This young-adult book, the first in the series was a great read.
The author's ability to keep your attention right through the book was definitely accomplished. he kept the tension just perfectly to keep you intrigued. The book is fast paced and written very well.

The characters were interesting and believable. Rae, the main character, had quite a few obstacles overcome while adapting to a new school. I thought the budding relationship between her and Devon was very sweet and have the promise of something wonderful down the line.

The villain was clever and concealed his evil side very well. Never had you an idea that this man was the person behind all her troubles.

A book I can recommend to all book lovers of young adult books with a good dose of adventure. ( )

Fifteen year-old Rae Kerrigan never really knew her family's history. Her mother and father died when she was young and it is only when she accepts a scholarship to the prestigious Guilder Boarding School in England that a mysterious family secret is revealed. Will the sins of the father be the sins of the daughter? As Rae struggles with new friends, a new school and a star-struck forbidden love, she must also face the ultimate challenge: receive a tattoo on her sixteenth birthday with specific powers that may bind her to an unspeakable darkness. It's up to Rae to undo the dark evil in her family's past and have a ray of hope for her future. ( )

Rae of Hope by W.J. May

W.J. May has written a story filled with magic, suspense, and a touch of romance, I thoroughly enjoyed Rae of Hope. The writing was good, character description were well written that you felt you knew everyone well. The story flowed extremely well and I was quite shocked when I realized I was at the end. W.J. May’s writing is really good, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Rae who has experienced the loss of her parents has been living with her aunt and uncle in New York since she was 6 years old; she has had a good life and has no complaints. So when she receives an acceptance letter to the Guilder Boarding School in England she is not sure why her uncle applied for her to attend there, but doesn’t question him.

When she arrives we meet her new roommate Molly who becomes a great friend to Rae and ends up very important to her. Of course there are many other great characters in this book and they are also very well written so you get to know them. As Rae learns more about the school and her own families history she is shocked to find out her father was a pretty evil man and all the people in her school teachers and classmates seem to know more about her family then she does.

Trying to prove that she is not her father’s daughter Rae knows she is good deep inside. Now the waiting begins as everyone is watching to see what happens to Rae when she turns sixteen, as this is when they get their powers; and her powers may be extreme. This is all I can say without writing spoiler alerts. Rae of Hope is a must read and I suggest you go grab a copy.

I recommend Rae of Hope to anyone who loves YA Paranormal and its worth every cent you may have to pay for it. I have rated it a 4 out of 5 and only thing I can say that I didn’t like is that I wish it didn’t end so fast. Now to find out when the next book comes out?

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Quote: "Your father's demons will try to tempt you, but don't listen. you're going to be more powerful than your father ever was and that is why he fears you."

What would you do if you were planted in a new place around people that look at you like you're going to sprout horns, and every where there are whispers at the mention of your name? Rae Kerrigan, is sent to Guilder Boarding School with no explanation from her Uncle, away from the one place she was comfortable just blending in, to a place where she stands out because of her father's past. Now, hoping she can prove the doubters wrong she is still worried that she will be evil like her father when she finally gets her tatu. I really like the concept of this book. The idea that they have this power within them that manifests itself in the form of a tatu not tatoo. The powers that they have range from flying to shape-shifting, and no power is impossible in this world. The storyline paced pretty well considering this is the beginning of the series and we are introduced to Rae's new life through her eyes. I loved all of the characters, especially her roommate Molly who is whirlwind of a character, and Devon, the sweet heartthrob. Rae was real, and as a reader I could understand her frustration and discomfort for being singled out at this school of the super-gifted. She is a strong character that has her own issues to confront, and add to that the weight of her father's bad deeds, she has a tough road ahead of her. Can Rae overcome her father's dark legacy or will the evil that lurks in the shadows stifle the light within? That is to be determined, I look forward to the next installment in the Chronicles of Kerrigan.

This is a story of loss, love, hope, self-confidence, trust and sacrifice. ( )

Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/03/indie-book-review-rae-of-hope.html

Rae of Hope follows a young girl named Rae. She has had a difficult time growing up. She lost both of her parents at the age of six in a terrible fire. She has been raised by her aunt and uncle ever since. She is now fifteen and will be sixteen in a few months. She is now, out of nowhere, being sent to a school called Guilder Boarding School. She can't find any information about the school. But things aren't much better when she gets to Guilder as she quickly finds out it isn't your typical school. Everyone has powers, but those powers don't come out until they hit sixteen. When they turn sixteen, a tattoo (tatu) appears on their bodies that represents their powers. But that isn't the strangest thing Rae must face. Everyone at the school knew who she was even before she turned up. They are frightened of her and she doesn't know why. Rae now has to face her parent's past and that past may ruin her.

What a read this was. I really enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were quite a bit of fun after a while. I really liked Rae, but after her first interaction with a boy, she pretty much lost her brain. After she meets her bubbly and talkative roommate Molly, she goes outside with her and runs into a hot guy named Devon. But before she says anything to him, an accident happens where Rae could have almost lost her life. But after it passes, she doesn't act like a normal person would. She doesn't find the guys that caused it and scream at them and she isn't really shocked after it happens. Hell, she didn't move out of the way when the incident was taking place. I wanted to slap her at that moment. It made no sense. But she does redeem herself later. She is spunky and has a lot of fight. But come on, please don't start acting like a Disney princess.

I was a huge fan of Devon's. You do get suspicious of him given some of the things he knows, but he was the perfect guy and I loved that he wasn't afraid of Rae. He has a tatu of a Fennec fox, so he has As a matter of fact, she got a lot of attention from the guys in this book. Her attitude towards them didn't make sense to me sometimes. For instance we had Andy who I liked, but she would constantly have some mean thoughts about him. It didn't make sense to me. I know you like Devon (even though he is already taken), but why did she have such a dislike towards him? There was also Riley who I was very suspicious about in the book. He definitely had an agenda, you just don't know what. But my favorite character was Molly. I thought at first she would have been a very superficial character (well, she has her moments). But she brought a lot of energy to the book which makes sense given what her superpower was. She has the ability to create electricity. It suited her, it really did. I love the friendship between her and Rae.

We also have the school's dean, Dean Carter. The guy was just vile. He obviously can't stand women, The school was only open to boys, but ever since Rae's birth, they opened it to girls (because of who her parents were). He continues to mistreat and embarrass her in the book. He was definitely scary. But thank God for Headmaster Lanford who I honestly kept imagining looked like Dumbledore. It couldn't be helped. This book does share quite a few similarities to Harry Potter which made me enjoy this book even more. But trust me, this book stands on its own and is quite unique.

I love the mysteries we uncover in this book. Rae's powers are amazing. They are unique and supercool. I won't tell you what they are though. We also learn what actually happened to Rae's parents. I loved this scene. I won't lie, I became a little teary eyed. I love trying to uncover Rae's power and what she intends to do with it. I don't want to give anything away because this could easily be spoiled, but man the twists in this are epic. I loved the ending and what more we discover about Rae's superpowers. I would be jealous.

I highly recommend this read to YA and UF fans. I love the romance, well the lust really. But there were some good choices for Rae. As I mentioned Andy and there is also Julian. He has the ability to draw the future. I pray we got more of him in book 2 (which I have already). He too was perfect. I want more of him, I really really do. I love this story of trying to avoid your family's past. That no matter what they did, it doesn't mean you will be like them or that you plan to do what they did. I really liked the idea of the tattoos that show up and show their powers (but why do girls get the tramp stamp?) I wish I could say more about this book. I am so happy I joined this blog tour. This little gem would passed right under my nose. Put this on your wishlist today. ( )