The Hourglass Door Trilogy

The Hourglass Door ****

by Lisa Mangum
Book Type: YA, Fantasy, Romance 
Summary:  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, 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. Time behaves differently when they are together - traveling too fast or too slow or sometimes seeming to stop altogether. When the band Zero Hour performs at the local hangout, Abby realizes that there's something dangerous about the lead singer, Zo, and his band mates, Tony and V. Oddly, the three of them are also from Italy and have a strange relationship to Dante. They also hold a bizarre influence over their audience when performing. And Abby's best friend, Valerie, is caught in their snare. Dante tells Abby the truth of his past: he once worked for Leonardo Da Vinci, helping to design and build a time machine. When Dante was falsely implicated as a traitor to his country, he was sent through the machine more than five hundred years into the future as punishment. As the past and the present collide, Abby learns that she holds a special power over the flow of time itself. She and Dante must stop Zo from opening the time machine's door and endangering everyone's future. More than one life is at stake and Abby's choice could change everything.
summary found on goodreads
My Review:  Interesting. The concept of time traveling and the effects on the traveler are very interesting in this book. The characters struggle with what is right and what is wrong. What is easy and what is hard. I thought this book was unique (I don't know if it really is or if I have just never read a book like it...) But the concept of time travel was new and interesting, I liked the characters, I liked the internal struggles... I really liked that the two boys in story aren't perfect and they are complete opposites of each other. You don't wonder which boy is better for Abby or which one she'll pick, you know! And that's kind of fun. :) Not much dating drama! Just a bit at the beginning of the story. Overall I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see how the story ends!

The Golden Spiral ****

by Lisa Mangum

*Book 2 in series, read The Hourglass Door, before this review!
Book Type: YA, Fantasy, Romance  

Summary:  His eyes. His touch. His kiss. Dante was unlike anyone Abby had ever met. Now he’s gone, and Abby will do anything to get him back . . .
The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby’s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically.

As Abby’s world fractures around her, she must face a terrible truth: either Dante didn’t make it through the door, or he is lost forever. So with Dante’s blueprints in hand, she begins construction on a new door, a new time machine that will either save Dante—or doom him.

With each new change that ripples into her present, Abby s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point—and beyond. Zo’s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, but as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help from an unexpected—and unlikely—ally.

summary found on goodreads

My Review:  I liked this one as much as the first. engaging, interesting, dramatic... It is very interesting to see the story develop and grow in this book. The main character is pushed to the breaking point when everyone and everything in her life is changed dramatically by Zo. He is trying to tear her down so that she will give in and help him. Abby is so brave and strong fighting against time itself as it constantly changes around her. I look forward to seeing how Abby is able to save the world! Which I'm sure she will! :) And I'm curious to find out if she will be able to get back everything that Zo has destroyed.

The Forgotten Locket *** 1/2

by Lisa Mangum
Book Type: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Summary: The future is uncertain. The battle to control the past has begun. The final book in the riveting Hourglass Door trilogy begins when Abby steps through the black door, and she doesn't dare look back. Though it means leaving Dante—wounded, bleeding, and possibly blind—she knows it is the only way to save her family and stop Zo from manipulating the river of time and throwing the future into chaos. In the end, Abby must face a final confrontation that will take her to the very origins of the hourglass door. 
summary found on goodreads
My Review: The series ended happily ever after. Of COURSE it did! All young adult novels do! But the story was fairly exciting. There was more action than the first two. Just as much drama... Too much for my taste. Why are there so many young adult novels that have two or more guys in love with the same girl? I don't understand why that is! Anyway, Abby is able to go into the past and fix everything that Zo did. She lets Dante see her and his knees go weak, Dante's brother Orlando falls in love with Abby because she is SO incredible! Zo is destroyed and everything is better. The end of the world is right there within their grasp, but Abby saves the day! As you know she will. I finished the story, but barely. The first two books were better than this one. The ending was a little too sappy. The drama a little too... well, dramatic. But the suspense was good. So, if you're looking for a love story full of drama and excitement, you'll like this book!