Infinityglass - Myra McEntire

Synopsis: The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time trav­elers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.
With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does.
But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?

I still remember exactly where Hourglass was sitting on my desk, staring at me for days, begging me to read it. Even when it fell in my lap, I hadn't actually planned to read it, but I swear it wouldn't leave me alone until I picked it up. So I listened to it and I still vividly remember the start of the amazing journey with Hourglass and these characters I've just come to adore so completely. When Timepiece came along, I expected to love it, but Myra completely shocked and awed me when she switched up point-of-view. I gave up any expectation for Infinityglass and just let it happen. And it's an awesome addition and end to this series.

One of the great things about the Hourglass is the way that no one person is more important than another. They're all amazing and they are all family. Emerson was a dynamic beginning and Michael was so easy to fall in love with. Kaleb totally turned from 3rd wheel into a fabulous hero who has Lily, the perfect fiery heroine. And now Dune gets to come forward and he has the chance to step up and prove his place. I just love that this series is so much more than a person or a love story, its the way a group of people works together, loves together and becomes this important and strong force of nature.

Dune is great - who knew that behind the dreads and the quiet exterior he's so freaking sexy. He smolders in this book. He starts out as pretty sweet and very slowly he develops into this guy that's just on fire - which is funny to say considering his way with water. Then there's Hallie, who is a brand new character, and I must admit, a little hard to love at first. But she's definitely an interesting person and I was really curious about her. When she comes together with Dune, I think they prove the amazing power in finding the right person to be with. They compliment each other so well.

This series as a whole is just so fabulous. I'll always freak out about it and recommend it to everyone. I just love all these characters so much and I love that each one of them got their time on the page. I had the opportunity to really get to know them and now that it's over, I actually miss them. I think it's time to revisit Em and Michael in Hourglass. This series is just amazing and I can't wait to see how Myra surprises me next.

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The Giveaway
Thanks to Egmont and Media Masters Publicity, I have a finished copy of Infinityglass and an Infinityglass poster for one lucky winner! Contest ends on August 7, 2013 and is US only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Timepiece - Myra McEntire

Synopsis: A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...
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. 

Secondary Character Saturday (5)

I've started a new weekly post here and I'd love for you to join me. Saturdays are now dedicated to honor the characters that don't always get their voices heard, who support (or work to destroy) our beloved protagonists. This is for the third wheel in the love triangle (can you have wheels on a triangle?), for the BFFs, the family members, or even just the kind and loving (or deceitful and creepy) stranger who shows up and changes the game. We all know these stories wouldn't hold up without support so I'd like to take the time to highlight the best secondary characters I come across. This is an opportunity to talk about what makes these characters special, maybe to speculate what their world would be like without them, or maybe cast them in their own primary roles. If you'd like to create a SCS post leave your link in the comments and I'll check it out!

Today it's all about

Kaleb from the Hourglass Series

I loved Kaleb in Hourglass. I mean, I love Michael and all, but there were moments where I felt like Emerson would have been perfectly happy with Kaleb. He's the ultimate third point in a love triangle. Hot, troubled, a little bit bad - but underneath all of his armor he's sweet and wounded. Heck, that's not just the perfect point in a triangle, that's most girls' dream.

Even better, the boy is an empath. Somehow, knowing he feels everything that everyone around him is feeling, almost makes the reader empathetic to. He's the connection to the emotion in the story. Kaleb is able to figure out what Emerson is feeling before she will admit to it. But, being Kaleb, he plays this out to his advantage making everything much more intense.

Thankfully, this is one of those special cases where a secondary character comes to the front and becomes a hero. I was a little bit worried about the switch in POVs between books, but man alive Kaleb rises in Timepiece. I'm so incredibly happy that he gets his own book and we get to see a bit of what goes on behind the front he puts up for everyone. He is a rare character that we get to the way he works in other stories and we get to see his story as well.