Hourglass

March 14, 2011
Emerson Cole would rather not go through the purgatory of her senior year. As a freshman, she had a screaming argument in the cafeteria with someone who wasn't actually there and was sent away, first to a mental hospital, then to boarding school. Now the money has run out, and she's back in her small Southern town, dreading school and the new therapist her older brother, Thomasâher guardian since the death of their parentsâhas found for her. Michael, however, is like no therapist Emerson has ever met, and he tells her things she can hardly believeâthe ghosts she talks to are real, time travel is possible, and Emerson herself can alter the future. And every time Michael touches her, the sparks literally fly. McEntire's debut attempts to incorporate many genres (romance, comic book superheroes, science fiction, paranormal), not always with equal success. But the story centers itself in Emerson's voiceâby turns sardonic, world weary, ardent, and hopefulâand that voice is strong enough to carry readers through occasional improbabilities. Ages 12âup.

April 15, 2011

Troubled teen Emerson Cole returns to her Southern hometown and old "haunts" in this genre-blending story.

Despite her cushy new life with her older brother Thomas and his wife Dru, Em can't overcome her dark past; she started seeing ghosts at 13, shortly before her parents' tragic accident. Caught talking to seemingly empty space too often, Em is verbally and physically defensive, unable to completely confide in Thomas, Dru or her best friend Lily. When Thomas hires handsome college-aged Michael Weaver (a consultant from the mysterious Hourglass institute) to help Em with her "hallucinations," predictably tempestuous romance and unexpected adventure ensue. After meeting an X-Men–esque group of former Hourglass students—and the dangerous but sexy Kaleb Ballard, Michael's rival for her affections—Em learns that she's not crazy but gifted, and that she might be able to change the past as well as see it. Em is an entertainingly cheeky narrator and appealingly resilient heroine; when she meets Michael's friends, she wryly comments, "Team Freak. Wonder if we could get jerseys." First-time author McEntire deftly juggles plot, characters and dialogue; her portrait of grief is particularly poignant.

The ambitious combination of paranormal romance and sci-fi action leads to some pacing problems but also makes for a refreshing read. (Fiction. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up-Emerson Cole can see apparitions from the past-Southern belles, jazz trios, and Civil War soldiers that are invisible to everyone else. Michael Weaver is a young, attractive consultant for Hourglass, an organization that helps people just like Emerson. He wants her to realize that her visions are a gift, not a curse. Even though she feels an immediate connection with Michael, she remains skeptical that he will be able to help her, especially when years of medication and therapy have not made the images disappear. When he asks her to travel back in time with him, the shocking truth about her abilities is revealed. The plot maintains focus and energy and contains unexpected twists and turns throughout. Additionally, Emerson's developing maturity is evident from the first chapter to the last, and readers will identify not only with her but also with the equally well-rounded peripheral characters. The descriptions of the small Southern town, the people, and the buildings, both past and present, are vivid and will capture teens' imagination and attention. McEntire's paranormal fantasy, peppered with romance, is a compelling story that is difficult to put down.-Elizabeth C. Johnson, Fort Vancouver Regional Library, WA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2011
Grades 7-11 Seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole has had a rough lifeshortly before her parents were killed in a car accident four years ago, she began seeing and interacting with ghosts. Hospitalized after a nervous breakdown, shes secretly weaned herself from the medications that keep her hallucinations at bay. Her brother hires an organization called the Hourglass, which helps individuals with special talents such as Emersons, and they send incredibly handsome Michael to help her control her visions. Its a little bit X-Men (troubled teens with special gifts), a little Somewhere in Time (with time travel aiding our couple in their seemingly ill-fated romance), and a little bit screwball comedy, as feisty Emerson fends off two gorgeous suitors with both martial arts and her acerbic tongue. Although it lacks smooth narrative flow and requires major suspension of disbelief, McEntires debut novel is really all about romance. Emerson and Michael go through every clich' in the romantic-comedy genre, but readers wanting a little vacation from reality wont mind.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2011
Emerson's disturbing tendency to see people from the past draws the attention of Michael, a "consultant" enlisted to help her with her problem. Michael can't resist romancing Emerson even as he explains her ability to time-travel and warns of the secretive groups that practice it. Emerson's discomfort and isolation are well portrayed in this haunting supernatural love story.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)