Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Title: Hourglass
Author: Myra McEntire
Published: June 14, 2011 by Egmont USA
Pages: 397/Hardcover
Series: Hourglass #1
Challenge: 2011 Debut Author Challenge
Source: bought


Summary: 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.

Review: There was a lot of hype about Hourglass because of both the cover and the summary. Usually a book with that much build up doesn't deliver, but boy did Hourglass deliver. This was one of the rare books that I stay up until three in the morning to finish because if I don't I might just die. It left me with that open mouthed I-can't-believe-someone-wrote-something-that-good expression on my face.

Hourglass hits the ground running. There's not action in the first chapter, but Emerson's voice is immediately captivating and easy to connect with. I tend to get easily bored by back story in books, but in Hourglass the back story was not only important but interesting. McEntire's writing made every aspect of this book interesting, from the background information to the present plot.

Speaking of the plot, how incredibly awesome was is?! I loved that there were scientific reasons behind the time travel and time ripples instead of it all just being a giant paranormal mystery. Everything about the plot was original. I can honestly say I've never read anything like Hourglass. There were also a lot of plot twists that I didn't see coming and left me guessing through the whole thing. 

All the characters were captivating and easy to read. They were believable and held my interest. I liked that although Emerson and Michael had an immediate connection it wasn't the "love at first sight" kind of connection. They kept things professional (since Michael was working for Emerson's brother) and they took the time to actually get to know each other. 


The only thing I didn't really get in the book was Kaleb. I didn't understand why he wanted a relationship with Emerson after talking to her for ten minutes when the entire book had been building up to a relationship between Emerson and Michael. I guess it was just a little random in my eyes, and I'm hoping that there's not a love triangle in future installments because, for some reason, it just doesn't seem like a love triangle kind of book. That might sound strange but after reading it that's just the way it feels. 


I loved the ending! I was so much more informed as to what all is going on and what exactly the Hourglass is, but there're still questions and mystery about Jack and all the other "bad guys". Hourglass was such an amazing book! It was original and captivating (that has to be the fifth time I've used "captivating" in this review) and just all around awesome! If you haven't read it yet I strongly (STRONGLY!) suggest you do.