Arthur J. Gonzalez

Why do most young adult books so oversimplify things? Like falling in love mutually within only 5 minutes.. Or feeling and acting absolutely naturally and affectionately with family members you have never seen and just met.. Things like this make me wonder how is it that any adults read this stuff at all (young adults or not).

The thing that attracted me to this book was the concept of the plot which remains good, but the book just has too many typical YA flaws. However, since most of the grudge that I have isn't with the book, but with the genre itself, I can't give it less than 3 stars, cause it just wouldn't be fair. That's partly because the writing's not so bad, and this is the author's first book too.… (plus d'informations)

I was lucky enough to get a free copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review - but I had already purchased the book by the time I learned of this bonus. :-) This story looks at time travel from a very unique perspective. Rather than using your traditional standing-stones or circles, and not based upon ley-lines, instead these few time travelers are able to jump from where they are into any photographer. The trick is that it must be a photograph, not a drawing or a painting, but a real photograph that hasn't been digitally manipulated. (Though the issue of digital manipulation in a photo has not yet been brought up - either because the author hasn't thought go it yet, or because he has plans for the theme in a future book in the series.)

Gavin is the main character, and when we first meet him he is living in a terrible situation. His family was killed when he was four, and from there he went into a foster home for a year, and they adopt him at the end of that year. Gavin was relatively happy and adored his new Mommy, Leyla. She was the center of his new world, so when she died protecting him from some robbers in the local corner store, life fell apart for Gavin all over again. Except now he was stuck with a family that blamed him for the death of a beloved wife and mother. Over the years Jet, his adoptive father, beat him regularly, while his older "sister" was treated like a princess and would continually telling 'Daddy' lies about Gavin just to get his punishment increased.

One day Gavin learns a shocking truth about his past, a truth that forever changes his future. One that makes it impossible to know who he can trust and who is an enemy. The characters are interesting, and feel very authentic to themselves and to their ages. They seem to react in a manner that we would deem normal for their age, yet they also do some maturing as the story unfolds. And, like most teenagers, they also make the same mistakes more than once.

The story arc is well done, with bits of crucial material being delivered when most needed by the characters and readers, but never in a blunt manner. They are woven into the story so that they fit very naturally. This story deals with some very interesting concepts, not the least of which are the ramifications when history is altered, be it by plan or human error. No pat answer is given, leaving the characters and readers alike to experience differing levels of change and figuring out if they can be undone, not too mention the question of should they be undone once they've been made. Hopefully we will learn more in the second book of the series, and since none of us can travel through photos, we'll have to wait with the rest for that book to come out.… (plus d'informations)

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: “If you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?” -Eminem

Opening Sentence: What do you do when a sudden gust of wind forces your boat totally off course and into the unknown?

The Review:

As far as the main character in this title, Gavin Hillstone is concerned, life pretty much sucks. He was put in the foster care system at a young age after the death of his parents. His adoptive father became an abusive drunk after the death of his wife — which he blames on Gavin, by the way. His adoptive sister is rather mean and his poor step-mom… The seemingly singular bright light on an otherwise gloomy existence his love for photography, and how much of an escape and pleasure it is for him. One evening during a particularly bad fight with his father, Gavin discovers that he has real grandparents living across the country; he does not hesitate to buy a bus ticket out of there.

When he makes it to DC and finds his grandparents, they have yet another surprise for him. Gavin, and those of his family who came before him, are Photo Travelers. Members of only a few families, who can, with a small chant, travel back in time to any moment that has been drawn or photographed. And guess what?!? His parents might even be alive. Accompanying all these revelations is a gamut of emotions for Gavin to endure, and us along with him. All the anger and betrayal, the happiness and even wonder, the excitement of the knowledge of his power to travel into those same photos he once only loved to take. And the ability to finally meet his parents… utter heart melt.

But as it must, life goes on. Gavin enrolls in school, makes a new friend or two, life is good for one minute in time. He, as with any average teenaged male, even meets a girl. Though the circumstances surrounding that love affair are anything but average. Just when life seems pleasant, the reality of the inherent dangers of photo travelling, and what it means to be the last of his line keep smacking him in the face. Just as he’s beginning to wrap his head around the all too real consequences of all of his actions, the people after him are using them to their advantage. Even Yogi, the “I’m gonna be your bestest friend ever” turned “I’m a criminal mastermind, I killed your family.” By the by, totally stellar idea on how to get rid of that issue, although *whoa!* on what he finds out afterwards. And the members of that group, The Peace Hunters, well they be just plain scary crazy.

And about that ending. This book’s end is heart stopping for Gavin and those closest to him, as well as for those of us who are reading about them. If any of you have read my previous reviews, you know that I hate hanging off those cliffs that appear on the last pages of any book. The anticipation, the long days waiting, the re-reading the book over and over as not to forget one single paragraph. I’m kidding. Maybe. So, next book please and thank you.

As I was perusing the other reviews for this book, I came across one that states how realistic sounding Gavin really is. It’s true. I don’t traditionally read a ton of YA, but it did strike me that Gavin actually feels 17. Sometimes, as adults we forget exactly what 17 felt like, or we put in ideas and sayings that were current for us back then. This is one YA book that I will be recommending to my teenager. It is nice to find books in this genre that aren’t all love-sick and whiny. And bonus, the lead in this series is male, with flaws and a life that doesn’t magically all go his way. Who knows about pain and sorrow, learns about happiness and joy. And even what happens when you give that same happiness and joy to someone else without first taking the necessary precautions …*ahem*

When all is said and done, I have to say I quite liked it. This is this author’s debut and I for one would like to see more from him.

Notable Scene:

I had such a hard time choosing the notable scene for this review. I kept waffling between the love, loss, pain, heartache, action and drama. Eventually, I just closed my eyes, flipped through the book and put my finger on a page. Dramatic action it is.

__________________

Bud shouts and I hear a loud thud. I finally jump to my feet. He’s on the ground in the middle of the mob. I can’t see if he’s moving.

“Leave him alone!” I yell, but I’m helpless. I’m too far away, and they’re closing in on him like greedy vultures.

Magistrate Howland grabs Bud’s rifle and aims it at me. “To your knees, demon!” he shouts.

My hearts stops.

“We are not demons! Please! Spare us!” I beg, but something slams into the back of my head. Hard. And everything goes black.

***

When I come to, I’m enveloped in a cloud of smoke that’s growing thicker by the second. The back of my head is throbbing and as I start to choke, I realize that Bud and I are slumped on the platform—tied together back to back with the same rope that would have snapped my neck.

Below us the crowd is still jeering and chanting, “Burn! Burn, demons! Burn!”

They’re burning us alive.

FTC Advisory: Arthur J. Gonzalez provided me with a copy of The Photo Traveler. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.… (plus d'informations)

I’m a fan of science fiction and as a historian, time travel plots can leave me rolling my eyes. When I came across Arthur Gonzalez’s The Photo Traveler, I was a bit unsure of how to proceed, but within the first three chapters, I was hooked and didn’t want to stop reading.

Life hasn’t been easy for seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone. His adopted father is a drunk and beats him and his adopted sister lies to get her way. They both blame Gavin for the death of his adopted mother and he lives with the guilt knowing he caused her death. One night after a beating, he’s had enough. Finding his original adoption papers, Gavin decides to look for the grandparents who gave him up for adoption. One the way to Washington D.C., he encounters some unsavory characters who ask him for the glass vials and he has no idea what they are talking about. He eludes them and when he arrives in DC, he finds his grandparents are alive. Gavin confronts them and they admit to giving him up to protect him. They then tell him a secret…he’s a photo traveler and as one, he’s able to travel anywhere in the world as long as there’s a physical photograph or a drawing of an event as it occurred. Gavin goes on a journey to find the truth of what happened to his parents and along the way discovers how vital it is not to change the past because of the way it affects the future.

The writing is engaging and Gonzalez definitely is able to put the reader into the mindset of a seventeen-year-old boy. It’s quite easy for a YA science fiction centered book to be filled with clichés, but Gonzales does an excellent job keeping things fresh. The Photo Traveler is also well researched and incorporates aspects of history in the narrative. At one point Gavin travels to 17th century America and the Salem Witch Trials. I cringed when I read where he was going because anyone from the 21st century would stand out and instead of brushing that tidbit aside, Gonzalez addresses it. What’s a 17th century person suppose to think at the height of the witch trials when they see a teenage boy dressed in jeans? I won’t say what happens, but I appreciated the reaction to the incident.

In terms of character development, it’s not thorough, but since this is part of a trilogy, it makes sense to draw the characters over the course of the series. Without a doubt, this book is about Gavin and the journey to find out who he is. We find out how Gavin’s adopted mother died and it will be interesting to see if by chance a picture of the events of that day exists and if it does, will Gavin travel to that specific day? Also I have a feeling there’s more to Gavin’s photography teacher. He took an early interest in Gavin and something just doesn’t sit well with me. I think all readers will be able to associate with Gavin and his need for acceptance. Here’s a teenage boy on the cusp on being an adult who doesn’t know why he was given up. One moment he had parents and a loving home and the in the next instant he has nothing. The heartache he experiences will sadden you and make you want to reach out to hug him.

My favorite quotes: But since I suck at lying, I was probably as believable as that girl, Cynthia, in our class who constantly shows up with hickies on her neck but keeps swearing she’s still a virgin.

When I open my eyes, a twelve-ton elephant is staring right back at me. It gives me the creeps.

With all works of fiction, especially science fiction, the ability to suspend disbelief is needed and The Photo Traveler is no exception. There are a lot of unanswered questions mostly with regards to Gavin’s mistake and inadvertently changing history. I expected a bit more drawn out discussion pertaining to the subject, but there wasn’t one. Book 2, The Peace Hunter, should touch upon this and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. Arthur Gonzalez has done an excellent job with his debut novel and he’s an author to watch.… (plus d'informations)