Review: All Our Yesterdays- Cristin Terrill

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published September 3rd 2013 by Disney Hyperion 

Synopsis

"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 Review

“Time travel isn’t a wonder; it’s an abomination.” 

“But progress is always dangerous, isn't it? Most of the time, walls don't get dismantled brick by brick. Someone has to crash through them.” 

Wow. It has been a while since I read such an eclectic mix of dystopia, sci-fi and romance; and one that has time travel to complete the irresistible package. 

The book was a totally engrossing read from start to finish. The intriguing start with the protagonist's musings about a drain, the subsequent unravelling of secrets and the fast paced wild goose chase, sprinkled with flashbacks to offer explanations along the way, were all perfectly thought out and written.

The plot was nearly flawless and instead of offering baseless and vague reasoning for various events as usually happens in most time travel books, the explanations offered were perfectly understandable and plausible. 

The characters were adorable- whether it be the strong heroine Em and her sweet and naive counterpart Marina, the ever snarky Finn, the evil Doctor or the eccentric James. Finn was totally gorgeous and his ability to not lose his head or humour in even the most challenging situations was admirable. Em's strength of mind and body and her refusal to crack under the grimmest torture dished out by the Doctor was creditable as well. 

“Remember when you used to hate me?”

I laugh-sniff-hiccup. “Well, you used to be insufferable.”

“I think incorrigible is a better word.”

I lean my forehead against the wall and let myself imagine for a moment that it’s his shoulder, warm and firm, beside me. “You’re so full of it.”

“Hey, I just got tortured for you. Easy on the ego.” 

The book posed the major moral question of whether it is right to sacrifice a select few in order to save hundreds. It is the concept of the 'greater good' all over again. Also, is it possible to think about the rest of the world when all you love is at stake? Is it possible to kill the man you love if it meant ensuring a painless future for others? And what about your own past self- the one who is oblivious of everything and can only suffer heartbreak at the end of it all?

The book was a total emotional roller coater. It had me laughing, crying, gasping in shock and nearly pulling out my hair in frustration. And the ending…Merlin! The ending was so nerve-rackingly bittersweet! 

Overall, a highly impressive debut by Ms Terrill. I'll definitely be looking forward to more books from her in future.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

Review: Clockwise- Elle Strauss

Goodreads Synopsis

Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she's accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward. Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just "brotherly" protectiveness? When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again. Which of course, she does.

My review

**I got a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I admit that I was drawn in by the synopsis but unfortunately the book was nothing like I expected. The story was alarmingly cliched and the protagonist was downright irritating. Her habit of repeatedly swooning whenever she got too close to the crush of her life, the truckloads of self pity she harboured and the low self esteem, coupled with her inability to string together two sentences in her defence or talk back to bothersome bitches made her distinctly unlikeable. I suppose that her one and only redeeming quality was arsenal of survival instincts she had picked up over the years while time travelling. The fact that her POV comprised of moping about her social inabilities and harping on about the general hotness of Nate Mckenzie didn't warm me up to her either. Nate too seemed like a thick headed moron most of the time. He was quite slow on the uptake, and there was no real reason for him to be a part of the story, other than being eye candy for girls and playing his essential part in the lukewarm romance between him and Casey.

Furthermore there was more or less no concrete plot to carry the story. The book just seemed like an endless cycle of Casey pining after Nate, him acting like a douche, the accidental skin contact and the resultant time travelling. I had hoped that the author would at least make the characters from the past interesting. No such luck. They were as colourless and unexciting as Nate and Casey and nothing of much significance happened during the duo's accidental visits to the past. The ending was only slightly redeeming with some semblance of surprise, although I would have liked for the author to provide more info on the mechanics of time travelling.

I guess I was kind of hoping for The Time Traveller's Wife kind of reading experience. My bad. Books like that don't come out all that often. It wasn't a bad read per-say but it couldn't been loads better. Definitely not the kind I'd want to read over and over again to try to get past the awesomeness but not the kind I'd say was crap either.

Rating:- 2/5 stars!