cover image Fate

Fate

Jennifer Lynn Barnes, . . Delacorte, $8.99 (355pp) ISBN 978-0-385-73537-7

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.)