Timepiece (Hourglass #2)

I was very eager to read this book since the previous book ended with too much unfinished business for my liking. TIMEPIECE has been on my watch list, ever since I finished Hourglass (Hourglass #1), and although this newest installment answered a lot of my questions, new ones have been posed. All this intrigue is keeping me on my toes and making me wish I had the rest of the story in my hands, right now!

The Hourglass series is about a group of people with special abilities that revolve around time travel. Some can actually time travel and see rips (or clips) of the past or the future. Others can see or sense other peoples memories and emotions through time. In this sequel, the author has added more to the mix and introduced us to a new twist, the Infinityglass. This object is rumored to enable people the ability to steal time related gifts. We don’t learn much about this Infinityglass but I’m sure it will be an important object in the next book. Another new twist is fragility of time. Rips are starting to fuse with reality and time related powers are starting to go wonky, just enough to keep the readers interested.

In this sequel, I’m glad the author switched the point of view (POV) to Kaleb instead of continuing with Emerson’s POV from Hourglass. Emerson, although a strong female lead, started getting on my nerves at the end of the previous book. I’ve noticed more and more YA books using a male’s point of view these days and I’m enjoying the refreshing outlook on life with all of these male narrators. Since Kaleb is such an interesting character I had no problem reading from his POV.

Life for Kaleb has never been easy. Sensing other people’s emotions has often been annoying for him, especially with his mother in a coma, and his father back from the dead. Also, his father, Liam, is constantly keeping secrets from him, which is taking a toll on their already rocky relationship. One of the things I really like about this book is the relationships between the all the characters. Kaleb is very jealous of Michael (someone he has always considered like an older brother) but ever since bad things have been happening in the Hourglass world, Liam has been confiding in Michael instead of Kaleb. Kaleb’s developing relationship with his new love interest Lily is really fun to follow, since Kaleb has always been a flirt and a ladies’ man. The I-don’t-like-you dialogue between the two is very appealing and kept me interested in the story, for sure. I find Myra McEntire relies a lot on dialogue when writing her books and since she’s so go at it, it really works for her.

I have to admit, time travel books aren’t my favorite because thinking about the consequences of changing the past makes my head hurt. Fortunately, Myra McEntire writes very well and even if I did get lost a few times in a time travel hurricane, the flow of the story was never ruined. All I can say is, if it doesn’t make sense, keep reading, and everything will come together in the end.

There’s one quote from the book that I really love and want to share it with all of you. It’s more or less a way of saying “seize the moment” or “live in the now”, but I believe Myra’s way of voicing it is much prettier:

“The exact spot where the hourglass filters the sand from the future to the past. That’s where we have to live […]. Before all the sand runs out, or before somebody shakes it all up again.”

Although TIMEPIECE might not necessarily make my list of top books for the year of 2012, the series is worth a second look. I noticed an improvement in the the author’s writing, after only one book and I think we can expect great things from her.

The publisher provided me with a e-ARC of Timepiece. No goody bags, sponsorship, material goods, or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Overall, excellent book that will capture your attention from beginning to end!