Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Obtained: Paperback copy from BEA (Signed)
Release Date: June 14, 2011 (Paperback: May 8, 2012)
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 390 (not including Timepiece preview)
Obtain it for yourself: Amazon & Goodreads & Book Depository & IndieBound
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Hourglass Summary from Goodreads

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?

Review

WHOA. Whoa? WHOA. Wh-whoa. There was so much going on in this novel that it’s taken me a hot minute to get my thoughts together. First, you’ve got this girl who can see spirit-like-things. And you’ve got this beautiful boy who shows up to help her figure out why. And then you’ve got his best friend. And then you’ve got her friend who can magically find things. And Ava. And Cat. And a burned-down lab. Wh-what?!

So, Hourglass by Myra McEntire is… Well, I would describe it as a Science Fiction YA novel. And I would add that there’s a little bit of paranormal (I mean, being attracted to another human being based on their abilities?) It was quite enjoyable to read how these characters explained their world and their rules. I feel like, beside the actual storyline, that’s the most interesting part about Sci-Fi.

Em is quite straight-forward about her feelings about the other gender (DA BOYS). She’s not afraid to let a guy know what’s up. Sadly, Michael doesn’t want to mix work with play a whole lot, so that kinda gets cut short at times. Y’know, sometimes you just want to kick a character in the head, especially when homegirl has the opportunity to make out with your equally hot best friend. JUST THROWIN’ THAT ONE OUT THERE.

Anyway, awesome novel. I definitely felt a little reminiscent of Firefly because of NEAR DEATH. Because, you know, Joss likes to kill off the characters you’ve grown attached to over the five minutes you’ve watched of Firefly. Myra’s got that down. Also, Em knows karate. Okay, I’ll stop comparing Joss to Myra now and we can wrap up this review.

Plot – Pretty good.
Characters – AMAZING
Dangly strings – Definitely there and I hope we get to know more about Lily in the next novel because I HAVE QUESTIONS.
Evil bad guys – WHAT THE HECK where did they come from? LOVED IT.
What else? – I want more Sci-Fi YA, please.

Tagged as: EgmontUSA, Hourglass, Myra McEntire