REVIEW: TATTOO BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES

Paperback: 272 pages
Published: January 9th 2007 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Series: Tattoo #1

Bailey Morgan isn't the type of girl who shows a lot of skin, but somehow, she ends up in a dressing room at the mall with her friend Delia applying a temporary tattoo to her lower back. Trendsetter Delia knows exactly where she wants her own tattoo: on her stomach, right where her shirt ends — can you say "midriff"? Annabelle, the quiet one, chooses the back of her neck, and tomboy Zo plasters hers on the top of her foot. The tattoos will last for three days, and Delia's sure that with them, the four friends will absolutely kill at the school dance.

Unfortunately, killing is just what someone has in mind, and Bailey, Delia, Annabelle, and Zo are in for the battle of their lives. With their tattoos, each girl receives a gift — a supernatural power to help them in their fight.

Oh boy, oh boy...I have a feeling that this will be one of those books that I am ashamed to tell people I loved, lol. Why would I be ashamed, you ask? Mostly, because this book is incredibly cheesy. You have the 4 stereotypical friends (the nerd, the tomboy, the fashionista and the average one), the mythological creatures coming to life, and the harrowing ordeal to save the world. And yet...

I found this book to be easy to read, enjoyable, exciting and actually, pretty funny. The protective nature of the four girls make them as close as sisters, and I loved how far they were willing to go for each other. No matter how scared they were, or what kinds of things they saw, they were always there for each other and keeping each other safe. I also loved the fact that all of our main characters were strong, intelligent women - AND that the bad guy was actually a woman as well. And even with all the estrogen in the story, I never missed the lack of male characters. Bailey did have a love interest in the story, but his part was so small, that to me, it didn't even count.

The nerd inside me loved all the references to Greek mythology, Sidhe and fairy cultures. I loved Annabelle's intelligence in figuring things out - though I wish sometimes, that the problems weren't so obvious. But in all, I found it intriguing and fun to learn about.

All in all, I think Jennifer Lynn Barnes did a great job with this novel. I hope the next novel I read in the series, Fate, will be even better and actually get into more of the story. I want more of the faerie world, more danger and definitely more fighting. I will let you know what I think of Fate.

But tell me what do you think about Tattoo, LET ME KNOW!!!

4 out of 5 stars