Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Review: Timepiece by Myra McEntire

"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...
The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts."


Title: Timepiece
Author: Myra McEntire
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 336, Hardcover

"I'm a bad ass. A bad ass who bakes when he's depressed." -Timepiece (quoted from eARC, not final.)

I was beyond excited to dive right into Timepiece after finishing Hourglass. I was so utterly satisfied with Myra's writing and story, and I had heard nothing but great things about Timepiece. Sadly, while it still had it's enticing characters from Hourglass that I loved, there were many points in the novel that left me in confusion, leaving me frustrated; I wasn't able enjoy the story as much.

Heading into the story, I had no idea that it was told from Kaleb's point of view! I was completely surprised, and while it was really interesting and portrayed very well, I couldn't get into it until about halfway through it. I guess I was just so used to reading in a female's POV. However, after familiarizing myself with his personality, I found it very enjoyable and he was a very blunt (and honest!) character. His comments and thoughts cracked me up.

I also really adored Lily and Kaleb's relationship, much, much more than Em & Michael's! (I loved Em & Michael's relationship, so that's saying something.) I loved how it started out terribly, but graduated into something sweet and tender! They are perfect together. I hated seeing Kaleb chase after Em in Hourglass, so I'm extremely happy that he found someone.

Other than that, Timepiece was quite the roller coaster ride. There was about 3-5 new characters that were introduced, and I felt that Myra could have spent more time elaborating on them. She whipped by them so quickly that I couldn't seem to recall who they were or what their abilities were. What were their motives? What role did each character play? I got so confused at one point that I had to ask one of my blogger friends  for confirmation and help (thanks Nina!)

There was also the plot. Sure, Myra keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, but there was just too many things going on! I was jumping from one situation to the next-- my mind was just about ready to erupt. Why couldn't she just keep it simple? It was very difficult for me to follow the plot and story when so many factors were affecting one another. And the fact that it was about time-travel? Even more puzzling.

I do have to give credit for Myra McEntire for still having that amazing ability to write so smoothly and with ease. She was still able to entrance me and bring me into the story. It was very well crafted and there was some serious world-building in this sophomore novel! You can tell she really thought it thoroughly!

On the whole, Timepiece is an intricately designed novel with fantastic characters brought in from Hourglass that readers will continue to enjoy. At times, the plot and new addition of characters may leave readers perplexed, but it is overall still a delightful read. I am still looking forward to Infinityglass, the third and final installment in the Hourglass trilogy!

Grade: B-

Source: Publisher via Netgalley--thanks Egmont USA! 

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