Book: Mereka By Ariff Adly

After done with UNBOX, I decided to continue with MEREKA by same author. And I like more when come to it's cover artwork. Which a digital art.

Bestselling too, MEREKA actually very unexpected for me and for most, it has something much darker compared to 2 other before. I read this on 3rd week of July.

As usual, before I put my thoughts on this, I'm a visual artist-illustrator, crafter, a blogger, and all just my thoughts as a reader.. So.. Excuse my broken English or whatever I'm trying to put in words in here...

MEREKA as in English, "them", in my view from the story plot, it should be "them".

This one open not too slow and not too fast. The opening just as in reality of real life friendship, joking around, and life talking but with creepy things going on as usual, Ariff Adly... At first, this one makes me feel like this will be in reality without confusion and straightforward like that... I was wrong... In fact it somehow, put me in a place where I have to face what I think I'm scared of...

After the scene changed in storyline, there when I was "what's going on here..?". The plot and scene changed and got me a bit confused, but later on realise and acknowledged the story plot has more than just one reality based. Which different than the other 2 before (GELAP and UNBOX). Which caught me by surprise, part of MEREKA scenes and background interest me, because I'm too into something alike - abandoned and ruined visualisation, things and theme - but not too dark as for me. But MEREKA did, and here's the part where I found and started to feel like... I know this vibes. It's giving "Silent Hill"... - which to say, most scary game and movie... (Put the title in here too, scared me.. Even for the title...)

As usual, name of characters, I counted and tried to remember. As for the - a bit why Silent Hill... With the elements, and creatures at one point..? I can't put away it's the vibe one of most scary games of all horrors. Gloomy, dull, dark - the picture I got every line while reading gives me a 'nauseous' feel (overwhelmed maybe), MEREKA also give me this gesture - where my eyebrows slowly crunch to one another - when come to adrenaline rush scene and ones that make you feel questionable, like "okay, hurry explain what's happening (?!)", like that... I still remember how I want to know where exactly all the characters actually at. Author managed to pulled that.

This story highlights friendship and betrayal, working together as a team, death as it's something we can't do anything to change it, and it's too about acceptance before disappointment consumed oneself's sense. And to say, although this one maybe nothing serious to some, but to me there's another place or world in between or within this physical reality of ours. And it's not something to play with...

Suspense, adrenaline rush, got my eyebrows crunch, some part got me to take a breath a bit, it all managed to make me want to sit and read until I know what's happening, what's going on.

Author did well too in describing things, and what's the causes of the event - why the story happened. Although there was part I found it's a bit too long, it's still good, in describing the details - which for spatial person, they can picture and to some can play like a movie in mind. Yes, we picture it all, everything - almost every part as for me. And I think it's awesome that Ariff Adly can make that. MEREKA is mystery, yet not too out of reality based. And closer to the end part, it took me by surprise, a bit. Where there was part remind me of "Men In Black" vibe. It's interesting combination to say - where horror meets little bit of sci-fi and an amount of mystical. It's different than GELAP and UNBOX, which stand in one base genre. But more to dark and what I like to call "gloomy-dull" vibes... If I can describe about this novel in colour pallet, MEREKA will be Red and little bit of Green to Maroon and Brown to Black, little bit Yellow in between. It's just different..

I can say it's 8.9/10, since it does great pulling my curiosity to the end of story. With! Surprise at last. It's cool by the author..