Release Date: June 14th, 2011
Genre:  Romance, Supernatural, Paranormal
Publisher: Egmont
Pages: 400
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click Here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

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 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 have happened?

Review: Egmont has published some real winners (The Dark Divine series is one of my FAVORITES) so I had really high hopes for this book. I was very sad when it fell short of my expectations.

I feel bad for this book. If it had been written 5-10 years ago it would have been a smash hit. It's got a great story and is well written. As it is, I know that many people will still adore it, as well they should.

Please note that I'm totally biased in this review. As soon as I realized what kind of book Hourlgass was going to be (much more romance than paranormal) I instantly put on my "critical glasses."

For me, Hourglass felt like every other paranormal romance out there. The biggest thing that bothered me is that the two love interests had that "instant connection" thing. As in, when their skin touched they felt paranormal tingles. I've come to feel like this is kind of a cop-out. I never know if the author is using it as a plot element, or an easy way to get out of fully developing a relationship. I believe it is the former, because the main guy addressed the "instant love" issue in the book. Either way, it made me jaded. Then the author introduced another love interest, and that just confused me. Is she trying to introduce a love triangle? Are we supposed to like this guy? I did

The author did a great job of making her story original. I've never read anything that has this kind of time-travel/visions idea and that was really cool. However, I felt the originality of the concept wasn't enough to overcome the standard-ness of the plot. Even though the concept was worked into the plot in interesting ways, it was still the same plot-structure that many paranormal romances seem to follow.

And so, I'll end this review like I end many reviews:

If you're LOVING the influx of paranormal romances into the YA litsphere, then you'll love Hourglass. It's well written and interesting. However, if you (like me) are tired of reading paranormal romances that all seem to blend together, Hourglass is not for you.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

First of all, thank you to everyone who entered, and a BIG thank you to the 9 other participating blogs. I think this giveaway was a huge success, and there's already talks about holding another one!

But enough of that. You want to know who won, eh? I (as always) used Random.org to select the winners. BOTH of the winners were nominated by the same blog! Isn't randomness crazy? Ready?

The winners are...





Congrats to the winners! Remember, it is your job to contact me to collect your prize. I will not be e-mailing the winners. You have 48 hours to e-mail me before I pick another winner. My e-mail is: Squeakybooks@yahoo.com

I will respond to your e-mail within 6 hours. If you haven't heard back from me in 6 hours, e-mail again.

Again, thank you to everyone who participated, and the new followers of my blog. There's lots of fun stuff coming up on Squeaky Books, so stay tuned.

Have a fabulous Monday!

Each and every month on Squeaky Books I feature 6-8 upcoming releases. At the beginning of every month, the novel with the greatest amount of votes will be given away. Fun times, eh? You can vote for the April books from April 2nd – April 30th at 7:59pm MST. That's the same timeframe you have to enter to win this month's book, Divergent. On May 1st I'll post the May giveaway and April winner.

Remember that you should vote "Yes!" on EVERY book you would want to win, not just one.

Also, I know many of you nominated June books. However, many of these were sequels, which I try to avoid putting on these upcoming releases posts, because some may not have read the first book. Also, there were some duplicate nominations, in which case the first person to nominate it will get the extra entries.




Release Date: May 10th, 2011


Summary:

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Do you want to read Die For Me?
Take a second to answer in the poll!
The book with the highest votes will be given away!
(Those of you viewing in feed readers may not be able to see the poll)





Release Date: June 1st, 2011


Summary:

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

Do you want to read Ashes, Ashes?
Take a second to answer in the poll!
The book with the highest votes will be given away!
(Those of you viewing in feed readers may not be able to see the poll)






Release Date: June 7th, 2011


Summary:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Do you want to read Posession?
Take a second to answer in the poll!
The book with the highest votes will be given away!
(Those of you viewing in feed readers may not be able to see the poll)





Release Date: June 7th, 2011


Summary:

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Do you want to read Hereafter?
Take a second to answer in the poll!
The book with the highest votes will be given away!
(Those of you viewing in feed readers may not be able to see the poll)






Release Date: June 14th, 2011


Summary:

When Willie arrives in Indian Territory, she knows only one thing: no one can find out who she really is. To escape a home she doesn't belong in anymore, she assumes the name of a former classmate and accepts a teaching job at the Cherokee Female Seminary.

Nothing prepares her for what she finds there. Her pupils are the daughters of the Cherokee elite—educated and more wealthy than she, and the school is cloaked in mystery. A student drowned in the river last year, and the girls whisper that she was killed by a jealous lover. Willie's room is the very room the dead girl slept in. The students say her spirit haunts it.

Willie doesn't believe in ghosts, but when strange things start happening at the school, she isn't sure anymore. She's also not sure what to make of a boy from the nearby boys' school who has taken an interest in her—his past is cloaked in secrets. Soon, even she has to admit that the revenant may be trying to tell her something. . .

Do you want to read The Revenant?
Take a second to answer in the poll!
The book with the highest votes will be given away!
(Those of you viewing in feed readers may not be able to see the poll)







Release Date: June 21st, 2011


Summary:

In the Choat family, you never have to look hard to find a culprit. Missing TV remote? Blame the goat! Lost coat? Keys in the moat? Broken boat? Blame the goat!

But don't be surprised if the goat doesn't take it lying down. In this hilarious, rhyme-happy picture book, children will love to pore over the funny illustrations, picking up clues that all is not as it seems between Jimmy Choat and the goat, Petunia P. Oat. Because Petunia knows who's really to blame, and before long the whole family will too!

Do you want to read Scapegoat?
Take a second to answer in the poll!
The book with the highest votes will be given away!
(Those of you viewing in feed readers may not be able to see the poll)





Release Date: June 21st, 2011


Summary:

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

Do you want to read Haunting Violet?
Take a second to answer in the poll!
The book with the highest votes will be given away!
(Those of you viewing in feed readers may not be able to see the poll)

It's time to announce the nominees for the Blooming Books giveaway! I'll be updating this list as I get the results from the other blogs, so keep checking back!

Blog Name	$100 Nominee	$30 Nominee
Squeaky Books	Cristina	LadyVampire
AwesomeSauce Book Club	Amateur Voice	Book Sp(l)ot
Bibliognome	Atypical Girl	pepsivanilla
Fade Into Fantasy	Amber	Danya
Lisa's World of Books	Michelle	Andrea
Pensive Bookeaters	Ashley K.	Mary Ellen
See Scoot Read	FreakChiq	Kira
That Hapa Chick	A.J.	Tawni
The Elliott Review	Jennifer K.	Judit
The Mod Podge Bookshelf	Chi Kittie	Kelsey Anne

And I went WAY over my 1,000 followers goal (I'm seriously in shock. I keep looking at it going "well that can't be right") and so the winner of a $25 GC is... Lisa Richards! Congrats!

Thank you to everyone who entered. Check back HERE on Monday to see who the winners are!

NOTE: Before you read this, please note that I HATE April Fools day. Everything in this post is true. Not a joke. Just in case you have any doubts.

The winner of February's Upcoming Release Giveaway is...

Does this surprise anyone? The winner will get a FINISHED copy of Divergent. I know some of y'all have heard rumors of me giving away an ARC (and yes, they are true rumors. I started them). But that won't be until later next week.

• Giveaway runs 4/1-4/30
• Winner announced 5/1
• Fill out the form to enter
• Must be a follower to enter
• Must live in US to enter
• 2 bonus entries available

Also, I'm having a really hard time finding June releases to feature in April. If you know any, would you please comment or nominate them? Remember, if they win you get FIVE extra entries. So... do that.