*Honest Review
Requested by Author in Exchange for Free eBook
Introduction
17-year-old
Gavin has had a terrible life. His foster family treats him like dirt, and his alcoholic
father beats him. He decides to take the plunge and find his biological
grandparents to confront them about why they did not seek custody when his
biological parents died. Estelle and Bud are the most wonderful and kind
grandparents ever who had reason to keep Gavin away from them-they are photo
travelers. Photo travelers can enter photographs and travel to the location and
time. If they are not careful, they can alter the past. This ability has
created different points of views within the traveler community, and Gavin has
to fight to protect his new life.
Concept
As a paranormal YA novel, I particularly
liked the concept of photo traveling. I’ve seen the concept of traveling
through photos before, but not to the exact time that the photo was taken. The
concept is fun, especially for a teenager who craves agency in this world. The
bad guys are over-the-top with their outfits and violence, but for a YA novel,
this is nothing new. It clearly marks them as the villains and the “other”
figures.
Story
The story lacks realistic development.
First, I have to take in that 17-year-old Gavin has had the worst life ever.
Then, he has the unique ability to travel into photos (a.k.a. superpowers). And
he gets the best life ever-awesome grandparents, awesome school, awesome best
friend, and an awesome job. The love story is simply too unbelievable for me.
It is too rushed. People need to hang out more and actually get to know one
another for a worthy relationship to happen. In real life you’ll see people who
proclaim their love for one another after a week and it will induce
eye-rolling. Gavin and his girl meet and then about five minutes later they are
all over each other. The love story is jammed in there with a hammer and it’s noticeable.
I disliked all the pages associated with it.
Some of the events are terribly
forced: such as a confrontation in a museum because Gavin accidentally stepped
on a stranger’s toe and the nail ripped off, explained by the fact that they
guy just had surgery. He also shoots a gun when he is so scared he holds his
breath because he associates guns with a death that took someone important away
from him. And he gets a bulls-eye, when he has never fired a gun before, ever.
As someone who has been to a firing range and knows that firing takes actual
skill and practice, I just rolled my eyes and flipped the page.
Grammar, Spelling,
and Writing
The text also has minor spelling
and grammar errors, such as using the word “latter” when it is supposed to be “letter”,
and the incorrect use of quotation marks in long dialogue by one person. The
writing is a bit flat for a YA novel, but it is not terrible. It is unwise to
insert purple prose into fiction written for teens, but this is pretty pared
down to the bare minimum without it being minimalist. The words on the page are
just there. Not exceptional, but they get the job done.
Protagonist
Gavin is an unlikable guy
sometimes. He is impulsive and has these unacceptable outbursts of anger. He doesn’t
grow as a character and he doesn’t acknowledge his immaturity. In fact, he gets
worse. The biggest plot twists happen because he is screwing up and this makes
the book exhausting. It’s hard to connect with him, so it might be difficult to
keep reading if you don’t care about Gavin.
Cover
I hate the cover. It’s so
uninspired. This book is about photo traveling, so how about a whole bunch of
photos, illustrations, paintings, and text books strewn on a surface? Yes, they
have purple eyes when they are traveling. But to someone who hasn’t read the
book, the purple eyes don’t mean anything to them.
Verdict
The book has an interesting
concept that will excite many teens. Traveling into photos to experience a
different time period and possibly altering history is a fun idea for teens who
desire freedom and agency. The protagonist is unlikable most of the time and
the other characters are flat clichés. Writing is alright but nothing
spectacular. If you like paranormal fiction, time travel, and sad stories of
abused teens finding a loving home, I recommend this.
