Book Review: Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Mercy is not sure what or who she is - all she knows is that she jumps from body to body.  This time, she occupies the body of Carmen, a teen singer on a trip with her choir.  Carmen is placed into a host family full of grief - their daughter, also a singer, has been missing for more than a year.  Mercy must play the part of Carmen and try to solve the mystery of the missing girl, all while searching for an immortal love that visits her only in her dreams.

This story reminded me a lot of the 80s TV show Quantum Leap - in that Mercy seems to jump into bodies to set things right for the people involved.  Though the novel touches on Mercy's past and her identity, the main plot centers on preparing for a musical performance and sleuthing.  I loved that Mercy could add an extra dimension to her voice to literally make Carmen sing like an angel.  The descriptions of their choir practices really made me wish I could listen in!

The mystery was also very satisfying and surprising.  At the end, we finish with Carmen's story, but we can also look forward to Mercy inhabiting other bodies as the series continues.

MERCY is available in Australia now and will be published in hardcover in the US next month. Find out more about the author.