Exile (Mercy, #2)

Jan 12, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, angels-demons, favorites, kindle-ebook

I really enjoyed this book. I literally finished the first book and started right away with this one. I got addicted.

This book is a bit slower in a sense and more confined. With Mercy it revolved around mystery, suspense, romance and it had a lot of characters. Mercy interacted with a lot of people and it seemed like there was always something going on. Things kept happening. Especially because she and Ryan kept searching for Lauren and following leads, while at the same time Mercy was going th...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Brodie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Exile picks up exactly where the first book ended. Ripped away from Carmen Zappacosta's body, Mercy is once again thrust into an unknown life. She finds herself in a completely different season, time zone, continent.... an entire ocean away from the human boy she came to grow feelings for, Ryan Daley. Welcome to Melbourne, Australia. And our host body for the novel? Lela Neill. Lela works at The Green Lantern, a cafe which attracts a colourful and varied collection of customers - from suit-weari...more Exile picks up exactly where the first book ended. Ripped away from Carmen Zappacosta's body, Mercy is once again thrust into an unknown life. She finds herself in a completely different season, time zone, continent.... an entire ocean away from the human boy she came to grow feelings for, Ryan Daley. Welcome to Melbourne, Australia. And our host body for the novel? Lela Neill. Lela works at The Green Lantern, a cafe which attracts a colourful and varied collection of customers - from suit-wearing computer geeks to local strippers. It's here where most of the novel is set as Mercy slides into Lela's daily life, serving customer's coffee and advice, all the while caring for her terminally ill mother. The angel of death looms closer every day, but is Lela's mother the only soul he's come to reap?

The tone of Mercy and Exile vary dramatically and while I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and suspense of the kidnapping in the first book, I especially enjoyed the relationships formed in this novel. The secondary characters all grew on me, from the ever-quite and mysterious muslim chef, Sulamain, to Justine, the emotionally troubled stripper with an dangerously abusive boyfriend. I love seeing the ways in which Mercy will help mend tattered lives and broken bonds in the new body she resides in. Even while she's on a mission to find Ryan, not to mention uncover answers to her own existence, she still tries to find ways to help the person she's soul-jacking. To be there for Lela's dying mother, to offer Justine sanctuary and to be a beacon of hope and forgiveness to a man reeling over the edge.

But she doesn't see what's right under her nose and an unsuspecting danger is growing larger, one in which she inadvertently fuels. I had my suspicions early on, but wasn't entirely sure how it would turn out. While I was right, Lim still managed to keep me gripping the edge of my seat as the climax played out, fearing the worst, hoping for the best, and preparing myself for an unexpected twist.

I must also mention Luc. Luc and Mercy were once a force to be reckoned with, crazy in love. Until Mercy's unforgiving exile, which she still can't remember. Ever since, the Eight have kept them apart, hiding Mercy in body after body, so now dreams are the only way Luc can connect with her. And he's been doing so ever since she fell from grace. He's hunting though, desperately trying to find her. But he also begins to show a cruel and callous side, one Mercy has never seen in him before. Both Luc and the Eight warn her against the other. Who can she really trust?

Memories are slowly beginning to grow stronger, new abilities rise to the surface and mysterious heavenly beings appear, each another clue to her origins, teasing us with answers to the riddle that is Mercy. Exile is stunning novel and you can't help but become invested in both Mercy and Lela's lives. There is yet another cliffhanger ending, but they're fitting cliffhangers... they suit the type of story that Lim is crafting. But of course, they have me pulling my hair out until I flip open the next book! There is an addictive quality to Lim's writing. Her words flow so easily, so gorgeously and she constantly leaves you wanting to know more. This is a brilliant and well-crafted series that is fast becoming a favourite!(less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Dianne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, angels, ya-paranormal-romance, cancer, arc-read

In this dark and melancholy read, Mercy, a 'self-named' exiled angel is doomed to repeat life in other bodies, waking up each time confused, disoriented and having to 'learn' the life of her current 're-birth.' This time she is told she must find Ryan and return with him to Paradise, a message she does not fully comprehend. Meanwhile, the host soul/body seems to just 'take a vacation' from consciousness.

This time, she is Lela, a nineteen year old girl whose life is in an unhappy upheaval, her mo...more In this dark and melancholy read, Mercy, a 'self-named' exiled angel is doomed to repeat life in other bodies, waking up each time confused, disoriented and having to 'learn' the life of her current 're-birth.' This time she is told she must find Ryan and return with him to Paradise, a message she does not fully comprehend. Meanwhile, the host soul/body seems to just 'take a vacation' from consciousness.

This time, she is Lela, a nineteen year old girl whose life is in an unhappy upheaval, her mother is dying of cancer, she has had to give up her plans for college, her dreams for her future to help care for her mother while working as a waitress in a coffee shop where each employee and regular customer seem to have a story to tell. Mercy/Lela is also having strange memory flashes of other lives, a boy she loved, this has never happened before, so far as she knows. Can her past life unlock her future?

Lela is not the most memorable character, she is almost like a shadow playing in the background of the lives and pains of others. Justine, an abused hooker, with a kind heart and a troubled life is aided by Lela, returns the favor and seems much more personable as a character!

There is a quiet mystery about Sulaiman, the tall, North African cook where Lela works. He often appears to look upon Lela with disapproval, but gives her cryptic messages to help her, if only she understood.

In a memorable scene, one of the regulars, Franklin, comes apart in the shop, his life has been painfully sad and he can't take it anymore. Lela connects with him, sees his torment and brings him back from the edge. Unfortunately, for me, this was one of the rare highlights.

I couldn't involve myself in the story. I tried, but it fell flat and I couldn't feel the depth that the author was attempting to display.

Although this was given to me as an ARC read for the upcoming hardcover release by NetGalley and the Disney Book Group in exchange for an honest review, it is a currently available title in other forms. Hardcover release date: April 23, 2013.(less)

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May 30, 2012 Tsana Dolichva rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Exile continues the story of Mercy, an angel who for reasons unknown to her is cursed/sentenced to briefly possess different humans, constantly jumping around and never knowing where she’s going to end up next.

This time, she lands in Melbourne into the body of Lela a 19 year old girl who works at a coffee shop in the city and whose mother is dying of cancer.

She also has a vivid dream in which Luc, her angel love who is always beseeching her to find him, visits her. This time he has a plan for re...more Exile continues the story of Mercy, an angel who for reasons unknown to her is cursed/sentenced to briefly possess different humans, constantly jumping around and never knowing where she’s going to end up next.

This time, she lands in Melbourne into the body of Lela a 19 year old girl who works at a coffee shop in the city and whose mother is dying of cancer.

She also has a vivid dream in which Luc, her angel love who is always beseeching her to find him, visits her. This time he has a plan for reuniting them.

Overall, I felt a bit ambivalent about this book. It wasn’t bad, in fact the writing was objectively fairly good. But the story, especially the angelic parts, completely failed to resonate with me. Which is more a comment on me than on the book. Compared with Mercy there were more magical dream-sequences which particularly didn’t do it for me. We do learn more about who and why Mercy is, but Luc has always seemed a bit creepy to me and if anything he seems more so after Exile. He’s her star-crossed lover and they’re being punished for some reason by being kept apart and he spends his time trying to stalk her down. On the bright side, it gives me someone to cheer against. Also the sort-of love interest from Mercy reappears and is a much more likeable prospect.

Unsurprisingly, as Mercy learns more, everything seems to get more complicated. If I have one complaint about the story structure it’s that it ends too soon for us to really get into to the meat of the mystery. However, it does end in a logical place and it’s not an unsatisfying ending. I do want to know more, but the sequels aren’t very high on my to buy list. Mostly, it’s just a little bit too goddy for my taste (but objectively, really not that religious).

One final note: I’m not sure this is terribly YA. The protagonist is on the cusp of the requisite age group but thematically this series hasn’t struck me as very YAish. I suspect the shortness of the books contributed to them being marketed as YA. It’s not that I think they’re inappropriate for young people, I just didn’t feel they quite fitted into the usual YA mould (but it sort of makes sense from a marketing perspective since they’re short and fantasyish it would be harder to sell them as adult fiction).

If you like YA fantasy with angels, then I highly recommend this book. If you like YA that’s lighter on the fantasy and more rooted in the real world than, for example, your standard vampire story, this is also a book you might like.

3.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews here.(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Justine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Exile is the second novel by Rebecca Lim in the Mercy series, about an angel named Mercy who wakes up in different bodies and is doomed to repeatedly return to Earth.This time, Mercy wakes up as Lela, a girl who is looking after her dying mother.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This book is different because this time Mercy has memories of her life as Carmen. And she remembers Ryan and has feelings for him. Lela works at cafe called the Green Lantern which basically has the same customers coming in everyday, they...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bücher-2012

So ohne viel hin und her geht es weiter mit Mercy und ihrer Gabe dem "Souljacking". Sie erwacht in einem neuen Körper mit einer neuen Aufgabe und einer ungewissen Zukunft und das schlimmste ist, sie kann sich an ihr Leben als Carmen und an Ryan erinnern. Alles ist weg und sie versucht ih bestes um Stück für Stück ihre Erinnerungen zurück zu holen. Aber sie muss sich auch mit dem neuen Leben von Lela abfinden. Lela arbeitet in einem Coffeeshop, ist nicht wirklich beeindruckt von der Liebe, hat es...more So ohne viel hin und her geht es weiter mit Mercy und ihrer Gabe dem "Souljacking". Sie erwacht in einem neuen Körper mit einer neuen Aufgabe und einer ungewissen Zukunft und das schlimmste ist, sie kann sich an ihr Leben als Carmen und an Ryan erinnern. Alles ist weg und sie versucht ih bestes um Stück für Stück ihre Erinnerungen zurück zu holen. Aber sie muss sich auch mit dem neuen Leben von Lela abfinden. Lela arbeitet in einem Coffeeshop, ist nicht wirklich beeindruckt von der Liebe, hat es mit vielen unfreundlichen Menschen zu tun und zu Hause wartet eine Mutter, die langsam an Krebs stirbt. Doch Lelas Traum war ein Studium, dass durch die Krankheit ihrer Mutter immer mehr zu einem Traum wurde.
Als Mercy genau in dieses Leben geschmissen wird, muss sie den Spagat schaffen, zwischen einer Umkrempelung von Lelas Leben und der Suche von Ryan. Denn nur wenn sie ihn findet kann sie auch wieder ein Stück von sich selbst finden und erfahren welche Kräfte wirklich in ihr schlummern. So wächst Mercy in diesem Buch noch ein Stück weiter über sich selbst hinaus und wird dem Leser noch vertrauter. Beide Teile der Geschichte, die Suche nach dem eigenen Ich und der Vergangenheit rund um Mercy sowie das Leben von Mercy als Lela sind wieder gut miteinander verbunden, jedoch hat mir bei beiden Teilen etwas die Spannung gefehlt. Die tolle Krimihandlung aus Band eins habe ich vermisst und hätte mir auch für Lelas Leben so etwas in der Art durchaus denken können. Und die Suche nach der Vergangenheit und den Hintergründen wieso Mercy zu dem Souljacking verdammt wurde, wurde zwar gut beschrieben, war aber an manchen Stellen etwas schwammig und nur zum Ende erhalten wir kleine Details die etwas Aufklärung verschaffen.
Auch Ryans Part wurde hier etwas spartanisch eingesetzt. Er ist war präsent wird aber eher zum Ende aktiver und dadurch kommt die auf dem Klappentext beschriebene Liebe etwas zu kurz. Was eigentlich schade ist, denn die anbahnende "Liebe" der Beiden hätte ich mir in diesem Teil schon etwas größer gewünscht und wäre dann wahrscheinlich auch zufriedener gewesen mit diesem Buch.
Am Schreibstil kann man nicht mäkeln, der ist genauso toll wie im ersten Teil und auch die knappe Seitenzahl ist sehr erfrischend und mal was anderes. Es muss nicht immer ein dicker Wälzer sein, man kann auch in rund 200 Seiten genau den Punkt treffen. Jetzt freue ich mich auf den dritten Teil und hoffe das dieser dann wieder mit etwas mehr Spannung überzeugen kann. Dieser Teil war gut, aber Teil eins war etwas besser ;)

Beide Bücher sind durchaus zu empfehlen weil sie nicht in dem Jugendbucheinheitsbrei untergehen. Sie stechen heraus, lassen den Leser, die Leserin nachdenklich zurück und überzeugen mit einer sehr neuen Story und einer starken Protagonistin. Band eins setzt durch eine sehr spannungsgeladene Story sehr hohe Maßstäbe bei denen wenige Bücher mitkommen. Band zwei überzeugt eher mit einer sehr melancholischen Grundstimmung und einer ruhigeren Story die gut für zwischendurch ist. Beide Bücher der Reihe kommen mit rund 200 Seiten daher und schaffen es in einem kurzen Zeitraum ohne zu viele Worte zu bezaubern und zu überraschen. Eine tolle Reihe die sicher weiterverfolgt wird.
(less)

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Jan 05, 2012 Jennifer Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angelsandhalos, beautiful, books-i-lurved, favorites, kickass-protagonist, made-me-all-mushy-inside, sobsob

Yes, I did read both Mercy and Exile in one day. I had a 5 hour drive and a 2 hour flight so I spent alot of time reading today.

I honestly liked this one just as much as Mercy, maybe just a smidgen more. Lela's life is pretty hard and I really liked how much more harder it was then Carmens.

Mercy awakes in Lela's body this time, and Lela's mother is dying of cancer. She works in a coffee shop where she gets treated pretty poorly, and she doesn't like her life. This was a really sad one to read,...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Whatchyareading added it · review of another edition

Shelves: caitlin, christine, young-adult, series, paranormal

It may not be released in the USA for awhile, but it is out here in Canada and in England and Australia, so Christine and I though we’d review Exile by Rebecca Lim.

Cause, why not?

Caitlin: Directly after reading Mercy I went on Goodreads (and then Amazon and BookDepository) trying to figure out when Exile would be released. It was difficult to puzzle it out. It seems to have three different english release dates and none of them are near one another or connected or anything. So, I just sort of le...more

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May 21, 2011 Sue Bursztynski rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had to read this overnight because a student at my school is waiting for it. I'm enjoying this series so far. It's not for younger girls, who wouldn't get the background issues, but fifteen years and up should enjoy it.

I like the difference from other angel novels I've had to read because the students are reading them. Maybe that only says I'm an old teacher-librarian who's been through too many fads over the years and has had enough of the Gothic romances that form most of teen girl reading t...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Angela L. Clay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, angels

I was so happy when I started reading this. I had found myself in a bit of a rut with my own writing and just wasn't happy with myself. But after opening this book and starting to read within 2 pages I was relaxed, happy and the juices started to flow in my mind. Nothing like a great YA novel to get you back on track.

Rebecca has continued her amazing story of Mercy, again allowing our minds to ache with wanting to understand the ins and outs as to why she is reborn again and again. Only this tim...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Paradoxical rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-list, books-otherwise

Pretty much frustrating all around. Mercy is once again in a new body, Lela, who lives in a tiny world comprised of her dying mother and her dead-end job working as a waitress when she's desperate for something more. Mercy struggles with trying to remember what happened to her, to reconnect with Ryan, and her mysterious past.

What annoyed me, I think, was how fixated Mercy was on talking to Ryan, to the extent that she was rather blinded by her surroundings. She didn't think of trying to make Le...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Bips rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels, drooling-hot, hot, loved-it, mystery, paranormal, romance, tbr-challenge

I loved this book. I was so excited to read this, I couldn't sit at a place once I got this book in my hand.

MIND BLOWING. One word that can easily describe this book. I loved Mercy even more in this book. I understood her better. In this book she has moved on from Carmen to an eighteen year old Lela Neill working as a waitress in a cafe, daughter to a dying mother. The dynamics of Lela is so different from Carmen, its amazing to see how Mercy is still her and has her moments.

this time when she '...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Selene rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Please note: this is my first review so if anyone has any tips, feel free to comment.
Also, there may be some unintentional spoilers here.

To put it simply, i adored this book. Simply adored it. I read the first one, Mercy, ages ago. I had liked it, was intrigued by it, thought it was more original than most of the teen fantasy out there today, but didn't immediately rush out to read the second one. I have to say, the series is definitely getting much, much better.

As the second book in the seri...more Please note: this is my first review so if anyone has any tips, feel free to comment.
Also, there may be some unintentional spoilers here.

To put it simply, i adored this book. Simply adored it. I read the first one, Mercy, ages ago. I had liked it, was intrigued by it, thought it was more original than most of the teen fantasy out there today, but didn't immediately rush out to read the second one. I have to say, the series is definitely getting much, much better.

As the second book in the series, we pick up pretty instantly where the first one left off. One thing I HATE about some series is where you finish one book and read the second one only to realise that a long period of time has passed, sometimes even YEARS (one book had the main character starting a family in the time that had passed. Infuriating? Extremely). Luckily, Exile didn't start like that. It started as though it was a first book in the series, which may anger some ppl but drew me in. Instead of Mercy knowing everything, YOU know more then she does. And this didn't make me want to scream at her ignorance, rather it made me read the book faster, as I wanted her to quickly remember everything.

Admittedly, the majority of the book doesn't really have much going for it. But that just makes the important parts so much more meaningful. I spent most of the book lightly enjoying it, so that when it got to the end (the REALLY important part) I had to sit up and really CONCENTRATE on what was going on. And boy, does it make up for the "nothing really going on, just filling in the book" parts. Mercy's situation is so filled with gaping holes and tantalizing tidbits that I am eager to find out exactly WHAT she did and how things will end. This book isn't a simple "girl separated from her lover for reasons unknown, oh look another possible lover boy has entered the picture, gee I wonder what will happen now?" teen trash series. There are intricate twists and turns in the main storyline that just leave me gripping the book and hurriedly turning to the next page. But don't get excited by the subplots of each book. They aren't great. Quite possibly very boring and forgettable. But the main story makes up for it, a hundredfold. I cannot wait to read the third book and see how it all ends. I sincerely hope Mercy ends up with Ryan, cause he is just perfect. (slightly lacking character development? Who cares! Hotness and sweetness totally makes up for it)

And so ends my rambling rant on how much I love this book. (less)

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Apr 05, 2013 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-and-children, supernatural, own

(3.5/5)

When I read Mercy a few weeks ago, I felt the kind of excitement I hadn't felt in a long time for a YA paranormal series. It was offering me something new, a unique voice, and a mysterious setting. As soon as I finished reading it, I made plans to read the next book really soon.

This is to say that, I went into Exile with high expectations. And it's not that the book let me down, exactly. It was actually quite good; just not on the same exact level as Mercy. For one thing, this book clearl...more (3.5/5)

When I read Mercy a few weeks ago, I felt the kind of excitement I hadn't felt in a long time for a YA paranormal series. It was offering me something new, a unique voice, and a mysterious setting. As soon as I finished reading it, I made plans to read the next book really soon.

This is to say that, I went into Exile with high expectations. And it's not that the book let me down, exactly. It was actually quite good; just not on the same exact level as Mercy. For one thing, this book clearly suffered of being the second in a series; while it does have a story that starts and ends between its pages, I still felt it was really trying to build a bridge between the previous book and what would come in the next one(s).

I also didn't like how obvious some of the "hinting" was. If someone is being shady and mysterious, show me : describe how twitchy they are, how they won't look the narrator in the eye, how they keep looking at the clock. But please don't tell me, multiple times, how John is acting strange today! That kills the suspense. I'd rather have subtle clues here and there; if I pick on them, great! And if I don't, the ending will be all the more surprising.
However!

Exile had some really strong points, too, which should probably be the main focus of this review. First of all is the beautiful imagery of Mercy's angelic dreams. She travels through infinite dimensions, from body cells to the cosmos, and it was such an amazing reading experience! I haven't read something quite like that before. That, right there, was some of my favorite reading this year. Loved it.

I also love Mercy's personal story. The memories she can't keep, her strange relation to Luc, her quest to find Ryan. She has such a strong presence while being so lost. She definitely doesn't feel like a teenager, and I feel that Rebecca Lim writes her with a lot of maturity.

Also, some very strong scenes. There was definitely some foreshadowing to the ending along the book, but really, I never thought it would end this way! Wow, that was a shocker! It was written in a shocking yet beautiful way, revealing more about Mercy while concluding Lela's story.

There is so much to love about Mercy's story, but also about Rebacca Lim's writing. It's unique, therefore refreshing. Maybe not for everyone, but I definitely appreciated her beautiful prose. It's incredible how a character like Mercy, cold and detached for most of the time, can make me feel so much.

So I guess I could say that, while Exile wasn't as good as Mercy for most of the book (though the ending was really stronger), it was definitely a good sequel that made me look forward to the following novels. Lucky for me, they are already on my shelf!(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Majasol rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's easy to like this series. The covers are pretty, Rebecca Lim's writing is rather lyrical and not-so-boring, and the storyline is a lot different from other angel books for YA. But within the second book I still haven't found a deep connection with this series.

MERCY was an entertaining book, not extraordinary but not so terrible as some may think. But that's kinda it. Done. And EXILE is exactly like that too. The first half of EXILE is close to being a re-written version of MERCY; she has a...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, paranormal

I was so happy when I started reading this. I had found myself in a bit of a rut with my own writing and just wasn't happy with myself. But after opening this book and starting to read within 2 pages I was relaxed, happy and the juices started to flow in my mind. Nothing like a great YA novel to get you back on track.

Rebecca has continued her amazing story of Mercy, again allowing our minds to ache with wanting to understand the ins and outs as to why she is reborn again and again. Only this tim...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Exile is book two in Mecy series by Rebecca Lim. Exile is a fast-paced novel that I couldn't put down. Mercy is a fallen angel who is no longer with her love, Luc. Mercy was sentenced to Earth with no control over where her path would take her. Mercy takes over Lela Neill's body. Lela is a college student who is responsible for her sick mother. Mercy has to learn to adapt to Lela's lifestyle and personality. The plot from the first book continues when Mercy learns she has the ability to remember...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Aimen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels

I'm giving this book a 3.5. This book was...it was good. It was captivating so that I read it all in one day. It had it's ups and downs (pros and cons) though. It wasn't perfect, but it was good.

Mercy wakes in Melbourne, Australia (why not Sydney? :( I live in Sydney!) as a teenager called Lela who works in a cafe called Green Lantern and has a dying mother with cancer. The first book was full of suspense but this was sorta...confined. It all took place in the grubby and overflowing cafe.

I was s...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’m a big fan of Mercy. The writing in the first book was descriptive, lyrical even, but not boring, the story took me a place unexpected. I loved that the story was not just of a boy meets girl, falls head over heels for her, while a battle of good and evil is waged. Instead it’s of one girl who doesn’t know who she is or what she is, and of the girl whose body the former occupies.

There’s more those things in Exile, but this time Mercy is in Lena. Her story is a touch sadder and tougher than C...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Sabina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal-angels, young-adult, borrowed-from-library, to-buy

Review also on Delirious About Books

Exile takes off from Mercy #1 with Mercy now being in Lela's body. Compared to Mercy #1 this book is more confined with a depressing setting. Mercy #1 had much more interaction with other characters and the story was not only about Mercy, but also her host Carmen. Exile shows Mercy's selfish side. She wants to contact Ryan and that's it.
"This time it's about me. It's my time now, and if I have to climb over the bodies of lovelorn IT guys to get the answers I'...more Review also on Delirious About Books

Exile takes off from Mercy #1 with Mercy now being in Lela's body. Compared to Mercy #1 this book is more confined with a depressing setting. Mercy #1 had much more interaction with other characters and the story was not only about Mercy, but also her host Carmen. Exile shows Mercy's selfish side. She wants to contact Ryan and that's it.
"This time it's about me. It's my time now, and if I have to climb over the bodies of lovelorn IT guys to get the answers I'm seeking, then so be it."
It was unfortunate, especially considering the circumstances she was in - or more correctly, that Lela was in. However, I can also understand why. I'd want to know what was happening too!

Now I said that Exile's setting was depressing, and it was - Exile is set mainly in either Lela's home with her dying mother, or at Lela's work, The Green Lantern, in a cafe with the same repeat sad, unhappy characters. The advantage of that, and Rebecca Lim's writing ability, was that I felt the characters unhappiness and wanted something more positive for them, just like they wanted something better themselves. I wanted something good to happen. And while something good came out of it, so did some bad things.

I still like Mercy, despite her selfishness in this book, and think she is a strong, though slightly lost and confused, protagonist. I was able understand more about Mercy's past and character and believe that Exile is for this purpose more then a story like Mercy #1.
I was able to dislike Luc a lot more in this book too. I had a bad feeling about him in Mercy #1, and Exile has started to confirm that for me.

Ranald was a good new character. He gave me the creeps. I knew something was up with him but I didn't see what was coming. However, I was silently screaming at Mercy for trusting him to set up her profile. I just knew it was a bad idea.

Over all, this book is an easy read which kept my attention and I was emotional in parts but I think that's just me as what Lela's mum was going through made me think of what my Dad must of felt like. For this reason I think I felt for Lela and the fact that she was "taken over" by Mercy which of course then limits her time with her mum.
The end was a sad, even though when Azraeil and Mercy had an encounter, I knew what it meant. It was still sad and in a way not fair.(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Nenia Campbell rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: x-2011s, x-series-bk-2, netgalley, angels, ya-baby-ya, urbane-fantasies, i-burn-i-pine-i-perish, gorgeous-covers, did-not-finish-or-skimmed, i-abuse-you-because-i-love-you, reviewed, specialsnowflakes, the-pokeflute-failed, twiclones, island-of-hype, bye-bye-self-respect, fuck-your-love-triangle

You can read more reviews at my blog, The Armchair Librarian!

I seriously need to stop getting sucked in by pretty YA covers. It means our relationship is inevitably doomed from the start. Is it so hard to find a book about angels that isn't annoyingly angsty?

Our main character, who I'm going to call Fallen, is a fallen angel who can't remember her past. She's currently inhabiting the body of a teenage girl and taking over her life at the moment. She's lived in other vessels in the past, but her...more

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Feb 09, 2013 SARIT rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

LOVE IT!

Couldn't stop reading it.

Nice to meet phrases from the KABALA. Also I liked the term "Newbies" in the "Web"- very very and strong image. :)

Ok, now to some thoughts:

Angels do not speak Latin or Greece - If I would choose a language it will be Hebrew - it is more appropriate, as ancient Rome and Greece had other believes, and none of them were connected to ELUHIM (YEHUVA).That's why I was glade at the beginning to find ideas which I thought that were taken from the KABALA. But it seems tha...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Paperback Princess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Exile is a little better than Mercy. Mercy awakes inside Lela's body sitting opposite her dying Mother's bed. Mercy goes through Lela's daily life, working at The Green Lantern, helping those that she comes across and even catching a suitor's eye, Ranald, an IT specialist. As Mercy lives Lela's life, Luc comes back into her dreams and tells her to find Ryan Daley, in promise that once she finds Ryan they would eventually be together.

Ryan Daley is Lauren's brother in Mercy (book 1), Lauren is the...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Gillian Cohen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been waiting for EXILE for months and when my local bookstore popped my an email informing me that they had a problem locating the book from their supplier but would find a way to get my copy to me as soon as possible I hit panic mode, finally on Thursday almost a month of waiting I got the call and raced home to read it.

It did not disappoint :)

From the first page I was hooked, we see how the process of Mercy's host is chosen and what it feels like for her when she gets that slight glimps...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Libby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angel, beautiful-covers, coping-with-death, coping-with-abuse, i-own-it, immortality, magic, mystery, romance, young-adult

A lovely follow-up to Mercy, I read it in the same day!
There is no decrease in the quality of the book or the strength of the plotline. In fact I'm pretty confident that this could stand alone. I'm super excited to get my hands on the next two which makes a change as normally I always feel annoyed at series books.
I'm really impressed in how Rebecca Lim has kept up the flow of the story and she is an inspiration to me. Both thumbs up!
My only peeve is that, initially, when I'm given the name of a...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Lindley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought the premise for this title sounded really intriguing--combining angel mythology with the idea of switching bodies. When I started this book, I didn't realize it was a sequel. With that said, I thought the book stood up surprisingly well on it's own. I wasn't completely lost without the back story of the first novel, though I suspect it would have been a richer reading experience had I read Mercy before reading Exile. My favorite parts of the book were when the mythology of who Mercy is...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Bella rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first read the first book, Mercy, I really enjoyed it. But for the second book, I wasn't expecting Mercy to taken up another life. I didn't want to read about someone else's life with Mercy's spirit, it was getting a bit tiring.

I was hoping Mercy would somehow find a way out of those bodies by the second book. But, unfortunately, she didn't. To be honest, I found this book quite boring. Like I said, I really didn't want to read about someone else's life. I wanted to see who Mercy really...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Stacey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nephilim, paranormal

So, this book was pretty amazing. I hadn't read the first one, not knowing there was one either. I just thought the cover looked good and decided to read it. I'm glad I did, this book was amazing. I could not put it down. I don't want to go into what I thought of the plot and those details, but the quotes that came from this book, loved them. I think I want to create a quotes wall now from all the books I love, especially this one.

“It’s a primal sound, the grieving ululation of women everywhere...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, favourites

The first and last chapters of this book would have to be up there in the best I have ever read. Absolutely beautifully written and the use of vocabulary was spectacular.

I LOVE the fact that Rebecca used Melbourne as a setting for her books and of how she didn't glam anything up. She made it extremely realistic by showing the good and the bad sides of the city, focussing on the bad for the character works in that shady part of the city.

I like the plot. The underlying plot may have been somethi...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Mikaela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

only giving this one 4 stars...
there is a couple of things stoping me from giving this full stars, firstly is was abit hard to get into at first because of mercy going into a new body and it explaining her life.
and then there is the problem of the authors repetative use of certain sentances and words to describe things, dont know if its intentional or not because i get the sence that the 8 and mercy are supposed to all look alike, except from hair and eye colour variations. but you would atleast...more

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title link	preview: Exile
avg rating	preview: Exile Goodreads rating: 3.86 (1306 ratings)
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Exile (Mercy #2)

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