Finally reviewing Hourglass! Can you tell I’ve been catching up on my reading from last year?
Book Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire
GoodReads | Amazon
Title & Author: Hourglass
Genre: YA- Paranormal
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Series: 1nd in a planned series
Publisher: Edgmont USA
How I Got the Book: Bought
Description:
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.”
Hourglass = Cutsy > Creepy
Hourglass is like a lot of paranormal YA books out right now – it’s taking a different spin on the idea of creepy abilities. These novels (like Shatter Me and Everneath) are giving paranormal abilities some oomph by adding in crazy twists and caveats. Hourglass took the more interesting route – but with some typical plot twists and not-so-instalove.
From the description above, I thought Hourglass was going to be more like The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer – creepy and spooky. I mean, Emerson sees dead people…everywhere. What’s not supposed to be spooky about that?
What I got instead of spookiness was more along the lines of an average YA – love triangles and jealousy galore. That aspect of Hourglass kinda disappointed me. I was thinking it might be free of some of the ever-present themes in YA.
It’s my own fault for having weird expectations, but the premise can only tell you so much without ruining the book. Fortunately, this book had a fantastic main character, Emerson (love that name!!).
Emerson FTW!
Emerson has endured a lot in her life. Both of her parents died in a freak accident, and she’s accepted the fact that she’s crazy. Bat shizz crazy. She feels real and spunky and I appreciated her wicked sense of humor.
I also liked her because she seems so vulnerable and in need of help. Plus her awesome brother Thomas and his wife Dru seemed like people I would be friends with in real life.
Another great aspecto of Emerson’s abilities is that she the ghosts she sees are old-timey, like a debutante from the Old South and jazz musicians from the 40s. It added a intriguing spin on the whole “I see dead people” schtick.
As for the romance and love triangles in the book – it’s good but I wasn’t swooning. Both of the guys annoyed me at different times. But, one is clearly a better choice for Emerson. I hope YOU figure out which boy it is! And ultimately agree with me, of course. 
OVERALL:
I enjoyed Hourglass, but it was sort of middle of the road for me. Not super amazing but not super terrible either. Hourglass had great central characters that brought the story to life but unoriginal plot devices and romances dulled things back down.
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