Clearly a sequel but still makes time fly by.
Bad boy Kaleb Ballard struggles with his empathic powers and complicated relationships in this sequel to Hourglass (2011).
Though Emerson Cole brought her boyfriend, Michael, and Kaleb’s dad, Liam, back from the dead, time is still out of joint for the super-powered teens at the Institute. Jack Landers, murderer and saboteur, is still on the loose and wreaking havoc on the time continuum. Each teen has many reasons to find him, but fewer methods as now only Jack possesses enough “exotic matter” to travel through time. Stronger temporal rips and unwanted attention from the Chronos group also complicate their pursuit of Jack. Kaleb replaces Emerson as the narrator, and, accordingly, his motivations are clearest of the characters’: He seeks to revenge Liam’s (temporary) death, to restore his comatose mother’s lost memories and to protect Emerson. Kaleb’s bad-boy persona and habits hinder his quest—he deadens his empathic powers with alcohol, tattoos, piercings and casual hook-ups—but he reveals a sensitive side in his evolving interactions with the hot-tempered Lily Garcia, Emerson’s friend and the newest, informal addition to the team. Action scenes sometimes seem intrusive or arbitrarily placed, and the mysterious Infinityglass feels contrived, as relationships rather than plot drive the story.
Clearly a sequel but still makes time fly by. (Paranormal thriller. 14 & up)Pub Date: June 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60684-145-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Somberly beautiful.
A girl goes in search of her missing sister and discovers a strange hidden world of dreams.
Corin, who’s 18 and dark-skinned, strives to protect her 12-year-old sister, Elly. But life as a thief is full of struggle, poverty, and loss, even without Corin’s avoidance of other relationships. Elly clings to the promise of fairy tales, like the one that says a princess lies sleeping in an underground castle after pricking her finger on a spindle. After the sisters fight and Elly runs off, Corin searches for her in Gyldan’s old network of tunnels—and finds the tale is true: Cursed Princess Amelia, golden-haired, with eyes like “sea glass” and porcelain skin, lies asleep, surrounded by flowers. Corin enters the princess’ dreamworld—the place “where your subconscious desires come to life.” She meets Briar Rose, Amelia’s alter ego, who experienced her share of sadness and wanted to fall asleep. Also in the dreamworld is green-skinned Malicine, the nonbinary demon who, despite having placed the curse of eternal slumber on Amelia, is mostly friendly. All three are running from things they can’t face, though the dreamworld may not give them a choice. Pham’s debut, a Sapphic reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty,” explores mental health and asks a lot of readers as it seesaws between emotional confrontations, time jumps, and scenes where one character inhabits the memories of another, all of which demand intense engagement. Still, the ending is earned as well as positive.
Somberly beautiful. (content note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798217113026
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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