Hourglass

I've had Hourglass sitting on my Kindle shelf since it was on sale for $1.59. I read the synopsis and for some reason I just couldn't get into it. It's not like I even cracked the book open and started reading - I just wasn't in the mood for it based on the synopsis. I finally did read it this month because one of my groups on Goodreads chose it as the Book of the Month for our group to read. I then procrastinated until close to the end of the month.I don't know what my problem was! This book was really good. I started reading the first chapter and got sucked right in. I couldn't figure out what all the previous hemming and hawing was about. I really like books set in the South, and Hourglass is set in Tennessee. The chapter opens with Emerson coming home and sticking her hand through a Scarlet O'Hara style Southern belle. When I read this, I was thinking, "What is this all about?" I became more and more intrigued - especially when I found out that this wasn't a ghost story!I like Emerson for the most part. She has had some horrible things happen in her life, and she seems to be trying to make the best of things. She is spunky. She kicks butt. I love that she is into martial arts, and it talks about how hard she worked to become a brown belt. I like when characters work to be skilled and aren't just magically able to suddenly kick butt. I find Emerson to be funny, strong and dedicated. The one thing that I don't like about her is that she is one of those females that is so headstrong that she goes against what everyone tells her - just to spite them. On the one hand, I see her point, that if it involves her life, she should know, so that she can make a well-educated decision. On the other hand, I hate it when smart, strong, female characters put themselves right in the line of fire for stupid reasons.Enter the love interest, Michael. He sounds attractive, but he doesn't quite do it for me. It seems like he plays with Emerson's emotions a lot. He withholds information from her, telling her it's for her own good. I hate when people do that. He should have been honest with her. He was trying to gain her trust so he could essentially use her to accomplish a goal he desperately wanted to accomplish. So while I dislike female characters that ignore the "it's for your own good" statements and put themselves in danger, I dislike more the male characters that withhold information resulting in the female putting herself in that situation. It's kind of chauvinistic. Emerson had to pretty much fight for every piece of information she received throughout the book.I also dislike that Michael would be all into Emerson one minute and then blowing her off and making her feel bad the next. Emerson was a little clingy about it at times - but this tends to happen when a guy is bi-polar about his feelings. I dislike the whole thing with Ava. Michael wasn't very firm with Ava when it came to her advances, and he let Ava make Emerson feel bad about herself and insecure. That being said, I have to respect Michael for his self-sacrificing actions later in the book.Hourglass does have a sort of love triangle. Kaleb, Michael's close friend, is closer in age to Emerson. He has lost his parents like Emerson. He is more of a bad boy- acting out because he can't deal with his grief or his powers in a healthy way. I personally prefer bad-boy Kaleb over Michael. Kaleb is definitely trouble - but he does make Emerson question her feelings for Michael - especially when she discovers that her feelings may not be her own.There is a whole slew of side characters that are well developed and interesting. I love Emerson's brother and his wife. Dru is very maternal and I love how she really makes an effort to make Emerson feel part of their family. I really like Emerson's best friend Lily, and I hope that she gets more attention in the next book. It doesn't seem like they get to spend a ton of time together in Hourglass and I'm fairly certain Lily has some amazing secrets of her own. The rest of the members of the Hourglass society are interesting too - except for Ava - she is really unlikable.I loved the world-building. I like the descriptions of the buildings and the towns that Hourglass takes place in and the descriptions of Thomas and Dru's renovations of the old buildings, their home, and restaurant. I loved all the information on time travel and rips. The different things Emerson see's is so fascinating - my favorite being the three being the three piece jazz band.Overall I gave Hourglass 4 stars, because it's definitely different. I liked the way it was written, though I've seen a few people complain about the lack of "he said" "she said" when people are talking. I think it was fresh, easy to read and fun. I can't wait to read Timepiece. I can't wait to find out what consequences Jack and Emerson's travels cause for the present time. I hope maybe Emerson sees the value of Kaleb and what a sort of schmuck Michael is. Go Team Kaleb!

Loved the romance Ms. McEntire created in Hourglass and can't wait for more of the time-travel aspects to be explored!Emerson, the protagonist - Loved her! Witty, sarcastic, and strong while still being vulnerable. My heart reached out to her whenever she talked about how crazy seeing time slips made her feel and her parents's deaths. Also, she's a tad cocky when she talks about being fearless, but she truly is rather brave and decisive.The Idea - When the summary says "the best of both the paranormal and scifi" genres, it's honestly true. I also think that who the blurbs are from give you a good hint -- Emerson has the snark of Sophie Mercer from the Hex Hall series while Hourglass, as a whole, has that part sci-fi feel (but not the dystopia) to it that Across the Universe had. Die-hard sci-fi fans may not enjoy the explanations behind the time-travel--because there aren't that many/when one of the characters brings up theoretical physics, Emerson doesn't want to hear about it--but people like myself who aren't averse to sci-fi will enjoy it. And paranormal fans. The world Ms. McEntire's created allows for more abilities to be explored in future, and plus, when you say paranormal in YA, nowadays that also includes some sort of steamy romance... and this book has got plenty of that.The Romance - Even though two incredibly awesome romantic interests are introduced, only one of them actually has a chance. Yay! Not a love triangle but a way to explore the dynamics of all the characters' relationships and get the main interest to act. The tension throughout the novel is palpable, and I look forward to seeing more of the physical/emotional chemistry explored.Side Characters - I loved the fact that Ms. McEntire introduced a select few to her cast of characters, because I feel like almost all of them were developed well. Michael and his temper & hero complex. Kaleb and his avoidance/barrier via player habits. Thomas and Dru - well maybe you don't exactly know all their flaws (except for maybe a desperation, based off of who Thomas has hired in the past to help Emerson) as well as the others, but they add a nice family touch. I hope to see Dune and Nate developed a bit more.The Villain - Wow. Ms. McEntire throws you for a loop here. Definitely did not see this coming, but yep, the villains are creepy and authentic, not the typical storybook brand.The Ending - Yay, no gigantic cliff-hanger! There is still unresolved tension, yes, but the ending is my type of ending. The one where you know the consequences of what happened in this book will be explored in the next but without you wondering what the eff just happened... because this book actually is complete--the characters do what they set out to do and not some lame, halfway version of it either.Emotional Realism - By this, I mean I never once doubted Emerson's struggle to cope with what was going on. Or with her parents's death and her survival. Or her older brother's concern for her. Or with her ability to connect with Kaleb. I liked that she used sarcasm to deflect from herself, that she was vulnerable while still acting with lots of courage.Pacing - Though it takes a while for the main action to occur, I was still hooked from page one. I literally picked up this book, only wanting to read the first chapter but not stopping until the very end.Confusion - Okay, time-travel novels always screw with my head and I'm still a little confused about certain aspects. I always wonder about the circular notion of it... and there's also the question of what exactly Michael saw? because how else would it be possible for him not to... I'm going to stop now before I drive myself crazy and also spoil the book for you guys. Also, I'm wondering about that electricity effect between Michael and Emerson. Sometimes it seemed really intense and other times, when there was more physical contact, it was less intense. I don't really understand what's going on there and hope that's explored a bit more in future books, especially with the whole Liam/Grace deal. In defense of the book, however, the confusion about the time-travel just made me think more about the novel, and you know it's a good book when you can't get it out of your head.Full review posted here: (...)

I really loved this book from the very first page where we meet protagonist Emerson. She thinks she's a complete freak and that there is something terribly wrong with her. After all, she sees what she thinks are ghosts and has once been committed for what she can see. No matter what she does, these people from the past haunt her and she hates it. Although this may sound like Emerson was quite depressing, she wasn't at all. She was full of sass and quick come-backs and only wanted to feel normal again. Even though Emerson has all of this going on, she is still super sweet and caring and has a close connection with her brother and his wife which was a really nice touch.As people seem to think she's crazy, Emerson's brother Thomas attempts to help her by contacting others who think that they can help. This is where Michael comes in. Hired by Thomas, he works for something called Hourglass and knows exactly about Emerson's `problems'. However, not long after they meet Michael explains that these people Emerson can see aren't ghosts but `rips', people from the past. I loved Michael just as much as I did Emerson. Even though he has been hired to help Emerson, there is a clear connection between the two which he fights so hard to ignore. He's also such a gentleman at times but has some hidden secrets of his own which were exciting to find out about.This is one of those books where the author gets the romance so spot on it's unreal. Emerson's brother has made sure that Michael agrees to a strict business only agreement and this is partly what is driving Michael to stay away. The getting to know each other part of the relationship was perfect for me as there were trust issues to deal with and also having to get to know a complete stranger. While there is a slow build up to the romance, it was well worth it. The drawn out moments created immense tension between Emerson and Michael which was so fantastically written. I couldn't get enough of these two.As well as having amazing main characters, Hourglass has some great supporting characters. First there is Emerson's best friend Lily. I could see why the two of them were best friends instantly. They complimented each other really well and Lily had her own quirks which didn't make her seem boring in comparison to Emerson. Then there is Kaleb who is a friend of Michaels. Kaleb was someone really special who has so much about him that I couldn't get enough of. I wanted to know so much more about him. I think that both Kaleb and Lily will have bigger roles in future books of this series... at least I hope they will.Hourglass has a wonderful plot and one that sets this book apart from other YA books. The time travel element is why I read this book to begin with and it really was amazing. Out of the other time travel books I have read, this one is by far the most original. I loved the way that different people could do different things and could either go into the past or the future. There are so many different aspects of the plot which made it interesting and unique but saying too much about them will ruin a massive part of the story for anyone who hasn't read this. The plot had me hooked and I was desperate to find out what was really going on and what you happen in the end.Hourglass is one of the best YA time travel books that I have read and now I can't wait to get started on the sequel, Timepiece.

Excellent narrative voiceUnique writing styleFabulous turn of phraseDon't know why it hasn't been picked up in UKTold in first person narrative from Emerson's perspective. Emerson is an amazing character full of hidden depths covered in a lovely layer of sarcasm. She's dealt with a lot in her young life least of which is thinking she is completely crazy to the point of spending time in a psychiatric hospital.The death of her parents results in her living with her much older brother Thomas, and his wife (her name escapes me at the moment) Both are utterly lovely and make terrific substitute parents for Emerson. All the little details of their lives are described, from the interior design to the flawless style that seems to come so easily to them. Although all of these little details are woven into the descriptions at no point does the writing become flowery or overdone.Emerson believes she is seeing ghosts and has tried all sorts in order to stop the visions. Enter Micheal *swoon* as a counselor hired by her brother. Micheal is from a private facility called Hourglass (clever right). Bringing with him revelations to the visions and a connection to Emerson that could literally set the place on fire.The plot is fast paced, the writing style utterly unique with the most wonderful turn of phrase I have seen, creating a compelling well developed and executed story.The time travel aspects were well thought out and unique in their delivery. Control of the repercussions and consequences of time travel provided some surprising twists that left me reeling.Peripheral characters are well developed each having individual appeal while adding to the story as a whole. Kaleb and Lily while secondary characters to Emerson and Michael appear pivotal to the overall plot outcome. Only time will tell.Hourglass really is a terrific addition to the time travel book in young adult fiction. I love Myra McEntire's writing style.

Hourglass is a uniquely different YA novel which I devoured in a matter of hours. It was fast paced and engaging throughout with excellent characters I just wanted to know more and more about.Emerson Cole is a fascinating lead character. She has clearly been through a lot in her short life spending a great deal of time thinking she was stark raving mad because she saw ghosts floating around her to the point where she was institutionalised. Since being released back into the wider world she has spent her time trying to work out what has been going on. What I liked was that once she finally started to get some answers with the arrival of Michael on the scene she handled all the things thrown at her remarkably well whilst wanting to know more and more about her abilities and why she could see what see sees on a daily basis.Michael is also a really interesting character. He is brought on the scene by Emerson's older brother a representative of the mysterious Hourglass company to mentor Emerson. Emerson finds herself immediately drawn to him to which he responds by attempting to be the perfect and totally gorgeous gentleman by her (with only the very occasional slip up). He is aloof throughout which seems to drive Emerson crazy meaning she goes to great lengths to get more anwsers from him as he seems to know an awful lot about Emerson and her condition. I loved how he starts to soften towards Emerson as the story progresses and found myself swooning in awe of his general gorgeousness.Once the story gets underway the ideas put forward are awesome and the story is complex in how it plays out but I was never left wondering what was going on it that confused kind of way even though there were a few ideas you had to get your head round because the ideas were quite cleverly thought out. I loved the time travel element to the story and enjoyed seeing now the notion was used in the book in a very different way to what I have seen done before. I loved the twists and turns as they came along (me being me didn't see them coming at all) and am left wanting more, lots more.

This wasn't a book that's been at the top of my wishlist, in fact it's not even on it. After reading this stunning debut, I'm really regretting that. Although I admit that the cover really put me off, it's pretty creepy to look at, even if it's memorable!I devoured every bit of this story and I enjoyed every bit. I loved all of the characters, even the love interest, Michael! Emerson and Michael really connected with each other, and I liked that he tried to follow the rules set by Emerson's brother as it added a lot of romantic tension between them both. I love the twists and turns and surprises in this, as well a solid explanation as to why Emerson and Michael are so infatuated with each other, instead of the usual, 'He's just so darn hot!' one.I really enjoyed reading about Emerson's past and how she deals with the ghosts that haunt her. She's a pretty strong character and has been through a lot after her parent's deaths, including being admitted in a mental facility because of the ghosts. I thought the idea of sticking your hand through the middle of the ghost was pretty funny, especially when Emerson punched Michael in the stomach. You know, just to be sure!Although time travel is hardly a unique idea, this story felt really unique to me. The Hourglass team are kind of like time-manipulating X-Men! There's plenty of storylines that can be done with this and I'm hoping there will be sequel as I'd love to read more and there were a couple of things that weren't quite cleared up. The main storyline was cleared up nicely though and the story ended really well, I just want more!

I was addicted to reading this book, which is amazing for someone like me who finds it hard to get into books. I convinced my sister and friend to read it and they loved it too. The story completely blew me away. Every part of the story was captivating. There is never a dull moment.This is the first book I have fallen in love with and it will always be my favourite. This book helped me fall in love with reading.