Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

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:

Hourglass was a stunning and addicting debut novel that completely sucked me in from the first page. There was something completely unique and captivating about Myra’s writing style and she developed the plot of Hourglass perfectly. From the steamy romance to the sizzling action to the kick-butt main character, Hourglass had it all.

To elaborate on the aforementioned kick-butt protagonist, Emerson Cole was truly everything you could want in a heroine. She spoke her mind and didn’t take crap from anyone. Em was vibrant and very real. Life had dealt her some painful blows and I felt for her when nothing seemed to be going right. At least she has Dru and Thomas on her side. Her brother and his wife were a great pair and I only wish I could have seen more of them. They were always there for Em and stood beside her through some tough times. Another character I wanted to know a bit more about was her best friend Lily. There was definitely more to her than met the eye and I liked how she had her own trials and tribulations to deal with, but still stuck by Emerson. The characters in Hourglass were mostly all well developed and two others that really stood out to me were Michael and Kaleb.

Michael Weaver and Em had that instant love connection that often annoys me, but it worked for Hourglass. They truly are perfect for each other and will go to any lengths to keep each other safe. Michael was more than an attractive face- he was kind, loyal, and treated Em with the respect she deserved. Of course there was another guy who I liked as well. Kaleb. He was a complex and broken character who I immediately fell for. Em is definitely going to have some hard decisions in the future because both guys are awesome.

I think my favorite part of this novel had to be the plot. It was complex with so many small twists and dimensions that tied together to make what could be an absolute mess, but Myra made it work out perfectly. There were also a lot of unexpected occurrences that made it hard for me to put down. The time traveling twist was great and I was captivated- I had to know how everything would end up.

Hourglass is definitely something new to the YA market and while it had a few flaws, this is one of my favorites of 2011. There was just so much about the book that I loved and now I am dying to read the sequel!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

June 14, 2011/Egmont USA/397 Pages/Young Adult/Book One

Source: Publisher (ARC)