It was a good book. In some ways....too many twists at the end. Great ending and I liked the characters. ( )

Liked the story, but felt like I had to think to hard at some points. ( )

I almost didn't leave a review for this because I didn't think it was fair to judge this book. The book was okay, but that might have potentially been my fault for waiting like 2 years to read this after the second one. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it better with a fluid read. Some of the dialogue seemed stiff to me, but it was an original story line idea. Sorry... ( )

Although it lagged in parts, I really enjoyed this conclusion to the Hourglass Trilogy. All the loose ends were tied and the ending was satisfying. A science fiction fan would probably find holes in the time-travel methodology, but I came to the book for the romance and the fantasy of which I received plenty. I would recommend this series to my teenage daughter who loves fantasy and romance. My teenage son might read it because of the time travel elements, but he’d probably prefer that it had more action. As a librarian, I’d definitely recommend this trilogy to fans of Twilight and other paranormal romances. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that I’d be very comfortable sharing with my teenagers and recommending to young library patrons. ( )

There were parts that I really liked about this book - there were some great scenes and ideas. My biggest problem was that the overall story didn't have enough meat. For instance, Abby loses her memory, but then it's fixed, before it is really used as a way to move the story forward - why bother? I like the characters in this series and I liked the idea of changing time or fixing time - I just wish the plot were stronger. ( )

The Scoop:

As we start with the final book of the Hourglass Door Trilogy Abby has follwed through with her decision to go through the version of the hourglass door she created (built with Dante's blueprints from the time of da Vinci after the original one was destroyed) in order to close the loop to save Dante from blindness and possible death. But, it's not as simple as it sounds. Abby has to battle Zo (Dante's evil equal as a Master of Time), assimilate into a new time period so she herself doesn't get thrown in the dungeon and become useless, make sure the people that are from that time period (Dante and his brother, Orlando) don't run into their present (or past?) selves, and try and keep the river from rendering the (correct)present time non-existent. Will Abby be able to harness the power of time and the river and find out her own magical connection to the river, the bank and time before Zo takes away her one chance to save Dante and her family from a future that is anything but shiny?

My Thoughts:

I have to say, I was extremely impressed with my powers of recall upon the reading of the last book in this series. Usually I have a hard time remembering how the last book ended or where the series was intending to go. But, with this one, I actually remembered quite a bit from the previous two books. And, honestly, there wasn't a lot of recap for me to go on. With that self-congratulation out of the way I also have to admit that I still didn't get a lot of this book. I think even though the idea of time travel is fascinating somehow the logistics of it, especially as described in this series (what with the Master of Time, the door, the river, the bank, the this and the that and everything else) I felt like I should be in AP physics or something. I must have grasped enough of the nuances of it because I soldiered on to I finished the series and actually, really enjoyed the majority of it.

My enjoyment, I believe, had a lot of to do with the character development and relationships. Dante and Abby were such a strong and emotionally connected couple and add in their relationships with Dante's brother Orlando (aka Leo) and Abby's friend Valerie (who went through A LOT in the name of time travel) there were some very well-written characters. Outside of Sam and Grace from Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series I don't think I've witnessed such a strong connection between two young people in their understanding, belief and love of each other (although, if you think of one let me know in the comments--it's always nice to read a book where the main characters have an emotional bond strong enough that it sometimes makes you want to cry when you read about the ends they will go to for each other). Abby had to overcome the mind control that Zo used through his music and she did that, ultimately, from the strong emotional connection that she had with Dante (and his magical poetry). And, Dante, who was blinded by an attack from Zo right at the end of the second book was only able to "see" Abby and a small radius around her so close was their bond.

Well, besides the well-rounded characters I did get some enjoyment out of the whole time travel aspect. I mean, I enjoy historical and I enjoy contemporary so when you can put the two together that should make it even better, right? And, one of my very favorite television shows of all time is Quantum Leap. What ultimately puts me out of whack with the whole time travel aspect (not only with this series) is my need to overthink and over-analyze the timelines and try to figure out the different lines of continuity especially when people jump back and forth within their own lifetime. I think it came down to my own lack of ability to "just go with it" that prevented a higher appreciation of this book and the series as a whole--but don't let my lack of comprehension stop you from reading and enjoying the series (it didn't stop me). In regards to the theme of time travel I think it is one of the more complicated and less explained so while that made it harder for me to wrap my mind around the concept it gave me a better end result of something actually happening in each book of the series than the WAY over-explained and under-actioned (I know that's probably not a word but it fits what I'm trying to get across) Ruby Red.

Abby stepped through the hourglass door at the end of the last book and the story picks right up from there. She and Dante continue to try and save the river of time, which Zo has changed and broken. If they are not successful time will break completely.

This book just didn’t do it for me. I just wasn’t able to get a cohesive sense of how the story connected. It didn’t seem that there was a strong plot arc, where every piece would eventually connect to form the story. It was more like interludes of running away from Zo and then chasing Zo and then something bad would happen and they would have to try and recover from that as well and then hope for the best. Then some how it was all supposed to work and make sense. Well, it didn’t work for me.

Another irritation; I don’t really like when a character doesn’t understand their powers and continues to make last ditch efforts to save things and they work simply because good must triumph over bad and the main characters must win. It felt like this story had a lot of that. The chemistry between Abby and Dante was flat, mostly relying on their past history together. Overall I was disappointed by this series. ( )

This is a series that does not get nearly enough attention. It is easily one of my favorite in the young adult world and one that I know I will continue to re-read because I love it so much. I loved the first two books, The Hourglass Door and The Golden Spiral so I was dying to get my hands on the last installment in the series.

In the Forgotten Locket we pick up right where we left off, literally. Abby is trying to help Dante fix the river since Zo has thrown it out of whack, while also trying to save herself and her family. Since we are thrown right back into the heart of the action, it actually took me a couple of pages to get refreshed on all the events that had transpired in previous books and get my bearings again. While Abby is fighting to help save the river, Valerie is fighting to try and save her sanity. She is still the oracle of the story, with her thrilling stories about the Pirate King and the River Policeman. These stories so clearly mimic Zo and Dante, but Valerie does not fully understand the meaning of them herself, so we are left to try and decode them on our own.

Speaking of Zo, that little monster seems to be everywhere! I was never sure where he was going to pop up and it kept me constantly on guard for his horrible antics. He is bound and determined to either have everything for himself or destroy it so no one else can have it. He is the character you love to hate and I was just praying Dante and Abby got to be the ones to seal his doom.

I do love the fast pace that Lisa sets for you in these books. That being said though, you cannot read these books quickly. There is so much going on and so many details that weave into the time traveling, you will miss very important details if you try to read fast or skim. With this series, you will be forced to slow down and read each detail carefully, but be dying to absorb all the information as quickly as you can.

As for Dante and Abby, they are a couple I will always root for. They are so sweet with each other and when Dante talks it is very easy to lose yourself in a swoon. I guess being born Italian gives him a little natural charisma, but he saves it all for Abby. The moments they get to share together are so precious, since time is not always on their side, but they soak in each other’s presence and cherish ever second they have. It is easy to fall in love with both of them and you will not be able to help hoping their story ends happily.

As for the cover of the book, it took me a while to figure it out. The truth behind it is not revealed until much later in the story and once you understand it, you will wonder how you missed it to begin with. Little details like that are what make Lisa’s books strand out. She weaves in unresolved strands from book one and two into The Forgotten Locket and she fuses them together seamlessly. I am so happy to see that she kept this series to just three books because they all played out perfectly and I left this world content with the way things were resolved, but knowing I will have to come back and visit Dante and Abby again.

Overall, this is a enchanting series, that has taken my breath away. I have loved every moment spent with Dante and Abby and hope that Lisa will have more worlds to share with us in the future. If you have not discovered this series than I highly recommend that you do! ( )

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

In this, the final installment of THE HOURGLASS DOOR trilogy, Abby has gone through the hourglass door in an attempt to heal the river and undo Zo's dangerous changes to her past and protect her future.

Once she reaches the river, Abby discovers there's more at stake than just her future. Zo is undoing the river, and with it time and the world as Abby knew it. If she doesn't stop him, there won't be anything to go back to.

Abby travels into Dante's time in an attempt to close the time loop and save the river and the world, but Zo isn't about to let her stop him.

From THE HOURGLASS DOOR to THE GOLDEN SPIRAL, and now THE FORGOTTEN LOCKET, Mangum takes us on a thrilling jaunt through time. Though the characters in this installment have memory lapses, my memory of Mangum's characters and world have never faltered.

I can't recommend these books enough. The only bad part about this novel is the fact that it ended, and with it ends Abby and Dante's story. I'll miss not reading about them in future tales, but I'm comforted knowing I can pick up THE HOURGLASS DOOR and start the journey all over again . . . and close the time loop in my own way. ( )