Abby is a 17-year-old senior in high school. Best friends? Check. Sweet, great boyfriend? Check. Caring parents? Check. Hobbies? Check. Future? Um, not so sure.

She has a pretty happy, satisfying life, but she’s feeling that her life has become too comfortable, not completely her own anymore. She’s just starting to venture out again on something totally new, and then along comes a new guy to really shake up her life. Of course.

Lisa Mangum’s debut novel The Hourglass Door is a fantasy tale about time. I’d hate to give much else away. It is being compared to Twilight, and rightly so in several ways. Handsome, mysterious guy? Yep. 17, even. Secrets? Check, check. Fireworks and hearts skipping beats like crazy. Oh yeah. Sometimes the similarities seem a bit obvious. But mostly, the book is so entertaining and un-put-downable that it’s easy to overlook those similarities. And really, it’s just fun to have another book that’s so absorbing for a great, casual read. I can guarantee that pretty much anyone who enjoyed Stephenie Meyer’s blockbuster books will enjoy this one.

Rated: Mild. It could almost be none. It has one or two mild bits of language and some mild violence. Clean reading.