3.5
Mercy Rule
ByPublisher Description
Danny’s parents yanked him from the art school that let him wear a kilt and listen to bands that no one’s heard of. Now he’s starting sophomore year at the public high school—the one with the gymnasium at the heart of the building and the glorified athletes who rule it all. The smart thing would be to blend in, but Danny has always been about making statements.
Brady just wants to get out. Go to college, play football, maybe reach the NFL. He definitely wants to stop waiting for his deadbeat mother to come home, sleeping on park benches, and going to bed hungry. But first he has to lead the team to the championships. It all adds up to a lot of stress. So who can really blame him when he and the football team turn their aggressions on the new freak? Even the quarterback needs to blow off steam sometimes.
Coach turns a blind eye to his players’ crimes—because this year, they’re going to State. But maybe if Coach had paid more attention they could’ve caught it before it all happened. Maybe it could’ve been avoided.
Maybe.
With quick cuts between a large cast of unforgettable characters, and razor-sharp plotting, Tom Leveen takes readers on a countdown to an inevitable, horrifying act. This gripping novel offers an intense, smart perspective on the tragic, toxic mindsets behind the celebrated American sport and the monsters it creates.
Brady just wants to get out. Go to college, play football, maybe reach the NFL. He definitely wants to stop waiting for his deadbeat mother to come home, sleeping on park benches, and going to bed hungry. But first he has to lead the team to the championships. It all adds up to a lot of stress. So who can really blame him when he and the football team turn their aggressions on the new freak? Even the quarterback needs to blow off steam sometimes.
Coach turns a blind eye to his players’ crimes—because this year, they’re going to State. But maybe if Coach had paid more attention they could’ve caught it before it all happened. Maybe it could’ve been avoided.
Maybe.
With quick cuts between a large cast of unforgettable characters, and razor-sharp plotting, Tom Leveen takes readers on a countdown to an inevitable, horrifying act. This gripping novel offers an intense, smart perspective on the tragic, toxic mindsets behind the celebrated American sport and the monsters it creates.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesMercy Rule Reviews
3.5
“Except there’s no mercy rule the rest of the time. Not in real life. I don’t get one. You don’t get one. It’s not like once you’ve been beat down to a certain level, they leave you alone. Nope. They just keep going. Harder and harder. Well, I guess that’s okay. Because the clock still runs out. This clock has run out, too.
Mercy Rule was a wild ride. I almost DNFed signing the first two chapters because one of the characters has a habit of saying “sad face :(“ in her pov which I understand was part of her bubbly personality but it was a bit grating on my nerves.
Other than that I enjoyed every aspect of this book. The content matter is hard subject to read about, but Leveen did a good job of explaining the build up to the shooting and how so many minor things you don’t even think about can lead to a catastrophe.
I loved the multiple POVs because it brought insight into each character. We followed Cadence, Drea, Donte, Danny, Vivi, Brady and the Coach. It may seem like a lot but the author transitioned between them really well and it made me feel sympathy for even the “athleaders” as they were called. Everyone was dealing with their own problems which cause them to lash out at the people around them.
I read this book in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. Everything connected at the end and the plot twist made me gasp in sadness. There was also a subtle hamlet theme going on throughout that made it really interesting. It’s awful to see news of school shootings and hard to read about but Leveen dealt with it well and gave some insight on what could lead to something like that.”
“***3.5 stars***
I actually picked up this book for a college class about the narratives of school shootings, so I was familiar with the topics discussed in this book a bit prior to reading it. The book is easy enough to read and comprehend, and the story is interesting for the most part depending on what character’s perspective we are reading, yet somehow, some of the characters fell flat for me. Overall though, I was intrigued by the concept of the book and by all the twists and turns throughout the book.”
About Tom Leveen
Tom Leveen is the author of six teen novels, including his most recent titles, Shackled and Random; Zero, an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2013; and Sick, a YALSA Quick Pick 2014. A rocking and frequent speaker at schools and conferences, Tom lives and writes full-time in Phoenix, Arizona.
Other books by Tom Leveen
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