Hourglass (Myra McEntire)

Title: Hourglass

Author: Myra McEntire

Publisher: Egmont

Length: 390 pages

Rating: 4/5

Emerson Coles keeps seeing things that no one else sees. A girl in a Civil War era outfit, a piano trio, a horse-drawn carriage- none seem to really exist, because when Emerson touches these images, they disappear. People think she’s crazy. Emerson thinks she’s crazy. Her brother is determined to find a way to help her, but they’ve tried everything. In one final desperate attempt, he brings in consultant Michael Weaver from the mysterious Hourglass society.

Michael is the first person to fully believe in everything Emerson sees, and every time he and Emerson touch, it’s electric. But the Hourglass is in trouble, and Michael needs Emerson to help prevent a death that never should have happened. Can Emerson trust in Michael and herself enough to change the past? And at what price?

There was a lot in this book that I didn’t expect. I liked that. Physics, time travel, romance, bending the laws of nature. Pretty cool stuff, but I was never overwhelmed by the depth of it all.

Emerson Cole, our seventeen year old narrator: I have a lot to say about her, since we spend most the book in her slightly-messed-up head. I wasn’t completely sold on Emerson until about two thirds of the way through the book. I’m finding that one of my biggest pet peeves is when one of the crucial conflicts in a novel is that main character can’t accept the premise of the book. Emerson was far less willing to accept the idea of time travel than I was, and harped on it unnecessarily. Just accept it! I grew to like Emerson though- she’s head-strong, knows her own strengths and weaknesses, and is adorable awkward, especially when it came to Michael and then the later introduction of the equally gorgeous Kaleb.

Overall, a good balance of sci-fi, romance, and paranormal, and a book unlike any others I’ve read.

Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)

Length: 478 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

This is the most exciting/tense/keep you reading/eyes keep jumping to the bottom of the page to find out what happens next book I’ve read since The Hunger Games. And it’s just the prequel to Cassandra Clare’s famous Mortal Instruments series. You know a series is great when its prequel get a series! Although I have yet to read The Mortal Instruments series (the line for the first one, City of Bones, at the library is rather long, but after loving this book and learning the next one in the prequel series isn’t out yet, I requested the City of Bones audio book because its line was shorter. I don’t really like audio books, but that’s how much I liked this book).

Now to focus on the book at hand: Clockwork Angel, the first in The Infernal Devices series. Tessa Gray travels to London to find her brother, the only family she has left. But he’s gone missing and she’s kidnapped by the Dark Sisters, who teach her that she has the power to transform into another person. Because in this Victorian London, magic is real, populated by Downworlders like vampires and warlocks. The Dark Sisters work for the Magister, the shadowy leader of a nefarious The Pandemonium Club, who wants Tessa as his bride. Tessa escapes and takes refuge with a group of Shadowhunters whose duty is to rid the world of demons and protect humans. Among these Shadowhunters are the fearless and volatile Will, and his best friend, the calm yet hiding a deadly secret Jem. Naturally, Tessa would much rather marry one of them than the creepy Magister. Now Tessa’s on a mission to find her brother and take down the Pandemonium Club.

I thought I was over paranormal series for a bit. Turns out, I’m not. Tessa’s got the characteristics I like in a heroine: determination, hidden talent, small amount of wide-eyed innocence, spunk, and a great character arc through the book. The boys Jem and Will are the perfect compliments/foils to each other and to Tessa, and while there was a little romance, it was refreshing that the story didn’t revolve around it. While some of the plot twists were expected, Clare’s suspenseful writing kept me turning page after page, and I was still surprised quite often. And I was left with many questions and an overwhelming desire to read the next book!

If you’re looking for a new series, this is your book.