A page-turning sequel that moves this series forward; it should please fans of the first.
The second installment in the paranormal-thriller series Mercy draws readers into fast-moving scenes, introduces unpredictable characters and further refines the series’ underlying celestial mythology.
The novel reintroduces the fallen angel Mercy, who separated from her lover, Luc, due to an unrevealed transgression and is doomed to flit between Earth and the unknown with no control over her destination. When on Earth, Mercy inhabits a human body, becoming “a rough facsimile.” In this installment, Mercy subsumes Lela Neill, a Melbourne college student who is helping to care for her terminally ill mother while making ends meet by working at a local coffee shop. As with previous inhabitations, Mercy fumbles at first, figuring out her host’s personality, daily routine and so on. Unlike previous “soul-jackings,” though, Mercy is able to remember past experiences—in particular, those from the first book in the series, Mercy (2011)—that may be able to reunite her with Luc, although humans seem to keep getting in her way. Building on a complicated mythology that was set out in the first book, this is not for series newcomers. Nor is it for readers looking for a light escape, as violence against women is one of its themes.
A page-turning sequel that moves this series forward; it should please fans of the first. (Paranormal thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: April 23, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-4520-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
A sweet enemies-to-lovers romance with a healthy dose of empowerment.
New college student Blair had everything figured out, but the old friends she was supposed to share a house with tell her at the last minute that she can’t live with them after all.
A week before she enters Central Florida State University, Blair needs to find cheap housing. Her parents will never let her live off-campus with strangers, and if she’s forced into the dorms, she won’t be able to afford the sculpting class taught by her idol at a nearby studio. Desperate, she takes the only option she can find, forging her stepdad’s signature on the lease. But to her horror, she discovers that Jamie Atwater, her antagonistic older brother Sawyer’s best friend, is one of her new roommates. When Jamie threatens to reveal her secret, Blair strikes a deal: She’ll help Jamie with his coding project, and he won’t tell her brother where she’s living. But the more time Blair spends with Jamie, the more she unravels his mysteries and realizes that he sees her as more than his friend’s sister. Equal parts funny, emotionally charged, and heartwarming, this is a feel-good story about finding your inner strength and pursuing your passions that’s well-paced and strongly characterized. The cast members’ endearing bonds liven the world and enhance the story’s relatability. The leads are cued white, and the supporting cast is broadly diverse. Blair deals with anxiety but is confident in her fat body.
A sweet enemies-to-lovers romance with a healthy dose of empowerment. (Romance. 15-18)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9781665973076
Page Count: 352
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
An intense gorefest that will please series fans.
Star-crossed teenaged girlfriends crank up the steam as gangsters, vampires, and drug-spawned monsters leave the streets of Jazz Age Harlem awash in gore in this duology closer.
While blood flows, spurts, or sprays on nearly every page amid a rising tide of gruesomely explicit dismemberments, sundered best friends Layla Quinn, a fanged reaper, who’s struggling to control her blood fury, and Elise Saint, the mortal scion of harsh antireaper regulators, slowly circle back toward one another. But as Layla puts it with both literal and metaphorical accuracy, “There is something rotting underneath Harlem.” Indeed, hardly have the two reunited at last in a passionate whirl of shuddering embraces, than an army of ravening evolved reapers arises. They’re made from human corpses and are dedicated to the forceful assertion of equal rights and housing opportunities for vampires of both the dead and undead sort. Can the smoldering duo form an alliance of regular reapers, gangsters, and ordinary humans to counter the threat and take out its sinister instigator? When it comes to Shakespearean references, Hamlet is just the beginning, and an opening chapter sentence declaring “this ends in blood” applies to far more than just the tragically romantic close. Most cast members are Black.
An intense gorefest that will please series fans. (Fantasy. 15-18)Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9781728297903
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
