Book Review - Exile by Rebecca Lim

I have just one thing to say: what an ending! My nails are bitten down to the quick!

SYNOPSIS:

Exile is the second book in Rebecca Lim's Mercy series. It tells the story of Mercy, a girl with no memory of who she is or why she finds herself waking up in the bodies of complete strangers. The central plot is Mercy's search for the truth of who she really is and her past. However, within each book there is another story. As she takes the form of someone else she has to live their life and, although she's not required to, she kind of helps them along the way. 

REVIEW:

Mercy, the first book, left me a little confused and I was only able to really understand the central plot after reading a review from somewhere else explaining some details. However, Lim's easy prose, wit and gift to produce cliff-hanger endings got me hooked. 

Exile is a lot better than the first book as the plot starts to unravel and you start to understand Mercy's background. Once I got over the fact that the main plot is inside another, it became clear to me that my confusion with the first book was exactly what it needed to be. As a reader you are in a journey with Mercy. As she doesn't know what is happening... Neither do you. And as the she starts putting the puzzle pieces together, you start seeing the full picture. A brilliant piece of writing. 

And of course! There is also the romance in between the lines. Luc is Mercy's long lost love. Ryan is the boy she met during the first book and the one that stole her heart. During Exile, Mercy is faced with the reality that her love for Luc is not what it once was and things are not what she thought they were. My heart broke for Ryan and I can't wait to read Muse - the third book, which releases October 27th this year, and the fourth book, Fury, due to release on March 29th 2012. I, for one, love the fact you don't have to wait a year to read what happens!

This series is quickly becoming my favourite!

OUT OF CURIOSITY: Rebecca Lim is an illustrator and writer based in Australia and she has a long list of other published children and YA books. Get this: she was a lawyer for years until she gave it up to write full time. Talent seems to speak louder once more.

Book Rating: *****

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