Tattoo

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

The lives of Bailey and her three best friends—smart Annabelle, fashionista Delia, and tomboy Zo—cross paths with an ancient evil through the form of blue-green tattoos, guaranteed to last three days. With these tattoos, the girls mysteriously receive various magical powers. Bailey can set things on fire, Delia transforms one object into another, Annabelle gets mind control, and Zo can see the future.

At first these new powers are fun, but they soon realize that they’ve been given these powers not to enjoy themselves, but to battle an ancient evil that will kill innocent people in order to gain power. The challenge seems insurmountable, but with their strong friendship and belief in one another, the four girls have more power than show more they ever imagined.

The young author Jennifer Lynn Barnes does a fantastic job of telling an exciting yet relatable story. The writing is easy, the characters well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this marvelously unique book. show less

First book in my library I have read by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, very talented girl. I am interested in reading more by this author. The characters are very realistic, and the story is quick paced which kept me interested all the way to the end. The story was a mixture of mythology, spells, and reality to produce a very unique and entertaining story. I look forward to reading Fate.

"Tattoo" is a great book that shows the growing friendship between a group of friends who must rely on each other to save the world. The girls in this book gain magical powers when they apply some temporary tattoos, and one of the girls keeps having these dreams about this great evil that wants to take over the world. This book is a story of triumph, courage and bravery. These girls never signed up to be heroes, but they realized if nobody else took on the job then the world would be forever changed.

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.