I Was The Artist

by S.A. Eldin

They live among us, silently, the Gifted. Beneath the politics of ordinary life a battle rages that affects us all. Our fleeting chance of survival is down to three Timekeepers of the Past, Present and Future.

Zac is a weapon in a war he knows nothing about. The first Timekeeper to manifest in generations, he is thrust into a covert world where his very existence could prevent the destruction of the Gifted Mokiæ.

Revealed through his talent of drawing, his Gift allows him to travel into the past, away from the fragments of his shattered life where he is hunted by the fanatical Ronoa. Join Zac as he confronts the responsibility his Gift has bestowed upon him.

Genres: Fantasy

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 27, 2016

Reviews

[Ellie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

'I Was the Artist,' by S. A. Eldin is a science-fiction/fantasy novel with an element of time travel. We follow Zac, a young man destined for greatness. Given a peculiar charm as a young child, Zac soon embarks upon a mind-bending adventure, where he discovers he can travel back in time using his own drawings. Zac is a Time Keeper; a descendant of an ancient clan.

With power beyond most teenagers imaginations, Zac must decide if he wants to accept his new responsibility, and who his friends and his foes are. Zac's first person account makes good use of imagery, really bringing the element of time travel to life.

The characters were all well-rounded, each with a personal history that has resulted in various quirks. This novel immediately draws you in and possesses a great sense of humor. The attention to detail will amaze. I would thoroughly recommend 'I Was the Artist' to all lovers of sci-fi and fantasy and cannot wait for the sequel. 5 stars.

[Striking 13 · Rating 2 out of 5]

With customary crypticness, we’re thrust into the first book in the Tales of a Timekeeper trilogy. I Was The Artist is yet another Young Adult saga about a young adult with superpowers who’s destined to save us all, presumably somewhere towards the end of S.A. Eldin’s third book.

Full review of I Was The Artist

[Sincerely Bluejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

At first I was extremely unsure of this book, but in the end I was completely hooked! It was phenomenally written, incredibly engaging, and I am sitting in the edge of my seat waiting for the next one to come out. Highly recommended this to anyone who likes adventure !

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me a bit of I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies series) in terms of modern day setting, different "magic" abilities for different characters etc. but with a time travel twist.

Normally I'm digging for holes in time-travel logic, but the rules of this world are very clearly laid out and well presented (even if it takes a couple of paragraphs of exposition).

Great cliffhanger ending. Need the next book ASAP!

Fave character: Troy - a total bad*ss!

[Melleny · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

You can find the full review by following this link: http://abooktropolis01.blogspot.com/2...

But here is a snippet of my thoughts:

Overall, the book wasn't too bad. I know I pretty much bashed what I didn't like about the novel but I did like it in the end. It probably won't be on my best books of 2016 list but it was a good read. I enjoyed a lot of it and was glad I got the opportunity to read the book. And if I am perfectly honest, if I read it again at a later stage, I would probably end up liking it way more than I do right now.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good ya read.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I Was The Artist was intended to be humorous, but I found the first chapter so funny. So much so, I was reading extracts out loud in the staff room to my colleague, who also found odd snippets funny (but most definitely not in a negative way). It did take me a little while to realise that Zac was writing about himself being 8 but reflecting back on it when he's older. It crossed my mind that how he was writing was not exactly how an 8 year old would think, or I doubted so anyway. But once I'd gotten my head around the fact that it was an older Zac writing about when he had been 8, the writing style slotted into place.

I was definitely hooked by the end of the first chapter and didn't have any idea where the plot could possibly go. I re-read the Goodreads blurb and was still none the wiser. This isn't an experience I usually enjoy, but unusually in this case I did.

I really enjoyed the family dynamic that surrounded Zac and his family, especially their interaction with the Grandfather and his obvious negative feelings about the family's decision to move away. This was very authentic and readers of all ages would be able to relate to it, I am sure. Equally as enjoyable was the relationship between Zac and Troy, and I am so interested in how this might develop.

There was a massive plot twist at the end of part one, which was a complete bolt out of the blue and so well written. It did however take me a few chapters to get my head around the change of narrator after this but it was a very clever way of the author showing she can get into the heads of different characters and still write in the same style.

I enjoyed all the different strands of the plot and even though they were quite different they complemented each other well and all fit together nicely. I would recommend I Was The Artist to readers who enjoy YA novels, specifically fantasy coming of age stories.

A simple but effective cover, which I think would make an awesome tattoo.

I Was The Artist was very easy to read. The plot flowed very well and the characters were believable and developed consistently through the course of the book. I was very surprised to discover that I Was The Artist was S.A. Eldin's debut novel! She is definitely an author I will watch closely and I will be reading the sequel which, I have on good authority, is being written as we speak!