Chasing Mercy (Mercy, #1) by Stacy Claflin

Chasing Mercy (Mercy, #1) Reviews

• 
  Renee

  I loved it!! Suddenly I am liking paranormal a little
  The summer after graduation should have been the most exciting time of Mercy’s life. Right? I mean the first sentence gets you right in the heart. The first 3 chapters were really emotional and raw. I totally loved the book. It is not my usual read, but I think it was what I would call a ghost story, well, no the ghost is sort of purgatory, so maybe a romance with a sub plot of paranormal. I think I may need to create a new genre LOL.
  
  Instead, on the way to an exciting overseas trip, she barely survives an accident that kills the rest of her family. As soon as she’s released from the hospital, a creepy hooded figure with black skinny jeans begins to chase her. The Reaper who is nick named "Creeper" is stalking her, watching, floating, just THERE
  
  
  
  Now back home, Mercy has some feeling of being watched. She sees her new neighbor move in and lucky for her he turns out to be her confidant. Kit, runs a paranormal blog and his entire female family is sensitive and clairvoyant. He feel like he has never actually seen a ghost because he is a man. He even jokes that his "plumbing" gets in the way of his dream, seeing a real ghost.
  
  
  
  So many things happen between Mercy and Kit. They build a close relationship where he is an adviser Mercy is falling for Kit. Well to be honest I was too. Mercy's mom is East Indian and Dad is Scandinavian so Kit, being on the slightly fair and red headed makes Mercy drawn to him. He resembles what her Dad did when he was younger. She discovers that the creepy hooded figure is holding her dad’s ghost captive so she enlists the help of Kit to rescue her dad from the ghost who’s chasing her.
  
  Truth be told, I learned that the Grim Reaper can also be female. Holy *** I was scared to sleep. I thought over and over about the skinny jeans and then convinced myself that I couldn't define a traditional reaper. Crazy thoughts! I recommend this across the board. Great book.
• 
  Raelyn Falkin

  *A thanks to Story Cartel for providing this book in exchange for an honest review*
  
  With the good reviews and the interesting synopsis I had started this book with an open mind expecting to be shocked, thrilled and perhaps a little bit scared to be reading this in the middle of the night. I was none of the above. It started out well enough. The story began with decent writing and a good introduction to the character. Mercy wakes up from an accident in which the rest of her family has perished and leaves to go attend the service and funeral, only to be chased away by ghosts. Interesting enough for a start I have to admit. But that’s when things started to go very downhill.
  
  Once we meet Kit, her new neighbor who just happens to be a cute guy, I started to realize that the characters are flat and one dimensional. The beginning of the book started without much dialogue and the descriptions were okay. But when Kit arrives then the book turns into just dialogue. There is barely any descriptions when the two are together and if there is, it’s minimal and unimportant at best. The dialogue was boring and I had a hard time telling who was talking because Kit and Mercy sounded exactly the same.
  
  !!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! SUPER SPOILERY AS IN I REVEAL EVERYTHING !!!!
  
  The plot could have been good but it wasn’t. The big plot issue is that her father’s ghost has been captured by the other ghost that had been chasing her at the beginning (who she so uniquely has named Creepy). It’s a decent enough plot idea but it wasn’t executed well at all. The way Mercy finds out is through a memory/dream in which she remembers seeing her father’s ghost being taken away. Her reaction wasn’t as freaked out as I would think most people would be. There isn’t any ‘well maybe it was just a dream’ or anything like that. It was just ‘OH THIS DEFINITELY HAPPENED AND NOW I HAVE TO SAVE HIM!’. So then Mercy and Kit go on a mission to save her father. This leads to another 80 pages or so in which they spend 30 of it actually doing something and the other 50 is Mercy falling for this guy. Who then happens to be gay. But instead of moving on with the ‘must save dad’ idea, she convinces herself that he’s delusional about his sexuality and how can she get him to fall for her. Priorities, right?
  
  The big showdown at the end wasn’t impressive. It didn’t leave me quacking in my boots, it wasn’t action packed and it wasn’t thrilling. It was just a lot of ‘Give me my dad back!’ (because demanding things from the bad guys without any leverage totally works). The big reveal at the end just pissed me off really. (Turns out she was dead the entire time). Mostly because it just didn’t make any sense when it came to ghost lore. There wasn’t any instances of missing time/time skipping and she could interact with anything around her – people and objects. I mean have you heard of a ghost taking a shower and changing clothes???? (oh and of course the gay guy falls in love with her) I wish I could say there was a redeeming factor to this book but for me there wasn’t one at all. I feel cheated and lied to and really pissed off about it. I’m sorry if I offend anyone with this review, but it’s my honest opinion. I didn’t like this book one bit.
  
  You can check on goodreads for other reviews or read the book for yourself and see what you think of it if you like.
• 
  Ren nerdychampagne

  I'm juggling between three to three point five.
  
  Okay, let me tell you one thing. I knew. Right from the moment she said she went home. I knew. The ending got me smiling because I knew. I knew it.
  
  And Kit, fridge. I hate that I knew. Because the ending. Well, the few pages before the ending.
  
  Okay, the writing is a little annoying at times. It's not even a big deal. It was good, actually. Maybe it's just me, like on million other occasions.
  
  The characters... well, the sisters were a bit unreachable, more like the whole family characterization was a bit unreal. No, the race thing, but who-what they are, individually.
  
  But I love Kit. And Mercy annoying and pretty self-centred, and well, she is what she is. She's not the bad kind of annoying but the normal kind of annoying. And Kit is adorable.
  
  But that ending. Oh, Kit.
  
  For me, the book didn't have much thrill or suspense because really, everything happened in a snap of a finger.
  
  Chasing Mercy is really short and an easy read. Interesting concept, even though it was super predictable, main plot, anyway. It can be longer, more detailed, more action scenes. Actually, I think it would be better if it was a bit longer, to give time and space for the characters to have proper development; to let the plot grow a base.
  
  It's really admiring how Stacy was able to make me love Kit just through the short pages, because I've read a lot of books and I could really not connect with someone even through the course of 400 pages. But not here. Even though I can't say I love Mercy, I liked her just fine.
  
  Overall, it was a good story. I told you, interesting plot. Not much new but not so mainstream, either. The writing was fair and so were the characters. It had lots of potential and still could be improved. I liked it and yes, no one can stop just at the first book.
• 
  Joseph McGarry

  I received a free ARC of this book from Story Cartel in exchange for this review.
  
  Who you gonna call? This book was a cross between Ghostbusters (1, not 2) and the Ghost Whisperer. The title character, Mercy, was the sole survivor in a car accident that killed the rest of her family. Along the way, she meets Kit, a boy who comes from a family of ghost whisperers (although that term isn't used in the book). Together, they try to outwit a ghost she names Creepy, who tries to steal her dad's soul. I won't say more about the plot, since that would give too much away.
  
  This is a YA book. Both of the main characters are 18. The plot twist at the end was a little surprising. I did not see that coming. It ends with a setup for book 2. Part of me likes to have each book somewhat self-contained. I understand a series, and I understand the whole "to be continued" concept. I just would like to know there's an ending, so if for some reason I can't get to the next book in the series, I know there's closure for this one. Overall, a good book.
• 
  Wulfwyn

  After thinking about it a few days I am changing my review a bit. I had given it a 3.5 star. But one thing has stayed with me. The romance. I liked the questioning on it. I liked the I'm still figuring things out feel. So I am adding a star. The fact that it has stayed with me and has me thinking about it days later is a good indication that I invested more in the characters than I thought.
  Original review:
  I wish we could give half stars. This is actually a 3.5 star book. I liked it but figured it out fairly early in the story. The action was good as was the ghost hunting info. The characters were likable. I will read the next book in the series to see what happens next but I'm not in a rush about it.
• 
  Charles Ray

  The summer that Mercy graduated from high school was marred when her family was killed in a tragic auto accident. Then, at their funeral, Mercy sees a mysterious figure in black that no one else can apparently see. Later, she meets her new neighbor, Kit, who does a blog about paranormal phenomena. Together they try to understand what Mercy has seen.
  Chasing Mercy by Stacy Claflin is a fast-paced paranormal fantasy that keeps the reader guessing from the first page to the last. Some of the dialogue seems forces and a bit trite, but Claflin does a fairly good job of moving the action along to a surprise ending that will please lovers of the genre.
  I reviewed a free advance copy of this book, the first in a planned series. Not at all bad for a first novel.
  
• 
  Merissa (Archaeolibrarian)

  I received this book from Story Cartel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
  
  One thing you can guarantee with a Stacy Claflin book is that even when you read the synopsis, you won't know what story you are getting until you read it. She manages to put twist or unique take on each and every book of hers that I had read and Chasing Mercy is no different. The best thing for me is that the first thought that I had about the storyline was proved to be correct but the journey that took me through to the conclusion ensured that it was still a surprise when I read it. I invested in these characters and got hooked into their stories.
  
  A brilliant book that you will enjoy. Definitely looking forward to reading book 2, Searching For Mercy.
• 
  Rhonda Farrell

  I received an early review copy in exchange for an honest review. After reading the summary of the story I was happy to be able to have a copy and escape myself into another life. The life of Mercy. I enjoyed this book very much. It was interesting from the first page all the way to the end. I didn't find any parts that dragged or left me bored. The plot kept me wanting to read more to find out what was going to happen and I never expected the ending! So now of course I am impatient that I have to wait till the next book in the series comes out! A good story to be enjoyed by the teens and adults of all ages. I loved Stacy Claflin's writing style.
• 
  Jae R

  This was a quick read. It was very interesting. I liked how the author dove right into the plot instead of waiting a couple chapters for things to get good. I loved Mercy and Kit's relationship throughout the whole book. The fact that the author kept me on edge through it is one reason why I'm giving this 5 stars. Another reason is a shocking ending. I can most of the time predict an ending to a book I read but this one I couldn't and it caught me off guard. I can't wait for the second book!
• 
  Heather

  I got this book in exchange for a review
  
  Well this was book I really liked. It offered a lot of dynamics, and is a good read. Especially for a long weekend or a trip. I didn't see any errors in it. And as I have been out of HS and College for years plus my mom died years ago I really did not think it would entertain me so well. I will not be putting it on my shelf to read again for those reasons, but I would highly recommend this book to others.
• 
  Kevin Berry

  A nice story and well-written. I particularly liked the development of Mercy and Kit's friendship throughout the book. They seemed very real, believable characters. It's a story that will keep you guessing as to the outcome. A quick read that would appeal to teenagers and anyone else young at heart with an interest in paranormal novels. I enjoyed reading it and intend to read more of the author's books.
• 
  Mari

  Mercy wakes up at the hospital and goes to her family's funeral, after surviving a car wreck that took both her parents and two sisters on their way to vacation. She becomes aware of a presence that starts following her and chases her to the burial. She ditches the presence and makes it home where her Grandma is not doing very well, but she doesn't talk to Mercy, she is almost deaf. She meets her new neighbor boy who is a ghost hunter who has yet to see a ghost....or has he?
• 
  Frances Hampton

  I liked this book but I didn't love it. I figured it out fairly quickly. I did like the characters a lot. The story was okay for me. I would like to see where it goes from here so I will read the next book in the series, (investment in the characters). I think it will appeal to a lot of YA readers.
• 
  Irene

  I usually don't like very much this kind of paranormal, but Chasing Mercy was a surprise. I really enjoyed the reading, and even if I have to admit that I figured out how it was going to end quite early, this didn't take away anything from the pleasure of reading the story. The pace is good, not too slow and not to fast, and it left me the desire to read more about the characters.
  
• 
  Janet Lapierre

  A fast paced young paranormal romance covering grief, true friendship and letting go. Kind of figured out what direction it was going half way thru. Was able to complete it in a few hours.
• 
  Cary Morton

  You can read my full/honest review here:
  http://wp.me/p37Zro-1hm