Review of Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Summary Per Amazon:
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?

Review:

Myra McEntire has managed to take the concept of time travel, and all the scientic mumbo jumbo that goes along with it and transform it into a fascinating and fast paced read that left me wishing the sequel to this book was coming out a lot sooner than it actually is. Emerson is a very believeable character who has experienced tragic loss and terrible mental and emotional anguish which as understandably left her scarred, angry, and untrusting. Yet, Emerson is no shrinking violet, instead she is a kick-butt female who would just as soon roundhouse kick you into tomorrow as kiss you. This is no damsel in distress, but rather a smart, funny, and self-reliant young woman. And it is nice to see that she does have some solid adult caregivers who truly love her and watch out for her; these are "parents" who pay attention, people! The romance between Michael and Emerson is plausible and certainly not one-sided. And what's more, Emerson and Michael are surrounded by a cast of hotter than hot male and female sidekicks who don't steal the show, but add to the overall atmosphere of the novel. This book has one other thing going for it in my point of view... it reads like a teen version of The Time Traveler's Wife, and that's a good thing! So, ladies and gentlemen, keep this one until you're hungry, because you'll devour it!

Grade: A