Review All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Review All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Synopsis: "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.

Rating: 5+/5 Stars © © © © ©
Must read! Must have! Must buy! Must fall in love with!

Genres: Young Adult, Time Travelling, SF, Dystopia

Recommended for: Contemporary, SF, Romance and Thriller junkies

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My Opinion:

Four words: I love(d) this book.

I don’t even know what to begin with. All Our Yesterdays had so much awe-inspiring elements that now, right after I finished the book, I’m struck speechless. I’m still in the world the author intelligently created, with her unique and original characters, trying to save the world from its destruction.

The synopsis had me expecting a different turn of events, so I was really unprepared for the real thing. But, oh my God, it was beyond amazing! The alternative narrations were a top-notch way to reveal information. And the flashes from the past clicked pieces into puzzle and made me see the bigger picture and how complicated it was.

Besides the well-built plot, the other awesome thing was the characters. Arghh, I don’t even know what to say about them and not spoil anything. I’ll try anyway.

Em was my favorite character. She’s such a brave young woman and the sacrifices she’s made are so worthy of respect and admiration. She’s truly a model heroine. Strong, but not merciless. Smart. Deeply caring about the ones she loves. The conflict between what she should do and what she wants to do is a tormenting thing to experience and I wished I could give her moral support and be BFFs from then on.

Marina is the rich and spoiled, selfish girl type, but at the same she has this innocence that makes her naive. Regardless, I couldn’t help but support her and admire the way she fought for the ones she loves. Her relationship with James was amazing, not because they have wowza chemistry or they’re soul mates or other gibberish, but because it is based on trust and understanding.

And speaking of James, I have a confession to make: I’m so in love with him! It might seem odd for others that read this book, but this brilliant boy won my heart completely! He was no perfection, that I can agree on, but his wish to make the world a better place is noble. He’s lonely, sweet, troubled and a science geek: how could I not love him? *swoon*

“I know you, Marina,” James says softly. “You can’t hide anything from me.”

Finn was also a great character: he’s loyal, lovable, sweet, funny, cute and fierce! I really liked his witty lines that also played a part as comic relief in the grim atmosphere and his protectiveness. As I said, he’s just great.

“He presses his lips to mine so softly that I think he must be afraid this is a dream that will dissolve at the best part. His hands press tighter to my back, pulling me close, and for a second all my fear is drowned out.”

The doctor, who’s the villain of this book, is a great example of how people can change when they have power. I was disgusted by him and angry at him. But in the end I felt just ultimately sad.

The character development between the past and the future is really incredible and it offers the readers a great opportunity to fully understand the actions and sacrifices some of the characters make. They’re flawed and they make mistakes when they let their hearts get in the way. And that makes them real, like any other human being.

“It’s just you’ve had that look on your face ever since you picked me up,” he says.
“What look?”
“The Marina-is-suffering-in-silence look, where you grit your teeth and pinch your lips together like something might escape you at any second and you’re trying to hold it back.”
“I have no such look.”

The romance part is a bit tricky, because it’s approached differently than in other books, but it sure as hell is complex and complicated. And I’m not saying anything else. *wink*

I’m a sucker for time-travelling novels, because the consequences of such an action are infinite and very dangerous and a read like this one actually makes you think. It puts your brain wheels into motion and engages you in the story, because if you change the past, you inevitably change the future and that’s when you’ll head into the unknown. I also liked how the author gave a perfectly logical explanation to the possibility of time-travel, which may as well not be realistic, but it sure managed to set the story in action. Physic laws. Mathematical equations. It made me wonder if time travelling could become reality in the future.

Some of the first twists are easy to predict, but the plot has many hidden turns and jaw-dropping revelations that will leave you wide-eyed and shocked.

All Our Yesterdays is a definite page-turner that will keep you constantly on the edge of your seat, devouring every word from the book, because the pace is thrilling and action-driven. As a matter of fact, I actually started this book at like 1 AM because I couldn’t sleep and I ended up staying until 4 AM, half-way into the book, cursing the gods for needing sleep to function, because I needed to know what happened with Em, Marina, James and Finn.

“James reaches for my hand. “Just don’t leave me, okay, kid? Please don’t ever leave me.”
I squeeze his fingers. “Never. You’re stuck with me, Shaw.”

But don’t think this is just a thriller with lots of fighting. Definitely not. What is so amazing about this book is that it mixes emotional turmoil with all the action going on. And the result? It’s a damn excellent rollercoaster! You have romance, a whole different kind of love triangle (I’m not even sure we could call it that way) and a good amount of confusion and conflicting feelings just to mess with the characters’ minds.

“The truth is, the world is a fucked up place sometimes.”

But one thing is sure, there’s no good or bad. There’s only good and bad. We learn that when we’re faced with the villain from this book.

The end was unpredictable, at least to me. Sure, it entered my thoughts at some time, but I neglected it instantly, because it was heartbreaking and sad. Bittersweet. Nonetheless, it offered the best closure in this case. The fact that there is a sequel in work surprised me, because I thought the story was finished, but considering it’s about the same characters, who am I to say no to such a treat? Cristin Terrill wrote an ass-kicking debut and I’m one of her newest fans!

So what more convincing do you need? I suggest reading All Our Yesterdays immediately. It’s a gorgeous piece of literature that blew away my expectations (and they were quite high, trust me) and it’s definitely one of my favorite reads of 2013. It’s a gut-wrenching story about love, friendship and the fine line between good and evil.