Mercy Mode (a book review)

Mercy Mode by Em Garner

Released: August 26th, 2014

Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 352

Seventeen-year-old Velvet has managed to patch together a new family for herself and her eleven-year-old sister after the raves of the Contamination--the epidemic caused by a wildly popular diet drink. They now live in their old house, in their empty neighborhood, with Velvet's boyfriend, Dillon; old Mrs. Holly, their elderly neighbor; and one of the Contaminated, the woman who was once their vibrant mother. But the Contamination seems to have returned, more people are falling victim, and the government begins to test people to see if they have the disease.

And Velvet has some symptoms . . . 

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I bought a copy of Contaminated last year and ate it up, so I was overjoyed when Em Garner sent me an ARC of Mercy Mode to read and review. And I definitely liked it as much--if not more--than its predecessor. Plus, it's set in PA, and reading a book that's set in someplace familiar is always a huge plus for me! But let's go into detail.

I've said it before: I'm not a huge zombie girl. In fact, I'm not even a huge fan of paranormal. But the Contaminated series has a way of making these zombie-like victims seem fresh and unique, while still keeping things familiar. This, I think, will make the book appeal to both undead junkies and paranormal newbies, like me.

As far as plot goes, I was actually very impressed. Often times, the sequel to a dystopian novel lacks in action and excitement (as shown by the first halves of Catching Fire and Insurgent). While it may not have been as riveting as I would've liked, I wasn't yanked around. Mercy Mode managed to keep things at a steady pace, and the final third of the book was successful in keeping me up far past my bedtime.

Now for my favorite part. Characters.

Mercy Mode doesn't have a large cast of characters, which I appreciate, because it gives me a better chance to connect with each of them in ways that wouldn't be possible if there had been more. Yes, Mrs. Holly did seem a little unnecessary to the story, but she was still strong and sassy for an old woman living in harsh conditions. Velvet's mother triggered a lot of sympathy from me, and Opal was the bright spot in a crappy situation. Cute, spunky, and, to quote Velvet, "sometimes a bit of a brat," Opal provided a lot of entertainment.

There was a character that did seem a little off to me. Dillon. He was sweet and tried his best to provide for his and Velvet's makeshift family, but he always seemed a little distant, something he hadn't been in Contaminated. But it's possible that he was written that way on purpose. He and Velvet were forced to have a somewhat rushed relationship, marrying solely for the purpose of benefits and more food, rather than love. Velvet herself often remarked that she and Dillon had been awkward with each other recently, and I don't blame them, under the circumstances.

My favorite character was Velvet. She was great. She appealed to me in ways that Katniss and Tris do, but without being a copycat, dystopian heroine. She's original and very much her own person. She's strong and feisty and would do anything for her family. She's fiercely protective of her little sister and puts herself through life-threatening danger to make things better for her.

So all in all, Mercy Mode is a fantastic and entertaining read that will appeal to paranormal and dystopian lovers alike, especially for fans of The Program and Divergent. I definitely recommend reading the series, and sincerely hope there is a sequel very soon!

Meet the author:

Em Garner writes books.

She began writing at a very young age, always preferring the stories about what goes bump in the night. An avid reader of horror, science-fiction and fantasy, she first turned her hand to short stories about the sorts of things that hide under the bed…and she kept right on going.

Now Em spends most of her time in front of her computer, writing away at all the ideas she has swirling around in her head and hoping she can get them into a story before she forgets them.

She loves zombies, unicorns, and rainbows, the color purple and the smell of roses. She hates the smell of lilies, the feeling of corduroy and biting sandpaper. (Well. Who doesn’t?)

She lives at the beach with her family, where she spends a lot of time reading and sticking her feet in the sand. She is afraid of sharks, but that doesn’t stop her from going in the water.

Connect with Em Garner:

Website: http://emgarner.com/

Twitter: @EmGarnerBooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emgarnerbooks1

Interview With Em Garner + Giveaway

Ladies and gentlemen! The time has come to select one courageous young man and woman for the honor of representing District 12 in the 74th annual Hunger Games!

I'm only joking.

Get ready for an awesome interview with Em Garner! :D

Check out the awesome purple hair!

Em Garner writes books.
She began writing at a very young age, always preferring the stories about what goes bump in the night. An avid reader of horror, science-fiction and fantasy, she first turned her hand to short stories about the sorts of things that hide under the bed…and she kept right on going.
Now Em spends most of her time in front of her computer, writing away at all the ideas she has swirling around in her head and hoping she can get them into a story before she forgets them.
She loves zombies, unicorns, and rainbows, the color purple and the smell of roses. She hates the smell of lilies, the feeling of corduroy and biting sandpaper. (Well. Who doesn’t?)
She lives at the beach with her family, where she spends a lot of time reading and sticking her feet in the sand. She is afraid of sharks, but that doesn’t stop her from going in the water.




1. Who or what inspired you to write?

I've always told stories, and I've been writing since elementary school. When I was in sixth grade, I figured out that people write books for a living! As a job! And I decided then that's what I wanted to be when I grew up.

2. What are your top three favorite novels?

Imajica, Clive Barker. Boy's Life, Robert McCammon. Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey.

3. What is your favorite thing about writing?

Being able to tell stories and make stuff up. I love it!

4. Me, too! What inspired you to write Contaminated?

I was driving home from the beach and a line came to me "They keep them in cages. The unclaimed." I'd been tossing around an idea about contaminated protein water that made zombies, and I LOVE zombies, so it all fell into place. I wrote a few pages long hand and finished the rest of the book in a couple weeks.

5. A couple weeks! That's impressive! What is the hardest thing you've had to do in your writing?

Balance my time. I often work and work without taking a break, because it's so hard to finish anything.

6. What is the best piece of advice you could give to teen writers who want to get published?

Write. And write. And write some more. Read what you like. Write what you want to read. Learn how to spell and use proper grammar, but also discover your voice -- that's what will set your writing apart from everyone else's. DREAM BIG.

7. Finally, what is your favorite thing to munch on (or sip) while writing?

Can't live without my Coke Zero!

If you'd like to win a signed copy of Contaminated, check out the Rafflecopter giveaway below! :D Thanks for doing this, Em!
Sorry, USA only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

On Achieving Goals and Interviewing Authors

Scroll down on my blog. You see Ivan? He's celebrating. Why? Oh, I don't know . . . Maybe because I--

--REACHED MY GOAL OF 50,000 WORDS!!!!! :D

(I'm a little excited).

Yes, I have officially written over 50,000 words of Cosmo. The first draft isn't finished yet--far from it, actually--but it still feels awesome to have completed my goal already.

Do you have goals set for yourself in writing? How do you meet those goals?

Here's how I met mine:

1. I pushed myself

Yeah, sure I got writer's block at times, sure there were times where I hated my characters, and of course there were times when I had thoughts like, I have no plot. This is so boring. I wouldn't even read this book. Maybe I'll just watch some pointless YouTube videos.

But when that happened I stopped, took a deep breath, and changed Ivan's picture so he started destroying his computer. I hated seeing him so angry, so I typed and typed and typed until I broke through my writer's block and Ivan could be happy again.

2. I took breaks

No one can write for hours on end without getting tired. And when you're tired, you get frustrated. And when you're frustrated, you can't write. And when you can't write, you end up wasting time on Facebook and staring at a blank page. After an hour to an hour and a half of writing--or when I started to slow down--I took a fifteen-minute (or so) break. Some great activities for these breaks include:

-Eating (Snacks filled with protein keep you going! Also sugar and anything minty, which science has proven to be good for thinking creatively).
-Reading (Something well-written and inspiring, preferably).
-Watching TV (No movies! Otherwise you'll lose track of time).
-Reading blogs (Writing blogs, blogs your friends write, food blogs, your pick)!
-Checking e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. (Do these things now so you don't do it while you're supposed to be writing)!
-Getting exercise (You've been sitting down at a computer for a while. Get moving so you don't feel so stiff when you're writing).
-Playing games (Something strategic so your brain doesn't fall asleep, but nothing too complicated, otherwise you'll get worn out)!
-Going to the bathroom (In case you're one of those ultra-intense writers that ignores this simple need. Trust me, I know some people like this).
-Listening to music (Again, something well-written and inspiring. Or maybe classical music so you can relax. But don't fall asleep)!
-Saying hi to your family (Is your dog giving you weird looks? Do your siblings/parents/kids look surprised that you've left your computer? Then you've been writing for too long).
-Taking a nap (Again, if you're one of those super intense writers that blows off sleep for a couple of days in order to get more writing done. Not a good idea. You don't write as well when you aren't rested).

3. And finally, I gave myself rewards

If I met a short-term goal, I let myself take a break, eat some chocolate, watch some YouTube videos, or play some video games. I tried to not get into anything too involved, otherwise I'd lose track of time, but something like reading a chapter of a book or watching an episode of "Friends" was a great way to relax after typing furiously for an hour.

Now that I've bored you all with the details of my writing goals, I have a little announcement to make.

(Okay, maybe not so little).

(I'm actually pretty excited about this).

(Okay, a lot excited).

I'm going to interview Em Garner! :D

Yes, I just figured out the details a couple hours ago!

And if that's not exciting enough for you, listen to this: she's giving away a signed copy of her new book, Contaminated.

Oh, yes.

If you want to win this fabulous prize, please, follow my blog to learn about the juicy details. I'm hoping to have the interview/giveaway posted here later this week, but it all depends on Em's schedule.

I can't wait! :D