Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback (ARC copy): 288 Pages

Publisher: Hyperion

ISBN: 978-1-4231-4571-2

Release Date: May 17th, 2011

My Rating: 5/5

Mercy is an exile from heaven with shattered memories of who and what she used to be. She's doomed to "wake" repeatedly on earth in a new body, assuming a new life each time, only to move on again and again. During the day she survives in the human world on instinct, and at night her dreams are haunted by her lost love, who pleads with her to find him. Mercy's heart would know him anywhere. By her memory refuses to cooperate.
But this time is different. When Mercy wakes up she meets Ryan, an eighteen-year-old reeling from the loss of his twin sister, Lauren, who was kidnapped two years ago. Only Mercy and Ryan believe his sister is still alive. For the first time since she can remember, Mercy has a purpose: she can help. So she doesn't understand why the man in her dreams cautions her not to interfere. But as Ryan and Mercy come closer to solving the mystery of Lauren's disappearance, danger looms just one step behind. When another girl goes missing, Mercy knows they must act before time runs out. Will she be able to harness her extraordinary power in time?

I wasn't sure whether to give 'Mercy' a 5/5 or a 4/5. There were a couple of things that I didn't really like about the book but I don't think they were important enough for me to take down my rating of the book to a 4. So I ultimately gave it a 5. 'Mercy' wasn't a book that I loved right away. But I liked it and I was intrigued. The more I read, the more I liked it. I think it will be one of those books for people that you either love or hate. I want to say now, that because this is an ARC copy, I won't be revealing too much about the actual book.

The book starts off with someone ( who we later learn to be Mercy) being completely disoriented. Because she is not really who she is...if that makes sense. She is Mercy, but the body she is inhabiting, is Carmen.  She is not really sure what is happening to her, but she makes a lot of speculations. Mercy's transformation throughout 'Mercy' is amazing! She definitely became one of my favorite female characters in a series. She is a strong, confident girl and we need a lot more of those! : )

'Mercy' is very different from a lot of the other YA books that I've read. It does have some similarities to other YA books in this genre-impossibly gorgeous guy, average girl scenario-but it's still different. Carmen (or Mercy) is a choir girl. She's not pretty but not hideous either. Her and Ryan are trying to uncover the kidnapping of Ryan's twin sister, Lauren.

'Mercy' is very well written. The ending of the book was really good. There were some unexpected twists and turns along the way. There isn't too much of a romance story there, but there's still....something. I think the ending of the book and the character development-especially Mercy-are really what turned this book around for me. I can't wait for the sequel! I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of other YA books like 'Fallen' or 'Hush, Hush.' Definitely pick up 'Mercy' by Rebecca Lim on May 17th, 2011. It's a great read and I highly recommend it!!