Kaleb Ballard's relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb's powers expanding, or is something very wrong?
Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devastating results.
Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...
(From Goodreads)
I was wary about reading from Kaleb’s point of view. I love Emerson so much, and she was the perfect narrator. She was spunky, nosy, and just a little tough ball of love. Even so, I did have a soft spot for Kaleb in Hourglass, so I was really curious what little quirks and hidden soft spots he would reveal. While he’s certainly not Emerson, and I really missed the Emerson-Michael inside info – it was great to see different sides of the Hourglass and to get to know the ins and outs of other characters.
It was definitely interesting to see Emerson from this point of view – to see what others think about her. But what was really great, was getting to know Lily better. Even though I still feel like she’s a tough shell to crack, I like that her history and her personality get a chance to shine through.
Two more things I loved about this installment in the trilogy: one, the rips are getting stronger and more frequent, suggesting that the past is overtaking the present. It’s both a reminder that the past is always there, always with us, operating in the same space – but not to dwell on it too much or it will completely take over.
The second is that this book is where things start getting complicated. Adults are involved now, of course, setting up their own obstacles. I love it when adults are screwing things up and the kids have to jump in and save the day. Halfway through the book my only reaction was, curiouser and curiouser… and by the end I was so confused, in the best way possible. Everything seems so tangled, which leads nicely into the next book. New key players are introduced in this book, and it’s impossible to know who to trust – even with Kaleb’s built in lie detector abilities.
Finally – just want to throw in a word for the villain (I won’t say who in case you haven’t read Hourglass – which if you haven’t – you need to drop everything and read it now) who is one of the worst (which means best) characters I’ve come across in a long time. His lack of boundaries and his penchant for stealing memories and messing with realities makes me so uneasy, so uncomfortable that adds intensity and urgency to the story.
Myra really upped her game in this second book. She took a huge risk in altering the point of view in the second book and it definitely paid off. This series is already one of my favorites and it just keeps getting better. I'm so excited to see what curveball Myra throws at us with the third book - I can only imagine it's going to be extraordinary.
Myra really upped her game in this second book. She took a huge risk in altering the point of view in the second book and it definitely paid off. This series is already one of my favorites and it just keeps getting better. I'm so excited to see what curveball Myra throws at us with the third book - I can only imagine it's going to be extraordinary.
