Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

All Our Yesterdays

By: Cristin Terrill

Pub. Date: September 3, 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 368

Source: Netgalley

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.

"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 was not expecting that! All Our Yesterdays is one of those stories that will mess with your mind (in a good way!) and leave you thinking about it for days after you finish. Time travel, young love, action, this book has it all!

Em and her boyfriend Finn are locked up in separate cells by someone only known as "The Doctor". Em knows there is something about the drain on the floor in her cell. When she finally is able to open it, she finds a letter written to herself with a list of ways to change the future. All of them are crossed out except for one, "you have to kill him". It was these words from the end of chapter 1 that completely hooked me!

All Our Yesterdays are told in two perspectives, Em and Marina. While I instantly loved Em, it took me a while to open up to Marina. She started off has a normal girl (albeit, someone rude who feels entitled) and was absolutely in love with her best friend James, but you can definitely see her growing as the story unfolds. Marina story is set in the past, or the time period that Em and Finn have to go to so they can "kill him". The one constant of this story for me was Finn. Seeing Finn from a few years ago and the Finn from today, we see that not much has changed. He's loyal and brave, and also the comedic relief! James was an interesting character. He's reserved and a genius, and ever since his parents died he has thrown himself into his studies so that one day he will be able to create a time machine to go back and save them. He was so hard to figure out!

The time traveling aspect was definitely confusing, but once I started to understand what was going on, everything was able to fall into place for me. All Our Yesterdays looks like a big book, but the words flow right off the pages! I was enjoying it so much, that I didn't even realize I had read over 100 pages!

Cristin Terrill is a super talented writer and I can not wait to read what she writes for us next!