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Gateways
Victoria suffers the normal troubles of every homework deadlines, a protective mother who keeps knives under her pillow, a missing father, and if she's not careful, Victoria falls into her paintings. Ok, so, not so normal problems. The paintings that lead to other realities are Gateways, and all is not well in the worlds outside our own. A shift in power is brewing as a search for an ancient weapon, the same weapon Victoria's father swore to protect, forces her to choose between remaining under the protection of her mentor or going on her own to find her father. If the weapon falls into the wrong hands, every world will suffer (insert evil laugh here).Reader's Den Gold MedalistReader's Favorite FinalistChanticleer Reviews Winner
- GenresFantasy
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2012
2 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Schaub
10 books19 followersJessica skills include quoting any line from the Princess Bride and finding time to read. She'd like to say that she keeps a neat house, but with four home-schooled kids, it's just not on her priority list.
The heart of her stories stem from her love of God, her faith, and her family. “Without those influences, there is no story in my life; no beginning, no middle, and certainly no happy ending.”
With a M.Ed. in Education from Grand Valley State University, Jessica loves teaching children how to read, to understand what they read, and express thoughts, ideas, and budding stories through writing. She helps parents help their children become strong readers.
The heart of her stories stem from her love of God, her faith, and her family. “Without those influences, there is no story in my life; no beginning, no middle, and certainly no happy ending.”
With a M.Ed. in Education from Grand Valley State University, Jessica loves teaching children how to read, to understand what they read, and express thoughts, ideas, and budding stories through writing. She helps parents help their children become strong readers.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 31, 2013
I wrote the following review for my web site, but I'm posting it here, as well, because it was definitely a worthwhile read.
One of the things I liked best about Gateways was the detailed description. It was easy to get a feel for the varied surroundings because they were so well laid out, and there were many different settings to explore this way.
Beyond that, I was pleasantly surprised by sentences that made me curious and then rewarded me with more information further in the book. I felt like I was continually learning something about this world. Completely enjoyable.
While I hope the following doesn't give away too much, here are some of my favorite ideas from the book:
*From page 52:
"No," Worthmere said. "I have never understood the idea of magic. No one can make something happen without a divine force already present. Mages are able to communicate on a higher level with natural elements around them."
*Page 55: the idea of terraces is explained-they are other levels of the original world. I was struck with this idea earlier in the book and was curious about it. Reading about it here felt like finding a gem hidden in the back of a closet. It was rewarding-and I felt rewarded again on page 77, when I learned even more about terraces.
*The entire dream scene, around page 99, intrigued me-especially when the main character received the locket. Again, all of this was a complete surprise to me, which made it fun to read.
*Page 134-ish: the Dream Walker.
*From page 144:
Anna stopped walking and turned to face Victoria. Her face was shadowed with...fear? Doubt? Whatever was troubling Anna, Victoria felt it too. "I don't know. But whatever we are dealing with, Victoria, you need to keep the Creator first and foremost in your mind. In your heart. Protect your soul from the influences of those who would use evil."
*The battle scenes around page 197
*From page 216:
Victoria grabbed Bobby's arms, understanding the depth of the situation. "They destroyed the painting."
Bobby nodded.
"How do we get back home?" Tucker asked.
"I don't know," Bobby said. "But I want to know who wants to keep us here."
*Page 247-ish: more dream walking
*Page 298-when Victoria breaks down the wall that keeps her from her soul garden
*From page 315:
"To believe in the Grandfather's Weapon is like believing everything you read: King Arthur, The Odeyssey. They are stories with thin lines of truth, we just don't know which lines to believe."
I like the different characters and how they interact with each other. I love the way the tension builds-just when you think there might be a break, something else bad happens, all the way through to the end.
Very well done.
One of the things I liked best about Gateways was the detailed description. It was easy to get a feel for the varied surroundings because they were so well laid out, and there were many different settings to explore this way.
Beyond that, I was pleasantly surprised by sentences that made me curious and then rewarded me with more information further in the book. I felt like I was continually learning something about this world. Completely enjoyable.
While I hope the following doesn't give away too much, here are some of my favorite ideas from the book:
*From page 52:
"No," Worthmere said. "I have never understood the idea of magic. No one can make something happen without a divine force already present. Mages are able to communicate on a higher level with natural elements around them."
*Page 55: the idea of terraces is explained-they are other levels of the original world. I was struck with this idea earlier in the book and was curious about it. Reading about it here felt like finding a gem hidden in the back of a closet. It was rewarding-and I felt rewarded again on page 77, when I learned even more about terraces.
*The entire dream scene, around page 99, intrigued me-especially when the main character received the locket. Again, all of this was a complete surprise to me, which made it fun to read.
*Page 134-ish: the Dream Walker.
*From page 144:
Anna stopped walking and turned to face Victoria. Her face was shadowed with...fear? Doubt? Whatever was troubling Anna, Victoria felt it too. "I don't know. But whatever we are dealing with, Victoria, you need to keep the Creator first and foremost in your mind. In your heart. Protect your soul from the influences of those who would use evil."
*The battle scenes around page 197
*From page 216:
Victoria grabbed Bobby's arms, understanding the depth of the situation. "They destroyed the painting."
Bobby nodded.
"How do we get back home?" Tucker asked.
"I don't know," Bobby said. "But I want to know who wants to keep us here."
*Page 247-ish: more dream walking
*Page 298-when Victoria breaks down the wall that keeps her from her soul garden
*From page 315:
"To believe in the Grandfather's Weapon is like believing everything you read: King Arthur, The Odeyssey. They are stories with thin lines of truth, we just don't know which lines to believe."
I like the different characters and how they interact with each other. I love the way the tension builds-just when you think there might be a break, something else bad happens, all the way through to the end.
Very well done.
September 4, 2012
The pages just kept turning and turning. The book has a very Avatar: The Last Airbender feel to it, however the benders (or mages as they are called in the book) are living in a completely different world with different rules and magics. Mrs Schaub's writing is smooth and flowing, easy to follow and she is very skilled with cliffhangers and portraying her characters' emotions. I am also very impressed with her manner of action/fight-scene writing. I find the intense scenes very difficult to maneuver when writing, and Mrs. Schaub does it expertly, from the bending of the elements to the intensive natural disasters that befall our heroes. I adored the book and will probably be reading it again within the next month.
May 9, 2014
This book is simply amazing, I loved it! I was so pleased with the perfect mix of Fantasy, Mythology and Christianity. It is filled action, adventure, friendship and faith. Not to mention it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can't wait for the next book!
May 31, 2012
When Victoria paints landscapes, she becomes fully immersed in her artwork. She can feel the wind coursing through her hair, smell the various scents of nature. Her immersion goes deeper than her love for art or her need to escape the stresses that come along with having an anxious mother and an absentee father.
You see, Victoria is a Painter with a Capital 'P'. Her landscapes feel so very real because they are real, in a sense. They're gateways. While her paintings aren't passageways to real places, they are windows leading to landscapes stuck in a perpetual loop.
The signs that she is very different can't be ignored: Her right eye changed from brown to hazel; nature, namely a tree and the fountain in front of her school, reacts to her presence; a man wearing odd clothing silently watched Victoria and her friends on their way to school.
However, it's not until she falls into one of her own paintings and struggles to get out that the reality of being a Painter hits her. Without the help of Miss Witherspoon, another Painter, there's no telling how long she would have been trapped in the painting. Her mom's reaction to all the oddities? It's time to pack up and leave as quickly as possible.
Not only are there other Painters, but there are also people worth escaping from.
Unfortunately, the escape doesn't happen smoothly. Victoria goes next door just to say a quick goodbye to her best friends, Bobby and Tucker, but instead the three of them end up frantically running without Victoria's mother and the twins' dad. They only have one goal - hide and stay alive.
They go to the school, seeking Miss Witherspoons help since she can hide them in a painting. Instead they get attacked and Tucker gets kidnapped by Lucian - a mage imprisoned in a painting for attacking a council member and killing three other mages.
So begins Victoria's adventure. Just when she thought the idea of a Painter was crazy, she learns that element manipulation isn't impossible and mythical creatures, such as sphinx and dragons, aren't so mythical after all. Eventually, they find Tucker, but finding Tucker certainly isn't the end. Victoria and the twins become more and more powerful, and there are many secrets to uncover - secrets about Lucian, their parents, the Council, their power, and The Grandfather's Weapon.
First off, let me start off by saying that I loved this book. I read and review a new book every week. There are some I like and there are some I really like, but there are only a select few I love enough to give five stars and a Reader's Den Choice Award to. Gateways is one of those select few. At first, I wasn't so certain how I felt about this book. The events that happened in the first fifteen pages seemed to happen really fast for me, and I at first couldn't connect with Victoria on an emotional level. However, the story started to pick up for me the moment Tucker traveled into a painting with Victoria and made me smile when he said, “We are in a painting! That’s what wrong!” A couple of pages later, I forgot all about my initial doubts.
Schaub's attention to detail was beautiful and well done. Though I wondered why Anna Witherspoon wasn't more thorough about hiding the painting Lucian was stuck in, most of the plot points in the story were handled very well. Basically, Schaub made sure to cover the bases, which made me really happy since nothing takes me out of a story quicker than thinking, "Um, wait, why didn't the characters just do this or this or that?"
The concepts and the way Schaub handled emotions really sold me. I'm not gonna lie; if a crapload of awesome fantasy concepts are properly integrated in a story, I get weak in the knees. The world becomes real to me. I want to know more.
Vital emotions and reactions that aren't rushed make me weak in the knees too. Hell, I'm grumpy when it comes to most romances in fiction, yet I'm actually excited to learn about how the romance plays out.
There are only two things I find worth pointing out - there are typos here and there, but they are so far and few between that they don't really matter; there are at least one or two relatively small parts where a character's belief in God is the focus of their thoughts or a conversation. The mentions of God aren't pushy, and I have nothing whatsoever against religion, but I'm putting it out there that Victoria is definitely a believer for those of you who may not like that.
Thank goodness there will be a book two (and three)! The ending answered a couple of questions, but it also left quite a lot unanswered as well.
You see, Victoria is a Painter with a Capital 'P'. Her landscapes feel so very real because they are real, in a sense. They're gateways. While her paintings aren't passageways to real places, they are windows leading to landscapes stuck in a perpetual loop.
The signs that she is very different can't be ignored: Her right eye changed from brown to hazel; nature, namely a tree and the fountain in front of her school, reacts to her presence; a man wearing odd clothing silently watched Victoria and her friends on their way to school.
However, it's not until she falls into one of her own paintings and struggles to get out that the reality of being a Painter hits her. Without the help of Miss Witherspoon, another Painter, there's no telling how long she would have been trapped in the painting. Her mom's reaction to all the oddities? It's time to pack up and leave as quickly as possible.
Not only are there other Painters, but there are also people worth escaping from.
Unfortunately, the escape doesn't happen smoothly. Victoria goes next door just to say a quick goodbye to her best friends, Bobby and Tucker, but instead the three of them end up frantically running without Victoria's mother and the twins' dad. They only have one goal - hide and stay alive.
They go to the school, seeking Miss Witherspoons help since she can hide them in a painting. Instead they get attacked and Tucker gets kidnapped by Lucian - a mage imprisoned in a painting for attacking a council member and killing three other mages.
So begins Victoria's adventure. Just when she thought the idea of a Painter was crazy, she learns that element manipulation isn't impossible and mythical creatures, such as sphinx and dragons, aren't so mythical after all. Eventually, they find Tucker, but finding Tucker certainly isn't the end. Victoria and the twins become more and more powerful, and there are many secrets to uncover - secrets about Lucian, their parents, the Council, their power, and The Grandfather's Weapon.
First off, let me start off by saying that I loved this book. I read and review a new book every week. There are some I like and there are some I really like, but there are only a select few I love enough to give five stars and a Reader's Den Choice Award to. Gateways is one of those select few. At first, I wasn't so certain how I felt about this book. The events that happened in the first fifteen pages seemed to happen really fast for me, and I at first couldn't connect with Victoria on an emotional level. However, the story started to pick up for me the moment Tucker traveled into a painting with Victoria and made me smile when he said, “We are in a painting! That’s what wrong!” A couple of pages later, I forgot all about my initial doubts.
Schaub's attention to detail was beautiful and well done. Though I wondered why Anna Witherspoon wasn't more thorough about hiding the painting Lucian was stuck in, most of the plot points in the story were handled very well. Basically, Schaub made sure to cover the bases, which made me really happy since nothing takes me out of a story quicker than thinking, "Um, wait, why didn't the characters just do this or this or that?"
The concepts and the way Schaub handled emotions really sold me. I'm not gonna lie; if a crapload of awesome fantasy concepts are properly integrated in a story, I get weak in the knees. The world becomes real to me. I want to know more.
Vital emotions and reactions that aren't rushed make me weak in the knees too. Hell, I'm grumpy when it comes to most romances in fiction, yet I'm actually excited to learn about how the romance plays out.
There are only two things I find worth pointing out - there are typos here and there, but they are so far and few between that they don't really matter; there are at least one or two relatively small parts where a character's belief in God is the focus of their thoughts or a conversation. The mentions of God aren't pushy, and I have nothing whatsoever against religion, but I'm putting it out there that Victoria is definitely a believer for those of you who may not like that.
Thank goodness there will be a book two (and three)! The ending answered a couple of questions, but it also left quite a lot unanswered as well.
June 21, 2012
I am waiting for the next book in this series, which is supposed to be out in August. Written by local (Lansing) author Jessica Schaub (who is, by the way, a delightful lady), this book brings a fantastical world with interesting, moral characters. I believe would be a great read for tweens, as "adult themes" are not present, while excitement and plot twists are. There are biblical and Christian references throughout, making the story more relevant to those of us who can sympathize with the struggle to be Christian in our own lives. Being a first edition, and self-published, I wasn't surprised to see several typographical/spelling errors, but they were insignificant to my enjoyment of the book and really didn't slow me down. Love the explanation for absence of "mythical" creatures from our reality, and the way natural elements are utilized by the mages. Great quick summer read!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews