Hourglass Review

YA? CHECK. Time travel? CHECK. Romance? CHECK. Ding, ding, ding we have a winner! This is everything I want in a YA novel and I feel like Hourglass by Myra McEntire was written especially for me. I am absolutely fascinated with time travel and ever since I found out that Hourglass was a time slip novel, I knew this was the book for me. It would seem that fate agreed with me on this one as I was lucky enough to win an ARC and let me tell you, I started and finished the book IN A DAY. This is not because it is a quick and easy read, but simply because of how compelling I found the story and I just could not stop until I knew what was going to happen next! Intrigued? Here’s the synopsis:

“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”.

I loved this book x a million and have found a new literary boyfriend in Michael *swoon*. He is a perfect Southern gentleman (be still my beating heart) and that’s really all I need to know. You could also apply the description of dreamboat, y’know...if you want ;) I really enjoyed his relationship with Emerson and the perfect balance of lust and sexual tension between them as Michael tries to ignore his growing attraction towards her out of a sense of duty.

And speaking of Emerson, she was a really fun character - she may be short but she’s full of sass! In fact, all words beginning with “s” probably apply – short, sassy, smart, sexy, stubborn, Southern. I loved her attitude and sense of humour, which is obviously quite close to Myra’s ;)

In terms of secondary characters, I’d have to say that I particularly liked Kaleb with Lily being a close second. I get the impression that we haven’t even scratched the surface with these two and I’m really hoping we get to see more of them in future books.

Hourglass made me laugh and cry as I became heavily involved with the characters. There was also one particular aspect I found slightly confusing when I tried to delve into the reasons for a certain person’s actions but c’mon, this is a time travel novel and so of course it’s going to hurt your brain when you try and figure everything out. I thought the plot was very believable and the pacing was perfect. Hourglass makes you think about the consequences of your actions, how we deal with loss and ultimately what we’ll do for love.

Hourglass is a stunning debut novel , full of twists and turns and is one of those rare books that once you’ve finished reading, you want to turn back to the beginning and re-read it all over again. This book truly deserves recognition and also a UK publishing company!!! The cover art is simply beautiful but what’s inside is even better.

Hourglass was published on 14th June, 2011 and I believe a sequel is in the works. To find out more about Myra click here to visit her website. She is also active on Facebook and Twitter.