Today, I am participating in the Rae of Hope blog tour. Check out the promo and my review below!
Rae of HopeISBN: 9780983129790
Author: W. J. May
Publisher: Mitchell Morris Publishing, Inc
Trade paperback 6x9
Pages 248
Price $17.99
Genre: YA Fantasy
About the Book
How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth about the past?
Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan never questioned her family’s history. That is until she accepted a scholarship to Guilder Boarding School in England. Guilder is an exclusive, gifted school. Rae has no idea what she is getting herself into or that her family’s past is going to come back and taunt her.
She learns she is part of an unparalleled group of individuals who become inked with a unique tattoo (tatu) on their sixteenth birthday. The tatu enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the shape of their ink-art. Both of her parents where inked, though Rae never knew, as they passed away when she was young. Learning about her family's past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to decide if there is a ray of hope in her own life.
Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan never questioned her family’s history. That is until she accepted a scholarship to Guilder Boarding School in England. Guilder is an exclusive, gifted school. Rae has no idea what she is getting herself into or that her family’s past is going to come back and taunt her.
She learns she is part of an unparalleled group of individuals who become inked with a unique tattoo (tatu) on their sixteenth birthday. The tatu enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the shape of their ink-art. Both of her parents where inked, though Rae never knew, as they passed away when she was young. Learning about her family's past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to decide if there is a ray of hope in her own life.
About the Author:Wanita May grew up in the fruit belt of Ontario - St.Catharines. Crazy-happy childhood, she always has had a vivid imagination and loads of energy.
The youngest of six -- four older brothers, and sister -- they taught her at a young age to be competitive in all aspects of life.
At sixteen, she began competing in athletics (track and field) and before she turned seventeen, she was representing Canada in high jump. She continued to compete, breaking Canada's JR High Jump record (1.92m - 6' 3 1/2" for those metric-ly challenged). She attented University of Toronto, and Kansas State University - graduating with a BS degree in Kinesiology and beginning her Masters in Business.
She is currently married, and the mother of three adorable kids.
After her father passed away in 2009, from a six-year battle with cancer (which she still believes he won the fight against), she began to write again. A passion she'd loved for years, but realized life was too short to keep putting it off.
Her first book, Rae of Hope - from the Chronicles of Kerrigan - is available Nov 15, 2001 by Mitchell Morris Publishing. It is contracted as a four book series and available in print and ebook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords and other online sites.
She is currently represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Wanita is a writer of Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction and where ever else her little muses take her.
Author website: http://www.wanitamay.yolasite.com/
Review
My first video review! Check it out! If you prefer a written review, just scroll down :)
Gush, gush, gush! This book was super awesome :)
Where do I start? Oh yeah, get the negative review out of the way :)
Gush, gush, gush! This book was super awesome :)
Where do I start? Oh yeah, get the negative review out of the way :)
- The pdf copy I received had errors as I usually notice. I was told that the copy I received must have been the uncorrected proof. So this section of the review may or may not be true in relation to the print copy of the book.
That's about all the bad things I could think of. Now, on to the good stuff. Where do I start?!
- Rae is awesome. I love her tatu. The way the author described it was just amazing. I felt like I could almost see the tatu right in front of me. The book mostly dealt with her internal insecurities that everyone expects her to turn out just like her father. At one point she just gave up, but a little nudging from Headmaster Lanford helped her get back to her feet.
- Devon is such a sweetheart, and that dimple? Oh my. He's Rae's heart throb. He is also her tutor/mentor to get her caught up with school. At the end of the book, however, something nags inside me, that there must be something wrong with Devon. Even though it was a happy ending, I can't help feeling that Devon is not what he seems.
- Molly is Rae's roommate and she talks nonstop. She also has a great fashion sense and made me wish she was my roommate!
- Headmaster Lanford was the cool teacher that everyone liked. Or did they?
- Dean Carter was feared. He was a chauvinist. Or was he?
- There were so many characters! It was so much fun getting to know them and their different abilities.
- The book was 235 pages which explains why the story didn't have that much development as far as heightened stakes or multiple dilemmas besides Rae's internal battle. However, getting to know the different powers of each character was enough to feed my curiousity..for now.
Check out two of my favorite excerpts and a quote from Julian!
"Are you banned from talking to other girls tonight, or is it just girls from Guilder?" She tried putting on her most innocent face. Seems I'm not the only one with rules.
"Originally, it was just the Guilder girls, and then you walked into the Oratory looking all beautiful. When Beth found out you're the girl I tutor, I was mainly banned from talking to you." Devon grinned mischievously. "Personally, it's worth the risk. However, I'd better head over before she has a coronary."
Rae didn't want him to walk away but didn't know what to say to make him stay. She clenched her hands, feeling her nails dig into her palms. Beautiful...he thinks I'm beautiful... Rae was full of competing emotions.
Devon took a few steps toward Beth. A slower country song started playing and he paused. "Ahh, screw it." He turned around, his dimple appearing on his cheek.
"Pardon?" Rae raised her eyebrows at him, wondering what he meant.
He reached for her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. "If she can't understand I'm only trying to help a friend fit in, then she can brew."
Rae wiped sweaty palms on her jeans and lightly tapped Devon's door.
"Andy, I already told you I'm not going with you guys." Devon shouted from behind the door. "Leave me alone!"
She wasn't sure he'd be any happier to see she wasn't Andy, but Rae knocked harder anyway. She jumped back when Devon swung the door open, looking ready to cuss her out.
His eyes widened and his body language changed completely when he saw her. "What're you doing here?"
Rae froze. She hadn't planned any of this. It'd all been spur of the moment. She knew she needed to say the right words, to truly apologize to him, but at the moment she had nothing but scattered thoughts banging around her head. So she said the first thing that came to mind. "I was wondering if you wanted to head into town for dinner with me, Molly and Julian." She tried to swallow, but her mouth had turned completely dry.
"Dinner?" He sounded and looked dumbfounded, as if the word itself didn't make any sense coming from her.
"You know, we go to a restaurant, we order some food, the waitress brings it out, we eat it and then we pay the bill?" She realized [she] sounded exactly like Molly. "Crap, that's not what I meant!" She stomped her foot. "I'm trying to apologize. I'm just really lousy at it."
Devon laughed. She wondered how much he enjoyed seeing her at odds with herself, but in the end, he must have decided to put her out of her misery. "Friends?" He smiled, his dimple winking at her from his cheek.
Rae's heart melted, like it always did when his dimple made an appearance. "Hard as this is, I'm offering a free dinner to show how sincere I am."
"FREE dinner?" He leaned behind his door. "Heck yeah! Let me grab my coat! I can hear Molly at the stairs complaining you're taking too long."
Julian tossed his car keys at Devon. "Just don't let her drive. She may be talented, but she's a bloody American."
Overall, I am so excited for the next book, Dark Nebula! I already signed up to receive an ARC copy! Check out everyone's tatus and abilities below! Then, enter the giveaway and tell me in the comments, what kind of ink would you like and what kind of powers would it have? Be creative. You don't have to pick the tatus from the characters below.
Make sure to leave your email address or Twitter name so I can notify you if you win! U.S./Canada ONLY. Good luck everyone!
UPDATE: The giveaway deadline have been extended to May 31.
Make sure to leave your email address or Twitter name so I can notify you if you win! U.S./Canada ONLY. Good luck everyone!
UPDATE: The giveaway deadline have been extended to May 31.
| Name | Tatu | Ability |
|---|---|---|
| Molly | lightning | electricity |
| Devon | fox w/ big ears | speed, agility, hearing, jumping, night vision |
| Riley | cheetah | speed, agility, nervous feeling |
| Charlie | Vitruvian man | healing |
| Julian | undefined in book 1 | draw future - will reveal tatu in book 2 |
| Haley | whirlwind/tornado | wind |
| Dean Carter | similar to all-seeing eye | see the past w/ direct human contact |
| Headmaster Lanford | man sitting in yoga position floating | levitation |
| Andy | wolf | shape-shifter |
| Rob | eagle | shape-shifter |
| Nicholas | open book | like McGyver - handy and smart |
Prizes:
