"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.
All Our Yesterdays was a spectacular thrill ride.
By far my new favorite time travel novel.
Not only was the writing exquisite and plot pace perfectly timed but the emotions were so well written that you end up swept away. When I headed to BEA in New York earlier this year I decided to stop by the Teen Author Carnival and while ‘All Our Yesterdays’ was not out yet Cristin Terrill was there and something she said about her novel struck me. I hadn’t picked it up at BEA and as soon as she started talking about the concept behind it I knew I wanted to get my hands on it. I never would have expected it to be THIS amazing though. It is kind of breaking my star rating scale. Seriously, if this had been my first review everyone else would REALLY hate the learning curve.
There is something about the idea of time travel that has always fascinated me. There are so many point in my life where it isn’t that I have regrets but that I wish others had known what I know now so things could have happened differently. Part of what I love about this novel is the way time is described and that the consequences in it are both more flexible than most and more life changing. As a child I remember reading the short story ‘The Sound of Thunder’ and how much impact it had on me. I had always been telling myself, “Well, what if I had done this different or this… I wish I could go back and change it so that ___ wouldn’t have happened.” And it was the first time I realized that changing it meant changing every single thing that had come after it.
This novel not only takes a hold of the emotions expertly but you are pulled into a truly multi-dimensional novel with such intense character depth that you won’t just hesitate to put it down, you will feel like your life depends on the outcome. I was interrupted at one point while reading and literally scared the person away I was so snappy. I apologized (of course) but normally I am the mildest mannered person you will meet and I was so wrapped up in the story that when it was interrupted I couldn’t help but react as though someone simply didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, that I was in a life or death battle and there was no way that everyone involved could win.
Anyways, I guess I should go ahead and stop gushing but needless to say GO BUY THIS BOOK or GO TO YOUR LIBRARY or whatever it is you do to fuel your book addiction because this book is totally %100 worth it.
As for me, I will be sitting here looking at the postcard of the new cover I added to my wall of things I abso-freaking-lutely adore.
Side note: While it ended like a standalone apparently there is a second novel. :O
*shifty eyes* Cause I won’t totally be stocking that Goodreads page
until it updates with more information or anything…
Here is a bit more information on the author!
Cristin Terrill is a young adult author and aspiring grown-up. She grew up semi-nomadic and graduated from Vassar College with a degree in drama. After getting her masters in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, she lived in London, Austin, Boston, and Washington, DC while working as a theatrical stage manager. Now she writes and leads creative writing workshops for DC-area kids and teens. All Our Yesterdays is her first novel.
An excellent review, Emma!
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