Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

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?

Before I even start this review, I'm going to gush for a little while about how awesome Les over at My keeper shelf is, for letting me borrow her copy of this. I have been so excited to read it but unfortunately have  been too poor to actually buy myself a copy, so when Lesley let me borrow her copy I was soooooo happy!

I absolutely adored this book, it was enthralling, inventive, haunting and all around amazing, (I was going to try for alliteration there, but it's midnight and I'm up for work in six hours!). What I loved about HOURGLASS was how unique it was, I've read a few books about time travel before but the idea itself isn't actually used all that much in young adult books and even though there are some books about time travel about, HOURGLASS takes the idea and puts a whole new spin on things. If I hadn't read the blurb and some reviews, which sometimes I don't, I would have gone into this book thinking it was a ghost story.

I loved the characters, Em was relatable, while she's brave and has a backbone and a sarcastic wit, she is also vulnerable and open and raw. We see her make some silly choices and act like an idiot sometimes but it's part of the realism of the character. I had one issue with Em and that was that I found her very clingy, though that is also believable. I liked Michael, he was sexy, alluring and mysterious but also genuine and sweet and I liked the romance between him and Em, it didn't develop too fast and there were some obstacles. I also liked the rest of the cast, Lily was funny, Kaleb was sweet and quite cute as well and for some reason I really liked Em's sister-in-law Dru, who is really lovely.

The only issue I had was one that i have with many YA paranormal books and that is the lack of communication, I'm like "If you'd just told her that at the beginning of the book, this would never have happened." It's like none of he characters have any common sense! I also found that the three sort-of-love-triangles got on my nerves, there was the Michael-Em-Kaleb one, The Michael-Em-Jack one and the Em-Michael-Ava one and while they added suspense and surprise to the story, I thought it was a bit too much.

The book was full of twists and turns and surprises that I couldn't really guess and that keep you gasping the whole way through. I found that McEntire's writing style was quite unique in a way that it really conveyed the emotion through Em's narration.

All in all, a great start to a series. Built on an original idea and supported by strong, believable characters and fantastic writing.

Rating: A

Stand alone/series: First in a series

UK Release:June 14th 2011

Publisher: Egmont USA

Book obtained via: Borrowed from Les over at My keeper shelf 

Thanks so much Les!