Fate by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

cover image

Random House, 2009. ISBN 9761741663044
(Age 13+) In this sequel to Tattoo, Bailey Morgan looks and acts like a normal teenager during the day, but at night she is the third Fate, weaving what happens to life. Every evening she travels to Nexus where she works with two Sidhe ancestors on making the fabric of life. Then she meets the rest of the Sidhe and her whole life changes as she becomes entangled in a complex and dangerous web that the Otherworld is spinning. Meanwhile in her normal life, she is facing her graduation and wondering how she will cope without her friends and where she will be travelling in the future.
The book is written in the first person and I loved Bailey's voice as she recounts what is happening to her and what she is feeling. She is a strong girl who is faced with many choices, and Barnes vividly brings to life her dilemmas and her fear that she will lose her human friends. The beautiful Sidhe and Greek gods and goddesses that make up the Otherworld are fascinating in their quest for power. The subtle hints of humour throughout the book add an extra dimension and there are enough crushes on interesting boys to keep romance alive.
This book can be read as a stand alone as I did but I'm sure that having read the first book would give more insight into Bailey's world. It is well written and entertaining and is sure to gain a following by girls who like books with strong heroines with mystical powers.
Pat Pledger

booktopia