All Our Yesterdays
Cristin Terrill
Publisher: Bloomsbury
E-Arc Courtesy of Netgalley and Bloomsbury
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...
I
am a massive geek (I even studied Physics at university for four years) so any
book that has a hook of time travel just has me quivering in excitement and
hope that it is done well. I am very pleased to announce that it is done well
here – and makes for a very exciting and tense read.
Marina
has been in love with the boy next door, James for as long as she can remember.
James is a genius, but when his brother, a Congressman is shot everything
starts to fall apart. Em has been on the run for years, held captive and
desperately wants to see Finn, the boy in the cell next to hers before she
dies. However, soon she is given a chance to change everything. The differences
and similarities between these two lead characters is wonderfully done as their
experiences vary and their voices change.
The
technology and how of time travel is brushed over fairly quickly focusing on
the moral issues and characters. After all is it fair to blame someone for
crimes they haven’t committed yet..? This issue is at the heart of the story
with added complications coming from your memories of how a person used to be
verses who they are now. It’s incredible to think how the person you will be in
a few years is very different from the person you are now.
The
characters are great and the action is well written. The romance elements never
overwhelm the main plot but serve to explore different elements of Marina and
Em. I liked Finn – his dedication to Em is great and even the younger Finn is an
interesting character who could have been a stereotype but instead is a well
rounded personality with his own cares and woes. James is just as intriguing
and despite the high concept and great action sequences, this book is really
about the relationship between the three main characters and how it changes.
This is a cut above most YA books and one that makes for a great summer read!
Recommended
for fans of Lauren Oliver and Sarah J Maas. 8 out of 10
I do love a great summer read :D
ReplyDeleteIf you find it without major scientific fault, then I know I'm good to go with this one. Oh I think I do need to get this one. It's on the wishlist!
ReplyDeleteHmm, new one to me. Sounds amazing. :D Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe concept of blaming people for crimes they haven't committed yet sounds a lot like Minority Report. Which was certainly an interesting premise, no denying that, so it might be worth me checking this book out at some point.
ReplyDeleteThough wierdly, it's the "killing the boy she loves" aspect that I'm not so keen on. Not because I don't want two characters to be apart, but that sort of tension isn't interesting or appealing to me at all, and I find it tedious more often than not.