The Photo Traveler Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

The Photo Traveler
Author: Arthur J. Gonzalez
Genre: YA Paranormal/Time Travel
Release Date: February 20, 2013

Buy Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Description:

Seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone is resigned to being miserable for the rest of his life. Left alone in the world after his parents died in a fire when he was four, he was placed in foster care, which for him meant ending up in an abusive home with an alcoholic adoptive father.

Gavin’s only escape is in taking and creating images. His camera is his refuge from the unending torture and isolation of daily life in his  “family.”

Until he learns by accident that he isn’t alone in the world after all. His father’s parents are still alive and living in Washington DC.

When he takes the plunge and travels 3,000 miles to find his grandparents, he learns that they—and he—are part of something much bigger, and more dangerous, than he could ever have imagined. Something that has always put his family at risk and that will now threaten his own life, while forever changing it.

He learns that he is one of the last descendants of a small group of Photo Travelers—people who can travel through time and space through images. But his initial excitement turns to fear, when he soon discovers that he and his grandparents are being pursued by the fierce remnants of a radical European Photo Traveler cult, the Peace Hunters. What Gavin has, they want!

His adventure will take him to past eras, like The Great Depression and the Salem Witch Trials. Gavin will have to discover who he really is and must make choices that spell the difference between life and death for himself, for the relatives he now knows and loves, and for the girl he will come to love.

For Gavin Hillstone, life will never be the same.  

The Photo Traveler is a fascinating young adult paranormal novel that deals with the ability to travel through time via pictures. Gavin Hillstone leads a really crappy life and he knows it. The only solace he has is when he's taking pictures of beautiful things around him. One day, Gavin stumbles upon a secret - he is one of the last descendants of a group of people called Photo Travelers - people who can time travel through pictures. With his newfound ability awakened, Gavin finds himself journeying back through time to various historical events across the globe, all while trying to evade the Peace Hunters - another group of Photo Travelers who wants to steal what Gavin has. Gavin's old life is far behind him, and his new life will take him places he only dreamed about.

This was a really interesting premise for a novel and I loved that it was unique to the genre. I haven't read anything like it before, so it was a great journey for me as a reader. The main character, Gavin, was a decent main character. He got a bad hand in life from the beginning, but learned how to make the most of it with his photography. We don't see a lot of character growth throughout the book, but he does embrace his destiny as a Photo Traveler and races to stop the cult of other Photo Travelers who mean to do him and his family harm. The writing was fast paced and contained a blend of several genres - fantasy, action, time travel, science fiction, and adventure all intertwined to make an original novel. The author did a great job of portraying past historical events and I loved getting an inside look at things from the past as if I was there alongside Gavin experiencing it instead of just reading about them or seeing pictures. Overall, this was a great fantasy/time travel novel that had vivid descriptions and attention to detail that fans of the genre will truly appreciate.

My name is Arthur J Gonzalez.  I’m 28 years old, born and raised in Miami, FL.  I graduated from the University of Florida.  I am currently   releasing my debut novel, The Photo Traveler.  The premise surrounds 17 – year old Gavin, who discovers he is part of a small group, called Photo Travelers, who can time travel through photos and images. 

Author Links:

Website: http://www.thephototravelerbook.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6894699.Arthur_J_Gonzalez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePhotoTraveler

Twitter: https://twitter.com/arthurjgonzalez

 
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