GoodRead - Infinityglass

I was actually planning to read this in November (come back next Tuesday to see my weird plans for the next 2 months) but I changed my mind. The lovely Emma from Book Angel Booktopia (who is probably a bigger fan of the series than me!) asked that, in the near future, she could borrow my copy of Infinityglass. And because it's Emma (who is brilliant/thoughtful/kind and one of my favourite book bloggers), I said of course. So, because of this, I decided to read it. Plus, this had been calling from the depths of my To Read pile for a while so, actually, Emma did me a favor. Thanks, Emma!

So, Infinityglass. Because of the events that happened in both Hourglass and Timepiece, time is now in flux. And it's fracturing. People from other times can slip through into the present, rips are getting bigger. If this isn't fixed, the world is in danger. And, because of this, the only solution is finding the legendary Infinityglass, an object that can fix this. Expect it's not an object. It's a person.

Dune, the only guy at Hourglass who knows enough information about the Infinityglass, is sent to New Orleans to find the Infinityglass. Expect he meets the headstrong Hailey...

Before I go any further, I wanna talk about the covers in the series. They are beautiful, aren't they? And Infinityglass's is probably my fave out of the three but, at the same time, is the most freaky.

Ok, now I have that out of the way, let's talk about this, the third and final in the series and, because of this, let me get the cons out of the way. I only have two and one isn't a con, if that makes any sense. The first con is more a worry for you guys. I fear that some of you guys will read this and go "Oh, dual-narrative" and will see the similarities in the voices of Dune and Hailey. I never truly saw that, but I worry that some of you guys will.

My second con is length. Out of the series, so far, this is the tiniest! My copy is less than 300 pages. Maybe it's the fact I don't want to leave this world but I could have so easily had another 25 or so pages. There were some revelations that I wished we explored more [not saying anything - spoilers!], but like I said, I think it's because I'm not ready to say goodbye.

Ok, pros. Myra's writing. I love this woman's writing style. Her writing made me read the pages faster and I easily stayed up late on more than one occasion, going "One more chapter won't hurt". And no matter how confusing the plot got, Myra made sure it still made sense. And if you did lose the plot for a few pages, you were reading because of the characters and their relationships (oh, Dune & Hailey relationship was so sweet and so different to Emerson & Michael's in Hourglass [which was kickass] and Kaleb & Lily's in Timepiece [which was hot]). And the snarky humour/one-liners! This series has humour and that's always a bonus.

I still find it baffling that this series hasn't got a UK publisher, seeing as the UK is the home of Doctor Who and this series would be perfect for you Doctor Who fans! And with Fox getting the rights for the movie (now I think of it, I can really see this fitting a TV format better [can you imagine the hot actors this series could have?]), I haven't really said goodbye to this world, just yet. But I hope Myra returns and writes something (even a novella - I would happily take that!). But, if not, I want to read what Myra writes next. Like, as soon as possible.

Maybe I should reread Hourglass again, just to pass the time...

GoodRead - Timepiece

After reading Hourglass, the first book in the series by Myra McEntire, a few years ago (I reviewed Hourglass in October 2011), I have been meaning to keep reading the sequel of Hourglass, Timepiece, when the book was released. But, of course, my To Read pile is big and continues to grow without me being aware (or having it under control!) and so, I finally read Timepiece now as the third book in the series, Infinityglass is nearing its release date.

And because of the time between me reading Hourglass and Timepiece (under 2 years), you will have to forgive me if I forget details.

So, Timepiece. After the events of Hourglass, Kaleb takes over the story from Emerson. After Emerson broke the rules of time-travel to save Michael (and her refusal to work with Jack Lander, the man who tried to murder Kaleb's father), Kaleb and the other members of Hourglass can see rips - cracks in time. This isn't a good thing. It shows time is slowly unraveling. And now Jack's back. And before they can't get their heads round this shock return, Hourglass is given a ultimatum: find Jack and the research he stole or time will altered, rewound... and this would have a devastating results on the people Kaleb love the most.

But can Kaleb and the other members of Hourglass use their special gifts to find Jack? Where does Emerson's best friend, Lily, fit in all this? And Kaleb stay out of the bottle long enough to do some good?

Right, where to start? First, you have to read Hourglass before you read this as this follows on almost immediately and with the character switch, some of you guys will go "Huh?". And because of the plot is so complex (we are dealing with time-slip), you have to be on the ball while reading this.

However, I really enjoyed reading this. I think it's Myra's writing style. She makes reading this book easy, even though the whole time-slip and all the rules are quite confusing. And as for Kaleb, Myra writes a character who has flaws and yet, is still interesting and you get why he acts the way he acts.

And his relationship with Lily and how it grows and evolves.

But, I do fear that because it has been so long that I have read Hourglass, I can't give you a full and proper review. But I liked this and I plan to read the third book in the series, Infinityglass, as soon as I can get my hands on it, so I can give you guys a true review of the book sometime this month! Well... will try to...

TIMEPIECE Cover Reveal

After a leak that happened last week (and the cover wasn't meant to be revealed till March 2012!!!), Myra McEntire has revealed the cover for the second book in her Hourglass series, TIMEPIECE! Now, as Myra explained on her blog (which is here, FYI), this is the cover for the ADVANCE READER COPY so there will still need to be finalized.

So, after waiting to see if it's ok to put online, here is the cover of TIMEPIECE:



What do you guys think? I quite like it. It's on the same vibe as Hourglass but there's something more about it! I love the blue of it!

But what do you guys think of this cover? Reactions?

GoodRead - Hourglass

I discovered Myra McEntire via Twitter (again!) and after getting excited over hearing it tackles time-travel (or time-slip), I ordered it from the states (the wonders of Book Depository, as this book hasn't got a UK publisher) and waited till I found time to read it. And before long, I thought "Am reading this now!"

Emerson is seeing people who aren't there. Swooning Southern belles. Soldiers long forgotten. A jazz trio playing on a piano. Unsure what they are, she tries to cope the best she can. All she wants is to be normal. To forget that she was sectioned due to depression (caused by her parents' death) and just cope with life the best she can. So when her brother tries one last time with a consultant, Emerson decides to give it one more try.

She didn't expect her consultant to be Michael from the mysterious Hourglass. He's a year or two older than her, and seems to believe every word she says. And when they touch, sparks seem to fly. Literally.

So, why is this happen? And why does Michael believe her?

Now, this is a very different read for me. I'm not to describe this as a thriller/mystery or a time-slip novel as this fit in both. A thriller/mystery as the story adds questions and twists so you never know where you were going and when you did think you got what was going on, the rug gets pulled from under you. But then, as you have a time-slip, when the twists came, you were thrown as you never saw them coming. Hell, you never knew that the ideas could exist and then, Myra would explain it in such a way, you go "Oh. Okay. That makes sense." and you continue without questioning it.

Now, I would like to chat about the relationship between Emerson and Michael. But I won't. Nor will I touch on Caleb (says nothing), but I do want to write quickly about Emerson. She is kick-ass. Her humour took some getting use to, but she is one kick-ass female lead. In one of my fave scene, she threw Michael over her shoulder - and it was a proper karate move. And she didn't just do that move for the first time. She has been taught (and is a brown belt, if I remember correctly). What I'm trying to say is, even though things are happening to Emerson that are out of her control, she isn't waiting for someone to save her. She's saving herself and others around her.

I found Hourglass an interesting and a quite original debut novel and I'm sure there will be a sequel (there BETTER be! [EDIT: There will be. And it's called TIMEPIECE]), so hopefully, by then, Myra McEntire will have a UK publisher...

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And now, for book trailer and my song choices. ENJOY!

GoodRead - Book Cover Excitement (Hourglass)

I've been wanting to blog this book for a while now, but I have always thought "No one wants to read me go 'OMG! This sounds cool!'." But, I've decided to show you the cover anyway with the blurb from GoodReads. So, here is it!



"Since the age of fourteen, Emerson Cole has seen strange things – dead things – swooning Southern Belles, soldiers, and other eerie apparitions of the past. She’s tried everything to get rid of the visions: medication, counseling, asylums. Nothing’s worked.

So when Emerson's well-meaning brother calls in yet another consultant from a mysterious organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to give it one last try.

Michael Weaver is no ordinary consultant. He's barely older than she is; he listens like no one she's ever met before; and he doesn't make her feel the least bit crazy. As Emerson ventures deeper into the world of the Hourglass, she begins to learn the truth about her past, her future--and her very life."

Now, I have no idea if/when this book will hit UK bookshelves, but it will be out in the USA in May 2011. So, will have a hunt for it because... will, it sounds interesting! Don't you agree?