Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Mercy is a very different being than the ones you are used to. She awakens in a person's body and inhabits it long enough to help the person through a tough time.Then she is cast out and waits in the ether until her next assignment comes along. When she awakens in Carmen Zappacosta's body, she is disoriented and confused. With very little time to adapt to her new surroundings, she is forced to fill Carmen's shoes and take over as a top-rated soprano for the school's choir group. Then Mercy meets Ryan, a boy with a missing sister and a tortured soul. She desperately wants to help Ryan, but is it not going to be an easy task. There are forces working against her, both strange and frightening.

This book was not as good as I had hoped it would be. My feelings wavered pretty evenly back and forth between being entranced and being bored. It was neat to experience Mercy's thoughts and actions as she navigated through Carmen. I was sure there would be a lot of confusion, but Rebecca Lim kept her two beings straight. Both the main and secondary characters held a lot of depth, and Lim makes sure to let each one have their fifteen minutes. Mercy and Ryan get more time, naturally, but it was refreshing to hear the others get their chance to talk too. I found I was never truly gripped by the mystery aspect of the plot, so the characterization rounded out this reading experience. Fans of the angel paranormal trend will dive right into this book, but those looking to try it out may feel lost or confused by the added super power elements. As the first book in a series, Mercy has tons of potential!

Overall Rating: 3 Stars