Cover Love: The Mercy Series by Rebecca Lim

As I was reading the amazing, lyrical novel Mercy [insert link] I kept noticing the many different covers the novel has received. And all of them are very beautiful.

Mercy Cover #1

So, this is the cover my copy had. I think it fits the book well because as much as the story has a beautiful voice, it's very dark.

Mercy Cover #2

This is the cover I used in my review, and it's the only cover theme that I've seen used in each novel of the series. I love it because it shows Mercy looking very much like the beautiful angel she's supposed to be, but I also don't like it because it looks like she's a beacon for good when really, she's probably not one of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

Mercy Cover #3

This cover is very lovely, much like the other two, but I don't think it has anything to do with the story. Water's hardly ever mentioned, and it looks as if she's underwater. But I love how the skirt looks like it's made with feathers.

Exile Cover #1

This is the sequel to Mercy, and you can see that it looks a lot like Mercy Cover #2. I don't like it that much, though, because the model doesn't remind me of what I think Mercy looks like. Not one of my favorites.

Exile Cover #2

This cover reminds me of exile, really. The bright white nothing, and Mercy standing at the center of it all.

Muse Cover #1

This is the third novel in the Mercy Series. Again, you can see that it resembles Mercy Cover #2 and Exile Cover #1. I think it's so pretty, because of the lovely model and the light obscuring part of her face. But I dislike the pink. I think it might throw off a reading enthusiast looking for an angel novel. Because from what I've read so far, Mercy isn't all about happiness and love. It's also about pain, darkness, and sacrifice.

Muse Cover #2

My favorite part of this cover are the feathers falling out of her hair. It's my favorite out of all seven of the series's various covers. As much as it is lovely, I think the model covering her face gives the slightest clue that it's not all happy, but is also dark.

Well? What are your favorites?

Mercy (Mercy #1) by Rebecca Lim

Genre: paranormal
Series and Book #: Mercy #1
Pages: 280
Synopsis:

A fallen angel haunted by her past. Yearning for her immortal beloved. Forever searching for answers. Who will show her Mercy?

Mercy has lost herself. She can’t count how many times she’s “woken up” in a new body, and assumed a new life, 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 him. Mercy’s heart would know him anywhere. But 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 who was kidnapped two years ago. Everyone else has given up hope, but Ryan believes his sister is still alive. Using a power she doesn’t fully comprehend, Mercy realizes that Ryan is right. His sister is alive and together they can find her. 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 dark mystery of his sister’s disappearance, danger looms just one step behind. Will Mercy be able to harness her true self and extraordinary power in time?

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Mercy was a unique angel novel because Mercy didn't even realize she was an angel. During the entire novel, she was clueless as to who she was and that was the half of the story. Mercy was trying to find herself along the way of finding Lauren, Ryan's kidnapped sister whom she volunteers to help him find.

Mercy's voice was haunting, sarcastic, and strong. It was lyrical, honest, and unemotional, speaking of facts and things that were, never letting emotion get in the way. She was a girl who wanted to get her new "body" over with and move on to the next, hoping that she'd eventually find who she was. But with each person she took residence in, she tried to help them discover that they were better than they thought themselves to be. Especially with Carmen, the body she inhabits when she meets Ryan.  

I thought the kidnappings were clever because they let Mercy discover who she was as a person as well as what she was. Mercy knows that she's something special, something inhuman. She reflects upon much of this, especially in her dreams when her and the mysterious Luc speak to one another. She also grew closer to Ryan, who she felt a strong attraction to beyond her understanding. I must say, the final scene of this novel was incredibly well written. I don't quite know how to explain it, but Rebecca ties the last few knots between Mercy and Ryan, and then lets Mercy go. It was insanely frustrating and I'm going to be scouring the shelves for the next in this series!

I didn't like how this book seemed to drag out certain sentences, as if the characters were thinking before they spoke. I found that unrealistic, because usually I don't think before I speak, and I would guess plenty others don't either.

Overall, this was a novel with an incredible main character who I believed to be something different completely. She didn't understand pop culture, but knew Latin as if she'd spoken it every day of her life. She was amazed by emotions, and the powers she discovered while she was investigating Lauren's kidnapping. Rebecca's novel was amazing and perfect for a dark, rainy day, when you'll believe that there are more things than you can possibly see.

The Cover: I believe this may be the UK version, but I still think it's beautiful.