Review of Timepiece by Myra McEntire


Timepiece (Hourglass #2) by Myra McEntire


Published by EgmontUSA on June 12, 2012

Source: received an e-ARC from the publisher through Net Galley. 

Series report:  I read this book without refreshing my memory on Hourglass and everything made sense.




My summary: Kaleb Ballard has issues. His mom is lost to him, and he's pretty sure that he's disappointed his father, head of the mysterious Hourglass organization. He can't see time travelers, like his friends Em and Michael, also part of Hourglass. So he drinks and he flirts. He's pretty successful at both, until he gets slapped one night by tart-tongued Lily Garcia. On that same night, a mysterious man appears out of nowhere with a threat and an ultimatum: find Jack Landers, the guy who tried to murder Kaleb's father and put Kaleb's mother in a coma. If Kaleb and his friends can find Jack, the time continuum that was compromised in book one can be repaired. If not, the lives of people Kaleb loves could be at risk.

My thoughts: I had intended to refresh my memory on Hourglass before I read this, but then fate intervened. I was stuck in a long line for a sample sale (think the autographing lines at BEA, but shorter) with only my Kindle for entertainment. Timepiece was the next book in the e-queue. So I thought ... why not?

MILD HOURGLASS SPOILER IN THE PARAGRAPH BELOW: 
I didn't remember Kaleb that well from Hourglass, except that he was the other guy in the love triangle, the one who didn't get the girl. (ETA: Okay, that was the Hourglass spoiler, and clearly I could have worded that in a better way, because now Jen M of Some Like it Paranormal has gone and scolded me in comments for dissing Kaleb. See below.)

But what a cool idea to have this book narrated by a different character! I mean, what typically happens in book two of a YA trilogy is that the guy who did get the girl has to be separated from her by a misunderstanding or imprisonment or presumed death or whatever. So switching narrators and putting Kaleb and and Lily in the forefront and Em and Michael more in the background put a whole new spin on things.

I liked Kaleb as a narrator. He was a smart aleck who was sad and wounded underneath. I also liked the fact that he and Lily had insta-hate rather than insta-love, which made for a refreshing change of pace and led to a great deal of verbal sparring. I enjoyed finding out more about Lily, who has an interesting backstory that Hourglass didn't delve into.

Myra McEntire excels at plotting. Timepiece started off with a bang, from the slapping scene mentioned above to a dramatic incident that involving Em that definitely ups the stakes for the Hourglass gang. There were twists and reversals throughout, making the book a very entertaining read.

Even though I hadn't read Hourglass for a year, the time travel stuff mostly made sense to me. Physics is one of those things that makes my head feel like it's going to explode. Alternate realities? Wormholes? The fourth dimension? It's a lot!

In summary, I enjoyed this book. Some fans of Hourglass may be disappointed that it has a different narrative feel, and that Em and Michael are not prominently featured, but I think that switching narrators was a bold move that gave this trilogy a sense of the unexpected. I'm curious to see what Myra McIntyre has up her sleeve for the next book, Infinityglass. Could Ava be our next narrator? I'll have to wait to find out. I love an author who keeps me guessing!
Tell me in comments: how do you feel about series that take unexpected twists? Love it or hate it?



Comments

  1. How could you not remember Kaleb much?!!! He was like the very best part of Hourglass!!!! I LOVE Kaleb. I so wanted Emerson with him. When I heard this was from his perspective I was super excited. I also like that we will learn more about Lily cause I could tell something strange was up with her. I'll be sad Kaleb isn't with Emerson but hopefully I like him with Lily. I like a little hate and slap! LOL I get so confused with time travel sometimes but I followed along pretty well in the first one. I hope to get to this one soon. I've been trying to for a few weeks but I just get more and more books. I'm also very curious who will be the narrator for Infinityglass. I have no clue who Ava is. Was she in the first one?

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    1. Oh wait P.S. I still have more to say! I saw that you are reading A Midsummer's Nightmare! I just got it in the mail and I'm super excited. Wesley and Bianca have a cameo! I hope it is as good as The Duff.

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    2. P.P.S. Do you have a blog button?

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    3. When I wrote this I wanted to write "slap worthy" thinking of you.
      I should have known you'd go for Kaleb -- he's totally your slap worthy kind of guy.
      You'll love the chemistry between Lily and Kaleb!!!

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    4. And I didn't word that very well. I should have said I didn't focus that much on Kaleb in Hourglass because he was the other guy in the love triangle, the Guy In The Way -- to me at least. Clearly you felt completely differently!!!

      PS No I don't have a blog button. Summer project, maybe.

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  2. Ava was the one who Kaleb called "The Shining" in Hourglass.

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  3. Great review Jen! I so need to read Hourglass! Thanks for the great tweets about my promotion! :D

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    1. I have a copy, but I now I kind of want to have a chance to re-read it. Maybe this summer....

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  4. You hit the nail on the head when you talked about Myra McEntire's genius plotting. And I couldn't agree more with how user friendly she makes the time traveling aspect in these books. I love science fiction but I can get a little lost if a book goes into astrophysic's overdrive. I think the way McEntire presents it here is perfect.

    And girl, I gotta agree with Jennifer, how could you not recognize Kaleb and all his bad boy awesomeness in Hourglass?? I LOOVED that this book was narrated by him and I love the chemistry between he and Lily. I'm also very curious as to who will narrate Bk. #3. Ava would be a fun choice, but I would certainly miss Kaleb's voice!

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    1. Oh, and I read A Midsummer's Nightmare last week! How are you liking it? I'm hoping to have my review up by tomorrow or Saturday:)

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    2. Okay, okay.

      I mean, of course I recognized him. I just remembered him as Bad Boy in the Way of True Love. So I had to reconnect with him in book two, which I did. I'm happy he got his own story.

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  5. I love when a book takes a twist I never saw coming. It definitely keeps me on my toes and reading faster. Different narrators are great because you get to see a whole different side to the story that was hidden. You are practically reading a brand new story and I so love reading from a guy's perspective. They are more fun to read from and I hope more authors use a male's POV.

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  6. I still need to read Hourglass. I only skimmed your review so I wouldn't spoil anything for myself from the first book. I think I will have to get to this series really soon. It seems like it's a series that people are really enjoying.

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    1. It's really good. Sometime time travel books are just more than my brain can handle, but this series is great!!

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  7. I think it's a good thing sometimes to change the voice. Also, Em's story is mostly done in a way. I mean she is still part of the group and trying to help fix things, but she has chosen Michael at this point and it's nice to learn what happens to the other guy from his perspective. I actually have been hoping that Julie Kagawa would do this with Puck and give him a happy ending since I actually really like his character. I don't know how I feel about Lily. I think of her as a sort of traitor and I think she needs a backbone and an attitude adjustment, but maybe I'll like her when I read this and see more inside her head. Thanks for the review!

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    1. I definitely need to re-read Hourglass since I need to make sure I remember who Lily and Ava are. . . I definitely remember Kaleb. ;)

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    2. I agree with you. I mean SPOILER ALERT she and Michael have the electrical connection thing, so what's the point of separating them just to torture them and us??

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  8. I like books that present a strong 2nd book and I feel like this series did that even if it's not to my personal taste. I am definitely not a Kaleb fan and I think I would have preferred Emerson's narration again although I am partial to female narrators.

    I'm glad you remember all of that time travel stuff because I so did not-I was so confused whenever it was brought up and was kicking myself for boxing up my copy of Hourglass somewhere in my family's vast garage.

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    1. Tomorrow on Freebie Friday I'm going to ask people about series and whether they re-read before they start new books. I just don't have time and I'm thinking that I'm just not going to do it anymore!!

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  9. Thank god for all the back and forth on the comments because I think it helped me get almost caught up to where I maybe remember what happened in Hourglass! I am totally excited now for Timepiece and the narrator switcharoo! I also love some love hate and in the first book if I remember correctly, Em and Michael had some insta-love and that always makes me yearn for some good ole face slappin.

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    1. Ha ha -=- glad it helped you. I am never going to live down my comment about not remembering Kaleb which clearly irked every one of my blog followers who love bad boys!!

      You and Jen M and I clearly have suppressed anger issues which make us love the slapping!!!

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  10. It always takes me a minute to get used to new narrators, but I usually find that those series are the ones that go farther than I ever expect them to. The demon's Lexicon series all have a different narrator, but it is the right narrator for that part of the story and gives it the most mystery and importance and awesome!

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    1. I have only read book one of Demon's Lexicon, but I liked it!

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  11. I expect a series to have surprises & twists. Changing the narrator is a great way to keep things fresh.

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    1. I would totally expect you to say that!!

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  12. So agree! I didn't ever think that she would pick Kaleb, but I did like the friend part he did play.

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    1. I agree. He just wasn't right for Em. But he's an interesting character and I really liked learning more about him in Timepiece!

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  13. I enjoyed the twists in Timepiece so much! And as you know I really liked Kaleb, but I get why you didn't, he isn't the perfect likeable guy like Micheal was. And I really, really, loved the tension between Kaleb and Lily.

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    1. I swear I didn't dislike him -- I just didn't like him for Em. I think Lily is a much better fit!

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  14. I loved the insta-hate between Kaleb and Lily too. LOL I always love when they have to work at it, to find their feelings for each other. Great review! :)

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  15. The plot was simply amazing. The twists and turns were always unexpected. Each detail felt important and relevant to the story, and each character added something. And there's a certain magic to the tale, something you just don't see everyday. The pacing was perfect, and before I knew it I was finished with this wondrous creation.
    This review could be sprawling and filled with spoilers, but it still wouldn't, couldn't, be able to truly capture the true essence of Timepiece. To understand the AMAZING that is this book, you must read it.

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  16. I totally think Kaleb and Lily are much better for each other than Kaleb and Em. Then again, I don't often root for the Other Guy. Great review, Jen, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And sorry I'm so late to comment - I just got back home from my vacation and now I'm trying to catch up. You've been quite busy while I've been away! ;)

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