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Monday, August 6, 2012

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Hourglass
(Hourglass, #1)
by Myra McEntire
Released |June 14th 2011 by EgmontUSA|
|review written by Rachael|
Rachael's blog: http://www.moosubi.blogspot.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 also 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?

If you want to see more of my reviews, check out my blog @ Moosubi Reviews!

After I heard so much hype about Hourglass, I finally decided to give it a try! I definitely enjoyed it, although my experience didn't reflect the jaw-dropping-amazingness that a lot of my friends showed. But I still definitely enjoyed the book!

I liked the idea of "rips", or time ripples. It's an idea that I sometimes think about when reading about time travel, or just when I'm daydreaming. It was also pretty unique, so I liked the instances when Emerson or Michael explored the idea or experimented with it. An intriguing concept, it also kept Emerson pretty busy trying to figure it out, and I liked seeing her trying to figure it out. Along the way, I was also guessing a bit, too! However, I found that this idea wasn't as flushed out as I would have liked it to be. A lot of this book was focused on Emerson and her relationships with Michael and Kaleb, and although I'm a fan of romance, I would have liked to see the idea more flushed out. Nonetheless, I still liked the author's time travel ideas, and it kept me reading!

The plot definitely moved quickly and didn't bore me for the most part. I especially liked the action at the end when Emerson & Michael finally time travel! During that part, there was a lot of suspense and some guessing on my part. However, as I said before, this idea of time traveling didn't occur as often as I would have liked, since there was mostly relationship building in this book. Don't get me wrong - the romance will appeal to a lot of PNR fans (Steamy kissing? Check. Hot and Mysterious Guy? Check. Classic Heroic and Kind Acts? Check. Arrogant, yet Kind & Smart Attitude? Check.), and I admit that I didindulge in some of the romance - it's just that it seemed like the romance took a lot of potential away from the idea of time travel.

As for the characters, I would say that they were this novel's strongest points :/ They weren't bad per se - however, they weren't extraordinary either. Emerson was a little bland to me, although she did have instances of brilliance that I applauded her for. Her family was definitely supportive, and that's great, although I found some of their actions predictable and again, bland. However, I did like Kaleb - he's definitely a complex character. I know Timepiece has some of his POV, so I'm probably going to read the sequel!

One thing that I should mention though is the ending. I don't want to give too much away, and I did suspect a little, but I was surprised by what happened. Kudos to the author for that!

Overall, I would say that Hourglass is worth your time if you're a romance or PNR fan. If you're looking for more of a time travel, sci-fi filled novel, this book definitely wouldn't be for you. However, if you're looking for a bit of both, I suggest that you borrow a copy of this book and see if you like it by reading a few chapters. I'm hoping there's a little more time travel in the sequel (and I have a slight feeling there is - hopefully there is!) as well as development of Kaleb's POV, so I'll probably be reading Timepiece (:

4 comments:

  1. Added to the TBR list. Although I do think I may have this book somewhere hidden in my library lol

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  2. Rachael, I see what you mean about the romance taking high priority in the book. I read Timepiece right after I finished Hourglass and I think it focused a lot more on the story than the romance. Did you get a chance to read it yet?

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  3. I downloaded this from Kindle when it was only $1.59. It's been sitting on my shelf for a while. I just can't seem to get into it. I'm trying to read it for this month though as part of the group. We'll see how it goes.

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