Title: Mercy
Author: Rebecca Lim [goodreads]
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher (via Net Galley)
Parental Advisory: kidnapping, sexual abuse, language, drugs, criminal activity
Teachable Moments: self-defense, teamwork, perseverance

“I’m not really certain what I’m looking for, or exactly how this works. I get more images of Lauren, and I’m not sure if they’re things I’ve seen for myself in her bedroom or that exist only inside her twin’s head. But I feel it, too. There’s something of her inside him that isn’t just random memories. It feels fresh, almost recent. It’s uncanny. Faint, like a faded graffiti writer’s tag that refuses to be washed away by the rain. A reaching out. A cry for help. A faint save me.”

Summary (from the publisher):
Mercy is an exile from heaven with shattered memories of who she used to be. She’s doomed to “wake” repeatedly on earth in a new body, each time assuming a new life. During the day she survives in the human world on instinct and at night her reams are haunted by her lost love, who pleads with her to find him.

But this time is different. When Mercy wakes up she meet 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.

Opinion:
Mercy is one of those reads that I find myself able to pull out elements that didn’t work for me far more than those that did. In doing so I fear that it gives the impression that I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I did. This actually is not the case, I enjoyed it quite a bit. In fact, I’m eagerly awaiting the second book in the series.

Let me start with what I considered to be weakness. The most significant flaw was the lack of back story. I wanted to know the how and why of Mercy’s existence. What was the reasoning by which she was brought into existence and how exactly was it she was put into the position of possessing these girls. There was a tiny bit of that told in flashbacks but not enough to give me the clearest of pictures.

To that end, I’m not exactly sure what the purpose of her pining away for Luc was about. I mean I get the idea that there was a need for some desire and longing to balance out the darkness but I didn’t really get much from the limited view into their relationship that provided much in that regard. I suppose it went to show that Mercy was moving on from her old life when the time came but that could have been demonstrated in other ways. I also suppose that in providing this small snippet in the story it’s setting the scene for further interaction but I needed more from it all in order to really care at this point.

Luc wasn’t the only potential beau either. Ryan (the son of Carmen/Mercy’s host family) is filled with loathing for the visitor who is seemingly taking the place of his long missing sister. Because the romantic portions of the story really weren’t the main focus the progression from disdain to moderate dislike to friendship between Ryan and Carmen/Mercy was quicker than I’d have liked but wasn’t entirely off-putting. It served the purpose of moving the central plot along while adding in just the tiniest piece of lighter fare. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t all hearts and flowers but did give some much needed moments of respite in an otherwise darkly plotted story.

The plot was most definitely the strongest part of the book. Lim constructed the mystery of whether Lauren was kidnapped or murdered with an excellent degree of tension. It kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time and I was glad that I didn’t immediately know who the ultimate bad person was. Though there were portions that felt a bit formulaic they were few and far between and nothing that really detracted from my ability to enjoy the story as a whole. The realism the last third (the moments of revelation

Furthermore, I also enjoyed the characters. Though development was somewhat slow, given the story it made sense that growth was incremental. I fully expect that Mercy will be even further realized as she takes a different form in the second book. It was interesting to see Mercy’s sense of self consistently at war with the consciousness of the body she was possessing. It is bordering on multiple personalities but in the strange way where they both occupy the same space at the same time — having conversations and maintaining mutual feelings. I liked that Lim was careful to have Mercy pay close attention to and maintain a respectful consideration for the life that the person she was possessing. Even though some actions that would be out of character for Carmen were necessary there was a degree of care when they were undertaken and any opportunity to avoid making her life worse after the fact was pursued.

All in all, I think this book is primarily one best fitting for the paranormal crowd. I don’t know that there is much in the way of crossover appeal for audiences that typically shy away from the genre. It could perhaps appeal to mystery lovers as well but I don’t know that there is much opportunity for readers who tend towards contemporary or romance. I’m looking forward to what Lim has in store for Mercy next, will it be some continuation of this first story or will she posses someone entirely new?