My rating:

add to my books

The Hourglass Door (Hourglass Door #1)

by Lisa Mangum (Goodreads Author)

3.81 · rating details · 4,426 ratings · 1,307 reviews

His past. Her future. Can love bring them together in time?Abby's senior year of high school is textbook perfect: She has a handsome and attentive boyfriend, good friends, good grades, and plans to attend college next year. But when she meets Dante Alexander, a foreign-exchange student from Italy, her life suddenly takes a different turn. He's mysterious, and interesting, ...more

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published May 13th 2009 by Shadow Mountain

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Books of 2009

104th out of 1,146 books — 6,048 voters

CLEAN Romance Books

33rd out of 723 books — 666 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 8,103)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 25, 2011

Angela rated it

Shelves: 2009, contemporary, love-or-romance, books-i-own, read-in-2009, read-in-2011

SECOND READ: 6/25/11
Re-reading before starting the last book in the trilogy. There was so much in this part of the story that I forgot about. And it was fun to catch little bits that I missed the first time around, especially now that I know a bit more about the story and can pick out hints and clues and understand things that Abby didn't yet. Now on to THE GOLDEN SPIRAL!

FIRST READ: 8/9/09
Wow! WOW! I really liked this book ... dare I say that I LOVED it? The b...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Oct 04, 2009

Beth rated it

Recommended to Beth by: Kimberly

Average teen drawn to mysterious, beautiful, dangerous guy who just happens to be basically immortal ... sound familiar? This read very much like Twilight -- especially in the beginning -- but I was pleased to find that a) the characters weren't annoying (oops ... sorry Twilight fans) and b) the storyline was better, smarter (what do you expect with all the references to Shakespeare and Dante's Inferno?)

And it probably says something that I could hardly put this book down, even fro...more

like 10 likes

· see review

Jun 27, 2010

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who liked Twilight, Evermore, and/or The Time Traveler's Wife

Shelves: could-have-been-better, disappointing-books, should-have-loved-it-but-didn-t, 2010-reads

What to say about The Hourglass Door? Well -- I liked it. I really did. It was one of those books that intrigued me with its interesting premise -- but it didn't grab me. I expected to be swept up into this dark yet wonderful plot, but it never happened. Yes, the plot had its dark moments, but it took so long to get to the magical/paranormal elements behind the book. It's one thing to suspect and expect them; it's another to have to wait for them to happen. (It dragged at some points, I f...moreWhat to say about The Hourglass Door? Well -- I liked it. I really did. It was one of those books that intrigued me with its interesting premise -- but it didn't grab me. I expected to be swept up into this dark yet wonderful plot, but it never happened. Yes, the plot had its dark moments, but it took so long to get to the magical/paranormal elements behind the book. It's one thing to suspect and expect them; it's another to have to wait for them to happen. (It dragged at some points, I found.

I liked the characters as well -- particularly Dante, Zo, and Leo -- but, again, no one really grabbed me and made me love them. I really got the vibes that these were normal people in just extraordinary circtumstances, and that's great. However -- the reader in me just wasn't overwhelmingly moved by the experience or the characters. It was "meh" to me at many points, and I just was expecting more, I suppose. (I don't know. Maybe I've been warped by the dark, angsty trends in YA literature these days. Maybe I just can't appreciate a 'normal story with only some supernatural complements' since it's usually opposite nowadays with fantasy YA.)

(Also, I kept getting vibes that reminded me of books I've read such as Twilight, Evermore, and even The Time Traveler's Wife. I'm not saying that Lisa Mangum was influenced by any of these books in any way during her creative process, but I just got the impression that she could have. Here's hoping the sequel, The Golden Spiral, obliterates any lingering 'familiarities' I may fancy reading/seeing in the plot.)

I really liked the themes (time, the future, love, redemption, etc.), and Lisa Mangum has a descriptive writing style that draws her readers into the world and characters she's envisioning. (That's always a plus.) She's definitely one to watch for in the coming years, and I look forward to what other ideas she may explore with future novels. (Also, I *loved* the references to Dante's The Divine Comedy and even the spotlight on Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing.)

I don't regret reading the book, not at all. But am I going to run to read the sequel? I don't know yet. Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see. (It was one of those books with an ending that could have been standalone -- except the last paragraphs built it up to lead into a sequel.) In the end -- I have to say that I liked it well enough, but I was really rather sad since I expected to like it much, much more than I did.(less)

like 5 likes

· see review

Sep 07, 2010

Cami rated it

Shelves: ya-fiction, sci-fi

This was a nice book. Interesting, but it didn't knock me out of the ball park.
The author almost lost me when I thought she was going to go for a predictable cliff-hanger, I think she made a good choice on the ending.
I like that there is an interesting plot. Mangum gives us good character development on Abby, her friends, her drama teacher, but ultimately I think she fails in truly charming us with Dante. I don't think she gave us enough time to bring us to the level of feeling that...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Apr 04, 2009

Lori rated it

Shelves: fiction

While the plot was intriguing and kept me interested in reading to find out what happens, the character development was poor and I was not emotionally attached to any of the characters. I'm not even sure what the main character looked like really.

like 5 likes

· see review

May 02, 2011

Stephanie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2011

I absolutely loved The Hourglass Door! This is, obviously, the first novel I've ever read by Lisa Mangum and I don't hesitate to say that she, along with many others, has a beautiful talent. Her writing it wonderful! Although she started the book with the writing style that I typically try to stay away from, I was instantly captivated. I had been told that this particular writing style could be quite effective when used correctly and add more emphasis to a story. This is the first time I've ever...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Mar 31, 2010

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it

Hmmm … Cool. Over all, pretty good. The plot was interesting, although not entirely original. The writing was decent. The characters were likable. I wasn't crazy about it, but I did enjoy it and I look forward to reading the sequel to find out what happens! The ending was a cliffhanger …

I sort of had issues with the plot. While I thought the time-travel aspect was cool, the rest of it felt like a billion other books I've read. It followed the common Twilight-esque premise: Smart girl...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Aug 26, 2011

Pricky rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011, sci-fi, time-travel, paranormal-romance

I would probably give this a 3 but because I couldn't put the book down, I have to give it that extra 1/2 star for a 3.5.

I have been waiting with anticipation for this book to finally arrive at the library so maybe my expectations were a little high for this one.

Mangum gives a very unique description and idea of time and of time travel, of the balance that needs to be made with time. I liked the way she described time (view spoiler). It's is a...moreI would probably give this a 3 but because I couldn't put the book down, I have to give it that extra 1/2 star for a 3.5.

I have been waiting with anticipation for this book to finally arrive at the library so maybe my expectations were a little high for this one.

Mangum gives a very unique description and idea of time and of time travel, of the balance that needs to be made with time. I liked the way she described time (view spoiler). It's is a new way of looking at time and I enjoyed that introduction. She also does a seamless job of connecting Dante and Abby Beatrice to classical works such as (view spoiler).

While I couldn't stop reading, I did have some unsettling feelings about the story:

1. Abby: Like another reviewer, I had some minor issues with the name; I felt like the name didn't fit very well with her character. I think Mangum might have chosen the name for it's meaning but the name seems too childish for me. I also felt frustrated by Abby's confusion with her boyfriend Jason; (view spoiler). This initial part of the story just bothered me. I guess I just felt like Abby was just a bit spineless and just didn't want things to change because she wasn't brave enough? She does redeem herself later on with taking more control of her own life so I appreciated that in her character.

2. I couldn't help but notice some similarities between Abby and Dante's relationship with Bella/Edward: Dante is the new mysterious boy in town and they feel this cosmic connection. Maybe I've just ready way too many YA novels that have this premise and it's just really getting old?. For this story, it does work--and really, it's just that I've read too many "similar" relationships. However, Mangum does add a little more to their relationship than just their physical attraction: their connection to the classics and they do talk and get to know each other. But I could have done with a little less of the "oh my gosh you are so hot" descriptions; they just became overwhelming and dull after a while.

3. The scene with Abby and Dave (you'll know which one) was a bit over the top. It didn't seem realistic (in the sense that the consequences for that behavior wasn't realized in the story). I could actually see Dave doing what he did but I think there would be more repercussions for his action. Like maybe Abby or one of the cast member would have told someone in authority...(However, I have to say that if we're talking about "teenagers" here, they really might not have known what to do in that situation or been embarrassed to say anything to anyone so I can also see nothing happening either.) Even so, I had some issues with the way Abby dealt with this; I could tell she was really upset by this and if something like this happened to me as a teenager, I would seriously have had some major trauma and embarrassment.

Overall though, I did enjoy reading it; and it kept me reading late into the night. And I am interested to read more about Abby and Dante's journey in the next part of the series. If you like time-travel and a good Bella/Edward type romance, you might enjoy this one! (less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Apr 28, 2010

Cindy rated it

Shelves: read-in-2010, teen-fantasy

There are major pros and cons of this book and it's just easier for me to list them then write out a review:

Pros:
-The characters were realistic in that their relationships were real. Abby's relationship with Jason was real feeling and described really well. There were parents, rules and curfews. No one was running around at 5 am with the parents allowing guys to hop into girls beds at night. (I know the guy might be a wolf/vamp whatever but really what parent goes "Oh it's...more

like 1 like

· see review

May 31, 2011

Erica (daydreamer) rated it

Shelves: lds-authors, cover-love, 2010-reads, beautiful-writing, love-love-it, i-own, time-travel, release-in-2009, ya, 2011-reads, would-love-if-it-were-a-movie, swoon-worthy-male-love-interests, strong-heroines, best-characters

The Hourglass Door is a really amazing book. Mangum has a really beautiful way of writing, flowing like, with beautiful imagery and choice of words; it was magical. The plot is so intricate, every little detail thought out perfectly. Her plot and base to the story was well thought out. It just kind of befuddles me. Not her writing, but the concept itself. Time is interesting, and trying to explain what time is and how it works is a hard feat. But Lisa Mangum does so with an amazing ability. She ...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Feb 22, 2011

Apzmarshl rated it

Recommends it for: joey

Recommended to Apzmarshl by: tracy

Young adult, easy, entertaining.

Abby is leading a predictable life.....dating the neighbor boy Jason, applying to state college with her best friend in hopes of rooming together and getting matching dogs.
Then Dante shows up out of no where...hot, mysterious, and Italian. Soon Abby is living without limits. She and Jason break up and Abby and Dante are desperately smitten with each other. Abby finds that Dante may be more than hot, he might also be dangerous. Dante confesses...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 27, 2009

Annabelle rated it

Shelves: ya-paranormal-romance

Drum roll please. And the new strategy for creating that handsome, mysterious teenage boy who is inexplicably drawn to a normal girl but must resist temptation at all costs is: time travel. Makes a little more sense when you read the book, I swear.
After a rather dragging beginning, the novel begins to develop in an original and interesting way. Abby is likable and feisty, with a surprising strength, while Dante is all Italian charm and intrigue. Their lives are intertwined in such destiny ...more

· see review

Nov 29, 2011

Michelle rated it

Shelves: fantasy, romance, teen

Abby’s life is calm and stable. She’s dating the boy next door, and she’s pretty happy with her life. Then Dante, an Italian foreign exchange student arrives. She feels a connection with him right away. Strange things start to happen and even time seems to get a little wibbly wobbly. Then Abby’s ordered life gets a little out of control. [return][return]I really enjoyed this story. It was a little slow to get started, but once the plot begins to be revealed it really picks up. It was also...more

· see review

Nov 03, 2011

Harmony Beaufort rated it

This was a book that I had put off reading for a while, mostly because the cover didn't really grab at my attention until I saw the book trailer (which i'll put down below because it is awesome.) But sadly, this book was a "meh" for me.

One thing I wasn't too much of a fan was of Abby, at least in the beginning. I completely understood the fact that she felt her relationship with Jason withering and Lisa made a good job of it throughout the beginning of the book, but really, d...more

· see review

Sep 08, 2011

08emmak rated it

The Hourglass Door was a great book! A romance, it is the story of Abby who one day during play practice meets the handsome and mysterious Dante. Abby falls for Dante but is very surprised and taken aback when he tells her that he was born in 1468. Suddenley she is in for way more than she thought, can she figure this out and make it out okay?
The book is written in first person, Abbys point of view and is great for teenage girls. I personally loved the scense of adventure that w...more

· see review

Sep 07, 2011

Frygirl rated it

Recommends it for: All YA readers - 5th grade & up

It is honestly a 3 & 3/4 star rating from me - mainly I'm holding back that last quarter because its a series. Sure this is a good 400 pages, but it is too obviously set up into a series format & I'm tired of cliffhanger endings and being forced into buying the next one to get to the ending - give me one 1500 page book or seriously add some meat to each book to make it worth my $10.

This is a great YA book that wasn't too YA, there was high school with only enough "High School"...more

· see review

Aug 09, 2011

Maria rated it

To be very honest with you all, I had to force my way through this book. The book just took too long to get going – I was more than halfway through it before I thought to myself “what is supposed to be happening here?” Here’s a breakdown of some of the good, the bad, and the ugly:

The Bad: * Like I said before, it took way too long to get going. For a paranormal/sci-fi book, there was too much time spent on our main character’s (Abby) normal life. I wanted to read a book about time tra...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 06, 2011

YA Reads Book Reviews rated it

Shelves: kiona

Let me start by saying if you’re looking for a new paranormal series to obsess over, you should probably read The Hourglass Door. Personally, I’m usually a series kind of girl. I like following characters I’m invested in over a long period of time. But lately, a lot of series just seem to drag or get repetitive. The Hourglass Door is the first series I’ve begun in awhile that provides a completely new world and unique premise.

The story begins normally enough. Abby is a seemingly ordina...moreLet me start by saying if you’re looking for a new paranormal series to obsess over, you should probably read The Hourglass Door. Personally, I’m usually a series kind of girl. I like following characters I’m invested in over a long period of time. But lately, a lot of series just seem to drag or get repetitive. The Hourglass Door is the first series I’ve begun in awhile that provides a completely new world and unique premise.

The story begins normally enough. Abby is a seemingly ordinary girl who gets good grades and has let a somewhat sheltered life. She’s looking for new ways to break free and gain independence, starting with applying to Emery College, a school all the way across the U.S. on the eastern coast. She’s keeping Emery a secret from everyone for now, including her boyfriend and neighbor, Jason. Abby and Jason have been destined to be together since they were in diapers. But while Abby lights up Jason’s world, she can’t muster more than brotherly affection for him. Still, being with him isn’t bad and there’s no one else she’d rather date. That is, until Dante Alexander arrives.

To Abby’s credit, she tries not being attracted to Dante. She doesn’t want to hurt Jason and she honestly believes she’s capable of merely befriending Dante. After all, he is the new guy in town and she just wants to make sure he feels welcome. And to Dante’s credit, he tries not to interfere in Abby and Jason’s relationship. As much as he likes Abby, he doesn’t think Jason deserves to lose his girlfriend, especially considering Dante’s life is a little chaotic and even…dangerous.

But, I mean, Dante speaks Italian. And he has those blue-gray eyes and that aura of mystery. Hotness aside, Abby does take the time to get to know Dante. A believable friendship blossoms between them, a friendship that she’s able to balance alongside her relationship with Jason. But then things start to get a little tricky. For one, Abby feels this unmistakable pull to Dante and she knows he feels the same way. Then she begins feeling…odd…and these feelings are only magnified when Zo, V, and Tony begin hanging around. These three make up a band called Zero Hour and they seem to have some sort of history with Dante and his adoptive father Leo. Oddly enough, Dante and the members of Zero Hour all sport the same tattoos.

Lisa Mangum is clearly a master of building suspense. The further I got into The Hourglass Door, the more questions I had and the more I had to power through just to get the slightest of answers. Like Abby, I couldn’t tell if the paranormal aspects were actually paranormal or just figments of her imagination. Everyone was so secretive that I was practically dying to know what was going on. I’d form my own theories only to realize how implausible they were and then I’d hungrily read more, glad that the plot wasn’t so predictable. By the middle of the book, Mangum began providing twists that completely blindsided me and the answers I received toward the end were, at times, shocking. I was just entirely pleased by the unique intricacies of the plot and the tie-ins with historical figures that added a believability to the fantastical elements that’s presently hard to come by.

I’d recommend this book for the plot alone, but the writing is also amazing. The snippets of Italian dialogue lend an air of authenticity to Dante’s origins and each character really stands out. Oddly enough, despite Dante’s charm and all-around sexiness, I wasn’t head-over-heels in love with him, but I loved his and Abby’s relationship; their relationship grew effortlessly from a solid friendship, initial attraction, and complementary personalities. The villains of the story aren’t frightening just because they have some sort of super-human strength, but because they threaten to destroy Abby’s life personally by settling in her town, getting to know her and her friends, and attacking that which she cares about most. But little do they know, Abby has some surprises of her own—surprises even she didn’t know about.

Essentially, if you’re looking for romance, action, and paranormal intrigue, The Hourglass Door is right up your alley. You might have overlooked it in the past, but with the conclusion to the series on the way this summer, now’s the perfect time to dive in. A little warning though: have the second book readily available, as The Hourglass Door ends on a big cliffhanger.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

May 16, 2011

Brook Baker rated it

Lisa Mangum

If you pick up this book, prepare to have your mind blown away. The aspect of time-travel (given the name of the book) is very important. Abby and Dante share something special, but Dante has a secret. One that will inevitably get Abby into quite a predicament.

While I did REALLY enjoy this book, the one thing that really bothered me was the descriptions. Of course, you know what Dante looks like - he's the love interest, of course she's going to go on and on and o...more

· see review

Jan 31, 2011

Michelle rated it

Shelves: young-adult-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Jan 10, 2011

Sally rated it

Shelves: adventure, chick-lit, coming-of-age, contemporary, fantasy, light, romance, sci-fi, teen, young-adult

I would have enjoyed this book so much more if it had been published BEFORE the "Twilight" series. Now my problem is that I suspect every author in the YA realm, if they have a remotely supernatural romantic lead, of trying to follow in Meyer's footsteps. While Mangum's book is better in terms of writing and original plot, I still had a sneaking suspicion that she may have been influenced by Twilight.

Abby Edmunds is a go-getter, senior in high school, who has lived every day ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 05, 2011

Claudia garcia rated it

well here it goes..... Abby has the perfect life, good grades great boyfriend, everything perfectly planned. her college her boyfriend. even her school play. until one day during rehearsal, the wind blew in a new foreign exchange student from Italy, his name Dante, but with him comes great secrets. he it not form this time. he is from five hundred year in the pasted. he was punished for a crime he didn't commit, and sentenced to wonder the future forever, never aging. he turns Abby's world upsid...more

· see review

Jan 05, 2011

M rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Nov 12, 2010

Christy Dorrity rated it

Shelves: reviewed

The Hourglass Door is the perfect combination of a clean read with delicious romantic angst.

Food to eat while reading: Time-stopping Chocolate Truffles(www.dearestdreams.com)

Drawn in by the prologue, I thirstily drank this story up in a few days, even though I had many other books I was supposed to be reading. The prologue is intriguing and an even better read a second time upon completion of the novel.

I like Jason, but I am glad when Abby starts to fall for ...more

· see review

Oct 15, 2010

Shelby rated it

If you like books full of fun, adventure, life, and love, then hourglass door is the book for you. It is suspenseful and will have you guessing how it will end even after your done reading it. It starts out as this girl just wanting to do something everyone doesn’t expect her to do. Her boyfriend, that she has known since she moved next door to him when they were five years old, born on the same day and having the same exact birthday party every year since. Abby the main character know...more If you like books full of fun, adventure, life, and love, then hourglass door is the book for you. It is suspenseful and will have you guessing how it will end even after your done reading it. It starts out as this girl just wanting to do something everyone doesn’t expect her to do. Her boyfriend, that she has known since she moved next door to him when they were five years old, born on the same day and having the same exact birthday party every year since. Abby the main character knows everything about him, he does not like guessing and has a backup plan for everything just in case something goes wrong. Her best friend Valarie has been planning for Abby and her to go to the same college together and be roommates and have matching terrier dogs. But Abby doesn’t want that anymore because everyone expects that the only person that doesn’t expect her to go there is her little sister that somehow knows everything about Abby’s life. Then e everything changes when the new student Dante Alexander comes to school. He is a transfer student from Italy, he for some reason has a little interest in her than any other girl in school, but then again she is the only person at all he shows interest to.
Roomers start to begin about Dante and Abby isn’t sure what she should do, she trys not to believe him but it’s hard when everyone in school believes he is a bad guy. Then the best band comes to play at the concert building and for some reason the band Zero hour knows Dante. When weird things start happening in the small town they all blame Dante and Zero hour. Valarie tells Abby not to trust Dante but there’s still something intreging about him, that she can’t seem to stay away. He has secrets that she wants to know. He is always wearing gloves, and will not tell anyone why. He is mysterious and skips school or shows up late for rehearsals for the school play, and nobody knows why. Abby gets close to Dante but he seems to try and keep distance between them, but doesn’t want to, and she can’t figure out why. Then the February dance comes and everything changes. If you want to know what happens and how what happens to make Abby’s life turn upside down by one guy, then you have to read The Hourglass Door.
This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. Once you start reading you will not be able to put the book down. If you have read the twilight series you will love this book. Time traveling seems impossible but in this book anything seems possible. You will feel like one of the characters instead of just reading about the characters. This is now my favorite book and I can’t wait to get the second one in the series. Lisa Mangum is an amazing author and if you read this book you will love her stories just as much as I do.
(less)

· see review

Aug 26, 2010

Laina rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Jul 26, 2010

Becky rated it

Give me one moment in time
Whem I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment in time
I will feel, I will feel eternity

If Whitney Houston hadn't already sung those words, Lisa Mangum could have used them to describe her novel The Hourglass Door.

Abby Edmunds has everything going for her. She's got good friends, a hot boyfriend, and a position as assistant director of the school's play. But everything is a little too status quo for her tastes. Then forei...more

· see review

Jul 15, 2010

Brandy rated it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

What an interesting book. This is by a new LDS author, Lisa Mangum. I think my rating would actually have to be a 3.5 (Goodreads, can we please have 1/2 stars added to our rating system??)

This is a story about a man who travels through time. He meets a girl from our day and they fall in love. I think this was a fun concept, one that I was really interested in. The problem I had was that there were parts of the book that were a little overly simplified (like the love connection b...more

· see review

May 26, 2010

Angela rated it

Shelves: paranormal, romance, young-adult, science-fiction

Decent debut effort w/room for more

In Lisa Magnum's debut novel, The Hourglass Door, Abby is in her final year of high school with everything in place - a dependable boyfriend, two best friends, and an assistant director position for the school play. Inside, though, she's itching for more. After alluring Italian exchange student Dante walks into her life, things begin to change. Time stops, literally, when Abby is with Dante, and he has many secrets (days-long disappearances, gloves ...moreDecent debut effort w/room for more

In Lisa Magnum's debut novel, The Hourglass Door, Abby is in her final year of high school with everything in place - a dependable boyfriend, two best friends, and an assistant director position for the school play. Inside, though, she's itching for more. After alluring Italian exchange student Dante walks into her life, things begin to change. Time stops, literally, when Abby is with Dante, and he has many secrets (days-long disappearances, gloves around his wrists all the time) that may put both of them in mortal danger.

Magnum's writing was easily readable, and the story centers on an original concept for a paranormal romance that includes historical and inventive components (no wolves, vampires, zombies, or fallen angels here). The story arc was interesting, and pacing was pretty good. The first half of the book depicts a strong net of family and supportive characters for the main character, Abby, which is often not seen in other books.

However, character development wasn't nearly as strong. The two main characters, Abby and Dante, were likeable, but I didn't love them or their romance. The familiar set-up of a good girl being drawn to a threatening guy was similar to almost all other paranormal romances. Side characters seemed like caricatures after the first half of the book, and character inconsistencies in behavior cropped up. In the writing, some phrases and descriptions became noticeably repetitive. Though the language and actions in the book were very clean, which many people may like, the characters' dialogue sometimes suffered for it by seeming fake. Despite these clean parameters, there's also one action between a student and a teacher that I couldn't believe could happen without repercussions. Some inconsistencies or unexplained portions of the supernatural events and their mythology provided plot holes. The ending was fairly conclusive, but there was an obvious set-up for a sequel, which left things feeling somewhat unfinished.

In all, this was a decent debut novel from Magnum with a unique concept for a typical young adult paranormal romance. Though I didn't think about the book much after I closed the cover, I plan to check out the sequel, The Golden Spiral (Book 2 in the Hourglass Door Trilogy), when it comes to the library. I'd like to see where Magnum takes the mythology and the relationships between Abby, Dante, and the other characters.(less)

like 3 likes

· see review

Mar 15, 2010

Arya rated it

Shelves: fantasy, adventure, mythology

Dante Alexander . . . exchange student? I don’t think so.
Weird things happen around Dante Alexander, the new exchange student from Italy, and Abby Edmunds has been sucked into the backlash. What she doesn't know is his disturbing history. There is much more to Dante than meets the eye - and what meets the eye is not unimpressive!
Abby Edmunds leads a charmed life. The perfect boyfriend, sweet friends, good grades, ok social life . . . it is not enough. All that she wants is a lit...moreDante Alexander . . . exchange student? I don’t think so.
Weird things happen around Dante Alexander, the new exchange student from Italy, and Abby Edmunds has been sucked into the backlash. What she doesn't know is his disturbing history. There is much more to Dante than meets the eye - and what meets the eye is not unimpressive!
Abby Edmunds leads a charmed life. The perfect boyfriend, sweet friends, good grades, ok social life . . . it is not enough. All that she wants is a little spontaneity, a little adventure. She is not happy anymore, being Miss Predictable. She grew up with a nice boy-next-door – they were best friends, so who is she dating now? Jason – the boy-next-door – big surprise! She has been planning to go to college with her friends Natalie and Valerie since forever –so where does she apply? State. Nothing in her life is “without limits” everything is boxed up and tied with a nice little bow. So when she sees the application to Emery College - and the heading “Life Without Limits” she is intrigued. She signs the snippet of paper and puts in motion a roller-coaster ride which will change her dull, conventional life into something right out of a mystery novel!
Dante knows that it is dangerous to trust . . . years of experience have taught him that, but something about Abby just begs for trust. She is without guile, innocent and pure enough to believe, and to keep his secrets forever. What will happen when Dante bares his soul?
This is a story of secrets and traitors, love and loosing. The beautiful language and words make this writing almost lyrical and poetic. The references to literature are well placed and interesting. I loved the excerpts from Shakespeare, Homer and the Aeneid. They are insights into beautiful works of art that are appreciated by the characters with a reverence that is refreshing! The glances into classic culture are sweet glimpses of the deeper themes of a novel.
Dante is both dangerous and tortured. He is a good man, a sweet boy. Life has not been fair to him and yet he strives for goodness, to find meaning, and happiness in this life to which he was sentenced. He is far from perfect, and yet in his imperfectness we find the only perfection a human can strive for – the determination to always try to do your best.
Abby is a strong female lead. She does what she wills . . . she puts the good of others before her own heart. She is put into impossible situations; and she emerges victorious. She is confused and scared, but she finds within herself the attribute that will make her a force to be reckoned with – she is unfailingly courageous.
This is a great novel, a superb story. Its genius will withstand the river of time. . .
(less)

like 1 like

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 270 271 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Squeaky Clean Rea...: Is it Clean?	3	9	Oct 26, 2011 11:38am
Clean Reads: content cleanliness	5	27	Oct 26, 2011 06:01am
Who thinks The Hourglass Door reminds them of Twilight?	3	27	Jul 13, 2011 08:50pm
Giveaway	1	66	Apr 01, 2009 08:26am

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

160 users

Fantasy

142 users

Romance

68 users

Science Fiction > Time Travel

38 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

21 users

Science Fiction

17 users

Young Adult > Teen

11 users

Adventure

10 users

Book Club

8 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Fantasy

8 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Lisa Mangum

Lisa Mangum has loved and worked with books ever since elementary school, when she volunteered at the school library during recess. Her first paying job was shelving books at the Sandy Library. She worked for five years at Waldenbooks while she attended the University of Utah, graduating with honors with a degree in English. An avid reader of all genres, she has worked in the publishing department...more

More about Lisa Mangum...

Books by Lisa Mangum

The Forgotten Locket (Hourglass Door, #3)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About The Hourglass Door

13 trivia questions
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Hourglass Door

“Be sure of your heart before you speak.” — 38 people liked it

“It's time, my children
When the waves rise high
When the waters run deep
When the clock strikes midnight
You'll feel the mark of Zero Hour
And you'll never be the same again” — 6 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved The Hourglass Door

Clean Romances

1176 members

last activity 3 hours, 59 min ago

shelf: read

Clean Reads

558 members

last activity Feb 07, 2012 07:12am

shelf: read

Clean Reads for Mormon Te...

272 members

last activity 7 hours, 29 min ago

shelf: read

title link	preview: The Hourglass Door
avg rating	preview: The Hourglass Door Goodreads rating: 3.81 (4426 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6217361-the-hourglass-door?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1291256975m/6217361.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6217361-the-hourglass-door?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum[/url]

The Hourglass Door (Hourglass Door #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website