"Infinityglass", the final book in Myra McEntire's "Hourglass Trilogy", follows the struggles and romance of Hallie, a dancer who wields the power of transmutation (shapeshifting), and Dune, the silent, nerdy member of the Hourglass organization. Rips (visions of the past; think ghosts) are widening, encompassing worlds instead of just people, due to the Hourglass' meddling with the timeline causing a flux in the space/time continuum, and the only thing that can possibly restore balance is the Infinityglass, a legendary item among the horologists (scientists who study time).
Except the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person, and that person is Hallie.
I've followed McEntire's trilogy since its release: "Hourglass", which introduced readers to Emerson and Michael, worked well because of the author's brisk pace, developing characters, and a fun mystery to follow. "Timepiece", its sequel, shifted perspectives to Lily and Kaleb, and worked in similar ways to its predecessor, effectively beating the sophomore slump often seen in series with this structure. The first two volumes were great summer reads, unchallenging but enjoyable, even a bit pulp-fiction like. "Infinityglass", while still enjoyable, does not work as well as its siblings, for multiple reasons.
First, the characters are simply not engaging. Hallie, though characterized well as a sassy, sensual trouble maker, doesn't develop well. Some other reviewers have said they enjoy how she's not a "goody two-shoe" girl, but she's still a stereotype; the bad girl turned slightly good, tamed by the person she falls in love with, which happens to be Dune. Don't get me wrong, this relationship dynamic can work really well, but in the context of "Infinityglass", it just didn't. Dune, the male lead, is also too bland for my liking. He's interested in science? Cool. From the Samoan Islands? Neat. Loves Hallie? Totally fine. Other than these few attributes, his character doesn't go anywhere. I didn't see the chemistry between the two leads, either; the couplings of Emerson/Michael and Kaleb/Lily worked because the characters complimented each other. McEntire attempted to create that same dynamic with Dune/Hallie, but I just never saw the sparks. Speaking of the other couples, they are sorely missing from the first two thirds of the novel, and even when they reappear it feels like a cameo over any actual integration into the plot. I understand that the author wanted to have a different couple narrate each installment, but while "Timepiece" found a way to incorporate already established characters into Kaleb and Lily's arc, she drops the ball in "Infinityglass".
Secondly, there's no urgency within the plot itself. Stakes are certainly set high, but then the momentum just disappears. This book was very much about the budding relationship between Hallie and Dune, but because of McEntire's focus on these two everything else gets lost, written as almost inconsequential. The science-fiction elements felt almost non-present, there were only a handful of action scenes (while it's arguable you don't need action scenes to make a book work, the previous two novels had effective set-pieces, and with their absence in this series caper it doesn't create consistency), and there were much too many kissing/romance scenes between the leads. I found myself skimming some chapters and not missing a thing, because Hallie and Dune were so busy staring at each other.
Lastly, "Infinityglass" simply doesn't work as a trilogy ender. Yes, the villain gets their just desserts. Yes, all the couples stay together (which I will applaud McEntire for; no awkward love triangles to be seen). But there's no building of the internal mythology and world, no more explanation of the time-gene powers, and I felt like there were plenty of plot threads left untied. It's a shame that the author decided to make this series a trilogy; now, with all the characters established and the couples together, she could have gone to some really interesting places in further books. Instead, she tries to tie everything up in a novel that is much to short for the plot it was trying to showcase, and it falls flat.
Despite these negative comments, I can't say that I didn't enjoy the book. McEntire does know how to write a romance scene, and I enjoyed the small bits where the mythology and science of the previous two books was present. I liked Hallie, and I wish she'd been introduced in earlier installments so that she could have developed more organically. The concept of the Infinityglass was intriguing, and was what pushed me to finish this book.
Overall, an enjoyable read, but not the ending the trilogy deserved, in my opinion.
Recommended for fans of time travel, superpowers, X-Men fans, romance junkies, and snappy writing.