Infinityglass by Myra McEntire

Summary (from Goodreads):

The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass 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?

Review:

I’ve really enjoyed reading this series. And I never even really expect to like these books as much as I do. I’m always slightly disappointed that it’s always in the point of view of someone else. I had no idea how the whole infinityglass being a person concept would go, and I was a little worried going in that it would be kind of cheesy.

However, I was sucked into the pages of this book immediately. For starters, it’s in New Orleans, a city filled with so much history and excuses for time rips. Then, there’s the main character, Hallie, the infinityglass itself. She is so strong, audacious, and loud. She does “unlawful” jobs for her mobster father. She sneaks out of her ivory tower (aka: New Orleans mansion) whenever she can. She also has the ability to change her features (like Mystique from X-Men). And in her spare time, she dances in her studio.

Add sizzling romance to a ticking clock, and throw in a million and one rips and a couple of heists and this book really never had a dull moment. I couldn’t stop reading it. I literally finished it in one sitting. McEntire is definitely a fan of insta-love. However, I guess if you have to write insta-love, you better make it sizzle and stand out. And this definitely did both.

Everything ends with a lot of water, a kidnapping, and some serious family drama. I seriously could not put this book down until I read the last page. I liked seeing the return of old characters. However, I did kind of feel like their role in the whole thing was a little irrelevant. Like they kind of came into the plot to add a few humorous teen hangout scenes. I did kind of keep wondering why they all needed to be in New Orleans. I’m not really complaining –they added a lot of fun. I’m just not sure it made sense.

And while I’m a sucker for good romance, and I really do like how McEntire writes it, I’m also always kind of hesitant in these series where every character finds their soulmate as a teen. One of the reasons I have any issues with Katie McGarry’s books is the same thing. I get wanting to explore the multiple points of views of different characters, but when you do this it makes love at first sight for so many teenagers a little harder to believe.

All in all though, I adored this book. I also loved the series (I think it’s over now…). These characters are great. The suspense is awesome. And I love all the creepy, historical time rift things. The romance is good too. I give it a 9/10.