Lovin' los libros

A book blog dedicated to young adult and new adult novels

ARC Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

By 8:52 AM , , , ,

All Our Yesterdays
     by: Cristin Terrill

Publication Date: Sept. 3, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Genre: Science Fiction/Time Travel
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 368 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 5/5 stars

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.
 

Holy. Crap. I don't use .gifs, but this is totally me right now after reading this book.

 
I am floored. Completely and utterly floored. This book contains so much awesome, I don't even know where to start. This review will have to be pretty vague because I definitely don't want to ruin anything. The twists and turns left me reeling and once my mind started to unravel what was going on, I was seriously dumbfounded like my boy Simon up there. I have found many stories about time travel are either hit or miss. Terrill's story is a hit all the way- she has done a fantastic job of making this story believable without bogging us down with all the 'hows' and 'whys'.

The story starts off with Em, a girl who is being held in captivity by someone they call the Doctor. She is alone, save for the boy in the cell next to her, Finn. I liked Finn right away. Even in the bleakest of circumstances, he has managed to keep his humor about him. We can instantly tell he cares about Em and it turns out they were captured together. This gives us some enlightenment that they knew each other before their imprisonment. Having been held for 4 months for knowing information concerning some important documents about a time traveling machine, Em and Finn have both been tortured in order to find out the documents' location.

The first thing I noticed about Em was her determination. She can't stop staring at the drain in her cell and knows she has to see what its inside. She will do whatever is necessary to figure out why she's so drawn to it and then prays the consequences do not end up killing her or Finn. What she discovers is mind-boggling. The fate of the world falls on her shoulders and with the help of Finn, the two must go back in time to stop the time traveling device from being created, as it has wreaked havoc on the world outside. In the drain she has found a list of her past failed attempts to do this along with a haunting sentence, "You have to kill him."

Just as the pieces started coming together and I was understanding what was happening and what was at stake, Terrill not only switches protagonists on us, but she goes back in the past with another storyline! At first I was unhappy because I was so caught up with Em and Finn- I didn't want to be introduced to another character. If you're like me in that aspect- let me just say. Terrill has planned this PERFECTLY. It wasn't as difficult to get caught up in Marina's story as I thought- and then once you see how it all connects and intertwines... I. Was. FLOORED. I didn't make that connection at all. But gosh, once we do... I felt my heart start to break for these characters.

Marina is a girl who is completely in love with her best friend James. She is completely blinded by it and it really takes over her life. I felt bad for Marina, because she just wants him to notice her and reciprocate her feelings. James is a bit of an awkward character- he is supremely intelligent and has been friends with Marina for a long time. She has been there with him and seen him at his lowest point and she just wants him to notice her. Upon finally returning home with his Congressman brother, she can't wait to see him and spend time with him. They had a moment before he left and now she wants to find out what that moment meant to him. Unfortunately, her plans are thwarted by James' other best friend, who constantly seems to be around, much to Marina's dismay. At first James' best friend irritated me because I wanted to see what would happen with Marina and James and he kept interrupting! Yet, the more I saw James and Marina interact, the more I started to question whether or not I really liked James' character. I didn't doubt that he cared for her, but I didn't see the romance really blooming there. Now, Finn and Em, I could see and I really liked them together. They have grown to depend on one another and have been each other's comfort during their difficult circumstances.

The romance takes a backseat in this novel, but it is still present and I really loved it. At one point I was starting to worry as to whether or not there would be a love triangle for Em and I'm really glad there wasn't. There is another boy, but Em shows us that it is possible to love two people, but feel different kids of love for them. However, the relationships built in this book are the primary focus. This book is so much more than a survival story- it is a story about finding out what you can live with and what you cannot. It shows us that no road is never easy and while the solution may be clear as glass, there are always other factors to consider that fog up that glass.

Em and Marina's characters are so very different from one another. We have two completely different girls- one has been hardened by all that she has seen and all that has happened to her and now has to depend on her determination to go back in time and fix what has been done. The other is so overwhelmed by her love for her best friend and only cares about him- getting him to notice her and then after a horrible accident, being the one he can depend and confide in. Out of both girls, we really see Marina's transformation the most and I ended up really liking her because she was forced to take off her rose-colored glasses and really see things for what they were instead of what she wanted them to be.

Sigh. You guys. THIS book. It has become hands down become one of my favorite time traveling books. I did not know there would be a sequel, as the ending does wrap up nicely. I am so curious to hear what it will be about!

You Might Also Like

10 comments

  1. So glad you enjoyed it! This is one the BEST books I have ever read. EVER! I also had the opportunity to do the cupcakes for her launch party and had a blast coming up with character themed flavors. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! Jen! This book was so beyond epic! And that is awesome you got to do her cupcakes! One day I will try one of them myself! :)

      Delete
  2. Everyone has been raving about this! I'm still waiting for someone to give it to me for Christmas. (The hardcover's pricey, lol.)

    "It has become hands down become one of my favorite time traveling books."? I need this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww! Yes! The hardcover is pricey! My fingers are crossed someone gets it for you! It's so great!

      Delete
  3. Great review! This book sounds really amazing! I am definitely interested in picking it up. I kind of like that the romance takes a backseat to the action. Sometimes it's fun to get caught up in something other than a love story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks chica! It is definitely worth picking up!

      Delete
  4. This review makes me happy! I just got this at Comic Con and now I seriously cannot wait to read it. Girl I can tell how much you loved this one. Awesome review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I can't wait for you to read this girl! I saw you got it and squealed!

      Delete
  5. I started my firefly catch up today to make up for my woeful lack of recognition of the lovely simon above ;) So glad you loved this one, i was aching to get it and then have put off reading it for months because of the hype but I must start it soon!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, yay Firefly! I need to do a rewatch soon myself!

      Delete

Leave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!

My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.

Search This Blog

Powered by Blogger.