Review: Hourglass

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Published by Egmont USA

Genra: YA

397 pages

What it's about (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?

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.


My thoughts:
Hmmm this one was a mix for me. While I enjoyed it while I was reading it, it is not a book that every time I look at the cover I'll think "oh I loved that book!" It was fun, but not entirely memorable.

It took me a little bit to get into the story. Emerson at first was a little hard to like. It took me about a third of the book to get to like her. One other reason I had a hard time getting into the book was it was a little hard to understand exactly what the "ghosts" were. I never fully understood that. It was explained once and it only made a little bit of sense. Then when the other characters would ask about it, Emerson would say "well it's complicated." Yes it was, which is why it needed to be explained a little more.

I also wasn't really feeling the romance in the story. I get why Emerson liked Michael, he's hott, he's rich, it's a taboo relationship. What teenage girl doesn't go for that? But Michael? I just wasn't convinced about their relationship. Mostly because I felt that there wasn't a whole lot to Michael. He was a little one dimensional to me. Who I did like though was Michael's best friend. I thought he was hilarious.

So really, I did like this book. I read it pretty fast, and enjoyed it even though I didn't understand all of it. While I won't be running to the store the day the 2nd book comes out, I think I will continue with the series. I'm curious enough to keep going.

My rating: 8/10