Infinityglass by Myra McEntire

Title: Infinityglass (Hourglass #3)

Author: Myra McEntire

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: August 6, 2013

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourlgass series.

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?

If you've been around the last week or so, you probably know that I've fallen in love with Myra McEntire's Hourglass trilogy. Well the final book, Infinityglass, has completely solidified that love. It was exactly the kind of ending I wanted for this story, but it was also a whole lot more.

The Hourglass needs to find a way to stop Chronos and Landers. Until they're stopped, time is just going to keep getting more and more messed up. The way to repair all the damage is to use the Infinityglass. But first they need to find it. Until now, everyone thought it was an object, but thanks to Lily, the Hourglass now knows the Infinityglass is a person. And so Dune goes to New Orleans to protect and learn more about the Infinityglass. But once he meets Hallie, Dune realizes that his job might be more difficult than he thought it was going to be.

I've said this many times recently, but I am so beyond happy to have finally discovered Myra McEntire's Hourglass trilogy. With every book I read, my love for the story just kept growing more and more. Since Infinityglass was the conclusion to the story, I had pretty high expectations for the book and I wasn't disappointed. There was just so much that needed to be explained and resolved, I just wasn't sure how it was all going to happen. But it all played out perfectly and I was so happy with how it all turned out. I also really enjoyed seeing the story from both Hallie's and Dune's perspectives. It definitely kept things interesting since each had access to different information. And getting to know two more characters the way I got to know Hallie and Dune was pretty awesome.

Dune was always in the background in the first two books, but in Infinityglass he was front and center. Dune was amazing and I pretty much love him. Don't get me wrong, Kaled is still my favorite, but Dune was like a big teddy bear who was fiercely loyal and incredibly caring. It was just hard not to love him if you want to know the truth. And I loved the playful side Hallie brought out of him. Hallie took me a a little by surprise and I didn't expect to like her as much as I did. There was definitely more to her than met the eye, and because of that, she's kind of hard to put into words. But regardless of all that, Hallie more than deserved to have someone like Dune in her life. Really, they were perfect for each other.

Infinityglass was the perfect conclusion to Myra McEntire's Hourglass trilogy. It was exactly what I hoped it would be. And the epilogue? It totally put a smile on my face and made me laugh.

Infinityglass GIVEAWAY!

As you can probably tell from some of my recent reviews, I have become a huge fan of Myra McEntire's Hourglass trilogy. I devoured all three books and now I just want to share with the world just how good they are. So today is your lucky day. Thanks to the publisher, EgmontUSA, you can win a hardcover of the final book in the trilogy, Infinityglass, as well as a poster featuring the gorgeous cover. To enter, just use the Rafflecopter form below.

GIVEAWAY IS US ONLY.
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 About the book:

The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourlgass series.

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?

Timepiece by Myra McEntire

Title: Timepiece (Hourglass #2)

Author: Myra McEntire

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

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

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples--cracks in time. Are his powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before he can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?

In the wake of Landers' return, the Hourglass organization is given an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered--with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough…

After Hourglass I learned my lesson, so I didn't hesitate to pick up Timepiece right away. And believe me wen I say that I loved it even more than the first book in the trilogy. All I can say is that I am now a big fan of Myra McEntire.

Kaleb thought he had lost everyone and everything he ever cared about. But that was before Emerson and Michael went back in time to save his dad. Even though Kaleb now has his father back, everything isn't back to the way it was. With the timeline damaged, who knows what's going to happen next. Th Houglass needs to find a way to stop Chronos and that means finding Jack Landers. But Kaleb doesn't even know where, or even when, to start looking. At least until Lily walks into his life and changes it completely.

If I thought Myra McEntire's Hourglass was awesome, that's nothing compared to how I feel now that I've read Timepiece. I already loved the story after the first book but I love it even more now. There are just so many layers to the story, details that at first don't make much sense that end up being of great importance. This world where time is malleable is so intricate and the more I read about it the more I want to know. Everything was just so fascinating to me. I also loved that this part of the story was told from a different perspective, even if it threw me a little at first. The story just wouldn't have worked as well if it still had been told from Emerson's perspective. Kaleb needed to be the one who told this part of the story.

I said in my review of Hourglass that there would be a lot of gushing about Kaleb in this review so consider yourself warned. I was totally and utterly charmed by Kaleb even before this part of the story started. As cocky and arrogant as he could be, he also had this vulnerable side to him that often pulled at my heartstrings. I couldn't help but want to hug and hold him. Kaleb had just been through so much and I wanted for something to finally work out for him. Thankfully, Lily came in to help with just that. Because Lily was definitely what was best for Kaleb. Not to sound cliché, but they brought out the best in each other. Lily was strong and fierce, but just like Kaleb, she had that more vulnerable side to her that came out every so often. And through it all, I was of course happy to see the characters I'd grown attached to in Hourglass. 

I am so happy to have finally discovered just how awesome this dries truly is. Like with the first book, Myra McEntire's Timepiece took me on a crazy adventure in a world that I was so reluctant to leave. And immediately left me wanting to pick up the final installment. 

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Title: Hourglass (Hourglass #1)

Author: Myra McEntire

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: June 14, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

One hour to rewrite the past…

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should've happened?

As I sit here writing this review, I am currently kicking myself for not having picked up Myra McEntire's Hourglass sooner. I got sucked in to the story so quickly and the whole time I was reading I kept telling myself just how happy I was to finally be reading this story.

For the last four years of her life, Emerson Cole has thought she was crazy. Seeing long-dead people around town will do that to a girl. But then Em meets Michael, who proceeds to tell her she's not crazy, she just has a gene that allows her to play with time. Because that's not crazy at all. This knowledge changes Emerson's life. Now she has to race through time, and against it, to save the people she loves before it's all too late. 

So here's the thing: I've had Hourglass sitting on my bookshelf for two years. But it wasn't until three days ago that I finally picked it up. And so I started reading and it took almost no time for me to get completely sucked into the story. Once I started, I just couldn't seem to stop reading. I just wanted to know what was happening, how the whole "time gene" worked. I'll admit that the time travel aspect of the story fascinated me. Every time I was given details about it, I just wanted more. But there was more to story that had me captivated. The action, the mystery, the romance, it was all there. Myra McEntire really wrote something awesome and different in Hourglass and I just couldn't seem to get enough of it. Though I strongly suspect certain people had something to do with it.

Emerson is my kind of girl. She didn't take crap from anybody and she was never afraid to stand up for herself. But beyond loving Emerson's bad ass exterior, I loved seeing her more vulnerable side come out. She's obviously gone through so much but in spite, or because, of it all she was just a strong person. Michael shared a lot of those same qualities, along with a bit of a hero complex and being fiercely protective. And though he could be a little secretive at times, he always had good intentions. The other person I could talk about is Kaleb, but I'll spare you all my Kaleb gushing until my review of Timepiece. But consider yourself warned. 

I'm not going to lie, I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long to read Hourglass. Myra McEntire wrote a highly captivating and enjoyable story, one that left me begging for the sequel. The one good thing about waiting so long to read this series is that I can now read them all back to back. And that's exactly what I plan on doing. 

Kate Ellison Giveaway!

Today I have the pleasure of offerring you some pretty awesome books for a giveaway. I have had the chance to read Notes from Ghost Town and absolutely loved it. So read below to find out more about the books and fill out the Rafflecopter for chance to win a hardcover of Kate Ellison's newest book, Notes from Ghost Town and a paperback copy of The Butterfly Clues.

The Butterfly Clues

Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dads consulting job means she's gown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home. 

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind. 

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagine--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.

Notes from Ghost Town

They say first love never dies…

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it's only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death.

There's a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there's a good chance she's losing her mind completely--just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn't really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It's the only way she can save herself.

Interested? Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US & Canada ONLY. Good luck to everyone!

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Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison

Title: Notes from Ghost Town

Author: Kate Ellison

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: February 12, 2013

Source: ARC from Media Masters Publicity

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

They say first love never dies…

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it's only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death.

There's a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there's a good chance she's losing her mind completely--just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn't really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It's the only way she can save herself.

While I hadn't read anything by Kate Ellison before, I had heard nothing but really great things about her previous book, The Butterfly Clues, so I was really excited at the prospect of reading Notes from Ghost Town. It just sounded like this great story with just a bit of a ghost twist and that's exactly what it was. And before long, I found myself getting completely wrapped up in the mystery of the story.

For the last ten months Olivia has been living in a world of grey. Ever since her best friend, Lucas Stern, was murdered and her mom accused of committing the act she hasn't been able to see a drop of color. And now with her mother's trial looming, there's just something about the whole story not sitting right with Olivia. She just can't bring herself to believe that her own mother would have killed her best friend. So when Stern's ghost appears to her, Olivia starts to think she might be going crazy, turning into her schizophrenic mother. But Stern wants Olivia to find the truth, to figure out who really killed him. And maybe in the process Olivia will be able to move on from her first love, no matter how painful this may be.

Notes from Ghost Town was different from what I expected. Though I had read the synopsis and it had really caught my attention, the story I read was not what I thought it would be. And that's probably a good thing, because Notes from Ghost Town ended up having a lot of what I like in a story. In this book, Kate Ellison had just the right mix of ghost, heartbreak and mystery. The whole time I was reading, I just wanted to know what had really happened on the night that Stern was killed. But my heart was also going out to Olivia. Because there was heartbreak in this book as well. Because my heart broke a little every time I read about Olivia's grief over losing Stern, over losing her mother. It also broke a little every time I thought about someone as young and with as much potential as Stern having his life ended so early. And it even felt like breaking a little every time someone dismissed Olivia, thinking she was on her way to becoming like her mother. At the end of the day, the story in Notes from Ghost Town moved me and made me think a lot more than I thought it would.

I really enjoyed reading this story from Olivia's perspective and learning about her in the way that I did. Early on, you find out that her mother is schizophrenic and as much as I wanted to believe that Olivia wasn't on the path to becoming her mother, there were moments where I couldn't help it. But that's what made Olivia such an interesting character. That and her heartbreak and grief which I could just feel while I was reading. I could see her pain in the way she talked and acted, especially when Stern's ghost was around. And Stern was surprising as well. Though he's only truly alive for the first chapter of the book, I feel like I really got to know him and understand who he was, if only through all of Olivia's memories of him. The character that puzzled me the most to an extent was Austin. I just couldn't tell if he truly cared about Olivia or if he was just playing her. And come to think of it, that's the impression I got of most of the characters. But at the same time, that's in large part what kept me interested in the story.

Kate Ellison's Notes from Ghost Town was a surprisingly touching read. Going in expecting a ghost story, what I read instead was a story that moved me in ways I didn't think it would. In this book, Kate Ellison wrote a story that deserves to be read by everyone. You can be sure this is a book I will be recommending a lot.

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Nobody

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: January 22, 2013

Source: ARC from Media Masters Publicity

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.

That's why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they're young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute's monitoring. But now they've ID'ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can't make the hit. It's as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are--because no one else ever notices them.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised by Wolves books are some of my favourites, so I knew right away when I first heard about Nobody that I needed to get my hands on this book. It sounded quite different from what's already out there in terms of YA books and for that alone it intrigued me. Not only didn't it sound different, it actually was…even from what I thought it would be. But that's a good thing.

As much as she tried, Claire has always faded into the background, with no one taking particular notice to her. Every year she reads the same generic messages in her yearbook because no one can seem to remember who she actually is. She raises her hand in class and is constantly overlooked by the teacher. Her whole life Claire has been invisible. But that changes when Nix steps in, ready to kill her. Nix is following orders, going after Claire because he was told she was dangerous. But when he meets her, Claire is not who Nix thought she was. A Nobody, Nix knows what it means to be invisible, but Claire sees him…and he sees Claire. To each other, neither one is nobody.

Having read the Raised by Wolves series, I knew Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the type of author that will make you laugh and cry within one sentence. In a way, I sort of expected this going into Nobody but that's not exactly what I ended up getting. And that's a great thing. That style of writing just would not have worked with the story in Nobody. The story here, though it has its lighter moments, is definitely a dark one. But it's not an overbearing darkness. There were many occasions where the words or the actions of the characters put a smile on my face, and took me away from the controlling world of the Institute and all the violence that came with it. Nobody is also quite different from other YA books out there. I've read my fair share of YA mystery/thriller type books, but none quite like this one. The added element of Nobodies and Nulls just added another layer to the story, one that was very scientific almost psychological which made it all that more interesting to read about.

The characters also didn't fall flat. While reading, I could just tell that despite what she told herself, Claire wanted just one person to finally notice her without it requiring a huge effort on her part. But despite everything, she was someone that really impressed me. She absolutely does not let her situation get her down and is incredibly persistent and brave when she wants to be. So I was really glad when Nix walked into her life…granted at first I just wanted him to back off. Nix hasn't had it easy by any stretch of the imagination. For as long as he can remember he has been trained to be a killer and doesn't really know any other life because of the environment he grew up in. But I loved seeing him grow and develop and figure out who he was outside of the institute. As a final thought, let me just say that there are definitely moments with these two characters that lead to some emotions…happy and sad.

With Nobody, Jennifer Lynn Barnes has reminded me of why I loved reader her other books so much. Though this one was different, it was the good kind of different. It was also the kind of book that makes you think. Though it can have its rather dark moments, Nobody is definitely a book I would recommend. 

Jennifer Lynn Barnes Giveaway!

Today I have the pleasure of offering you two books by one of my favorite authors Jennifer Lynn Barnes. So far everything I have read from this author hasn't disappointed me. So today you have the chance to win a hardcover of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' new release Nobody, and a paperback of Every Other Day. Keep reading to find out more about the books.

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. THey live their lives under the radar, forgotten as you turn away.

That's why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they're young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated. 

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute's monitoring. But now they've ID'ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can't make the hit. It's as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are--because no one else ever notices them.

Every other day, Kai D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She's human.

And then every day in between…she's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is make for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her, and unfortunately she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive…and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

Interested? Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Giveaway is open to US & Canada only. Good luck to everyone!

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Waiting on Wednesday (69)

For those who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers showcase books they are particularly looking for to. For the next few weeks, I'm going to be doing this a little differently. Like I did last year, each week I will be talking about books that are coming out early next year from different publishers. Up this week are the last of the January 2013 releases coming from Amulet Books, Bloomsbury & Egmont USA.

Splintered by A.G. Howard
January 1, 2013
Amulet Books

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl's pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers--precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretched back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother's mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice's tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice's mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

I remember seeing this book popping up everywhere for quite some time, but never really paid attention to what it was really about. All I really knew was that it had a pretty cover. But once I looked into it more, I realized that this was a story that I was really interested in reading and all the positive reviews I've been seing are only adding to this want. So yeah, I really want to read Splintered.

Doomed by Tracy Deebs

January 8, 2013

Bloomsbury

Beat the game. Save the world.

Pandora's just your average teen, glued to her cell phone and laptop, surfing Facebook and e-mailing with her friends, until the day her long-lost father sends her a link to a mysterious site featuring twelve photos of her as a child. Unable to contain her curiosity, Pandora enters the site, where she is prompted to play her favorite virtual-reality game, Zero Day. This unleashes a global computer virus that plunges the whole world into panic: suddenly, there is no Internet. No cell phones. No utilities, traffic lights, hospitals, law enforcement. Pandora teams up with handsome stepbrothers Eli and Theo to enter the virtual world of Zero Day. Simultaneously, she continues to follow the photographs from her childhood in an attempt to beat the game and track down her father, her one key to saving the world as we know it. 

Part The Matrix, part retelling of the Pandora myth, Doomed has something for gaming fans, dystopian fans and romance fans alike.

There are plenty of retellings out there but this is the first I heard of a retelling of the Pandora myth so it definitely piqued my curiosity. And the whole concept of it also sounds really interesting, and to an extent almost realistic. Who knows what would happen if the world were to go completely dark? All I know is that I'm definitely looking forward to reading Doomed. 

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

January 22, 2013

EgmontUSA

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them .They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.

That's why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they're young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute's monitoring. But now they've ID'ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can't make the hit. It's as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are--because no one else ever notices them.

I absolutely love Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised by Wolves series so I get excited any time I hear she has a new book coming out. And as we all know by now, I am a sucker for anything that vaguely resembles a thriller. So this book just sounds perfect for me. I can't wait to be able to read Nobody.

So that's the last of the January 2013 books I'm waiting on. If I want to make it to February I may have to finally get around to renewing my library card because I don't know how I'm going to be able to afford all these books. Or even how I'm possibly going to even be able to read all the books I'm looking forward to.