Hourglass - Book Review

Title ~ Hourglass
Series ~ Hourglass #1
Author ~ Myra McEntire
Release Date ~ June 14, 2011
Age Group ~ Young Adult
Publisher ~ Egmont USA
Source ~ Egmont USA

GOODREADS SUMMARY

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.

REVIEW

Wowza! Hourglass is a stunner and Myra McEntire’s writing is phenomenal. This is one of those special books that belongs on a special shelf for the best of the best.

After Emerson’s parents die in a skiing accident, she is sent to a boarding school and then a mental hospital. Most people think she is crazy because she sees visions. One of Emerson’s few confidants is her older brother, Thomas. Emerson sees people from the past like girls in hoop skirts, boys in suits, and people with big 70’s afros. She doesn’t just accept her visions as normal and she also doesn’t succumb to the theory that she is crazy either. Instead, Emerson falls somewhere in the murky middle. This indecision adds depth to her as a character.

Sweet Michael is Emerson’s mysterious mentor. These two have something electric going on, but they are cautioned against being together. Ah, forbidden romance. I love that Michael truly believes in Emerson and looks out for her. Then there’s Kaleb, the hard-to-resist bad boy with a crush on Emerson. This trio has enough indecision, longing, and chemistry to light an inferno.

I loved how the past, present, and future are brought together throughout the story. They are interrelated and each plays off the other. Oh, and the Hourglass organization has its hands in all of it. This plot is killer.

Suspense. Just when I would think I had things figured out ….. BAM! And this didn’t just happen once, it happened over and over and over again. My gosh, Myra McEntire is some sort of writing genius who gets you right where she wants you and then changes everything. Stunning, indeed.

RATING

5 Loved

COVER COMMENTS

Check it out. She’s walking down the wall. At first I didn’t really notice, and then I was sort of freaked out by it. This cover is so original, just like the story.