Lisa Mangum's The Hourglass Door ~ Reviewed

The Hourglass Door
Lisa Mangum
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (May 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1606410938



Review by Michelle Griep

Abby’s senior year of high school is going according to plan: good friends, cute boyfriend, and college applications in the mail. But when Dante Alexander, foreign-exchange student from Italy, steps into her life, he turns it upside down. He’s mysterious, and interesting, and unlike anyone she’s ever met before. Abby can’t deny the growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around. Soon Abby finds herself drawn into a mystery whose roots reach into sixteenth-century Florence, and she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens not only her future but the lives of those she loves.

Review

This book is AMAZING! Lisa Mangum is one of my new favorite authors…and I can count my favorite authors on one hand. Seriously. Drop whatever it is you’re doing right now and get yourself a copy of The Hourglass Door. You’ll be sucked in so fast, you’ll feel as if you’ve been pulled through the portal described in the book.

Hero Dante is mysterious, intriguing, hunka-hunka handsome, and comes complete with an Italian accent. Yes, there were several times I had to wipe the drool from my chin. Top that off with his gallant, protective, sensitive yet strong personality, and he’s one character that you’d love to meet in real life.

I also connected with Abby, the heroine, in a way that didn’t make me feel at all jealous. I became her as I read. And believe me, it’s a rare book that can make a forty-eight-year-old feel like a teenager again.

Besides the excellent characterization, the story made me think, laugh, get angry—an entire gamut of emotions. The plot had many twists and turns, some predictable, some completely broad-siding me, but all enjoyable.

If there is one book you’re going to buy this year, make The Hourglass Door the one, no matter what your age is. And if you’ve got any teens in your life, pitch their Twilight into the trash and replace it with this trilogy. Speaking of which, gotta run…the second book in the series, The Golden Spiral, is calling me to plunk my bottom down on the couch and let the world go by.

Read Lisa's Interview at Novel Journey.


Bonus Review:

Abby is a normal High School senior...life is on track, she has plans to go to the same college as her group of friends, and she has a coveted golden-haired boyfriend. But...Abby has a secret dream and some secret doubts that are pushing her into serious emotional unrest.

Enter Dante. Dark, Italian, handsome and very aware of Abby.

Abby's list of secrets grows as does her connection to the mysterious Dante. She ends up, literally, going places she never dreamed she'd visit.

Hourglass Door is a page turner. Anyone who loved the Twilight series should find much to like in Door. Even non-fans of Twilight but seekers of romance, intrigue and mysterious happenings should look further into Doors because all of the above is in there.

I found it to be a less melodramatic teen story than Twilight. Door would be appropriate for most pre-teens and is sweetly clean.

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer