Fate [Paperback]

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2009

For the past two years, Bailey Morgan has lived a double life: high school student by day, ancient mystical being by night. As the third Fate, Bailey literally controls the fate of the world, but as Plain Old Bailey, her life is falling apart. She’s got a tattoo that was supposed to be temporary (but isn’t), friendships that were supposed to last forever (but might not), and no idea what her future holds after high school graduation.

Then Bailey meets the rest of the Sidhe, an ancient race defined by their power, beauty, and a sinister habit of getting what they want at any cost. Before Bailey knows it, she’s being drawn into an otherworldly web more complicated than anything she weaves as a mortal Fate.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. (Mar.)
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About the Author

Jennifer Lynn Barnes earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s from Cambridge University. Fate is her sixth novel for young adults. You can visit her online at www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385735375
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735377
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Fiction > Visionary Fiction

More About the Author

I'm a Jennifer who goes mostly by Jen, an Oklahoma girl who's spent the past eight years living in Connecticut and England, and a writer who has a not-so-secret double life as a cognitive scientist. I love pop culture, mythology, science, superheroes, Joss Whedon, guacamole, television targeted at teenagers, and any song that I know the lyrics to. I have no sense of direction, but can read a book and shower at the same time. As is probably obvious, I do not particularly excel at writing my own bios.

I started writing professionally when I was a teenager and completed my first four published novels (Golden, Tattoo, Platinum, and The Squad: Perfect Cover) while I was in college. After graduation, I took a year off before grad school and spent that year doing autism research in England, courtesy of the generous support of the US-UK Fulbright Commission. While in England, I wrote two more books, The Squad: Killer Spirit and Fate, and tried not to embarrass myself too frequently by inadvertently using British slang with a somewhat-Southern accent.

Currently, I'm a full-time graduate student at Yale University, working on a PhD in developmental psychology, which basically means I spend a lot of time thinking about the way the mind works and designing and running experiments that probe the way that young children and non-human primates view the world. My experiences working with primates in the wild and my love of the supernatural led me to writing a book about a human girl who grows up around pack animals- specifically, werewolves. Raised By Wolves is, to me, a coming of age story that pits nature versus nurture: if you were a human girl raised in a werewolf pack, how human would you really be?

As a reader, I love strong female characters, books that blend emotional depth with sarcasm and humor, and supernatural stories that feel real. I'm a sucker for romance and search out authors who can write action sequences and violence without pulling their punches.

I'm currently hard at work on Trial By Fire, the sequel to Raised By Wolves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 6, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fate (Paperback)

Senior year of high school is supposed to be about making memories with your friends and having the time of your life. So why does Bailey feel that her world is about to come crashing down?

Her three best friends are excited about life after high school, while every time she thinks about the future, her stomach becomes tied with knots.

Could it be that Bailey doesn't really have a choice when it comes to her future? While she lives the life of the average high school girl, her life is far from normal. She's part of the three fates that weave and control the destiny of the world. The Sidhe world has rules that Bailey doesn't understand. She suspects something's about to happen when she's brought into the Sidhe world for the first time.

When the truth comes out, will it forever change Bailey's view of the world?

Jennifer Lynn Barnes starts this sequel of TATTOO two years later. She perfectly blends normal everyday life in high school with a supernatural world. Plus, the powers of friendship shine through in this novel and will resonate with readers - particularly those ending their own high school careers.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Improvement Over Tattoo, November 7, 2010

By 

Mei "Check out my blog!" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fate (Paperback)

Synopsis
Set two years after the events in Tattoo, Bailey and her friends are getting ready to graduate from high school and move on with their lives. Unfortunately, Bailey is not ready to move on, or away from her friends. Plus, everything is complicated by her work as a Fate and the quickly approaching Reckoning. Can she find a balance in her life?

Review
This novel was at least as enjoyable as the first novel. I really enjoyed the fact that Bailey's friends would get mad at her for "moping" as many teen novels really focus on the angsty side of life. The new characters were interesting, though I found some of the references to Greek and Roman mythology to be a bit confusing and muddled in this installment.

My Recommendation
This book is great for tweens, there are no questionable elements like sex, drugs, or rock'n'roll. 3/5

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Quality, May 10, 2009

By 

Tez Miller (Victoria, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fate (Paperback)

The fate of life lies in the weaving hands of a part-Sidhe teen in Jennifer Lynn Barnes's FATE.

When we last met her in TATTOO, a supposedly temporary tattoo awakened Bailey Morgan's Sidhe blood. Now in her dreams she travels to Nexus, and meets with two ancestors who help train her powers. Together they are the three Fates, but the Otherworld is starting to bleed into Bailey's human life.

The main theme here is choice, and if you actually have one. Though Celtic mythology is commonly associated with Sidhe, the author's decision to add Greek mythology to the mix pays off. Bailey is a rare find in fiction - a character whom is not only extremely relatable, but also rather likeable, and her friends are the best friends a girl could have. Not to mention the mother who regularly bakes cookies, so obviously Zo understands the importance of our favourite foodstuffs. It's so refreshing to read teen characters who aren't obsessed with popularity, designer brands and multiple suitors. Though it lacks the shocks and surprises I require to declare something a five-star read, this is a solid quality four-star occasion.