Review: Rae of Hope by W J May

Title:  Rae of Hope
Author:  W. J. May
Genre:  YA, Paranormal
Pages:  247
Published:  September 2011
Publisher:  Mitchell Morris
Source:  via Bewitching Book Tours
Where to buy:  Amazon

Synopsis:

How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth of the past?

Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan has never questioned her family’s history. That is until she accepted a scholarship to Guilder Boarding School in England. Guilder is a very unique, 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 marked with a unique tattoo (tatù) on their sixteenth birthday. The tatù enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the shape of their marking.

Both her parents were marked though Rae never knew, as they passed away when she was young and never told her. Learning about her family’s past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to decide if there is a ray of hope for her own life.

What initially drew me to this story was the first line of the synopsis – “How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth of the past?”  Being a family historian and amateur genealogist this intrigued me.  How would this play into the story?

Rae knows very little about her parents, something she’s never questioned – wanting to forget the terrible memories and move on with her life.  When her Uncle sends her back to the UK for school, some of these memories start coming back to the surface.   As she learns the ropes of her new school, meets new friends and the truth of why she is there, she begins uncovering the story of her parents, how they met and who they really were.

One of the things I love about family history is how some information is kept and cherished and some is kept hidden and tucked away.  As we unearth the information we not only learn about our family, their pasts but more about ourselves.  This is exactly what Rae is discovering as she beings the journey into her powers and the world of the gifted.

I loved Rae, she was a fantastic character.  She grows as a person, and learns so much throughout the story.  She is surrounded by equally amazing secondary characters like her roommate and BFF Molly, her tutor and crush Devon, and many other students that impact her.

Will I recommended this to friends?  Yes, most definitely.  I love when a story grabs me on so many different levels and has me glued until wee hours of the morning.  Will I read more by this author?  You betcha!  Not only is she a fellow Canadian, but she’s one hellava writer.  I can’t wait to see what happens to Rae and her friends next!