Book Review: Muse by Rebecca Lim
- Paola Santana
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
"An angel becomes a muse... Mercy, an exiled angel doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, is thrust into the body of troubled supermodel Irina.
Against the glamorous background of Milan, Mercy continues her increasingly desperate search for Ryan, the mortal boy she fell in love with, yet is still drawn to Luc, her eternal flame. But as Mercy's memories and powers grow ever stronger, she begins to doubt Luc's desires and his purpose.
In Muse, the celestial battle for Mercy's soul builds to a stormy crescendo."
BOOK SPECS:
Number of pages: 354
Format: Paperback
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense
Tropes: Amnesia, Body Snatching, Angels, Love Triangle
SHORT REVIEW:
Muse is the third instalment of Rebecca Lim's Mercy series and I couldn't wait to read this novel. That woman is the queen of cliffhangers, so after I finished reading Exile - tear-stricken and angry (read my review here) - I was counting the minutes to read Muse. It has become a little bit of an addiction. However, I have to admit I'm not sure it hit the spot. Love the cover though!
HEART RATE:
SMUT SCORE:
FULL REVIEW:
Plot
Mercy is not allowed to "souljack" the same body for very long, so Muse is seriously fast-paced. The plot also becomes more and more complex, as she discovers more about her own past. But unlike the first two books in this series, I just couldn't get that emotionally attached to this one.
Having said all that, Lim does something I really like: she portrays the fashion world as shallow, self-obsessed, tantrum and ego driven. Bottom line? Just damn ugly. Because you know what? That's exactly what it's like. I know because I worked in it for a few years. It's not all that it's cracked up to be. And neither is the life of being a celebrity - again, just like Rebecca portrays it. That spin, going against the grain of what you would normally read about fashion and being famous, is very much Rebecca.
Characters
The characters are likeable, especially Gia - Irina's assistant who becomes Mercy's biggest ally. In contrast, I'm not sure I found the love triangle that convincing. Mercy's feelings for Ryan seem to be very sporadic, only appearing whenever she remembers him. There was just something that was not quite right when you compare this novel to the other two, and I just can't put my finger on it. It's very annoying.
Romance & Smut Score
Like the first two books in the series, there is no smut on this one, but there's romance. It is, after all, a YA series.
Writing
Writing wise, there are a few repetitions and quite a few pages at the beginning are just recapping the story. I know you have to do it at some stage, but there is no reason why it couldn't be seamless, like it was in the second book of the series. I can't tell you how surprised I am to be saying this of Rebecca Lim. I have never been able to say anything else about her writing rather than 'I love her books'.
While it didn't hit the mark, I can't say it was a total disappointment. Lim's wit is still as entertaining as ever. Not to mention that in anything longer than a trilogy there is always one novel that seems to be signing from a different hymn sheet - in Twilight it was Eclipse; in Wicked Lovely it was Darkest Mercy; and in The Mortal Instruments I'm not sure the second batch of books follows the same original and brilliant principle either. That doesn't make me like them any less.
I would love to say more and explain myself better, but I can't do it without spoiling the book if you haven't read it yet. And that is a rule I'm not willing to break. Verdict? Not as good as the first two, but a good read nonetheless.
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