Mercy By Rebecca Lim
Rating
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Published: 28 October 2010
Format: Paperback 288 pages Source: Publisher
Synopsis -There's something very wrong with me. I can't remember who I am or how old I am, or even how I got here. All I know is that when I wake up, I could be any one. It is always this way.
There's nothing I can keep with me that will stay. It's made me adaptable.
I must always re-establish ties.
I must tread carefully or give myself away.
I must survive.
Mercy doesn't realise it yet, but as she journeys into the darkest places of the human soul, she discovers that she is one of the celestial host exiled with fallen angel, Lucifer. Now she must atone for taking his side. To find her own way back to heaven, Mercy must help a series of humans in crisis and keep the unwary from getting caught up in the games that angels play. Ultimately she must choose between her immortal companion, Lucifer, and a human boy who risks everything for her love.
My Thoughts - Wow I'm still trying to get over how fantastic this novel truly is. I think the author has really brought her own and placed her mark with this book. There is no way you can compare any other book to this simply because of the MC. Mercy, now she's a character. I really liked the sound of this book, so I was excited to know I was to receive a copy. However ,I never imagined it to be as breathtaking and amazing as it turned out to be.
Mercy has no real name; she is an Angel and has spent a lifetime living through others due to being exiled to earth for being a traitor. She has no recollection of her past life only flashes of what might have been. All she knows is that from time to time she will be placed in a human’s body and without warning taken back out when it is her time to inhibit another human. She holds memories that seem to eventually fade, some are of fondness love or anger, but are they truly her own or of those she has inhibited?
There's a lot about Mercy that we don't know, a lot that I am curious about. I don't know if she will be everyone's cup of tea. She is harsh, but so very honest, but closed off. I adored her as a character and felt like I could relate to her a lot. She hasn't really known love and isn't exactly one to feel either, emotionally she is quite cold.
At times someone under the name of Luc visits her in her dreams. They seem to share a bond from another time, but it's not really elaborated on. I didn't trust him and just got this bad vibe from him.
Carmen the girl whose body she has inhibited this time is different from the past girls she has been in, she is much younger and not the most confident of them all. She is very self-conscious and is always wondering what others think of her. Mercy whilst is; confident, snarky and has a ruthless past which also isn’t talked about. All we know is that since then Mercy has changed she is more empathetic towards humans and no longer cruel.
Their personalities completely clash but somewhere along the line both seem to meet in the middle. Mercy arrives at her new family’s house under the name Carmen as a host who after losing their daughter Lauren it seems are aching for someone to fill her place. Ryan Lauren's brother is furious, the last thing he wants is a replacement as he has full hope that his sister is alive, if anything hope is all he latches on to. From not being too fond of Carmen, when she tells him she is willing to help him in his search to find his sister they seem to form a friendship and a mutual respect for each other.
I can't exactly pin - point what it is about this book that blew me away, but I just got this feeling that I had stumbled across something quite special. Mercy is unlike any other character I have ever come across, she doesn't care if you like her or not, but I found myself respecting and liking her still.
Carmen it turns out is a singer, so Mercy finds out what she can of Carmen's life and sings in the school choir. She is one of the very best. Upon enrolling she comes across a girl called Tiffany who it seems has always been competing with Carmen. Almost as a rival. Ryan is the bad boy In school but not of his own will, ever since his sister’s death it has almost become a obsession in finding his sister, others in the school perceive him as this boy who has completely lost it. It's in the realisation that Mercy believes in him do they finally connect. He is so lonely and lost; Mercy brings out the old Ryan and along the way brings him back.
Towards the end of the book things take a darker turn which was not expected at all but welcomed. It showed that the author could pull of a variety of things and keep the reader hooked all the same. Not coming across someone quite like Mercy in the past made me take a step back when I first saw her. She is so different from other MC in YA today; I don't think I can really explain it unless you read the book for yourself. All I can say is I feel like the author with this book has brought something very unique and wonderful into the bookish world. I feel like many will be pleasantly surprised and find Mercy's voice a breath of fresh air.
The ending was just heartbreaking, I really felt for them and I just kept reading the last page over and over, it leaves a lot unsaid and the reader aching for more. I became very attached to Mercy and Ryan; they are just genuine wonderful characters who are completely themselves. Ryan wasn't over exaggerated about how hot he was, but he didn't need to be. I saw what made him so attractive and appealing although it wasn't over dramatised like you see in other books, and that is a big plus for me. I miss them already, I really cannot wait for the next installment it's sure to be a killer that's for sure :)
"Hi, Carmen" I say softly. "I hope you don't mind me soul-jacking your life for a while."
Thanks to HarperCollinChildrens UK for providing me the copy for review!
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