Merciless

 

Merciless is honestly one of those books that I may have not picked up on my own if it were not in Nightworms  subscription box. This book chronicles a rampage that newlyweds Grant and Lindsey Weatherby go on it was honestly an enjoyable read.  The descriptions of the violence that occurred were very gratuitous. There were times I felt very nauseous reading the vivid imagery but then when my husband asked me if I needed to switch to a Nicholas Sparks novel (which I would find overly dull and saccharine) I was reminded that I do like the sense of feeling horrified.  However, I actually enjoyed the book with this intriguing premise so I kept reading, realizing that I found Bryan Smith’s style to be brilliant with his ability to really bring me into a scene.  My real issue was not with the story or the writing style…its more that the violence for the sake of violence that the splatter punk subgenre of horror genre is known for.

 My real criticism is more with that genre as a whole than the overall plot or writing style.  Anyone who is not familiar with the splatter punk genre would need to be warned about how grotesque the depictions of violence can be before picking it up, yet I kept thinking that it was written brilliantly. I would also issue trigger warnings for sexual violence, violence against women, violence against children and infants. As a sensitive reader I found myself reacting to all of this but I still found myself intrigued enough to keep on reading until the end as I kept wondering how everything would eventually resolve. 186 pages was the perfect length, I may have struggled to keep on reading this book if it was a longer book.  But for a short book I found it entertaining enough to keep reading!

I am also publishing this review on Goodreads and Amazon