Tattoo

At first I had a hard time getting into the book, the main group of characters were too “high-school” for me. I kept reading and soon got sucked into the story.
The girls, Bailey, Zo, Annabelle, and Delia are at the mall when the story starts; they happen upon this little kiosk and meet this mysterious (weird) woman who picks out accessories for the girls. Bailey happens upon a set of 4 temporary tattoos. The girls are at the mall mainly to get outfits for a school dance that is happening on Monday ( it’s Friday). This is where I had trouble getting into the book. I had to put it down and walk away, I have a hard time reading books that have characters that are really shallow, and Delia comes off as majorly shallow and vapid.
The show more book soon begins to redeem itself, when the girls apply the tattoos and Bailey starts hearing voices, and seeing things. Things progress and all the girls learn that they have gained powers from the tattoos. They soon learn that they must stop an ancient “evil” from stealing the souls of their classmates and other humans. I say “evil” because in the end you find out the truth. I had a hard time following along at certain points in the book, but once I paused, re-read a few sentences I caught up quickly and was able to follow along with the story.
If you are wanting a light read and like mythology (think Fates) then this is a great book to have! show less

Four high school best friends are cruising the mall one day when they find an unusual kiosk. Bailey buys a packet of temporary tattoos which she shares with her friends. The tattoos lead the way to an action-packed weekend filled with characters from mythology and a quest to save the world.

Bailey is the average, klutzy one but she has a blood tie to the Fates and her gift is fire. She also has visions and hears voices which provide hints about what their mission is. Her friend Annabelle's tattoo lets her read minds and influence others. Fashion maven Delia is given the gift of transformation with her tattoo and athletic, tomboy Zo gets the gift of prophetic visions with hers.

The girls have one weekend to find a way to stop one of the show more Fates from destroying the seal that keeps the world in balance. I liked the way the girls' different personalities mesh in this story. Delia's use of her power provides comic relief for the heavier elements of the story.

The story is told from Bailey's point of view. She has a great voice and is interested in all the things important to high school girls. show less

While shopping with her girlfriends, Bailey finds some interesting temporary tattooes that end up giving her and her friends the powers of the Sidhe. They also receive the responsibility of defeating the third Sidhe who wants to take over the world and kill all the humans, etc. Fairly predictable in many parts, but an enjoyable read and I liked the extra bits - like asking the aid of a professor of ancient languages.

Tattoo is the story of four girls who go shopping at the mall and end up buying temporary tattoos that give each of them unique powers that match their personalities. The girls soon realize that they were given the powers for a reason; evil is coming and they must do whatever they can with their powers to stop it.
I enjoyed this early work of Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The characters in this fun and entertaining story seemed like real high school students who stumbled into something magical. I plan to read the sequel, Fate.

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Bailey, Zo, Annabelle, and Delia were at the mall for one of their routine shopping trips when Delia decided they needed a special accessory for the big dance. Stopping at a little booth in the middle of the mall seemed like the perfect place for each girl to find the perfect item. Delia, the shopping guru, chose a choker style necklace first. Annabelle found a pretty barrette, and Zo found a beautiful crystal that could be slid onto a chain for a nice necklace. Finally, Bailey started to look for something that would catch her eye. As soon as she opened a little drawer and saw a package of temporary tattoos, she knew they were meant for her. A voice inside her head seemed to tell her to pick show more them up. Not realizing that this moment would change her life forever, she purchased the tattoos and the girls went about their business of finding the perfect outfit for the dance.

Once the girls started trying on outfits, Delia couldn't wait to break open the tattoos. Since there were four of them and four tattoos, she figured each of them should wear one to the dance to really drive the guys wild. Delia placed hers first; she chose a spot on her stomach that would show when she wore a top that revealed a little of her midriff. As soon as Delia put on her tattoo, the room started spinning for Bailey. She heard strange voices inside her head talking about danger that was on the way. She was still a little woozy when Delia decided Bailey needed to wear hers on her lower back, and placed it there for her. As soon as Bailey's tattoo was placed, she fainted from the force of the power that slammed into her body. When she woke up, she tried to warn Annabelle and Zo not to put theirs on, but it was too late. Annabelle had already placed hers on the back of her neck and Zo's was on the top of her foot.

It doesn't take long for the girls to realize that along with these tattoos, they each received a power. Bailey is able to create fire with her mind, Annabelle can read people's thoughts, Zo gets visions of things that will happen in the future, and Delia has the power to transmogrify things (change the appearance of objects she touches just by thinking what she wants). Along with these powers comes a great responsibility. Through the voices that Bailey keeps hearing and the dreams she has every night, she learns about the evil that is coming to destroy the world. Only the four girls can restore the balance in the universe and save the day.

I haven't met a greater group of friends since THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS. Jennifer Lynn Barnes creates a wonderful fantasy based in a totally realistic setting. The drama is mixed with just the right amount of humor, which will cause readers to fall in love with all of the girls. TATTOO is a unique story that is sure to satisfy any reader -- fantasy lover or not. show less

A perfectly harmless teen fantasy that doesn't make a lot of sense. I made the mistake of reading it right after completing A Tough Guide to Fantasyland and ended up laughing in all the wrong places - it has an endless supply of cliches. Also, main characters are sometimes amazingly unobservant and unintelligent.

On the plus side, I loved that they get magical powers from rub on tattoos that they bought at the mall. That's worth the two stars right there.

I actually read this book a long time ago so I really can't give an in-depth review on it. To be honest, all I really remember is the characters and the overall plot, in addition to the wonderful feelings I had while reading it. I absolutely loved reading this book. I know its far-fetched but I can't be bothered to care about those aspects of story-telling when I'm enjoying myself. I read it when I was in middle grade so I would say its suitable from there and up!