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Author: Cristin Terrill
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD
"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.
“Sometimes you have to hurt someone you love for the greater good.”
I had a hard time gathering my thoughts about this book because I don’t think there are enough words to describe how awesome this was. I believe this book left me sobbing. I had to stop for a while and slowly digest what had happened before I can finally wrap my mind around it.
Although I have nothing to compare it too, the way time-travelling was presented on this one was really good. There were no suffocating explanations at all. When you think about it, it was just as simple as going back in time. As early as 9%, I was already forming theories and questions, and it slowly grew as I progressed.
The plot was one of the reasons that contributed to its epic-ness. Having a dual POV does have its cons but Terrill managed to connect the two characters without making the other feel lesser than the other when it comes to connecting with the readers. I love the distinction between Marina and Em despite them being the same person. The development among characters was also there. Although there are still holes that would explain how Finn and Em became what they were 4 years after, the main gist was there. And it’s the same with James. The relationships between characters, even with the supporting ones, were quite real. It was not just written just for it to fill a space in the plot but to establish a sense of reality among characters.
In the Past, Marina’s character sort of annoyed me. She was too clingy and suffocating despite her good intensions. But despite that, I was hoping she’d get under James’s skin to make him change his mind about certain things and eventually change the future. I was hoping that her clinginess would make him realize that his decisions are not good. Fast forward to the future Marina, known as Em, was definitely hardened by time. But despite that, her personality as Marina was still there, buried underneath their need to do their job to change the future.
Just like Em, Finn was still the same funny and caring guy as he was in the past but also went through a rough time and made him as what he is right now. But he still cares big time and he loves fiercely as what he was capable of 4 years ago.
What I really wanted to know more is about the doctor. I can see the reason that drove him to his path and how he saw that what he’s doing is the right thing. For him, what he does is for everybody’s best interest. But I want to know more about the person who seems to be controlling and dictating his every action and how he became that heartless.
This book made me feel scared with what will come next or that my theories will be proven correct, that it makes me want to put it down for a while. But at the same time, I can’t wait to know what happens to Em, Finn, Marina, Abbott, James and of course the doctor.
The ending left me crying even after I finally finished reading. I cannot wait to read the next book and see what happens next! I will definitely look forward to Cristin Terrill’s books in the future.
This copy was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
