All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Pages: 368

Genre: Sci-fi

Series: All Our Yesterdays #1

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: Sep 3, 2013

"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.

My reaction when I first finished--
"OH MY FUCKING GOD
WHAT IN THE FUCKING HELL
I CAN'T 
WHY
I REFUSE
WHAT"

and the like. 

But let's explain what I mean, shall we. Because the ending is the absolute best parts of the book. It's so complicatedly simple. It's so confusing. It's so perfect. It's so heartbreaking. 

The ending is one I never could've expected in my life, it's one that keeps shaking me to the core, every time I read it. It breaks my heart, and it lingers in my mind for days after I read it. There's just something about it. Something that's just 

So

Absolutely

Perfect.

I'm really not sure where to start after that, but let's go for the plot because it was just so...thrilling. It killed me every time I had to put it down, and I just wanted to drop everything and continue reading. It's literally a race against time, and things never get slow. I was always edgy and I ended up snapping at anyone who interrupted me while I read. It's spine-tingling and I just couldn't shake the feeling off after I read even one sentence. 

There were twists. So many twists. The way Terrill writes is magical, giving us hints after hints, and letting us fit the pieces together ourselves. It's truly amazing. 

Characters. Oh my gosh. It's really surprising how contrast the future versions are compared to the "present" ones. Em and Marina couldn't be more different. Em was toughened, hardened by years of betrayal and torture, living in her cell. She was fierce and broken, but you could still see a bit of Marina in her--compassionate, carefree, happy. Em was my favorite of the two, being more mature than her younger, whinier, and spoiled self, but seeing Marina grow as a character--seeing Em remember how she felt, how she was, it hurt. I ached. And I loved it. 

The side characters were just as well written--especially Finn! We didn't really concentrate on the romance much, but I can say that what is there gives your heart a little zap. And makes the ending so much more painful. 

The worldbuilding, the science behind it, is simple. And complicated. I honestly didn't understand it much, but it was decidedly more simple than some of the other time travels I've read. It's well thought out though, and brilliantly told, making it decently understandable! But it does sound plausible and the fact that it was so well researched makes the book infinitely times better. 

This is, by far, the best time travel book I've read in my life, and you can be sure I've read a lot. It talks about how a vision can turn you into a monster, how twisted someone can become, but it's also about second chances, and it's about hope. And all wrapped up in a beautiful packaged with spectacular writing, gorgeous characters we learn to love, and an ending that will rip out our hearts. 

I honestly don't care if you're a sci-fi fan or not--All Our Yesterdays is one you have to read, squeal over, cry over, and scream over. 

***UPDATE*** It seems All Our Yesterdays has a sequel? The ending seemed filled with closure, but I still can't wait to read it! Can I handle the pain though?

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