Fate

March 2, 2009
Barnes crosses Greek gods with faeries in her addition to the teens-with-special-powers-and-destinies genre. In this companion novel to Tattoo
, Bailey, aka the Fate of Life (“single-handedly responsible for weaving the lives of the entire world”), is back and joined once more by best friends Delia, Annabelle and Zo. With the help of mysterious pendants (Bailey’s friends have lost the powers they possessed in the first book), they must help Bailey face the Reckoning, when she must choose between her world and the Otherworld. Barnes has her mythical realms covered with the Otherworld, “also known as Faerie, Olympus, Avalon, and the Beyond,” where Bailey spends her nights while her less-mythic friends dream. Bailey’s upbeat narration adds flair to this story of girl power and friendship, though her Otherworldly trips (which are, unfortunately, italicized) cover large swaths of the book and can feel like a disruption. Readers who hang tight to the friendship arc, though, will find this story pulpy but fun. Ages 12–up.

March 15, 2009
Grades 6-9 Bailey Morgan, half mortal and half faerie, is unsettled by changes coming too quickly in her life. High-school graduation and the possibility of separation from her three best friends loom on the mortal horizon, and her night job as one of the Three Fates puts her at the nexus of a problem with the wall between the sidhe (fey) and mortal realms. Held in place by tenuous forces, the protective barrier is thinning and Bailey (with the help of her beautiful, brainy, butt-kickin friends) must first find balance within herself in order to stabilize the wall and prevent the devious sidhe from gaining easy access to the human race. Fate follows Tattoo (2007) and is a sassy, amusing friendship tale that can definitely be enjoyed on its own. Baileys believable angst about the future, her friends, and a new romance will resonate with female readers everywhere. Give this to fans of Meg Cabots Avalon High, or those looking for relief from Melissa Marr or Holly Blacks darker fey adventures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)