited to see where this one would take us after the ending of the first - boy was I disappointed. I thought it was over-the-top, but not in a good way. I hated the male character, he annoyed me so badly and I felt the whole plot and any twists were eye rolling at best. It was mostly a chore to get through this one and made me not want to read on in the series honestly. What a let down and just ugh.... no!
Oh where did we go wrong? So, after I had read the first book I went and ordered all the rest (thankfully mostly off a discount site), so I could go on a gory binge fest. I was really excited to see where this one would take us after the ending of the first - boy was I disappointed. I thought it was over-the-top, but not in a good way. I hated the male character, he annoyed me so badly and I felt the whole plot and any twists were eye rolling at best. It was mostly a chore to get through this one and made me not want to read on in the series honestly. What a let down and just ugh.... no!
June 17, 2019
2.5 Stars.
I liked this one considerably less than the previous book in this series. Although there were still entertaining parts it didn't hold my attention the way the first book did. I felt like there was a lot of repetitiveness. The ending did leave me wanting more so that's a plus and means that I will more than likely still pick up the third book.
I liked this one considerably less than the previous book in this series. Although there were still entertaining parts it didn't hold my attention the way the first book did. I felt like there was a lot of repetitiveness. The ending did leave me wanting more so that's a plus and means that I will more than likely still pick up the third book.
August 11, 2018
5/5 stars
The Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sofia Flores by Danielle Vega is a young-adult horror novel about the aftermath of the exorcism that Sofia helped with and where she goes from there. After all those crazy events Sofia as been seeing even more crazy things that she can’t explain to anyone. With all of the thoughts going through Sofia’s head she decides to finally go to a therapist. The crazy things that Sofia keeps seeing outside her window and when she is in the shower are just from the trauma and Sofia has to believe that. She feels like she needs to leave this town but doesn’t know how she is going to tell her mother. Sofia kind of gets her wish when her mother dies in a tragic accident and she is forced to go to a Catholic boarding school in Mississippi. Though the school is creepy Sofia beings to bond with the people at the school especially the Pastor’s son Jude. Jude and Sofia begin to start having true feelings for each other but Jude beings to believe that Sofia has the devil inside her. Much like the events from the exorcism that she was apart of, Sofia feels like she living a nightmare and the boy she likes is now torturing her. Even though Sofia is trying to be as normal as she can life just isn’t letting her. After being taken by Jude and seeing what the girls do when no one is around, Sofia beings to see that not everyone at this school is always so pure.
I picked up this novel because I couldn’t put down the first one and I needed to know where Sofia was going to go after the exorcism. The first novel scared me so much and I figured it couldn’t get any worse but Vega delivered some more terrifying things. I still have the images that I pictured in my brain while I was reading it and they won’t go away. I think that means this book was worth the read because it truly terrified me to the core. Jude and Sofia were an interesting twist to the story because it seemed like this boy was going to truly be able to help her. The trust that Sofia put in Jude was something that made the exorcism later hurt a lot more. I read this novel when I had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life so I could feel in some way what Sofia was feeling. I truly felt the fact that nothing was going right in her life even though she just wanted to be a good person and finally be happy for once.
Sometimes a person finds someone they truly like and need in a bad time in their life. Jude was that person for Sofia because she always felt so lost and this was the person that truly grounded her. Even though Sofia knew very little about Jude except for being the pastor’s son, she figured that he was pure of heart and would help her. Over the course of these two novels, I have seen how trusting Sofia can be with people she barely knows but I think this was a big mistake for her. Thinking back to when I read this novel even though a lot of the things Jude was doing were weird nothing ever made the reader think he was a bad guy. Sofia truly thought that Jude could help her with her problems and give her a good life, and I think that’s why she didn’t see it coming. I think Jude was truly trying to help Sofia anyway he could and because of his crazy father the exorcism was how. Exorcisms are horrible things that no person should ever be put through but Jude thought he could do it and get the real Sofia back. Since exorcisms is all Jude knew because of what his father taught him, that’s why Sofia ended up where she was. Sofia put blinders on because she felt she loved Jude and I think Jude would have done anything to put Sofia’s guard down.
While reading this book I ended up having a lot of bad things happen all at once. Though it’s nothing compared to what Sofia had to go through, it still made me hurt for her. I always thought that Sofia was only ever trying to do good things but bad things just kept happening around her no matter what she did. I was getting that feeling very recently because it just felt like all these bad things were happening no matter what I did. When those things happen I usually end up reading a ton so books like this help. Now that might sound a bit weird but finding a novel that makes someone completely forget about the bad things is what I loved about reading. Sofia was never able to find that thing to give her a break from her problems but that’s when she found Jude. I think that may have been her downfall because she was more concerned about what was going on with him and not seeing how bad he really was.
Vega has the strong ability to make you forget the reader is reading a horror book. There are many times in all her novels that I put them down and forget because they are so funny. Most of the scary parts happen when you least expect it and all at once which I think is way worse. I would much rather have it happen in chunks than all at once. I would recommend this novel to anyone that loves a good horror movie or novel. These are scary but fun to read because the reader is always surprised how far Vega will end up taking it. Bringing in another love interest for Sofia puts a crazy spin on this story, because the reader beings to think that maybe she is going to come out of this one happy. I think that’s big for a reader because they never really know what’s going to happen. I gave this novel 5 stars because of how much I felt when I finished it. I was sad and scared at the same time because I truly couldn’t believe how it ended. I am not the biggest fan of the horror genre but this series has me diving further into the genre, so I would suggest this series to anyone new to horror novels. The reader never knows where Vega is going to go next but I know we are all excited to see what is going to happen.
The Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sofia Flores by Danielle Vega is a young-adult horror novel about the aftermath of the exorcism that Sofia helped with and where she goes from there. After all those crazy events Sofia as been seeing even more crazy things that she can’t explain to anyone. With all of the thoughts going through Sofia’s head she decides to finally go to a therapist. The crazy things that Sofia keeps seeing outside her window and when she is in the shower are just from the trauma and Sofia has to believe that. She feels like she needs to leave this town but doesn’t know how she is going to tell her mother. Sofia kind of gets her wish when her mother dies in a tragic accident and she is forced to go to a Catholic boarding school in Mississippi. Though the school is creepy Sofia beings to bond with the people at the school especially the Pastor’s son Jude. Jude and Sofia begin to start having true feelings for each other but Jude beings to believe that Sofia has the devil inside her. Much like the events from the exorcism that she was apart of, Sofia feels like she living a nightmare and the boy she likes is now torturing her. Even though Sofia is trying to be as normal as she can life just isn’t letting her. After being taken by Jude and seeing what the girls do when no one is around, Sofia beings to see that not everyone at this school is always so pure.
I picked up this novel because I couldn’t put down the first one and I needed to know where Sofia was going to go after the exorcism. The first novel scared me so much and I figured it couldn’t get any worse but Vega delivered some more terrifying things. I still have the images that I pictured in my brain while I was reading it and they won’t go away. I think that means this book was worth the read because it truly terrified me to the core. Jude and Sofia were an interesting twist to the story because it seemed like this boy was going to truly be able to help her. The trust that Sofia put in Jude was something that made the exorcism later hurt a lot more. I read this novel when I had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life so I could feel in some way what Sofia was feeling. I truly felt the fact that nothing was going right in her life even though she just wanted to be a good person and finally be happy for once.
Sometimes a person finds someone they truly like and need in a bad time in their life. Jude was that person for Sofia because she always felt so lost and this was the person that truly grounded her. Even though Sofia knew very little about Jude except for being the pastor’s son, she figured that he was pure of heart and would help her. Over the course of these two novels, I have seen how trusting Sofia can be with people she barely knows but I think this was a big mistake for her. Thinking back to when I read this novel even though a lot of the things Jude was doing were weird nothing ever made the reader think he was a bad guy. Sofia truly thought that Jude could help her with her problems and give her a good life, and I think that’s why she didn’t see it coming. I think Jude was truly trying to help Sofia anyway he could and because of his crazy father the exorcism was how. Exorcisms are horrible things that no person should ever be put through but Jude thought he could do it and get the real Sofia back. Since exorcisms is all Jude knew because of what his father taught him, that’s why Sofia ended up where she was. Sofia put blinders on because she felt she loved Jude and I think Jude would have done anything to put Sofia’s guard down.
While reading this book I ended up having a lot of bad things happen all at once. Though it’s nothing compared to what Sofia had to go through, it still made me hurt for her. I always thought that Sofia was only ever trying to do good things but bad things just kept happening around her no matter what she did. I was getting that feeling very recently because it just felt like all these bad things were happening no matter what I did. When those things happen I usually end up reading a ton so books like this help. Now that might sound a bit weird but finding a novel that makes someone completely forget about the bad things is what I loved about reading. Sofia was never able to find that thing to give her a break from her problems but that’s when she found Jude. I think that may have been her downfall because she was more concerned about what was going on with him and not seeing how bad he really was.
Vega has the strong ability to make you forget the reader is reading a horror book. There are many times in all her novels that I put them down and forget because they are so funny. Most of the scary parts happen when you least expect it and all at once which I think is way worse. I would much rather have it happen in chunks than all at once. I would recommend this novel to anyone that loves a good horror movie or novel. These are scary but fun to read because the reader is always surprised how far Vega will end up taking it. Bringing in another love interest for Sofia puts a crazy spin on this story, because the reader beings to think that maybe she is going to come out of this one happy. I think that’s big for a reader because they never really know what’s going to happen. I gave this novel 5 stars because of how much I felt when I finished it. I was sad and scared at the same time because I truly couldn’t believe how it ended. I am not the biggest fan of the horror genre but this series has me diving further into the genre, so I would suggest this series to anyone new to horror novels. The reader never knows where Vega is going to go next but I know we are all excited to see what is going to happen.
November 2, 2023
JOYA JOYA JOYA
Tenía un ligero temor que no estuviera al nivel del primer libro (que también fue de 5 estrellas) pero la autora hizo un excelente trabajo con este.
La historia es buenísima, súper bien pensada y muy ingeniosa. Se desarrolla en un convento, I MEAN, ¡imagínense las vibes!, yo sentía que estaba viendo una película de terror.
Los nuevos personajes, el ambiente y el horror son fascinantes 10/10.
Tenía un ligero temor que no estuviera al nivel del primer libro (que también fue de 5 estrellas) pero la autora hizo un excelente trabajo con este.
La historia es buenísima, súper bien pensada y muy ingeniosa. Se desarrolla en un convento, I MEAN, ¡imagínense las vibes!, yo sentía que estaba viendo una película de terror.
Los nuevos personajes, el ambiente y el horror son fascinantes 10/10.
June 26, 2020
3.5 Stars
While definitely not as good as the first book, this sequel still had some enjoyable moments. I have now read all the books in the Merciless series and this one was possibly the weakest. Like the other books, it was brutal and bloody, but the plot felt overly simplistic. However, I did like that this one was heavy on the Catholic elements, even if they were perhaps a bit over the top. Content warnings for graphic scenes and harm to animals for this entire series.
While definitely not as good as the first book, this sequel still had some enjoyable moments. I have now read all the books in the Merciless series and this one was possibly the weakest. Like the other books, it was brutal and bloody, but the plot felt overly simplistic. However, I did like that this one was heavy on the Catholic elements, even if they were perhaps a bit over the top. Content warnings for graphic scenes and harm to animals for this entire series.
October 2, 2016
NO NO I NEED MORE
August 19, 2018
4.25 Stars.
This was actually WAY better than the first one.
After the first one, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to continue the series.
There was one cheesy part I could do away with like 15 pages before the ending. It could have been done less B-Horror-ish. Just saying.
However, this one makes me want to read the third installment.
This was actually WAY better than the first one.
After the first one, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to continue the series.
There was one cheesy part I could do away with like 15 pages before the ending. It could have been done less B-Horror-ish. Just saying.
However, this one makes me want to read the third installment.
February 5, 2016
Merciless II? Seriously? That's the best title for a sequel? How about Merciless II: Two Shades of Poo? That pretty much sums up the second part of this terrible series since the first book was bad enough on the first go-around. Obviously, I haven't learned anything since the original Merciless but apparently I'm a glutton for punishment and deserved to be flogged. Oh wait, they have that in this book. Talk about acting up my kinky fetish fantasies.
Now where do start? When we last left our heroine Sofia Flores, she was tricked into joining a pact of evil mean girls into performing some demonic ritual which led her to a bunch of over-the-top-gory deaths and her becoming a vessel for some dark evil to possess her. Well, the fun hasn't stopped there! Now she has been shipped off to the one Catholic boarding school in rural Mississippi because her living guardians couldn't afford studying abroad to a real Catholic country like Spain, Rome or Italy. Instead, she is stuck within the Bible Belt in the only Hail Mary institution especially since everywhere else is a practicing Baptist region. Me thinks the writer didn't research this fact enough.
Before you can say Satan's School for Girls (see the similarities?), she is SPOILER... tortured, abused, and gets an introduction to the BDSM lifestyle by her new high school boyfriend who gets his freak on with whips, crucifixions, and branding. Yes, folks, this is the perfect YA read for young teens to accept abuse from their psychotic partners! Way to go!
But the fun doesn't stop there! Between that and the terrible writing as the author describes a priest's "hooded" eyes, this pretty much took the cake for me. Once again, Danielle Vega disappoints with this sequel. One reviewer hyped her as a the "Stephen King of the YA world." Uh, no.
She is far from it.
Now where do start? When we last left our heroine Sofia Flores, she was tricked into joining a pact of evil mean girls into performing some demonic ritual which led her to a bunch of over-the-top-gory deaths and her becoming a vessel for some dark evil to possess her. Well, the fun hasn't stopped there! Now she has been shipped off to the one Catholic boarding school in rural Mississippi because her living guardians couldn't afford studying abroad to a real Catholic country like Spain, Rome or Italy. Instead, she is stuck within the Bible Belt in the only Hail Mary institution especially since everywhere else is a practicing Baptist region. Me thinks the writer didn't research this fact enough.
Before you can say Satan's School for Girls (see the similarities?), she is SPOILER... tortured, abused, and gets an introduction to the BDSM lifestyle by her new high school boyfriend who gets his freak on with whips, crucifixions, and branding. Yes, folks, this is the perfect YA read for young teens to accept abuse from their psychotic partners! Way to go!
But the fun doesn't stop there! Between that and the terrible writing as the author describes a priest's "hooded" eyes, this pretty much took the cake for me. Once again, Danielle Vega disappoints with this sequel. One reviewer hyped her as a the "Stephen King of the YA world." Uh, no.
She is far from it.
October 18, 2018
Star Rating: 2.5 Stars
I just... really don’t like these books. There was no big surprise scare this time to get me to raise my rating. The supporting characters are basically so meaningless that it actually is irritating. Sofia is a constant flip flop changing character but not in a good way... it feels like a writing tactic that started out well but didn’t make sense in the end. A lot of unanswered questions I suppose. Meh.
A solid Meh-.
I just... really don’t like these books. There was no big surprise scare this time to get me to raise my rating. The supporting characters are basically so meaningless that it actually is irritating. Sofia is a constant flip flop changing character but not in a good way... it feels like a writing tactic that started out well but didn’t make sense in the end. A lot of unanswered questions I suppose. Meh.
A solid Meh-.
July 7, 2017
Ugh the first one was awesome! Can't believe there is going to be another one! Definitely one book I will be waiting for!
September 18, 2018
I liked this one so much better than the first one!
October 23, 2016
Danielle Vega delivers another good thriller! As always, her books are really disturbing and I kinda like it. BUT. I've yet to fall in love with any of them. Not sure if it's because I'm not a huge fan of the genre or because I'm craving the kind of character development I love reading in contemporaries. Still, if anyone asked me for horror/thriller recs, I'd surely mention Vega's books!
September 5, 2016
I was worried when I heard there would be a sequel to The Merciless, particularly after reading 'Survive The Night' (let's not talk about that one shall we!) BUT this was great. I may have even enjoyed it a little bit more than the first. Great autumnal read.
April 9, 2020
Sofia is sent to St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school after the sudden death of her mother. She’s hoping for a fresh start, but jealousy soon brings out the worse in her. She falls hard for Jude and after a heart to heart talk he believes that Sofia is possessed and an exorcism is needed.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not like graphic violence and torture. The author does a fantastic job drawing a perfect picture for the reader. There are many chilling parts throughout this book. I found myself cringing many times.
I feel bad for Sofia. She so badly wants to be good, but keeps finding herself in situations that make her bad side come out. Her roommates at St. Mary’s are fun and energetic. A bit rebellious, but not bad. If Jude hadn’t come into the picture I think that Sofia would have been just fine and been able to move on from her past.
Brooklyn makes a demonic presence in this book as well. I would have been disappointed if she hadn’t, since she was the catalyst to Sofia’s problems to begin with. Her appearance is shocking and disturbing. Although I did not like Father Marcus, he did not deserve what he got. Sister Lauren was the kind one who helped Sofia the most and I was devastated by what happened to her.
This is the type of horror I like to read and I look forward to seeing where book 3 takes us.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not like graphic violence and torture. The author does a fantastic job drawing a perfect picture for the reader. There are many chilling parts throughout this book. I found myself cringing many times.
I feel bad for Sofia. She so badly wants to be good, but keeps finding herself in situations that make her bad side come out. Her roommates at St. Mary’s are fun and energetic. A bit rebellious, but not bad. If Jude hadn’t come into the picture I think that Sofia would have been just fine and been able to move on from her past.
Brooklyn makes a demonic presence in this book as well. I would have been disappointed if she hadn’t, since she was the catalyst to Sofia’s problems to begin with. Her appearance is shocking and disturbing. Although I did not like Father Marcus, he did not deserve what he got. Sister Lauren was the kind one who helped Sofia the most and I was devastated by what happened to her.
This is the type of horror I like to read and I look forward to seeing where book 3 takes us.
June 15, 2018
Okay I don't know what is wrong just as the first book it was good until the last chapter and then it just got a little too weird. Could it be that the author want to continue the story. This book is again about Sofia after the night that all her friends die. Sofia's mother dies and her grandmother is put in a home and she is shipped off the a catholic girls school. She has 2 roommates that she hopes she can be friends with but then things start happening. She blames herself. Throw in a guy that 2 girls want and a creepy headmaster and you are all set.
This book is putting good against evil but is it really. I would say it more like a person's will to see how strong they are and how much they can tolerate before snapping.
This book is putting good against evil but is it really. I would say it more like a person's will to see how strong they are and how much they can tolerate before snapping.
June 15, 2018
This book was dark and twisted and I loved it! Way better then the first!
October 3, 2018
The Merciless II
picks up 2 months after the events of the first book. Sofia is still trying to come to terms with the botched exorcism and murderous rampage of Brooklyn. Her mother is unfortunately killed in a car accident, and as her grandmother is incapacitated after her stroke, she is placed into a care home and Sofia is shipped off to a Catholic boarding school.
At the school, she immediately becomes good friends with her roommates Leena and Sutton. But when she falls for Leena's long term crush Jude, things starts to go awry. Sofia believes she may be possessed with a demon, something which she confides to Jude about. Could an exorcism save Sofia?
This book was more of a slow burn compared to the first one, and I have to say, for the first 60% or so, I was kinda bored. The first book was so gory and action-packed, and nothing really happens. But then it goes from 0 to 100 real quick. The 'exorcism' was terrifying and I couldn't read quick enough to see if Sofia would survive.
Not 100% sure if I'll continue this series. The ending was a little crazy and on the whole, this book was kinda meh.
At the school, she immediately becomes good friends with her roommates Leena and Sutton. But when she falls for Leena's long term crush Jude, things starts to go awry. Sofia believes she may be possessed with a demon, something which she confides to Jude about. Could an exorcism save Sofia?
This book was more of a slow burn compared to the first one, and I have to say, for the first 60% or so, I was kinda bored. The first book was so gory and action-packed, and nothing really happens. But then it goes from 0 to 100 real quick. The 'exorcism' was terrifying and I couldn't read quick enough to see if Sofia would survive.
Not 100% sure if I'll continue this series. The ending was a little crazy and on the whole, this book was kinda meh.
July 3, 2024
This book really understands the slutiness of Catholicism (I mean kneeling for the Eucharist? Please.)
May 31, 2018
This was a 3.5/5 star book for me, just because the sequel wasn't entirely necessary, and followed a similar plot and had similar aspects. However, I practically read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down...I haven't really read any horror novels but I feel that this is a good place to start!! Highly recommend this series if you're looking for something to shock you! After the ending of this one it seems like there might be another book and I can't wait!!
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