It may not be released in the USA for awhile, but it is out here in Canada and in England and Australia, so Christine and I though we’d review Exile by Rebecca Lim.
Cause, why not?
Caitlin: Directly after reading Mercy I went on Goodreads (and then Amazon and BookDepository) trying to figure out when Exile would be released. It was difficult to puzzle it out. It seems to have three different English release dates and none of them are near one another or connected or anything. So, I just sort of left it, and figured, when I see it in the bookstore, then it is time.
I’m so glad that day came sooner rather than later. With a series that, by it’s nature, is forced to switch the cast of characters every book, I feel it is important to read the books relatively close together so you don’t lose any affinity for it. Also, I’m impatient.
Christine: As am I, which is why I was so, so, SO happy that I visited Canada after it’d been released up there so I could buy it and read it THAT day. After reading Mercy, hearing that Exile would be released in the states in March of next year killed me inside. But guys, it’s worth the wait. Because it’s a good book and a great series. I just wish the publishers would get together and have ONE release date.
So, let’s talk about the story for a second. At the end of Mercy, the girl Mercy is pulled away from Carmen’s body and we have no idea where she ends up. All we know is that it’s away from Ryan. (*sigh*) This is the one of the things I really like about this series. We’re learning right along with Mercy everything about the person she’s in and what she needs to do, or how she needs to act. What’s different with this book, however, is the entire time all I wanted was for Mercy to reconnect with Ryan.
Caitlin: I’m pretty sure that’s aided by how much Mercy wanted that as well. At least, after she remembered who Ryan was. I was a little miffed at her forgetting the awesomeness of Ryan, but I guess we can’t blame Mercy for that. I was actually very intrigued by how many different sides of Mercy we see in this book. Her confidence that she is sent to take over people’s lives to help them. Her desire to see Ryan again and have a part of her life that is under her own control. And then there is her obsession with Luc while she is sleeping. I enjoyed how she tried to be all these things, all at once. And how each facet of her strange life blew up together at the end.
Christine: Before I go off on a rant about the ending, I did like that we got some answers about Mercy’s past and why Luc visits her in her dreams and wants her so badly. While we don’t get everything told to us wrapped up with a bow, we are given enough insight that I was able to draw some conclusions about Mercy’s past and how it might play into the series overall arc. I’m looking forward to finding out more about her before she body-hopped around the world and if Luc is ever going to find her outside of dreams.
Caitlin: Sigh, the ending. It was like having a piece of cake offered to you, then watching it fall onto floor and explode in mess of icing and crumbs. But, I’ll let you rant about that.
I wanted to say, that I NEED to know more. Who IS Mercy?? Like, I get kind of what’s going on but why do the…uh….people who are doing this to her, care about her so much. Who was she before she was Mercy? Sigh. Also, there now seems to be a fourth book in the series but the blurb on the third still says we’ll be getting all the answers. Somehow, I doubt this. Also, I just don’t see how it could all be wrapped up in one more book. I really want there to be at least one book where she is just Mercy. Not Mercy in the body of someone else.
And no more evil endings.
Christine: Yes, I’d love to see her as herself. Not superimposed on someone else’s face, mainly because that’s creepy.
The ending… :deep breath: The ending was just… so… UGH. SERIOUSLY?!? THAT’S how it ends?? With… with… it just looking promising and then you rip it away from us, Rebecca? Have you been taking writing advice from Richelle Mead? Because the heart ripping felt similar.
If you can’t tell from my mini-rant, it’s a cliffhanger. A bad one. I seriously wanted to throw the book on the ground after finishing it and jump up and down on it, I was so upset. Even thinking about it now makes me want to throw something. *HULK SMASH*
Caitlin: Suddenly glad we live so far apart.
Christine: Funny.
Caitlin: I thought so.
Christine: So here’s how it stands: the US release date is in March, but the rest of the world already has it. If you really want to read it now, I suggest either buying it from a bookstore that will ship international (I’d start with Canada) or buy it as an e-book and get it instantly. Muse, the third book, will be released everywhere but the US on October 27th, so I’d wait until then and get two-for-one international shipping, if you want the paper copy.
Everyone get that? For once, those of us living in the US don’t get it first, which I hate because I LOVE this series so much. Thank goodness I have friends in other countries. (Caitlin: Merry Christmas)
If you’ve read Exile, we’d love to know what you thought in the comments section.