Quick Pick: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

 Hourglass-Myra McEntire
 Publisher: Egmont USA
 Publication date: June 14, 2011
 Source: Around the World Tours
 Author website
 Of Note: Debut Author Challenge Book #8


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.
(Goodreads)


I have to say that Hourglass was a bit different than I was expecting! This book has been hyped up quite a bit, and generally that makes me a little wary.  I've had bad experiences with over-hyped books in the past, but in regards to Hourglass, I think the book is quite deserving of the hype.

Emerson is seeing things, and her older brother brings in Michael, from the mysterious Hourglass organization to help her with her visions. Of course Michael is a young, hot guy and soon they begin a flirtation that leads more. Emerson learns that what she's seeing aren't ghosts, but something beyond her imagination. She's special, but not the only one person with powers, as she's soon to discover.

Without giving too much away, I'll say that I enjoyed the sci-fi elements of this novel. It's quite different from the same ol' same ol' paranormal YA fiction.  The author also did a really good job with researching and giving enough information to inform the reader, but without boring one to tears.

At some points there are lulls in the action, but the last hundred or so pages zoom by and I couldn't put the book down without knowing what happened!

Hourglass is the first book in a series, and I look forward to reading more!