HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire

Hourglass
Myra McEntire

Rating: A+


Description from goodreads.com:
One hour to rewrite the past . . . 
 
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?
 
Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.


My thoughts on the book:
I'm going to be completely honest. I'd heard a lot of wonderful things about Hourglass, and that made me think that I probably wouldn't like it. Let me explain... any time I hear a ton of great things about a book, it almost always ends up falling flat for me. Either I can't relate to the characters or the pacing is off or the plot just flat out sucks. However, Hourglass was a fantastic read, and I can't wait for the sequel. I fell in love with all of the characters, other than the bad guys, which I hated once I figured out they were bad. There were a ton of surprises in the book, and as hard as I tried, I couldn't predict the plot. As someone who can usually guess where a book is going, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had no idea what would happen in this novel. I also loved that the book was near Nashville, TN, in a small town called Ivy Springs.  I LOVE NASHVILLE! It's a fantastic city, and I haven't read many books that are set there. Myra McEntire is my new hero. 


The novel starts out a bit slowly, but Emerson is a very intriguing character. She's sarcastic, witty, funny, and charming. I really loved reading about things from her POV. She's not pansy, and she can take care of herself. She has a brown belt in Martial Arts training for Christ's sake! Don't mess with her. She may be little, but she can still kick ass! She's had a rough past, but she doesn't really whine that much. She goes back and suffers from guilt some, but we all do that when someone we love dies. She is a strong character, though, and she does what she has to do to make things right. 


I would have liked to have seen more of Lily and learned more about her, but hopefully we'll get to learn more about her in the sequel. She was interesting, and a terrific friend to Emerson. She stood by her no matter what, and it's hard to find a friend like that, especially in high school. 


Michael. *swoon* The second he said he preferred professional baseball, I knew I'd found my new book character soul mate. Now if he'd only been a Cubs fan instead of a Red Sox fan, he would have been perfect. I do like the Red Sox, but my heart is with my Cubbies. I digress... Michael was a terrific character and extremely selfless. He was trustworthy, kind, patient, brave, and understanding. I loved his interactions with Emerson, and the way he took care of all of his friends. He's just an all around great guy. They really need to make one of him in real life. Or several. I'd appreciate that. Only, we need to add a Cubs fan gene to the mix. I mean I love my Cubbies, but let's face it, no one is going to be a fan of a team that never goes to the World Series without it being a genetic condition. Wow, I'm really off topic right now. 


Kaleb was a wonderful addition to the book, and he mixed things up a lot. You can tell that deep down he's a good guy, but he's suffering, so he makes some terrible mistakes. He really care about his friends, though, and I really liked his ability. I'd like to see more of him in the next book, too. 


Thomas and Dru are the most likable parent figures in the world. Thomas is Emerson's brother, and Dru is his wife. They are supportive and kind to Emerson, and I simply loved them. They also were present a lot in the novel, and I enjoyed that. I like it when we don't have to read about phantom parents all the time. Spices things up a bit, don't you think? 


The first half of the book focuses on explaining the complicated world that McEntire has created. The time travel thing is a little science-y and confusing, but over all, McEntire leaves out enough details that it didn't give me a headache. I think I grasped the concept just fine, and I am no science whiz. The beginning moves a little slowly, but because of that I was able to gain trust in Michael and the rest of the Renegades right along with Emerson. Also, there is no insta-love. I hate insta-love, and I really appreciate it when an author takes the time to make a relationship develop instead of using love as a plot device. McEntire handled the relationship thing gracefully, and the connection between Michael and Emerson grew organically throughout the book. Nothing felt forced about it. It was easy to believe that they were best friends who just happened to fall in love with each other. 


The second half of the book is filled with mysteries, surprises, and a lot of tense moments. There's not much "action" in my mind because there is not really any fighting. However, there is a lot going on, and the climax and big reveal are intense and shocking. I was on the edge of my seat from about page 200 on. The ending wrapped things up nicely, but also left room for a sequel. The world McEntire has created is unique and wonderful. It's a great place to lose yourself in, and I haven't had nearly enough of it. Hourglass is not a book that you want to miss. 


Want to buy Hourglass?


Amazon

Barnes and Noble