The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum

Review by Heather Moore

In The Golden Spiral, book two of the Hourglass Door trilogy, Abby’s life has made a 180 degree turn. Her boyfriend, Dante, has disappeared through a time portal, stuck in a between place that’s impossible to reach without the hourglass door. But the door has been destroyed, and Abby has only a small amount of time to create new one.

Problem is, the reality around her continues to change as Zo manipulates time, drastically altering Abby’s life. First it’s her friend, Justin, then her college scholarship. When her family is affected, Abby will take any risk to undo Zo’s destruction. Her friend, Valerie is the only one with answers, but she is under strict surveillance at a mental hospital.

As the second installment of this YA series, The Golden Spiral continues the fascinating and highly creative story of time travel. Mangum’s writing style is fresh, with a strong literary voice, and will draw readers into the psyche of the various characters and their struggles to understand who they can trust and who still holds dark secrets. Intriguing and suspenseful, The Golden Spiral is an engaging sequel, which will both please readers and leave them anxious for volume three, The Forgotten Locket.

The Hourglass Door

The Hourglass Door
By Lisa Mangum

Shadow Mountain, May 2009

Review by Heather Moore
http://www.hbmoore.com/


Abby has always had a plan, and everything is running smoothly her senior year. She and her friends have applied to the state college together, her boyfriend takes her out every weekend like clock-work, and she even agrees to go bowling for her birthday—again—though she’s been doing it since she was four years old. Each day is predictable and Abby thinks that’s what she wants. Normal.

Until Dante, an exchange student from Italy, arrives at her school. Things start to change and Abby realizes it’s because of Dante. She’s ready to take risks, ready to dream, and she realizes that things aren’t what they seem—especially Dante. He keeps a fascinating, yet deadly secret, and in order for Abby to survive, she’ll have to trust her heart, and Dante.

From the first page, I was absorbed by this story. Abby is a witty character who hates her full name—Abigail Beatrice—until she discovers the role it might play. As she works at the assistant director on the play Much Ado About Nothing, then meets new student Dante, she begins to understand that classical literature transcends the parameters of time. Dante comes into the story as a mysterious character who seems only to pay attention to Abby—much to the dismay of the other girls in the school. But he has more reason than just a case of attraction—his dark secret will change Abby’s perception of life forever. A fascinating and highly creative story developed on connections between literature and time travel, I was impressed with Mangum’s debut novel. Just enough suspense, just enough intrigue, and of course romance, roll into one engaging read.