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Mercy #1
Mercy
Longlisted, 2011 Davitt Awards
Mercy ′wakes′ on a school bus bound for Paradise, a small town where everyone knows everyone else′s business -- or thinks they do. But they will never guess the secret Mercy is hiding ....
As an angel exiled from heaven and doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, Mercy is never sure whose life and body she will share each time. And her mind is filled with the desperate pleas of her beloved, Luc, who can only approach her in her dreams.
In Paradise, Mercy meets Ryan, whose sister was kidnapped two years ago and is now presumed dead. When another girl disappears, Mercy and Ryan know they must act before time runs out. But a host of angels are out for Mercy′s blood and they won′t rest until they find her and punish her -- for a crime she doesn′t remember committing ...
An electric combination of angels, mystery and romance, MERCY is the first book in a major new series.
Mercy ′wakes′ on a school bus bound for Paradise, a small town where everyone knows everyone else′s business -- or thinks they do. But they will never guess the secret Mercy is hiding ....
As an angel exiled from heaven and doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, Mercy is never sure whose life and body she will share each time. And her mind is filled with the desperate pleas of her beloved, Luc, who can only approach her in her dreams.
In Paradise, Mercy meets Ryan, whose sister was kidnapped two years ago and is now presumed dead. When another girl disappears, Mercy and Ryan know they must act before time runs out. But a host of angels are out for Mercy′s blood and they won′t rest until they find her and punish her -- for a crime she doesn′t remember committing ...
An electric combination of angels, mystery and romance, MERCY is the first book in a major new series.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2010
133 people are currently reading
13097 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Lim
39 books732 followersRebecca Lim is an Australian writer, illustrator and editor and the author of over twenty books, including Tiger Daughter (a Kirkus, Amazon and Booklist Best Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers and Victorian Premier’s Literary Award-winner), Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky (NSW History Award-winner and Book Links Children’s Historical Fiction Award-winner) and the bestselling Mercy. Her work has been twice shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award, shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards, ARA Historical Novel Prize and Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, shortlisted multiple times for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Aurealis Awards and Davitt Awards, and longlisted for the Gold Inky Award and the David Gemmell Legend Award. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, Vietnamese and Russian. She is a co-founder of the Voices from the Intersection initiative and co-editor of Meet Me at the Intersection, a groundbreaking anthology of YA #OwnVoice memoir, poetry and fiction.
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April 13, 2011
I think maybe Jillian’s got a point about these Australian authors. Seriously, what are they putting in the water down there? And where can I buy me some?!
Australian author Rebecca Lim’s novel Mercy is one of the more interesting books I’ve read this year. And at a 111 books and counting, that’s really saying something! Complex, gripping and dark, this novel definitely marks another author to watch out for.
Mercy, as she calls herself, often finds herself in a new place, in a new life, in a new body, soul-jacking a person with no memory of how she came to find herself in that position. All she knows is that she has spent several lifetimes briefly inhabiting another person’s shell. She has only the faintest memories of who she’s been, and none at all of who she was originally, but she does know that she’s got power. All she has to do is touch a person, and she can see into them, know their thoughts and the incidents that shape their lives. One other thing she remembers is her beloved Luc, the beautiful, mysterious man who haunts her dreams and promises an eventual reunion.
Mercy’s current host is Carmen, an insecure teen soprano with eczema... and a voice that could make angels weep. Carmen /Mercy has just arrived in Paradise for a music exchange program, with the bitchy, attention-grabbing Tiffany (note to self: never name your child Tiffany, you’re practically begging for her to grow into a vicious blonde bitch) and the rest of her school’s choir. Her host family the Daleys, are being ripped apart by deep-seated sorrow, and it doesn’t take long to find the cause: almost two years ago, the Daleys’s daughter was mysteriously kidnapped out of her room and never found.
Ryan Daley, however, has never given up hope that his sister is alive. He spends his entire time searching desperately for his twin, willing to go to any lengths to find her. Mercy, in Carmen’s body, soon determines that he is, in fact, right about his sister’s continued existence, and agrees to help him look for her.
Intertwined with this mystery is the overarching story of Mercy’s identity. From the cover art, and some of the hints dropped in the book, I deduce that Mercy is a fallen angel of some sort, but the book only teases, without ever confirming.
It is interesting to watch Mercy’s transformation from a somewhat ruthless, uncaring person into a passionate, warmer being. Too many lifetimes in too many bodies has left her more than a little detached, or so she claims. But the narration also makes it clear that she has spent the last few soul-jackings trying to make life better for the host body. She worries about how the person’s soul reacts to her invasion. In fact, she seems to believe, on a sub-conscious level, that her purpose is to set these people on the path to a better life.
There is a hint of romance in her relationship with Ryan, although it is never really explored. Mercy finds herself drawn to him, tempted by his beauty, but unwilling to reach out to him. This part felt a little flat to me, honestly; I could see no reason why she was drawn to Ryan — she simply was, in the same factual way she accepted that Luc was her eternal beloved. However, the author makes it clear that there is a back story there, which will be drawn out in the subsequent books.
There is also the fact that Mercy has very distinctive narrative voice. Unlike some of these teen immortals, she has not spent every stolen lifetime in the body of a teenager - far from it. She's been a drug addict with a baby, an ignored rich brat and several other women of varying ages. The remnants of memories from those lives, interspersed with large blank holes where no memories exist, give her an interestingly mixed voice, by turns young and old.
The mystery of Lauren Daley’s disappearance is skillfully interwoven with the story of Mercy’s discoveries about herself. And twining through the two is an extra subplot about making beautiful music, which I found curiously satisfying and enchanting even. Towards the end, the pace picks up, and concludes in a rousing, heart-thumping finish that left me eager for more!
I love finding YA books that explore larger themes and philosophies. The one shining moment in this book, for me, is a short-ish but very interesting discussion Mercy has with another ethereal being about free will and humanity’s ability to wield it. It satisfied the pseudo-intellectual snob in me, and gave this book an edge that set it apart from the general run-of-the-mill YA paranormals about true love and soulmates-4-eva.
I didn’t fall in love with this book but it definitely engaged me and kept me reading unstoppably right up to the end. I generally hate books that end on an open note, but I was actually literally panting for the next installment in this series, without cursing Rebecca Lim for leaving me hanging! That’s quite an achievement, in my book. I would definitely recommend Mercy for YA enthusiasts looking for a challenging read that’s out of the norm.
Note: This ARC was provided to me by the publishers via Net Galley for review purposes.
Australian author Rebecca Lim’s novel Mercy is one of the more interesting books I’ve read this year. And at a 111 books and counting, that’s really saying something! Complex, gripping and dark, this novel definitely marks another author to watch out for.
Mercy, as she calls herself, often finds herself in a new place, in a new life, in a new body, soul-jacking a person with no memory of how she came to find herself in that position. All she knows is that she has spent several lifetimes briefly inhabiting another person’s shell. She has only the faintest memories of who she’s been, and none at all of who she was originally, but she does know that she’s got power. All she has to do is touch a person, and she can see into them, know their thoughts and the incidents that shape their lives. One other thing she remembers is her beloved Luc, the beautiful, mysterious man who haunts her dreams and promises an eventual reunion.
Mercy’s current host is Carmen, an insecure teen soprano with eczema... and a voice that could make angels weep. Carmen /Mercy has just arrived in Paradise for a music exchange program, with the bitchy, attention-grabbing Tiffany (note to self: never name your child Tiffany, you’re practically begging for her to grow into a vicious blonde bitch) and the rest of her school’s choir. Her host family the Daleys, are being ripped apart by deep-seated sorrow, and it doesn’t take long to find the cause: almost two years ago, the Daleys’s daughter was mysteriously kidnapped out of her room and never found.
Ryan Daley, however, has never given up hope that his sister is alive. He spends his entire time searching desperately for his twin, willing to go to any lengths to find her. Mercy, in Carmen’s body, soon determines that he is, in fact, right about his sister’s continued existence, and agrees to help him look for her.
Intertwined with this mystery is the overarching story of Mercy’s identity. From the cover art, and some of the hints dropped in the book, I deduce that Mercy is a fallen angel of some sort, but the book only teases, without ever confirming.
It is interesting to watch Mercy’s transformation from a somewhat ruthless, uncaring person into a passionate, warmer being. Too many lifetimes in too many bodies has left her more than a little detached, or so she claims. But the narration also makes it clear that she has spent the last few soul-jackings trying to make life better for the host body. She worries about how the person’s soul reacts to her invasion. In fact, she seems to believe, on a sub-conscious level, that her purpose is to set these people on the path to a better life.
There is a hint of romance in her relationship with Ryan, although it is never really explored. Mercy finds herself drawn to him, tempted by his beauty, but unwilling to reach out to him. This part felt a little flat to me, honestly; I could see no reason why she was drawn to Ryan — she simply was, in the same factual way she accepted that Luc was her eternal beloved. However, the author makes it clear that there is a back story there, which will be drawn out in the subsequent books.
There is also the fact that Mercy has very distinctive narrative voice. Unlike some of these teen immortals, she has not spent every stolen lifetime in the body of a teenager - far from it. She's been a drug addict with a baby, an ignored rich brat and several other women of varying ages. The remnants of memories from those lives, interspersed with large blank holes where no memories exist, give her an interestingly mixed voice, by turns young and old.
The mystery of Lauren Daley’s disappearance is skillfully interwoven with the story of Mercy’s discoveries about herself. And twining through the two is an extra subplot about making beautiful music, which I found curiously satisfying and enchanting even. Towards the end, the pace picks up, and concludes in a rousing, heart-thumping finish that left me eager for more!
I love finding YA books that explore larger themes and philosophies. The one shining moment in this book, for me, is a short-ish but very interesting discussion Mercy has with another ethereal being about free will and humanity’s ability to wield it. It satisfied the pseudo-intellectual snob in me, and gave this book an edge that set it apart from the general run-of-the-mill YA paranormals about true love and soulmates-4-eva.
I didn’t fall in love with this book but it definitely engaged me and kept me reading unstoppably right up to the end. I generally hate books that end on an open note, but I was actually literally panting for the next installment in this series, without cursing Rebecca Lim for leaving me hanging! That’s quite an achievement, in my book. I would definitely recommend Mercy for YA enthusiasts looking for a challenging read that’s out of the norm.
Note: This ARC was provided to me by the publishers via Net Galley for review purposes.
April 11, 2011
What if you were an angel in exile...but you had no memory of why you'd fallen?
Mercy is a fallen angel who repeatedly wakes up in a new body following each time she's helped someone through a personal crisis. She doesn't know why she's doomed to this existence, only that she must somehow try to better that person's life while she's there.
This time, however, she wakes up as a foster child of a deeply troubled family, whose 18-year-old daughter Lauren has been missing for two years. The mystery unfolds slowly as Mercy and Ryan, the missing girl's twin brother, follow various clues and interview different people who might know more than they volunteer about Lauren's disappearance.
The blend of suspense, romance, and the supernatural come together beautifully in this first book of a quietly dazzling new series. Mercy's powers are extraordinary, but as a girl who is drawn to the human boy she's trying to help and who is struggling with her own issues, she's also an extremely relatable and likable character. Complicating matters are her dreams of her lost love, an angel who yearns for Mercy but warns her that taking action in this particular lifetime will mean that they will never again come together.
Mercy also contains lovely imagery of music and song, and even if readers are able to guess the identity of perpetrator towards the end, they'll still enjoy the well-written story, compelling characters, and complicated connections drawn by this talented Australian author. The book wraps up the mystery of Lauren's disappearance in a satisfying way, even as it jolts readers with the painful recognition that Mercy must now leave the boy she's beginning to care for. Fortunately, the sequel Exile is expected to come out in June of this year, with Muse to follow in 2012.
Like Unearthly and Angel , this is a book that isn't content to merely use the mythology of angels as a backdrop for shallow high school melodrama or cruel, controlling relationships; instead, it's a beautiful allegory for the power of love and faith wrapped up in a dark and engrossing mystery.
This review is also available at The Midnight Garden, and an advance copy was provided by the publisher.
Mercy is a fallen angel who repeatedly wakes up in a new body following each time she's helped someone through a personal crisis. She doesn't know why she's doomed to this existence, only that she must somehow try to better that person's life while she's there.
This time, however, she wakes up as a foster child of a deeply troubled family, whose 18-year-old daughter Lauren has been missing for two years. The mystery unfolds slowly as Mercy and Ryan, the missing girl's twin brother, follow various clues and interview different people who might know more than they volunteer about Lauren's disappearance.
The blend of suspense, romance, and the supernatural come together beautifully in this first book of a quietly dazzling new series. Mercy's powers are extraordinary, but as a girl who is drawn to the human boy she's trying to help and who is struggling with her own issues, she's also an extremely relatable and likable character. Complicating matters are her dreams of her lost love, an angel who yearns for Mercy but warns her that taking action in this particular lifetime will mean that they will never again come together.
Mercy also contains lovely imagery of music and song, and even if readers are able to guess the identity of perpetrator towards the end, they'll still enjoy the well-written story, compelling characters, and complicated connections drawn by this talented Australian author. The book wraps up the mystery of Lauren's disappearance in a satisfying way, even as it jolts readers with the painful recognition that Mercy must now leave the boy she's beginning to care for. Fortunately, the sequel Exile is expected to come out in June of this year, with Muse to follow in 2012.
Like Unearthly and Angel , this is a book that isn't content to merely use the mythology of angels as a backdrop for shallow high school melodrama or cruel, controlling relationships; instead, it's a beautiful allegory for the power of love and faith wrapped up in a dark and engrossing mystery.
This review is also available at The Midnight Garden, and an advance copy was provided by the publisher.
May 1, 2011
I loved it!!! At last, a book where the main FEMALE character is tough, strong willed and independent - NOBODY messes with Mercy and gets away with it. She can look after herself, thanks very much!
No spoilers here, but I felt like standing up and cheering when Mercy dishes out her own brand of justice at the end. I was also kept guessing right up to the last moment as to who the "baddie" was.
For those of you who are sick of vampires, werewolves and zombies but like the combination of angels (tough ones...), romance (but not in your face) and justice, you will definitely like Mercy.
Can't wait for the rest of the Mercy series!
No spoilers here, but I felt like standing up and cheering when Mercy dishes out her own brand of justice at the end. I was also kept guessing right up to the last moment as to who the "baddie" was.
For those of you who are sick of vampires, werewolves and zombies but like the combination of angels (tough ones...), romance (but not in your face) and justice, you will definitely like Mercy.
Can't wait for the rest of the Mercy series!
March 28, 2019
This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
MY THOUGHTS
I've had this book on my TBR since what feels like forever. I'm sad to say that I am very disappointed and this book wasn't at all what I was expecting.
This book focuses on Mercy, who never is in her own body. She constantly occupies the space of a singer named Cameron. Mercy doesn't remember who she is and even has trouble remember the previous girls she occupies, but a man appears in her dreams warning her of danger. Then there's the fact that she ends up getting wrapped in a mystery of a missing girl.
The back of my book says "A fallen angel haunted by her past. Yearning for her immortal beloved." This is in fact misleading and spoiler-y tag. It is NEVER mentioned that Mercy is a fallen angel. NEVER! I prefer not to read the synopsis of books, because of spoilers, so I was confused by this book. I wanted answers as to why Mercy lives like this, who she is, who these people are that are hunting her, but I got none of this.
In fact, I felt like this book was such a bore. I wanted to know more about Mercy, her dream visitor, and those hunting her, but instead, I get a dull mystery. The entire book was spent looking for Lauren with Lauren's brother and choir practice. In fact, the choir practice took up more time than the mystery. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with singing (though I have no talent), but watching her practice over and over again? No.
I also felt like everything was told rather than shown. We weren't really shown the dreams that much. There are also other ideas like how Ryan was able to connect with his sister, which wasn't really explained fully, so it didn't really make much sense.
Lastly, there is no romance. I think there was supposed to be, but I didn't see any. I guess there was supposed to be something with Ryan, but they never did anything together except look for his sister. Luc, the guy from the dream, is, by my guess, "the immortal beloved", but we hardly see him.
Yeah, I keep bashing this book. I'm very tempted to lower my rating, but I just can't put myself to do that. The author obviously can write, but I just feel like this book had so much potential. I love the premise, a fallen angel living lives of others, and I want to read that. Instead, this book focused on the wrong things.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I'm not a fan of this book and I really need to stop typing because it's just making me dislike it more. This book has so much potential, but it ended up being dull and down-right confusing. I own the next book, but I'm not going to put myself through this again. I have hopes that I would get actual answers, but I got absolutely nothing out of this one. I can see the possibility of people liking this book, if I read it years ago I might have liked it, but I'm not a fan.
MY THOUGHTS
I've had this book on my TBR since what feels like forever. I'm sad to say that I am very disappointed and this book wasn't at all what I was expecting.
This book focuses on Mercy, who never is in her own body. She constantly occupies the space of a singer named Cameron. Mercy doesn't remember who she is and even has trouble remember the previous girls she occupies, but a man appears in her dreams warning her of danger. Then there's the fact that she ends up getting wrapped in a mystery of a missing girl.
The back of my book says "A fallen angel haunted by her past. Yearning for her immortal beloved." This is in fact misleading and spoiler-y tag. It is NEVER mentioned that Mercy is a fallen angel. NEVER! I prefer not to read the synopsis of books, because of spoilers, so I was confused by this book. I wanted answers as to why Mercy lives like this, who she is, who these people are that are hunting her, but I got none of this.
In fact, I felt like this book was such a bore. I wanted to know more about Mercy, her dream visitor, and those hunting her, but instead, I get a dull mystery. The entire book was spent looking for Lauren with Lauren's brother and choir practice. In fact, the choir practice took up more time than the mystery. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with singing (though I have no talent), but watching her practice over and over again? No.
I also felt like everything was told rather than shown. We weren't really shown the dreams that much. There are also other ideas like how Ryan was able to connect with his sister, which wasn't really explained fully, so it didn't really make much sense.
Lastly, there is no romance. I think there was supposed to be, but I didn't see any. I guess there was supposed to be something with Ryan, but they never did anything together except look for his sister. Luc, the guy from the dream, is, by my guess, "the immortal beloved", but we hardly see him.
Yeah, I keep bashing this book. I'm very tempted to lower my rating, but I just can't put myself to do that. The author obviously can write, but I just feel like this book had so much potential. I love the premise, a fallen angel living lives of others, and I want to read that. Instead, this book focused on the wrong things.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I'm not a fan of this book and I really need to stop typing because it's just making me dislike it more. This book has so much potential, but it ended up being dull and down-right confusing. I own the next book, but I'm not going to put myself through this again. I have hopes that I would get actual answers, but I got absolutely nothing out of this one. I can see the possibility of people liking this book, if I read it years ago I might have liked it, but I'm not a fan.
January 12, 2012
This is how this book made me feel.
Not like I've read a ton of crappy books this year because I've enjoyed most of the books I've read, but this was pretty creative. Different. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I actually haven't read many angel novels, but this series I'm definitely enjoying. I downloaded this for my Kindle for PC. But now I want the actual book for my collection. Just too cool not to have in my bookshelves.
What I really liked about this book was the different layers that it had. It had some romance in it, but there was more to it than that. Besides exploring romance somewhat, it also was about solving the mystery of Ryan's sister's disappearance, about the growth of Mercy's character, her struggle with her issues (she doesn't really have memory of what she did or who she is or why she keeps on inhabiting other people's bodies) Also she keeps having dreams of a lover, but she doesn't remember who he is or how to go back to him.
One of my favorite parts of this book was when Mercy is having a discussion about free will. I enjoy philosophy. It's one of my favorite subjects. And the notion of free will is a very interesting one to me. Do we really have free will? Or are we predestined for a certain fate? Is it set out to be that no matter what roads we take in life we will always end up with that fate? Does free will come with a price? Is it better to not have free will and just live out a predetermined life? All interesting questions that I like to think about, which this book made me think about again.
I'm not going to give away the ending, but this is what came to mind/what I was feeling as I reached the end.
This book left me hanging and I desperately wanted to know what happened next so I immediately downloaded book 2 and started reading. It doesn't happen so often where I feel like I desperately need to know what's going on.
Now who wants to buy me this book? haha.
Not like I've read a ton of crappy books this year because I've enjoyed most of the books I've read, but this was pretty creative. Different. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I actually haven't read many angel novels, but this series I'm definitely enjoying. I downloaded this for my Kindle for PC. But now I want the actual book for my collection. Just too cool not to have in my bookshelves.
What I really liked about this book was the different layers that it had. It had some romance in it, but there was more to it than that. Besides exploring romance somewhat, it also was about solving the mystery of Ryan's sister's disappearance, about the growth of Mercy's character, her struggle with her issues (she doesn't really have memory of what she did or who she is or why she keeps on inhabiting other people's bodies) Also she keeps having dreams of a lover, but she doesn't remember who he is or how to go back to him.
One of my favorite parts of this book was when Mercy is having a discussion about free will. I enjoy philosophy. It's one of my favorite subjects. And the notion of free will is a very interesting one to me. Do we really have free will? Or are we predestined for a certain fate? Is it set out to be that no matter what roads we take in life we will always end up with that fate? Does free will come with a price? Is it better to not have free will and just live out a predetermined life? All interesting questions that I like to think about, which this book made me think about again.
I'm not going to give away the ending, but this is what came to mind/what I was feeling as I reached the end.
This book left me hanging and I desperately wanted to know what happened next so I immediately downloaded book 2 and started reading. It doesn't happen so often where I feel like I desperately need to know what's going on.
Now who wants to buy me this book? haha.
January 31, 2011
(3.5stars)
Aussie Book challenge 2011 #1
Soul-jacking is something that is necessary rather then natural to Mercy. See she's an on-the-run (so to speak) angel that has to hide in bodies till she can find herself and the boy who captures her dreams; Luc.
Till then however, Mercy has to live the lives of her host bodies but at least she tries to make some good out of them.
This time Mercy has the body of Carmen, who is in a choir group which brings them to a town called Paradise. A mystery unfolds and Mercy feels drawn to help the family that she is staying with, but can she do with it without revealing who she really is....
Mercy was a great read, I enjoyed this one. It has a good blend of mystery, romance and paranormal. I liked how different this angel book felt from others I've read. The idea of soul-jacking is a bit creepy but at the same time fascinating. Good writing, good pace. It was smooth enough to keep me interested through out the entire story. The beginning hooks you right in and I'm always one for back-stories, or in this case getting a glimpse into Mercy's past 'lives', so that was cool. I think the only thing that was mildly bothersome is how quickly the author let the cat-out-of-the bag with hints towards Mercy's 'true identity' with Ryan, but at the same time it made it more believable.
Mercy is a great in-your-face character. Doesn't take crap from anyone, does what she wants with a easy and calculating flare, but still has a good heart, good soul.
The plot was thick and wasn't to predictable, I was constantly guessing who was behind the kidnapping. I really liked Ryan's character, but I think he was the only one. Then there's Luc, which I have some theories about, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
Overall, a great start to a promising new series, can't wait to see where Rebecca Lim will take this next...or to whom next;)
Aussie Book challenge 2011 #1
Soul-jacking is something that is necessary rather then natural to Mercy. See she's an on-the-run (so to speak) angel that has to hide in bodies till she can find herself and the boy who captures her dreams; Luc.
Till then however, Mercy has to live the lives of her host bodies but at least she tries to make some good out of them.
This time Mercy has the body of Carmen, who is in a choir group which brings them to a town called Paradise. A mystery unfolds and Mercy feels drawn to help the family that she is staying with, but can she do with it without revealing who she really is....
Mercy was a great read, I enjoyed this one. It has a good blend of mystery, romance and paranormal. I liked how different this angel book felt from others I've read. The idea of soul-jacking is a bit creepy but at the same time fascinating. Good writing, good pace. It was smooth enough to keep me interested through out the entire story. The beginning hooks you right in and I'm always one for back-stories, or in this case getting a glimpse into Mercy's past 'lives', so that was cool. I think the only thing that was mildly bothersome is how quickly the author let the cat-out-of-the bag with hints towards Mercy's 'true identity' with Ryan, but at the same time it made it more believable.
Mercy is a great in-your-face character. Doesn't take crap from anyone, does what she wants with a easy and calculating flare, but still has a good heart, good soul.
The plot was thick and wasn't to predictable, I was constantly guessing who was behind the kidnapping. I really liked Ryan's character, but I think he was the only one. Then there's Luc, which I have some theories about, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
Overall, a great start to a promising new series, can't wait to see where Rebecca Lim will take this next...or to whom next;)
June 5, 2011
2.5 stars and I am pissed.
This book could have been SO much better.
Let's see: the concept is interesting. Mercy is an angel who, for reasons unknown, possesses bodies of women for purposes unknown. That means that all of a sudden she wakes up in a body that is not hers and she has to live with that body for a certain period of time. In this continuous process, she tries to get to Luc, a mysterious man who she seems to want to be with.
When we meet Mercy, she wakes up in the body of Carmen Zappacosta, a timid, tiny and unattractive girl who is also a soprano and who is going with her school to an annual (?) concert hosted by another school in the tiny town of Paradise. Her host is a family, the Daleys, who's suffered a terrible event: the disappearance of their daughter two years before, Lauren, also a soprano. When she meets Ryan, Lauren's twin, Mercy quickly realizes she needs to help him search for Lauren, whom he believes to be alive. What happened to Lauren? Will Mercy unusual powers be helpful in discovering the truth? and WHO is exactly Mercy?
I'm giving this book 2.5 stars mainly for two reasons. The first is because Rebecca Lim is a talented writer. She can definitely write and her style is way, way better than most authors of paranormal YA out there. You have to check it out to know what I mean but she has a way of describing things which is really evocative and effective, even lyrical at times.
Second, Mercy is a good main character. She evolves in the course of the book, she is strong-willed and we're not really sure whether she is all good. It feels like she has a dark side and I am interested in knowing what's going to become of her.
BUT. But.
My main gripe is about the plot. Aside from the fact that she states on page 1 that when she wakes up she no longer knows anything and then, right on page 7, she starts telling who she was in her previous lives, there were a couple of passages where logic eluded me.
On their first attempt to discover where Lauren could be hidden, Ryan and Carmen/Mercy break into a reverend's house. The reverend's family is sleeping inside and they nonchalantly stroll into the house and start checking out rooms. Finding nothing of interest, they decide to look for Lauren, who nobody has seen for 2 years, in the couple's bedroom. Since the reverend and his wife are inside, they decide they need a diversion to get them out of the house. They start bickering about who should go and distract them (family still sleeping inside the room) and Ryan decides to go. So, while Carmen lurks outside the room waiting for the couple to come out, Ryan goes and.... blows up a tree!!! He pulls out a gun and sets a f*cking huge tree on fire! WTF? Isn't it, like, a bit, excessive? But it doesn't end there. Once Carmen has made sure that Lauren is not in the house, she runs out of the house. The reverend SEES her, shouts to his wife to run after her but Carmen escapes, eluding the swarm of firetrucks that are amassing outside the house. Well, this incident NEVER gets mentioned again. Carmen strolls home and that's it. No news next day, no talks in school, no police trying to apprehend the girl the reverend saw. Again: WTF?
And it goes on. At karaoke night, Carmen slurps down EIGHT cokes laced with bourbon in a couple of minutes. Sorry, but I can't believe that. She faints and while everyone wants to, obviously, take her to hospital, Ryan picks her up and takes her home. Another WTF?
But most of all, when at the end of the book, the culprit is discovered, it turns out he had a track record for stalking and harassing a soprano girl. So when ANOTHER soprano girl disappears, why nobody EVER thinks to check on him? Unbelievable.
Sorry to say these facts among others - calling Lucifer and Uriel with lame nicknames LUC and URI is just plain... lame - just irked me to no end.
So if the author could please STOP trying to channel American paranormal YA and be herself a little more, the book would have been so much better.
Because the author is Australian and this was the main reason why I picked up this book. Do we realize the story is set in Australia? NO. It could be the US. We even have a Tiffany bitchy nemesis.
I'm seeing potential in this series and I am willing to read what comes next. We all agree that, at the moment, Australia is like the hen that laid golden eggs in YA lit, so why not exploit this advantage to its fullest instead of trying to be something else?
This book could have been SO much better.
Let's see: the concept is interesting. Mercy is an angel who, for reasons unknown, possesses bodies of women for purposes unknown. That means that all of a sudden she wakes up in a body that is not hers and she has to live with that body for a certain period of time. In this continuous process, she tries to get to Luc, a mysterious man who she seems to want to be with.
When we meet Mercy, she wakes up in the body of Carmen Zappacosta, a timid, tiny and unattractive girl who is also a soprano and who is going with her school to an annual (?) concert hosted by another school in the tiny town of Paradise. Her host is a family, the Daleys, who's suffered a terrible event: the disappearance of their daughter two years before, Lauren, also a soprano. When she meets Ryan, Lauren's twin, Mercy quickly realizes she needs to help him search for Lauren, whom he believes to be alive. What happened to Lauren? Will Mercy unusual powers be helpful in discovering the truth? and WHO is exactly Mercy?
I'm giving this book 2.5 stars mainly for two reasons. The first is because Rebecca Lim is a talented writer. She can definitely write and her style is way, way better than most authors of paranormal YA out there. You have to check it out to know what I mean but she has a way of describing things which is really evocative and effective, even lyrical at times.
Second, Mercy is a good main character. She evolves in the course of the book, she is strong-willed and we're not really sure whether she is all good. It feels like she has a dark side and I am interested in knowing what's going to become of her.
BUT. But.
My main gripe is about the plot. Aside from the fact that she states on page 1 that when she wakes up she no longer knows anything and then, right on page 7, she starts telling who she was in her previous lives, there were a couple of passages where logic eluded me.
On their first attempt to discover where Lauren could be hidden, Ryan and Carmen/Mercy break into a reverend's house. The reverend's family is sleeping inside and they nonchalantly stroll into the house and start checking out rooms. Finding nothing of interest, they decide to look for Lauren, who nobody has seen for 2 years, in the couple's bedroom. Since the reverend and his wife are inside, they decide they need a diversion to get them out of the house. They start bickering about who should go and distract them (family still sleeping inside the room) and Ryan decides to go. So, while Carmen lurks outside the room waiting for the couple to come out, Ryan goes and.... blows up a tree!!! He pulls out a gun and sets a f*cking huge tree on fire! WTF? Isn't it, like, a bit, excessive? But it doesn't end there. Once Carmen has made sure that Lauren is not in the house, she runs out of the house. The reverend SEES her, shouts to his wife to run after her but Carmen escapes, eluding the swarm of firetrucks that are amassing outside the house. Well, this incident NEVER gets mentioned again. Carmen strolls home and that's it. No news next day, no talks in school, no police trying to apprehend the girl the reverend saw. Again: WTF?
And it goes on. At karaoke night, Carmen slurps down EIGHT cokes laced with bourbon in a couple of minutes. Sorry, but I can't believe that. She faints and while everyone wants to, obviously, take her to hospital, Ryan picks her up and takes her home. Another WTF?
But most of all, when at the end of the book, the culprit is discovered, it turns out he had a track record for stalking and harassing a soprano girl. So when ANOTHER soprano girl disappears, why nobody EVER thinks to check on him? Unbelievable.
Sorry to say these facts among others - calling Lucifer and Uriel with lame nicknames LUC and URI is just plain... lame - just irked me to no end.
So if the author could please STOP trying to channel American paranormal YA and be herself a little more, the book would have been so much better.
Because the author is Australian and this was the main reason why I picked up this book. Do we realize the story is set in Australia? NO. It could be the US. We even have a Tiffany bitchy nemesis.
I'm seeing potential in this series and I am willing to read what comes next. We all agree that, at the moment, Australia is like the hen that laid golden eggs in YA lit, so why not exploit this advantage to its fullest instead of trying to be something else?
November 6, 2011
Mercy is a promising start of what is sure to be a captivating series.
This book was so.... different. In a good way. There are definitely elements of this story that I loved and other elements that I felt were lacking in one way or another.
I loved the story of Mercy waking up in these various girls' bodies and inhabiting them for short periods of time, not knowing exactly why she's there, but somewhat unseeingly helping them all the same. She feels their presence within the host body, and she keeps their best interests in tact although she may act out of character at times. The body that she currently inhabits, Carmen, is bit of a quite girl, but Mercy gives her a voice when she might have normally shied away.
I was a little confused with the introduction to Luc... there was something going on there but I'm not sure what. I didn't understand Mercy's wanting to be with Luc, there was a connection for some reason.... but why? Did I miss that part? Perhaps a story arc that will span the entire series? Hopefully it includes Mercy's backstory too. I'd like to know more of the who, the what, and the why. I loved the small story arc of Lauren's disappearance... I knew she must be alive, but I had no idea who did it or why, or how extremely twisted the whole thing really was.
And Ryan... I am hoping this is not the last that we see of him! Please have more Ryan!
Eagerly anticipating book two!
This book was so.... different. In a good way. There are definitely elements of this story that I loved and other elements that I felt were lacking in one way or another.
I loved the story of Mercy waking up in these various girls' bodies and inhabiting them for short periods of time, not knowing exactly why she's there, but somewhat unseeingly helping them all the same. She feels their presence within the host body, and she keeps their best interests in tact although she may act out of character at times. The body that she currently inhabits, Carmen, is bit of a quite girl, but Mercy gives her a voice when she might have normally shied away.
I was a little confused with the introduction to Luc... there was something going on there but I'm not sure what. I didn't understand Mercy's wanting to be with Luc, there was a connection for some reason.... but why? Did I miss that part? Perhaps a story arc that will span the entire series? Hopefully it includes Mercy's backstory too. I'd like to know more of the who, the what, and the why. I loved the small story arc of Lauren's disappearance... I knew she must be alive, but I had no idea who did it or why, or how extremely twisted the whole thing really was.
And Ryan... I am hoping this is not the last that we see of him! Please have more Ryan!
Eagerly anticipating book two!
August 25, 2010
MERCY
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this novel at all. I found Lim’s writing style to be quite clunky and the storyline was cliché and unappealing. The idea of Mercy being an exiled celestial has premise, especially with angels being the new vampires, but this fact seems to become lost in the story and besides vague mentions of dream-like encounters with Luc and others, the reader is left more confused than ever. The start of the novel was baffling and the characters like Tiffany and the choirboys were seriously stereotypical. I did like the idea of the missing girl and Mercy working with her brother to find her, that certainly piqued my interest, but I found most of the novel ill conceived and Mercy as the protagonist possessed little personality and even less likeability. The ending was too obvious and certain parts were too confronting. I don’t think that a novel that’s marketed at a young adult age group should feature elements of graphic torture and the mention of rape. Overall, I expected better.
- Cara Templeton
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this novel at all. I found Lim’s writing style to be quite clunky and the storyline was cliché and unappealing. The idea of Mercy being an exiled celestial has premise, especially with angels being the new vampires, but this fact seems to become lost in the story and besides vague mentions of dream-like encounters with Luc and others, the reader is left more confused than ever. The start of the novel was baffling and the characters like Tiffany and the choirboys were seriously stereotypical. I did like the idea of the missing girl and Mercy working with her brother to find her, that certainly piqued my interest, but I found most of the novel ill conceived and Mercy as the protagonist possessed little personality and even less likeability. The ending was too obvious and certain parts were too confronting. I don’t think that a novel that’s marketed at a young adult age group should feature elements of graphic torture and the mention of rape. Overall, I expected better.
- Cara Templeton
March 22, 2017
I really liked how fast paced this one was. I also liked how the angel importance took a back seat and the mystery of her host's daughter's disappearance took over. It was pretty predictable but nonetheless, I enjoyed it. This was a great example of a YA book that doesn't have romance and is still strong to stand on its own. I like that Mercy is more preoccupied with helping the girls than anything else.
Glad that I have the next book since that ending was just too good. On to the next book in the series!
Glad that I have the next book since that ending was just too good. On to the next book in the series!
July 4, 2018
This book has been waiting on my shelf for my attention for years, and I finally got around to it and read it in a day. So I guess it's not a particularly interesting start but it gets addictive fast?
Now before everything: DO NOT READ THE BLURB OF THIS BOOK. I hope you got this message in time! Because the blurb tells us a major spoiler that the book makes a secret about and I wonder how different my experience of this book would have been if I didn't know it. Every time Mercy was like, 'what am I?' I wanted to scream because THE ANSWER IS RIGHT THERE IN THE BLURB. Seriously. Worst. Blurb. Ever. It also mentions stuff that doesn't happen until much later in the book so, really, avoid the blurb at all costs if you can. Just enjoy this random story about a girl who inhabits other people's bodies and is presently trying to solve the mystery of a missing girl. (Also, probably don't read my updates. I didn't know they were spoilers when I wrote them XD)
Mercy as a character, I did not like. She says she's respectful of the person whose body she is in (Carmen, presently), but then she repeatedly talks about how she is not Carmen and then stirs up trouble and gets into mischief. She also talks often about how she's putting others' needs first. Poor, hijacked Carmen. Mercy is also kinda horny, and wants to jump her host brother the second she lays eyes on him. But heeey the teacher is kinda hot, too. It all seems very high school, and if you know what Mercy really is (I told you not to read the blurb!) then it seems really bizarre and out of place. She acts like a total brat.
It was also really hard to be invested in her dream-relationship with Luc (already figured out who he really is - thanks again, stupid blurb) because it's kinda random and there's not a lot of detail there. I'm guessing that will be built on more in the following novels but in this book it didn't really rate with me. I'm curious, since I've put together pieces (that I maybe shouldn't have yet?) but I don't really care, and I don't understand how she could be so in love with him when she falls so easily for host-bro, Ryan.
Host bro was okay, coz he's a bad boy who doesn't take crap, and what's not to love about that? But really, all we have here are character cliches. It's the standard high school cast, really, only hugely downsized and with more singing. Tiff and Brenda are basically interchangeable, and we don't hear much about the other characters unless they're part of the plot development (Hi, Spencer!) No one was really fleshed out enough to be interesting.
This actually feels more middle grade than proper YA (but it also has this one scene towards the end that shocked me a bit considering the rest was so G-rated). The story is simple, fast-paced and full of plot holes and questionable occurrences. It's highly predictable and has no depth to it, but it's easy to read and enjoyable enough. Low expectations is the key here.
I'm rather intrigued to see how the story continues, but not sure how soon I'll be motivated to pick it up. If you're after a quick YA with a hint of mystery, this could be for you. If you roll your eyes at cliches and hate anything you can easily predict, probably step away from this one. This is a YA novel that will be most appreciated by the younger readers.
Now before everything: DO NOT READ THE BLURB OF THIS BOOK. I hope you got this message in time! Because the blurb tells us a major spoiler that the book makes a secret about and I wonder how different my experience of this book would have been if I didn't know it. Every time Mercy was like, 'what am I?' I wanted to scream because THE ANSWER IS RIGHT THERE IN THE BLURB. Seriously. Worst. Blurb. Ever. It also mentions stuff that doesn't happen until much later in the book so, really, avoid the blurb at all costs if you can. Just enjoy this random story about a girl who inhabits other people's bodies and is presently trying to solve the mystery of a missing girl. (Also, probably don't read my updates. I didn't know they were spoilers when I wrote them XD)
Mercy as a character, I did not like. She says she's respectful of the person whose body she is in (Carmen, presently), but then she repeatedly talks about how she is not Carmen and then stirs up trouble and gets into mischief. She also talks often about how she's putting others' needs first. Poor, hijacked Carmen. Mercy is also kinda horny, and wants to jump her host brother the second she lays eyes on him. But heeey the teacher is kinda hot, too. It all seems very high school, and if you know what Mercy really is (I told you not to read the blurb!) then it seems really bizarre and out of place. She acts like a total brat.
It was also really hard to be invested in her dream-relationship with Luc (already figured out who he really is - thanks again, stupid blurb) because it's kinda random and there's not a lot of detail there. I'm guessing that will be built on more in the following novels but in this book it didn't really rate with me. I'm curious, since I've put together pieces (that I maybe shouldn't have yet?) but I don't really care, and I don't understand how she could be so in love with him when she falls so easily for host-bro, Ryan.
Host bro was okay, coz he's a bad boy who doesn't take crap, and what's not to love about that? But really, all we have here are character cliches. It's the standard high school cast, really, only hugely downsized and with more singing. Tiff and Brenda are basically interchangeable, and we don't hear much about the other characters unless they're part of the plot development (Hi, Spencer!) No one was really fleshed out enough to be interesting.
This actually feels more middle grade than proper YA (but it also has this one scene towards the end that shocked me a bit considering the rest was so G-rated). The story is simple, fast-paced and full of plot holes and questionable occurrences. It's highly predictable and has no depth to it, but it's easy to read and enjoyable enough. Low expectations is the key here.
I'm rather intrigued to see how the story continues, but not sure how soon I'll be motivated to pick it up. If you're after a quick YA with a hint of mystery, this could be for you. If you roll your eyes at cliches and hate anything you can easily predict, probably step away from this one. This is a YA novel that will be most appreciated by the younger readers.
May 21, 2011
The opening paragraph was interesting enough. It showed that the writing was clear and concise, but sadly, it was followed by this massive info-dump on what the main character looks like, and it turns out that she’s one of those “I’m pretty but I don’t notice it” characters, which makes me groan, since 90% of YA is filled with these characters. Then, she goes on to describe who I can only assume is a potential love interest, because he has far too many far-fetched descriptions like:
“He is tall, broad-shouldered, snake-hipped, flawless as only dreams can be. Like a sun god when he walks.” – pg 4.
To which I can only respond with WTF? what is with that? Why are all possible love interests described so weirdly. I don’t know. Personally, I find it off-putting, especially with odd descriptions like ‘snake-hipped’ and ‘sun god’. I don’t even know how to imagine snake-hipped. Anyone know?
Lim seems to have an interesting and poor way of describing people visually. They only seem to be described as beautiful and stunning, or disgusting and ugly and flawed. There is no middle ground, which makes me feel uneasy, a bit.
Also, the sentence structure was often repeated in a way that made Lim over-describe something. A couple of times per page, you can expect to see something like “Something COMMA synonym COMMA another synonym COMMA continue with sentence as normal.” It’s constantly used and feels unedited. It blocks the otherwise clear writing that could have made this book even more amazing, I think.
There are some parts I’m not so fond about. Pretty, popular girls are sluts and enemies, and the main character often describes other females with some fairly derogatory terms, such as bitch and slut. For the most part, Mercy is at the mercy (hehe) of a pretty, popular bitch who is a bitch just because she can. It’s fairly annoying and overused.
Now, those are the bad things. Onto the good.
The story is fairly fantastic. The premise holds so much promise, and it delivers. There are two major plot points: 1) that Mercy constantly finds herself in the body of a human, not knowing what she needs to do to be finally free and able to find the man she loves, Luc (or at least, she thinks she does) and 2) a girl had gone missing 2 years ago, and the girl’s brother is still out looking for her.
Both plot points intertwine, and at the same time, they feel completely independent of each other. The first is one that isn’t even close to resolution at the end of the book, whilst the second ends on a cheerful note. Both are executed quite well, in an engaging and exciting way. The story is the strongest part of the book, and it really shows and makes up for the writing.
This is a book that I really love, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, Exile, which comes out in early June, and the third book, Muse, which comes out late October. Isn’t that great? You won’t have to wait long for the next installment! This makes me giddy!
Cover Art: 4
Plot: 5
Characters: 3
Writing: 3
Level of Interest: 4
Total Rating: 4/5 stars
“He is tall, broad-shouldered, snake-hipped, flawless as only dreams can be. Like a sun god when he walks.” – pg 4.
To which I can only respond with WTF? what is with that? Why are all possible love interests described so weirdly. I don’t know. Personally, I find it off-putting, especially with odd descriptions like ‘snake-hipped’ and ‘sun god’. I don’t even know how to imagine snake-hipped. Anyone know?
Lim seems to have an interesting and poor way of describing people visually. They only seem to be described as beautiful and stunning, or disgusting and ugly and flawed. There is no middle ground, which makes me feel uneasy, a bit.
Also, the sentence structure was often repeated in a way that made Lim over-describe something. A couple of times per page, you can expect to see something like “Something COMMA synonym COMMA another synonym COMMA continue with sentence as normal.” It’s constantly used and feels unedited. It blocks the otherwise clear writing that could have made this book even more amazing, I think.
There are some parts I’m not so fond about. Pretty, popular girls are sluts and enemies, and the main character often describes other females with some fairly derogatory terms, such as bitch and slut. For the most part, Mercy is at the mercy (hehe) of a pretty, popular bitch who is a bitch just because she can. It’s fairly annoying and overused.
Now, those are the bad things. Onto the good.
The story is fairly fantastic. The premise holds so much promise, and it delivers. There are two major plot points: 1) that Mercy constantly finds herself in the body of a human, not knowing what she needs to do to be finally free and able to find the man she loves, Luc (or at least, she thinks she does) and 2) a girl had gone missing 2 years ago, and the girl’s brother is still out looking for her.
Both plot points intertwine, and at the same time, they feel completely independent of each other. The first is one that isn’t even close to resolution at the end of the book, whilst the second ends on a cheerful note. Both are executed quite well, in an engaging and exciting way. The story is the strongest part of the book, and it really shows and makes up for the writing.
This is a book that I really love, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, Exile, which comes out in early June, and the third book, Muse, which comes out late October. Isn’t that great? You won’t have to wait long for the next installment! This makes me giddy!
Cover Art: 4
Plot: 5
Characters: 3
Writing: 3
Level of Interest: 4
Total Rating: 4/5 stars
July 21, 2011
This might just be me but I truly love books that offer something convoluted where the main character is concerned. Not convoluted as in perverse but convoluted as in richly complex where issues of identity are concerned. This complexity inherent in the main character is one of the main reasons that I enjoyed Mistwood so much and it is also one of the main reasons I gave Mercy five stars.
There are two distinct personalities living in one body and though the human personality does not surface at any time, the reader is quite aware of her presence. To say that Mercy is interesting would be akin to saying that the aurora borealis is pretty. She is not human and I like that this fact is not forgotten as she navigates the very human hallways of high school and contends with the human students. There is a sense of discovery in each scene that charmed me. Mercy is transient and the author is remarkably successful in portraying how her very transience has shaped her into who she is becoming from the being she originally was.
Another thing I absolutely loved is the romance or the lack of it. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the similar variants of true love/starcrossed love/impossible love overflowing in the YA genre recently and so the subtlety where love is concerned was much appreciated. Mercy has someone she loves, a radiant being just called Luc (and the synopsis rudely gives it away by calling him Lucifer but I don't think the book mentions his full name, letting the reader figure it out) or actually, I don't know if love is the correct word for the feeling she has for him. And then there's the brother of the missing girl. It's not love between them so much as a growing awareness. Can she love him with Luc in her dreams every night? Does she even know what love is?
I found the ending to be the strongest part of the novel because it gives a hint as to what or who Mercy originally was. Her fall remains a mystery but there is progress, I believe, where her redemption is concerned.
Mercy is a very strong premise to what promises to be a favourite trilogy. The simplicity of the prose is juxtaposed by the complexity of the details and the themes. I believe this is one of the few books concerning angels that actually strip the humanity off these creatures and portray them as otherworldly beings instead of humans with super powers and wings. If you enjoy witty dialogue, suspense, intrigue and a good story, you will like Mercy.
There are two distinct personalities living in one body and though the human personality does not surface at any time, the reader is quite aware of her presence. To say that Mercy is interesting would be akin to saying that the aurora borealis is pretty. She is not human and I like that this fact is not forgotten as she navigates the very human hallways of high school and contends with the human students. There is a sense of discovery in each scene that charmed me. Mercy is transient and the author is remarkably successful in portraying how her very transience has shaped her into who she is becoming from the being she originally was.
Another thing I absolutely loved is the romance or the lack of it. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the similar variants of true love/starcrossed love/impossible love overflowing in the YA genre recently and so the subtlety where love is concerned was much appreciated. Mercy has someone she loves, a radiant being just called Luc (and the synopsis rudely gives it away by calling him Lucifer but I don't think the book mentions his full name, letting the reader figure it out) or actually, I don't know if love is the correct word for the feeling she has for him. And then there's the brother of the missing girl. It's not love between them so much as a growing awareness. Can she love him with Luc in her dreams every night? Does she even know what love is?
I found the ending to be the strongest part of the novel because it gives a hint as to what or who Mercy originally was. Her fall remains a mystery but there is progress, I believe, where her redemption is concerned.
Mercy is a very strong premise to what promises to be a favourite trilogy. The simplicity of the prose is juxtaposed by the complexity of the details and the themes. I believe this is one of the few books concerning angels that actually strip the humanity off these creatures and portray them as otherworldly beings instead of humans with super powers and wings. If you enjoy witty dialogue, suspense, intrigue and a good story, you will like Mercy.
June 30, 2011
Mercy's new body is as unfamiliar as the world around her, but it's the same as it's always been for her. She doesn't quite remember her lives before, but in short instants, she'll have flashes of memories of a past she can't recall. Her new body is a teenage girl with a voice so gorgeous it could make grown men cry, but she's your average, awkward teenager, attempting to meddle through this thing called life while on a music exchange program. The family hosting her is struggling with their own loss - their daughter, and Ryan's sister, disappeared almost two years ago. Ryan is the only one still holding out hope that she's alive, and Mercy can sense he's right. To help him though, she must face the unknown and the dangers with it. Can they find Lauren in time, or will Mercy lose herself in the process?
I'm just going to throw this out there...I'm pretty sure there's something in the water in Australia that makes these authors such geniuses (and I'd like some of it, please). Author Rebecca Lim has created a breathtaking start to a new saga series with Mercy that is brimming with tangible characters, sweet romance and a teasing mystery that sends the reader in circles of self-discovery. Blending a powerful theme of free will and the nature of humanity, the author has seamlessly woven an intricate story that transcends the YA genre and provides both a meaning and purpose for the reader.
Mercy was a very multi-faceted character. There were so many layers to her that I felt the entire book was a maze of revelations. She began as a bit of a shadow. You saw her talent and her current "host," but you didn't really get to see who she was as a person. Part of the beauty of Mercy was that the exploration of Mercy's character was hidden in layers throughout the plot points, the mystery and the romance. Ryan was the perfect complement to her character. Too often I see whiny female protags. To see a male character with true vulnerability and purpose finding comfort and hope in a strong female protag was utterly refreshing. Another highlight of Mercy for me was the story of music that was enmeshed in the overall plot. Partially metaphorical and wholeheartedly beautiful, the music added an element of pure, unadulterated beauty to Mercy. The only issue (though not really an issue) I had with Mercy was that the romance was hinted at but never really fulfilled. In the same breath though, one might make a case for that being great for the next book.
Overall, Mercy was an outstanding paranormal read with a great new take on a pretty popular concept now. I give it a very strong 4.5 out of 5, and I'd highly recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy paranormal stories involving angels. It's also great for those who enjoy a sweet romance and a mystery.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
I'm just going to throw this out there...I'm pretty sure there's something in the water in Australia that makes these authors such geniuses (and I'd like some of it, please). Author Rebecca Lim has created a breathtaking start to a new saga series with Mercy that is brimming with tangible characters, sweet romance and a teasing mystery that sends the reader in circles of self-discovery. Blending a powerful theme of free will and the nature of humanity, the author has seamlessly woven an intricate story that transcends the YA genre and provides both a meaning and purpose for the reader.
Mercy was a very multi-faceted character. There were so many layers to her that I felt the entire book was a maze of revelations. She began as a bit of a shadow. You saw her talent and her current "host," but you didn't really get to see who she was as a person. Part of the beauty of Mercy was that the exploration of Mercy's character was hidden in layers throughout the plot points, the mystery and the romance. Ryan was the perfect complement to her character. Too often I see whiny female protags. To see a male character with true vulnerability and purpose finding comfort and hope in a strong female protag was utterly refreshing. Another highlight of Mercy for me was the story of music that was enmeshed in the overall plot. Partially metaphorical and wholeheartedly beautiful, the music added an element of pure, unadulterated beauty to Mercy. The only issue (though not really an issue) I had with Mercy was that the romance was hinted at but never really fulfilled. In the same breath though, one might make a case for that being great for the next book.
Overall, Mercy was an outstanding paranormal read with a great new take on a pretty popular concept now. I give it a very strong 4.5 out of 5, and I'd highly recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy paranormal stories involving angels. It's also great for those who enjoy a sweet romance and a mystery.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
May 12, 2011
Mercy is a fallen angel, though she doesn’t remember much of that time. She did something bad enough to get herself kicked out & she is now inhabiting host bodies with no idea why. She can’t even count the number of times she has woken up in a new body and started a new life. But at night, her dreams of “him” always come, Luc is her beloved & she is trying to find him but has no idea where to start.
This new body is different, she wakes up as Carmen, a talented singer.Mercy/Carmen meets Ryan & starts to feel different then she has before. Ryan’s sister was kidnapped two years ago & he believes she is still alive, when everyone else doesn’t. Mercy & Ryan come together to follow clues that can lead them to his sister & change Mercy in ways that haven’t happened in other host bodies.
My only real solace? Sleep. In the absence if an explanation for anything, for everything, I live for it and what it can bring.
-Page 3
She has no idea why she is in exile, the clues provided to her & what little memory she has hasn’t helped her. All she knows is she’s got to find her beloved Luc, but the “8″ are telling her to leave Luc alone. But Mercy has developed feelings to Ryan, the son of the family hosting Carmen for a singing show. Ryan’s sister went missing two years ago & everyone but Ryan believe shes dead. He’s been searching for her everyday & withdrawing from school, family & friends. But Mercy has the ability to touch someone & see their memories which lead her to believe Ryan is right, his twin is alive.
Mercy is one kick butt fallen angel. She isn’t like any other angel I have read before, she isn’t sugar & spice, she is sugar & vinegar. She stands up for what is right & will tackle the injustice she feels for her host body Carmen. From rude teachers to a frenemy that has been on Carmen for ages, Mercy stands up to both of them. She doesn’t remember much of life & relies on her instincts to get by as Carmen.
Rebbecca Lim has a way with words, to me they’re guided imagery. Her words wrap around you like mist, they just flow beautifully & I can say I have never read a YA like Mercy. It draws you in from the first line’s, right to the end. You feel for Mercy & what she has been forced to go through, even though we have no idea why she was exiled. It might be really bad, but you can feel the change Mercy has gone through right down to the end of the book. I loved that you are still in the dark most of the book, when you think you know somethings happens to prove you wrong. It’s {Mercy} a mystery within a mystery.
Mercy really appealed to me as an adult, the story is wonderfully written so that an adult can follow it & not feel like they’re reading a children’s book. Mercy is beautifully written & gives angels the best heroine they’ve ever had.
This new body is different, she wakes up as Carmen, a talented singer.Mercy/Carmen meets Ryan & starts to feel different then she has before. Ryan’s sister was kidnapped two years ago & he believes she is still alive, when everyone else doesn’t. Mercy & Ryan come together to follow clues that can lead them to his sister & change Mercy in ways that haven’t happened in other host bodies.
My only real solace? Sleep. In the absence if an explanation for anything, for everything, I live for it and what it can bring.
-Page 3
She has no idea why she is in exile, the clues provided to her & what little memory she has hasn’t helped her. All she knows is she’s got to find her beloved Luc, but the “8″ are telling her to leave Luc alone. But Mercy has developed feelings to Ryan, the son of the family hosting Carmen for a singing show. Ryan’s sister went missing two years ago & everyone but Ryan believe shes dead. He’s been searching for her everyday & withdrawing from school, family & friends. But Mercy has the ability to touch someone & see their memories which lead her to believe Ryan is right, his twin is alive.
Mercy is one kick butt fallen angel. She isn’t like any other angel I have read before, she isn’t sugar & spice, she is sugar & vinegar. She stands up for what is right & will tackle the injustice she feels for her host body Carmen. From rude teachers to a frenemy that has been on Carmen for ages, Mercy stands up to both of them. She doesn’t remember much of life & relies on her instincts to get by as Carmen.
Rebbecca Lim has a way with words, to me they’re guided imagery. Her words wrap around you like mist, they just flow beautifully & I can say I have never read a YA like Mercy. It draws you in from the first line’s, right to the end. You feel for Mercy & what she has been forced to go through, even though we have no idea why she was exiled. It might be really bad, but you can feel the change Mercy has gone through right down to the end of the book. I loved that you are still in the dark most of the book, when you think you know somethings happens to prove you wrong. It’s {Mercy} a mystery within a mystery.
Mercy really appealed to me as an adult, the story is wonderfully written so that an adult can follow it & not feel like they’re reading a children’s book. Mercy is beautifully written & gives angels the best heroine they’ve ever had.
December 12, 2010
I will be honest with you, I had low expectations of this book. (Sincere apologies to Rebecca Lim- bear with me)
Having never read any of Rebecca’s other novels, I had no clue what to expect from Mercy. I had preconceived ideas of how this novel might read and evolve, those preconceived ideas coming largely from my exhaustion and frustration with all books that slot into the Supernatural Romance genre these days. You all know my thoughts on the market saturation of this genre, so I will not regale you yet again with my thoughts here.
Suffice to say, I was delighted when Rebecca Lim began shattering my misconceptions, right from page one. Mercy is intelligent, well written and thoroughly gripping. The protagonist is strong and determined and at times, quite humorous. The support characters are well rounded and beautifully placed within the plot.
Far from being just another Supernatural Romance novel, Mercy is fast paced, intriguing and quite simply, un-putdownable. There is a great deal of suspense in Mercy and the central plot has several intriguing subplots developing in the side lines. Not to mention, Rebecca has managed to come up with a completely original idea and rather than the focus being the usual un requited/impossible love story/triangle, we the reader find ourselves on a journey of discovery that unfolds in the most unexpected of ways.
In short, I loved it. I would highly recommend Mercy-Rebecca Lim, to those of you looking for a great read and those of you looking for the perfect book gift to wean your kids off the more ’standard Supernatural Romance’ novels. Rebecca will keep them hooked to the very end and at the same time ensure that anything else they might read afterwards will have to work a great deal harder to measure up to Mercy.
Having never read any of Rebecca’s other novels, I had no clue what to expect from Mercy. I had preconceived ideas of how this novel might read and evolve, those preconceived ideas coming largely from my exhaustion and frustration with all books that slot into the Supernatural Romance genre these days. You all know my thoughts on the market saturation of this genre, so I will not regale you yet again with my thoughts here.
Suffice to say, I was delighted when Rebecca Lim began shattering my misconceptions, right from page one. Mercy is intelligent, well written and thoroughly gripping. The protagonist is strong and determined and at times, quite humorous. The support characters are well rounded and beautifully placed within the plot.
Far from being just another Supernatural Romance novel, Mercy is fast paced, intriguing and quite simply, un-putdownable. There is a great deal of suspense in Mercy and the central plot has several intriguing subplots developing in the side lines. Not to mention, Rebecca has managed to come up with a completely original idea and rather than the focus being the usual un requited/impossible love story/triangle, we the reader find ourselves on a journey of discovery that unfolds in the most unexpected of ways.
In short, I loved it. I would highly recommend Mercy-Rebecca Lim, to those of you looking for a great read and those of you looking for the perfect book gift to wean your kids off the more ’standard Supernatural Romance’ novels. Rebecca will keep them hooked to the very end and at the same time ensure that anything else they might read afterwards will have to work a great deal harder to measure up to Mercy.
May 3, 2011
An extremely enjoyable read, at first I found this hard to get into but then my friend told me to keep reading and as I progressed I couldn't put this book down.
Not your typical fallen angel-on-earth novel that I've been accustomed to reading, Mercy is a book shrouded in mystery with just the right touch of romance that left me wanting for more.
*SPOILERS* Even though it's established that Mercy is an angel exiled from heaven (as the blurb told me), her past/memories and form are so enigmatic I was left pondering what she really was. From the first mention of this 'They' or the eight, and the appearance of one Uri (ahem Uriel?), I'm left wondering if Mercy has associations with the highest order of angels and said beloved Luc is the instigator of the great war in Heaven.
The romance between Ryan and Mercy/Carmen is bittersweet, lightly touching on the ability that there could be something more and I wonder if Mercy will find Ryan (or vice versa) - even with Luc ever present in Mercy's dreams - or if he's just one of the many humans she will encounter and help change their life. When she leaves there's a definite sense of loss. *END SPOILERS*
The words and imagery in this book are amazing - from the musical terms that could almost bring the song to my ears, through to words such as 'corroboree' which I wouldn't find in many other texts, save for Aussie ones. I even wonder if non-Australians reading the novel would understand the meaning of corroboree if taken out of context - hence giving Mercy a really Australian yet otherwordly feel, which I really loved.
Overall, awesome book, the take on exiled angels is totally different to any I've read before and now I'm just waiting for spare time so I can go buy the next book, Exile ^^
Not your typical fallen angel-on-earth novel that I've been accustomed to reading, Mercy is a book shrouded in mystery with just the right touch of romance that left me wanting for more.
*SPOILERS* Even though it's established that Mercy is an angel exiled from heaven (as the blurb told me), her past/memories and form are so enigmatic I was left pondering what she really was. From the first mention of this 'They' or the eight, and the appearance of one Uri (ahem Uriel?), I'm left wondering if Mercy has associations with the highest order of angels and said beloved Luc is the instigator of the great war in Heaven.
The romance between Ryan and Mercy/Carmen is bittersweet, lightly touching on the ability that there could be something more and I wonder if Mercy will find Ryan (or vice versa) - even with Luc ever present in Mercy's dreams - or if he's just one of the many humans she will encounter and help change their life. When she leaves there's a definite sense of loss. *END SPOILERS*
The words and imagery in this book are amazing - from the musical terms that could almost bring the song to my ears, through to words such as 'corroboree' which I wouldn't find in many other texts, save for Aussie ones. I even wonder if non-Australians reading the novel would understand the meaning of corroboree if taken out of context - hence giving Mercy a really Australian yet otherwordly feel, which I really loved.
Overall, awesome book, the take on exiled angels is totally different to any I've read before and now I'm just waiting for spare time so I can go buy the next book, Exile ^^
May 18, 2011
This book’s blurb grabbed me as soon I found it on goodreads a few months ago, so I knew I just had to read it. Thankfully, netgalley to the rescue once again! An e-galley fell into my lap, and so I happily dug in.
From the first page, this book sunk its claws in and never once let go. Lim has an extraordinary talent of retelling the oldest of tales and making them new again. Girls getting kidnapped combined with an amnesiac angel in a pseudo-war with archangels and her lover, Lucifer? All of this rewiring of the old has made my head spin, but I enjoyed every single second of this book. I can’t wait for the US release of this first book, and the second book will be released in Australia next month. And should I have any extra cash, I might just import it. This series does what “Hush, Hush” hasn’t been able to, and what “Fallen” has been able to do only halfway (in terms of the mortal-angel-amnesia love triangle) – and that says something, seeing as “Fallen” was my favourite in the genre so far up until I picked up this series.
Definitely refreshing for this genre. I seriously can’t say enough good things about this book (except the ending felt a bit rushed, but seeing as how there are two more books on the way, and compared to how the book began, it fits). Highly recommended, one of the best of 2011 so far!
(crossposted to librarything and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
From the first page, this book sunk its claws in and never once let go. Lim has an extraordinary talent of retelling the oldest of tales and making them new again. Girls getting kidnapped combined with an amnesiac angel in a pseudo-war with archangels and her lover, Lucifer? All of this rewiring of the old has made my head spin, but I enjoyed every single second of this book. I can’t wait for the US release of this first book, and the second book will be released in Australia next month. And should I have any extra cash, I might just import it. This series does what “Hush, Hush” hasn’t been able to, and what “Fallen” has been able to do only halfway (in terms of the mortal-angel-amnesia love triangle) – and that says something, seeing as “Fallen” was my favourite in the genre so far up until I picked up this series.
Definitely refreshing for this genre. I seriously can’t say enough good things about this book (except the ending felt a bit rushed, but seeing as how there are two more books on the way, and compared to how the book began, it fits). Highly recommended, one of the best of 2011 so far!
(crossposted to librarything and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
July 9, 2014
After reading this book, I have come to realize that getting book recommendations from people shouldn't be 100% trusted. One of the reasons that I picked up this book was because someone at my local library recommended it to me, having me be a YA reader. I read the summary, trusted her word, and took it out, despite the fact that it kind of reminded me of David Levithan's Every Day. And there you have it, I didn't like this book at all.
"I am my worst enemy; that much I've figured out."
The concept and confusion was the thing that worsened the book the far most. During most of the book, I was like:
And then I was like:
Because I honestly thought that it was just me who was confused. But then I read other reviews and turns out I wasn't the only one hating this book by page 100. But I guess you could say that the romance kept me going. It was like the only good part of the book, next to the characters. The author made it so difficult to understand the world and what was going on and who Mercy really was. It was all mumbo-jumbo, and reading this was like trying to understand a language that you've never heard of before. I don't recommend this if you're the easy-to-confuse type.
Mercy is a fallen angel who takes places of different humans for days to come. When she meets Ryan, a lover of the girl who's body she is currently taking over, her whole life changes forever. She needs to find her way back to heaven, so in exchange, she helps out different humans.]
So you must be rolling your eyes. *rolls eyes and sighs* But the thing is, I was once earlier intrigued with this summary and idea. So don't be laughing at me. ;) As I began reading this book, I realized how unoriginal the concept really was. David Levithan, are you there? Here's a total recap of your book with a minor twist added to it. Yes, angels. *bawls in corner*
Originality is such an important key in writing a book. There are a lot of people out there who have read many of books (such as myself) and if you write a book that is unoriginal, we will catch the mistake and will realize it. It's not the first, or second time that we've seen something like this. ._. Meh.
So because of the major confusion during the whole book, I didn't really enjoy the plot either. I didn't know what was going on. The concept of mystery added to it was just pointless and boring. I was majorly boring throughout and having Mercy as a detective isn't the best idea either. What is she, the next Nancy Drew angel sleuth? Naw.
Speaking of Mercy, as a character, she wasn't too bad. Compared to other protagonists in very low rated books of mine, she's pretty good. She wasn't horrible, but she had her dull moments where she deserved a slap in the face. But don't all protagonists do? *creepy grin*
My utterly most favourite thing about this book was Ryan. I LOVED THIS GUY SO MUCH. Like from when he was brought into the book, I felt a connection to him and we had an insta-love relationship! *squeals* But if you know me, you'll know that I have this insta-love connection with most fictional men.
The romance between Ryan and Mercy was just utterly cryptic but stupendous at the same time. Ryan accepted Mercy for who she was and they loved each other like hell. You could instantly tell.
But those were the only two positives. Everything else really disappointed and I expected much better. If you're looking for a good unique read, then I'd recommend staying away from this one. It's boring, confusing, and totally not worth it.
"I am my worst enemy; that much I've figured out."
The concept and confusion was the thing that worsened the book the far most. During most of the book, I was like:
And then I was like:
Because I honestly thought that it was just me who was confused. But then I read other reviews and turns out I wasn't the only one hating this book by page 100. But I guess you could say that the romance kept me going. It was like the only good part of the book, next to the characters. The author made it so difficult to understand the world and what was going on and who Mercy really was. It was all mumbo-jumbo, and reading this was like trying to understand a language that you've never heard of before. I don't recommend this if you're the easy-to-confuse type.
Mercy is a fallen angel who takes places of different humans for days to come. When she meets Ryan, a lover of the girl who's body she is currently taking over, her whole life changes forever. She needs to find her way back to heaven, so in exchange, she helps out different humans.]
So you must be rolling your eyes. *rolls eyes and sighs* But the thing is, I was once earlier intrigued with this summary and idea. So don't be laughing at me. ;) As I began reading this book, I realized how unoriginal the concept really was. David Levithan, are you there? Here's a total recap of your book with a minor twist added to it. Yes, angels. *bawls in corner*
Originality is such an important key in writing a book. There are a lot of people out there who have read many of books (such as myself) and if you write a book that is unoriginal, we will catch the mistake and will realize it. It's not the first, or second time that we've seen something like this. ._. Meh.
So because of the major confusion during the whole book, I didn't really enjoy the plot either. I didn't know what was going on. The concept of mystery added to it was just pointless and boring. I was majorly boring throughout and having Mercy as a detective isn't the best idea either. What is she, the next Nancy Drew angel sleuth? Naw.
Speaking of Mercy, as a character, she wasn't too bad. Compared to other protagonists in very low rated books of mine, she's pretty good. She wasn't horrible, but she had her dull moments where she deserved a slap in the face. But don't all protagonists do? *creepy grin*
My utterly most favourite thing about this book was Ryan. I LOVED THIS GUY SO MUCH. Like from when he was brought into the book, I felt a connection to him and we had an insta-love relationship! *squeals* But if you know me, you'll know that I have this insta-love connection with most fictional men.
The romance between Ryan and Mercy was just utterly cryptic but stupendous at the same time. Ryan accepted Mercy for who she was and they loved each other like hell. You could instantly tell.
But those were the only two positives. Everything else really disappointed and I expected much better. If you're looking for a good unique read, then I'd recommend staying away from this one. It's boring, confusing, and totally not worth it.
November 25, 2010
This review is also published at http://living-for-books.blogspot.com/
After “waking” to the sound of someone shouting, Mercy realises that she is on a bus bound for a small and quiet town called “Paradise”. Self-named, main character Mercy is an angel that has been exiled from heaven for reasons she can’t remember. Every time she “wakes” in a body of a complete stranger, barely remembering any previous memories. The unfortunate “host” person this time is Carmen Zappacosta, a girl that is near the end of high school, yet looks about 13, who was travelling to Paradise, accompanied by many other students from her school to sing. The reason I say “was” is because whenever Mercy enters another body, it is almost like she is hijacking it, a virus, and the host body has no memory of the events and situations that occur while Mercy is occupying the body.
Throughout the entire story, an angel name Luc contacts Mercy via her dreams, for he is forbidden to contact her otherwise. He persuades her to return to him and warns her of the dangers of those searching for her. The mentioning of Luc is very brief and I suspect that there will be more action from him in the future books: Exile and Muse.
Throughout the 2 week stay at Paradise, Mercy lives with the Daley family, a family that has been through a lot of misery due to the kidnapping of their daughter, Lauren. Their daughter was beautiful and popular, she had everything, and she was also a soprano singer. The family are still in a lot of pain, even though their daughter had been abducted near two years ago. The Daley’s son, Ryan, still believes that his younger sister is still alive, that she is still out there somewhere, waiting to be found. He even has “visions” of where she is being held captive. Whenever Mercy comes with contact with a person she can “feel” their emotions and strongest memories, she can also detect if they are lying. After touching Ryan’s hand, Mercy feels his pain, sorrow and fading hope and, I this quite predictable, felt a great urge to aid him in his search.
In Ryan’s vision, he heard voices raised in song, an organ, the thumping of a bible, but all of this sounded very distant. He “saw” two or more doors, many stairs and felt the warmth of the sunlight. Because of this, Ryan had already searched the Church, but found nothing of importance. After Mercy suggested trying the Preachers home, which they were very close in getting caught in, they also discovered nothing. The next couple of chapters revolve around Mercy and Ryan following false clues.
And cue Paul Stenborg, a music teacher with the looks and the voice, and boy does he know it! On the outside Paul appears to be like any other good looking, vain music teacher but there is just something that causes Mercy to be wary of him. Paul doesn’t act odd, unless you counted his endless praise for Carmen/Mercy’s voice…
Then, just when you begin to get bored with the book, the unbelievable happens: there has been another kidnapping. The similarities are that both were amazing soprano singers, just like Carmen.
After confirming details with Paul, Mercy and Ryan are near positive that an older man name Laurence Barry is the kidnapper and plan to search his home that very night… except Mercy never shows.
Mercy had been taken, for the same purpose the previous 2 girls were: for her amazing, angelic voice…
“Mercy” is an amazing novel that is the perfect amount of Paranormal, mystery and a touch of romance. Although the beginning of the book lacks action, the suspense builds up gradually throughout the book. Author Rebecca Lim creates a mysterious and successful debut novel, using the perfect language to engage the readers! The cover of the book is also truly magnificent!
4 stars!
After “waking” to the sound of someone shouting, Mercy realises that she is on a bus bound for a small and quiet town called “Paradise”. Self-named, main character Mercy is an angel that has been exiled from heaven for reasons she can’t remember. Every time she “wakes” in a body of a complete stranger, barely remembering any previous memories. The unfortunate “host” person this time is Carmen Zappacosta, a girl that is near the end of high school, yet looks about 13, who was travelling to Paradise, accompanied by many other students from her school to sing. The reason I say “was” is because whenever Mercy enters another body, it is almost like she is hijacking it, a virus, and the host body has no memory of the events and situations that occur while Mercy is occupying the body.
Throughout the entire story, an angel name Luc contacts Mercy via her dreams, for he is forbidden to contact her otherwise. He persuades her to return to him and warns her of the dangers of those searching for her. The mentioning of Luc is very brief and I suspect that there will be more action from him in the future books: Exile and Muse.
Throughout the 2 week stay at Paradise, Mercy lives with the Daley family, a family that has been through a lot of misery due to the kidnapping of their daughter, Lauren. Their daughter was beautiful and popular, she had everything, and she was also a soprano singer. The family are still in a lot of pain, even though their daughter had been abducted near two years ago. The Daley’s son, Ryan, still believes that his younger sister is still alive, that she is still out there somewhere, waiting to be found. He even has “visions” of where she is being held captive. Whenever Mercy comes with contact with a person she can “feel” their emotions and strongest memories, she can also detect if they are lying. After touching Ryan’s hand, Mercy feels his pain, sorrow and fading hope and, I this quite predictable, felt a great urge to aid him in his search.
In Ryan’s vision, he heard voices raised in song, an organ, the thumping of a bible, but all of this sounded very distant. He “saw” two or more doors, many stairs and felt the warmth of the sunlight. Because of this, Ryan had already searched the Church, but found nothing of importance. After Mercy suggested trying the Preachers home, which they were very close in getting caught in, they also discovered nothing. The next couple of chapters revolve around Mercy and Ryan following false clues.
And cue Paul Stenborg, a music teacher with the looks and the voice, and boy does he know it! On the outside Paul appears to be like any other good looking, vain music teacher but there is just something that causes Mercy to be wary of him. Paul doesn’t act odd, unless you counted his endless praise for Carmen/Mercy’s voice…
Then, just when you begin to get bored with the book, the unbelievable happens: there has been another kidnapping. The similarities are that both were amazing soprano singers, just like Carmen.
After confirming details with Paul, Mercy and Ryan are near positive that an older man name Laurence Barry is the kidnapper and plan to search his home that very night… except Mercy never shows.
Mercy had been taken, for the same purpose the previous 2 girls were: for her amazing, angelic voice…
“Mercy” is an amazing novel that is the perfect amount of Paranormal, mystery and a touch of romance. Although the beginning of the book lacks action, the suspense builds up gradually throughout the book. Author Rebecca Lim creates a mysterious and successful debut novel, using the perfect language to engage the readers! The cover of the book is also truly magnificent!
4 stars!
December 31, 2018
I really enjoyed reading Mercy. It was a compelling read with great characters and a strong plot.
The book begins with Mercy awakening in the body of an insecure teenager called Carmen, who is on a trip to Paradise in a music program. For Mercy, this is nothing new, because she repeatedly finds herself 'soul-jacking' different girls; sharing their bodies and controlling their minds and actions. She has been a young mother, an abused girlfriend and a wealthy, spoilt girl. It is implied that this is a form of punishment, although the reader does not find out what her wrongdoing is. Not knowing her own identity, she calls herself Mercy, in hope that someone takes mercy upon her and ends her suffering. The one thing she remembers is Luc, who is her love, inhibits her dreams and tries to find her as she is forced into different people's lives around the world.
Back in her current host body, Mercy arrives at her host family, the Daleys, who are depressed and still grieving their daughter, Lauren Daley who was kidnapped from her bedroom two years ago, never to bee seen again.
Ryan Daley, her twin brother still continues to search for his sister, believing that she is still alive. From some intuition, Mercy realizes that he is right and begins to help him find her.
Meanwhile, Mercy is bullied by her some of her peers in the music program, due to her small body and teenage eczema but also due to angelic voice being the envy of others.
Throughout the book, Mercy stands up for Carmen, and deals with her peers and settles into her new life. She also develops a friendship with Ryan, which clues at future romance.
This book is full of suspense and mystery, and it kept me properly engaged and impatient for the next one. There is an obvious background story to this series, one which I cannot wait to explore. And although I felt unsure of Luc being a good character, I loved the others, especially Mercy. She had great depth and her narration was concise and wholly satisfying. Being in those different lives and bodies makes Mercy sound sage and intelligent, both old and young. Her able character and astute personality set her apart from other YA heroines, making hers a great story.
The mystery of the missing girls and Mercy's own being constituted into making an engaging novel for all YA readers and I cannot wait to read the others. Rebecca Lim has written an amazing story and I cannot wait to read her other works.
The book begins with Mercy awakening in the body of an insecure teenager called Carmen, who is on a trip to Paradise in a music program. For Mercy, this is nothing new, because she repeatedly finds herself 'soul-jacking' different girls; sharing their bodies and controlling their minds and actions. She has been a young mother, an abused girlfriend and a wealthy, spoilt girl. It is implied that this is a form of punishment, although the reader does not find out what her wrongdoing is. Not knowing her own identity, she calls herself Mercy, in hope that someone takes mercy upon her and ends her suffering. The one thing she remembers is Luc, who is her love, inhibits her dreams and tries to find her as she is forced into different people's lives around the world.
Back in her current host body, Mercy arrives at her host family, the Daleys, who are depressed and still grieving their daughter, Lauren Daley who was kidnapped from her bedroom two years ago, never to bee seen again.
Ryan Daley, her twin brother still continues to search for his sister, believing that she is still alive. From some intuition, Mercy realizes that he is right and begins to help him find her.
Meanwhile, Mercy is bullied by her some of her peers in the music program, due to her small body and teenage eczema but also due to angelic voice being the envy of others.
Throughout the book, Mercy stands up for Carmen, and deals with her peers and settles into her new life. She also develops a friendship with Ryan, which clues at future romance.
This book is full of suspense and mystery, and it kept me properly engaged and impatient for the next one. There is an obvious background story to this series, one which I cannot wait to explore. And although I felt unsure of Luc being a good character, I loved the others, especially Mercy. She had great depth and her narration was concise and wholly satisfying. Being in those different lives and bodies makes Mercy sound sage and intelligent, both old and young. Her able character and astute personality set her apart from other YA heroines, making hers a great story.
The mystery of the missing girls and Mercy's own being constituted into making an engaging novel for all YA readers and I cannot wait to read the others. Rebecca Lim has written an amazing story and I cannot wait to read her other works.
May 4, 2011
original post here
Mercy is an intriguing story of a spirit who assumes different identity at any given time. She has no control over when it will happen, who will she become, and has no idea why it is happening to her. All she knows is that somehow, her name is Mercy and she dreams of reuniting once again with her immortal beloved, Lucifer.
The story starts with "Mercy" waking up in a new body named Carmen, and is on the way to a small town, Paradise. As she tries to make her life as Carmen work, she becomes entangled in the case of a missing girl and works to find out the mystery behind it. Along the way, she finds discovers that she might be more than just a spirit. What she is and what is her purpose, she has yet to discover.
The story is like Supernatural meets Twin Peaks sort of story. It started out with two mysteries - the one with Mercy and the case of the missing girl. Mercy a.k.a. Carmen in the story finds herself helping the search for the missing girl because it might be a reason why she got stuck with her after all. Besides, she cannot ignore the feeling that she needs to help. Especially since the family she is living with happens to be the family of the missing girl - Lauren Daley. Everyone can be a suspect, and Carmen tries to use her abilities to help Lauren's brother, Ryan to search for her despite everyone's belief that it is too late.
I admit at first that the first couple of pages is a bit of a drag. Establishing the character of Mercy then trying to settle into Carmen's identity. But once everything is placed and the story unfolded I kind of got engaged in the story. Especially with the mystery of Mercy's character. There's Lucifer and the other brothers who she was told, are also looking for her to destroy her. Is she being punished? For what? And is her continuous shift a form of atonement? Punishment? Or something more?
The end makes me want to continue the search for Mercy, find out what her destiny really is, and see her make change with someone else's life.
Mercy is an intriguing story of a spirit who assumes different identity at any given time. She has no control over when it will happen, who will she become, and has no idea why it is happening to her. All she knows is that somehow, her name is Mercy and she dreams of reuniting once again with her immortal beloved, Lucifer.
The story starts with "Mercy" waking up in a new body named Carmen, and is on the way to a small town, Paradise. As she tries to make her life as Carmen work, she becomes entangled in the case of a missing girl and works to find out the mystery behind it. Along the way, she finds discovers that she might be more than just a spirit. What she is and what is her purpose, she has yet to discover.
The story is like Supernatural meets Twin Peaks sort of story. It started out with two mysteries - the one with Mercy and the case of the missing girl. Mercy a.k.a. Carmen in the story finds herself helping the search for the missing girl because it might be a reason why she got stuck with her after all. Besides, she cannot ignore the feeling that she needs to help. Especially since the family she is living with happens to be the family of the missing girl - Lauren Daley. Everyone can be a suspect, and Carmen tries to use her abilities to help Lauren's brother, Ryan to search for her despite everyone's belief that it is too late.
I admit at first that the first couple of pages is a bit of a drag. Establishing the character of Mercy then trying to settle into Carmen's identity. But once everything is placed and the story unfolded I kind of got engaged in the story. Especially with the mystery of Mercy's character. There's Lucifer and the other brothers who she was told, are also looking for her to destroy her. Is she being punished? For what? And is her continuous shift a form of atonement? Punishment? Or something more?
The end makes me want to continue the search for Mercy, find out what her destiny really is, and see her make change with someone else's life.
March 14, 2011
Posted on: http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/
Mercy is the first book in an new angel series by author Rebecca Lim.
This story follows Mercy, who wakes up on a school bus in another girls body. Mercy calls herself a soul snatcher as she inhabits another person's body until she figures out her mission on earth. As Carmen, Mercy stays with a host family as a part of a choir and soon finds out that their daughter Lauren, has been missing for almost 2 years. Realising what her mission is, Mercy begins to help Ryan to solve his sister's disappearance as he believes she is still alive.
I'll be quiet honest, when I say I still have mixed reviews about this book. I've been looking forward to reading it for quiet some time and I'm left with a little disappointment because I only managed to rate it 2 stars. I really liked the concept of Mercy's story but I think because of her confusion about who is she during most of the book, I found that I felt quiet confused too. I'm not to sure if this was done by the author intentionally or not? But for that reason, I feel I didn't really connected with Mercy that well.
I actually did enjoy the journey that Mercy takes with Ryan. I found that I enjoyed this part of the story more than Mercy's background. I felt sometimes that I was reading two different stories and would of much preferred just to read about Mercy & Ryan solving the disappearances and watching their attraction grow.
Nonetheless, I did like the story in the end. The ending for me, actually left me with a little hope that the next few books in the series will be a lot better. I'm really eager to find out what will happen next between Mercy & Ryan, especially considering Mercy will have no memory of him once she enters a new body.
I do believe that this book will be a hit within the Paranormal Romance world and even though I thought the book wasn't brilliant, I will still pick up the rest of the books in the future.
Thank You to NetGalley & Disney-Hyperion for giving me the opportunity to review Rebecca Lim's work.
Mercy is the first book in an new angel series by author Rebecca Lim.
This story follows Mercy, who wakes up on a school bus in another girls body. Mercy calls herself a soul snatcher as she inhabits another person's body until she figures out her mission on earth. As Carmen, Mercy stays with a host family as a part of a choir and soon finds out that their daughter Lauren, has been missing for almost 2 years. Realising what her mission is, Mercy begins to help Ryan to solve his sister's disappearance as he believes she is still alive.
I'll be quiet honest, when I say I still have mixed reviews about this book. I've been looking forward to reading it for quiet some time and I'm left with a little disappointment because I only managed to rate it 2 stars. I really liked the concept of Mercy's story but I think because of her confusion about who is she during most of the book, I found that I felt quiet confused too. I'm not to sure if this was done by the author intentionally or not? But for that reason, I feel I didn't really connected with Mercy that well.
I actually did enjoy the journey that Mercy takes with Ryan. I found that I enjoyed this part of the story more than Mercy's background. I felt sometimes that I was reading two different stories and would of much preferred just to read about Mercy & Ryan solving the disappearances and watching their attraction grow.
Nonetheless, I did like the story in the end. The ending for me, actually left me with a little hope that the next few books in the series will be a lot better. I'm really eager to find out what will happen next between Mercy & Ryan, especially considering Mercy will have no memory of him once she enters a new body.
I do believe that this book will be a hit within the Paranormal Romance world and even though I thought the book wasn't brilliant, I will still pick up the rest of the books in the future.
Thank You to NetGalley & Disney-Hyperion for giving me the opportunity to review Rebecca Lim's work.
March 7, 2011
I loved this book. I read it before my teenage son, who was a bit apprehensive that it was targeted to girls, but my rave reviews encouraged him to read it too. He also loved it and is now really keen for the sequel to come out.
The book is beautifully written with spare but carefully written and thoughtful language. The author also manages to capture the teenage girl lexicon without it feeling forced or unnatural, which is no mean feat.
There are two story lines running throughout the book - Mercy's other worldly predicament and also the here and now mystery which Mercy/Carmen Zappacosta finds herself in the middle of when she/they arrive in "Paradise". The real life mystery added a sense of reality to the book, and I was particularly impressed with the writer's grit in giving us the grim and harrowing reality of a girl's disappearance. The conclusion to this mystery was genuinely surprising and made even more powerful because the writer doesn't hold back with the revelation of what had happened to Lauren.
Added to this is the overarching story of Mercy: her ignorance of who or what she is, where she has come from and where her loyalties should lie. The two stories were well balanced and complemented one another. The fact that one mystery was solved while the other only deepens (for the next installments in the series) only added to the satisfaction this book offers. Some series books seem to end abruptly and leave you hanging and unsatisfied, whereas this offered a resolution to one mystery while piquing my interest in Mercy's eventual fate enough to eagerly await the next book.
Highly recommended.
The book is beautifully written with spare but carefully written and thoughtful language. The author also manages to capture the teenage girl lexicon without it feeling forced or unnatural, which is no mean feat.
There are two story lines running throughout the book - Mercy's other worldly predicament and also the here and now mystery which Mercy/Carmen Zappacosta finds herself in the middle of when she/they arrive in "Paradise". The real life mystery added a sense of reality to the book, and I was particularly impressed with the writer's grit in giving us the grim and harrowing reality of a girl's disappearance. The conclusion to this mystery was genuinely surprising and made even more powerful because the writer doesn't hold back with the revelation of what had happened to Lauren.
Added to this is the overarching story of Mercy: her ignorance of who or what she is, where she has come from and where her loyalties should lie. The two stories were well balanced and complemented one another. The fact that one mystery was solved while the other only deepens (for the next installments in the series) only added to the satisfaction this book offers. Some series books seem to end abruptly and leave you hanging and unsatisfied, whereas this offered a resolution to one mystery while piquing my interest in Mercy's eventual fate enough to eagerly await the next book.
Highly recommended.
April 18, 2016
I found Mercy both intriguing and unique. Granted, I'd never read paranormal or angel teen fiction before, but since I read this book I've read (or rather, I've tried to read) several other such books... This was my favorite, and the only one which compelled me to actually finish the accompanying series.
It's not just a fallen angel story. It's better. Just read it. I think you'll understand.
Questions to consider:
Do we fall in love with a person based on how we see them or on who they are?
If the conscious of a boy I loved were switched into another body, would I still love him just as much? Could I even recognize him? If my soul were in another body, would those I love be able to recognize me? Would they view me the same way?
What is free will? Are things pre-determined? Do we have the ability to influence or change anything? Or is life a gamble? Is everything unpredictable? Random?
Was Mercy evil for what she did before when she gave her loyalty to the wrong person?
What is redemption? What about punishment and grace and being forced into a situation that offered a chance for change?
What makes us human? How does Mercy's character development make her more human?
How important is choice? (Maybe it's everything. Maybe even if others know your choices, maybe even if your decisions are pre-determined, choosing it yourself is freedom.)
"It is all chaos, and from it you must wrest your life. You make your own fate. You see the cards that you are dealt, and you play them, as they come, you play them." -Mercy in Fury
It's not just a fallen angel story. It's better. Just read it. I think you'll understand.
Questions to consider:
Do we fall in love with a person based on how we see them or on who they are?
If the conscious of a boy I loved were switched into another body, would I still love him just as much? Could I even recognize him? If my soul were in another body, would those I love be able to recognize me? Would they view me the same way?
What is free will? Are things pre-determined? Do we have the ability to influence or change anything? Or is life a gamble? Is everything unpredictable? Random?
Was Mercy evil for what she did before when she gave her loyalty to the wrong person?
What is redemption? What about punishment and grace and being forced into a situation that offered a chance for change?
What makes us human? How does Mercy's character development make her more human?
How important is choice? (Maybe it's everything. Maybe even if others know your choices, maybe even if your decisions are pre-determined, choosing it yourself is freedom.)
"It is all chaos, and from it you must wrest your life. You make your own fate. You see the cards that you are dealt, and you play them, as they come, you play them." -Mercy in Fury
June 18, 2011
When reading this book, I was confused. Very confused. In the book, Mercy doesn't know anything about herself or why her soul jumps from body to body, but that just makes it all more confusing to the readers. Some mysterious lover of her's, Luc who she can only see in dreams, is supposedly the love of her life. Yet when she talks to him in her dreams (which only happened like twice in the entire book yet the summary makes it seem like he should be in the entire book) there is no real connection or even explanation of how he can see her or even what they are. I guess they're supposed to be fallen angels (after reading other reviews) but I didn't get that at all when I was reading it. What I did like, though, was the whole mystery that Mercy (in Carmen's body) and Ryan are trying to solve together. They follow leads and try to find Ryan's missing sister after everyone else gave up hope. The problem with this part of the story was that there were so many new characters introduced in Carmen's life that when it was finally revealed who was behind the kidnapping, I had to look back and remind myself who it actually was. So with all of these mishaps, I feel like the book took way too much thinking and effort on the readers part to actually get through. Some parts of the story were good and interesting, but the execution of the mysterious life of a fallen angel just didn't work out. Great unique idea about angels, it just wasn't all that fun to read.
August 26, 2011
Meh... Mercy wasn't for me.
I don't know what it is. This Mercy chick just got on my nerves a lot. So,she lives (in the body of Carmen-isn't that freaky enough? I mean you snatch someone else's body*shivers*) with these people who's daughter is gone missing two years ago. And she likes the brother-Ryan. I did NOT get why does she like him or he likes her. There were no cute scenes,just a bunch of choir sessions,Ryan and Mercy finding out where the missing sister is. Boring,if you ask me. Um,yeah,I almost forgot. There are these dream scenes where Mercy meets Luc-her soulmate or something. :/ Why do you need Ryan then? Ugh,these love triangles are irking me out.
But beware: there is almost no romance in this book,so if you are looking for some quality kissing scene move along.
I am not trying to be mean,but I am seriously getting annoyed with all of these YA books lately where it's enough to have a pretty cover and a mysterious guy to sell the story. I agree with my GR pall Ivana- Where are the Marchettas of the world?
I don't know what it is. This Mercy chick just got on my nerves a lot. So,she lives (in the body of Carmen-isn't that freaky enough? I mean you snatch someone else's body*shivers*) with these people who's daughter is gone missing two years ago. And she likes the brother-Ryan. I did NOT get why does she like him or he likes her. There were no cute scenes,just a bunch of choir sessions,Ryan and Mercy finding out where the missing sister is. Boring,if you ask me. Um,yeah,I almost forgot. There are these dream scenes where Mercy meets Luc-her soulmate or something. :/ Why do you need Ryan then? Ugh,these love triangles are irking me out.
But beware: there is almost no romance in this book,so if you are looking for some quality kissing scene move along.
I am not trying to be mean,but I am seriously getting annoyed with all of these YA books lately where it's enough to have a pretty cover and a mysterious guy to sell the story. I agree with my GR pall Ivana- Where are the Marchettas of the world?
December 7, 2014
Oooh, you know that when you are an angel and pick the "wrong" side you are going to have to pay for it somehow. Mercy is constantly changing into other peoples bodies. People who are in desperate need of some kind of divine intervention. Mercy knows she's being "punished" for something...she just can't remember what it is.
I really liked this book! I enjoyed reading how Mercy would end up in someone new and have to figure out how to help that person. Mercy is a strong female character which I always like to read about. This was my first Rebecca Lim book and I think she writes her characters beautifully. I am excited to read more of the Mercy Series!
I really liked this book! I enjoyed reading how Mercy would end up in someone new and have to figure out how to help that person. Mercy is a strong female character which I always like to read about. This was my first Rebecca Lim book and I think she writes her characters beautifully. I am excited to read more of the Mercy Series!
April 23, 2011
Holy blindside, people, this book was so much better than I thought it would be. Previous angel books (at least, I think this is an angel book) haven't lived up to expectations so I wasn't expecting much, but Rebecca Lim has BLOWN ME AWAY.
I can't get over the ending. Huge cliffhanger. I must have the second book IMMEDIATELY. At least we don't have to wait a year to read it; only a couple months. But still. WANT!
Read this. Especially if you've been disappointed in angel books before.
I can't get over the ending. Huge cliffhanger. I must have the second book IMMEDIATELY. At least we don't have to wait a year to read it; only a couple months. But still. WANT!
Read this. Especially if you've been disappointed in angel books before.
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