(4 stars)
Published: August 3rd 2013
Synopsis: Em is locked in a bare, cold cell with no comforts. Finn is in the cell next door. The Doctor is keeping them there until they tell him what he wants to know. Trouble is, what he wants to know hasn't happened yet. Em and Finn have a shared past, but no future unless they can find a way out. The present is torture - being kept apart, overhearing each other's anguish as the Doctor relentlessly seeks answers. There's no way back from here, to what they used to be, the world they used to know. Then Em finds a note in her cell which changes everything. It's from her future self and contains some simple but very clear instructions. Em must travel back in time to avert a tragedy that's about to unfold. Worse, she has to pursue and kill the boy she loves to change the future.
In all honesty, I did not expect to enjoy All Our Yesterdays as much as I did!
I had a slow start with it and ended up putting it down for a few days once I was a few chapters in. I loved the quick and intriguing beginning and then I got a little lost, and felt defeated by the time travel - mostly because I have never enjoyed a time travel book before (though, in fairness, I have little experience with them.) All Our Yesterdays changed that. This book alone has given me confidence in time travel novels as well as making me a definite Cristin Terrill fan.
It's the kind of book where you discover the secrets and you think 'how did I not see that coming?' In theory it should be so obvious, but it just isn't! I didn't put together who was who until Terrill wanted me to, which was actually really enjoyable. I don't like to be right with my predictions, I like to be taken for a ride I can't anticipate. All Our Yesterdays definitely managed it.
With a relatively small cast of characters, they definitely pack a punch and stick in the mind. Marina, at first unlikeable, is so unexpectedly brave and smart that it is surprising to see her development. Em is the most determined, genuinely courageous character I've come across in a while. Her love story is not her main story, and I loved that. Finn is both charming and annoying, and only gets better with age! And James, poor poor James. I could dedicate a whole review for him alone.
The time travel is not too confusing, as I feared it would be. The flashback and jumps in perspective from Marina to Em are not too jarring, and the weaving of their stories, without giving spoilers, is pretty wonderful. Not only do they both discover self-belief and see their own beauty, they make choices that seem unimaginable. So much is at stake and this book could easily, easily, be a standalone. I half wish that it would be, as the ending was both satisfying and bittersweet, as well as totally shocking. I had predictions in my mind and they barely added up to the real thing.
The thing I was most surprised about was that this book made me question things so much bigger than it. Like giving up my existence for the greater good and loving myself and the concept of time at all. I was so deeply moved and thrown so deep into thought about some concepts Terrill managed to weave into her story. Would I kill someone I loved for the greater good of mankind? Would I delete my own existence for a chance of others having a shot at a better future? But most of all, it made me wish I could back to my past self and tell her that she is so, so much more than she sees or feels she is. We never see ourselves as we are, and Em's character taught me more about that. I'll be thinking on it for a while, and I love it when a book can stick in your mind like glue, it's the best feeling.
I cannot recommend All Our Yesterdays enough! Such a surprising, heart-racing read, in which I came to care fiercely for the characters faster than I anticipated I would.
Goodreads Review Link
Goodreads Review Link
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