Can we say Cover Love?
This is my favorite cover of the year!
Pages: 390
Part of a Series: Hourglass #1
Read For a Challenge: 2011 Debut Author's Challenge**
Teaser: "Sighing , I stuck my hand through her stomach to turn the knob, meeting no resistance. I rolled my eyes as she gasped, fluttered her eyelashes, and disappeared in a puff of air."
In a sentence or so: Crazy or a time-traveling hero?
*Rating: 9/10
GoodReads Description:
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?
1. Type of story: YA Paranormal/ Sci-fi (Free 1 point)
2.Consistency: Mostly. Though the reason Michael is introduced seems to be solved by his very presence, which is a little too convenient. (1/2 point)
3. Flesh: Connected through their gifts and destined to be close, Emerson is being driven crazy by Michael's insistence to be professional and her suspension of another woman vying for his attention. (1/2 point)
4. Flow: Hourglass was actually written to be a series! I could get excited about reading the series as opposed to feeling an obligation to finish what I've started. Anyhow, in the first half of Hourglass we learn all about Emerson and, to a lesser degree, Michael. The second half is superhero stuff and building an enemy who is charming an manipulative -- he has the power to gain minions and be a Nemesis that last. (1 point)
5. Character Growth: Emerson must go from thinking she is crazy, to accepting her visions as part of an amazing gift, and then build that gift into a power she can use to help others. (1 point)
6. A Point/ Purpose/ Journey: Getting through the grief of losing her parents, Emerson must decide to live again and accept her gift. (1 point)
7. Witty Dialogue: In a defensive way. Emerson thinks he's crazy because of the things she sees and it makes her guarded. So to keep herself going she makes sharp quips and enjoys her surprising "ninja" skills by expressing small out bursts of violence that are more amusing than hurtful. But when she opens up she knocks more people off their feet than martial arts ever could. (1 point)
8. Love: Two gorgeous young adults that literally make sparks when they come into contact (OK, that's kind of corny) star in this story. It is no wonder they can't keep apart. Em and Michael are as inseparable as time -- they flow together, it is the way they were made. (1 point)
9. Evoke Realistic Images: The story-telling is amazing. I feel like a by-stander to the journey. It's like being close enough to give a first hand account but enough in the background not to effect the outcome. (1 point)
10. Writing/Story telling: The writing was simplistic, leaving the focus, appropriately, on the characters. (1 point)
Reread Worthy: Yes. Not soon, but maybe when the series is finished and I want to read something I know is easily enjoyable.
Recommendation: Anyone who wants to believe in time travel.
*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.
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