All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: August 1, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Publisher
Add it: Goodreads
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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 don’t know where to start with this review. I have a problem with words when it comes to All Our Yesterdays, because it was so bloody awesome that it left me speechless. I fucking love time travel. I cannot express my love, even with swear words. There are no words.

The beginning drew me in immediately because we’re introduced to Em, who is stuck in a cell and has been tortured, and we’re made to wonder how she got there, who the guy in the cell next door is, who the doctor is, what’s so special about the bloody drain… The list goes on. It’s mysterious and intriguing and totally captivating right from the get-go.

The action kicks off immediately, and as a lover of all things that that one word entails – from fight scenes to shoot-outs to epic getaways – I am pleased to announce that the fast pacing and amount of action stays steady the entire way through.

I also loved it when the time travel begins, and we’re taken to the past. I’m not going to say much because you definitely do not want to be spoiled for this book, but it was great to be able to get two different perspectives of two girls who have had very different experiences.

Throughout the book, Terrill throws in small clues that imply that Marina’s world is very different to ours. If you pick up on those, then you’ll know something is amiss, but you won’t be able to figure out what that is. I wasn’t sure what I was dealing with, to be honest!

Em was my favourite out of all the characters. Marina’s story was great, but Em’s character is just flawless. She’s such a badass, and yet she’s still loving and caring and she has a soul.

Finn, on the other hand, could have used a bit more development but it was understandably one sided since the story is told from just Em’s and Marina’s point of view. I loved Finn, though. His sarcasm was A+, and it worked really well with Em’s personality. But still, when shit hit the fan, he didn’t mess around.

I honestly wasn’t sure as to whether or not I shipped Em and Finn at first since in the beginning you’re kind of just thrown in and they’re already in love and have been through so much. But in a weird way you get to see build up, and also how much they adore each other. They also have a fuckload of chemistry, which always helps.

All Our Yesterdays also deals with the concept of soulmates. I love that kind of stuff, as long as it’s not overly sappy or cheesy. When soulmates are done right, they’re fabulous. I love the thought of always finding each other, no matter which life or world you’re in.

I also really liked the villain in this, and I think this is one of the few books that offers a unique perspective on its villain. I’m not going to say anything more than that, because I want you to be more surprised than I was. Just know that I love how Terrill dealt with the villain, and the story there was brilliant.

There were also twists, which is always a good thing. I love being shocked, and while I did know some of the ~secrets~, I wasn’t expecting some of the stuff that was revealed.

The last fifty or so pages were too much for me. I had to keep putting the book down because it was so suspenseful. I just didn’t know what was going to happen in the epic climax/showdown. And what did actually happen shocked me. I wasn’t expecting it in the slightest, and when stuff started to go down I had to fight to be able to see past the tears. I’m totally not emotionally stable enough for these types of books.

After the way All Our Yesterdays ended, I was rather worried it would be a standalone and I spent a good half an hour crying over that fact alone. But, all was not lost, because Cristin’s blog and Debby have assured me that there’s going to be a sequel. I have no idea how a sequel is going to play out, but I think Cristin will be able to pull it off marvellously.

Until then, I’ll have to fight off the urge to do a monthly re-read. I’ll have to make it bi-monthly instead.

If you’re a fan of action-packed science fiction, then I would definitely recommend reading this book. I can’t recommend it enough, actually, and I’m not even sure if my review did it justice at all.