Each week I will feature a different genre. And within each week I will have different segments.
This week's book theme will focus on the Science Fiction & Fantasy genres.
And our segment today will be a Book Rave. Book Raves will be a common segment that are nearly identical to Book Reviews, except you'll know prior to read it that it will be a full-on glowing review.
This particular book review will be on Cristin Terrill's All Our Yesterday's.
**ALL MY BOOK REVIEWS ARE SPOILER FREE
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Title: All Our Yesterdays
Series: Book #1 in the All Our Yesterdays series
Author: Crisitn Terrill
Genre: Science Fiction > Time travel
Pages: 360
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
PLOT SUMMARY (courtesy of Goodreads):
"What would you change?
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 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, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. 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. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win.
All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice."
WHY I'M RAVING ABOUT THIS BOOK
I'll be honest. I love time travel books. I've only read a handful of them, but I adore nearly all of them (more so, if they contain more time travel science).
And not only is All Our Yesterdays a time travel novel, it's a YA one! Two things I love all rolled into one. I'm sensing that YA time travel books are going to be the new YA dystopian books. ;)
THE STORY
I love reading/watching time travel stuff. And the plot in All Our Yesterdays was well thought out. There weren't any plot holes I immediately noticed. My only quarrel with this book was its predictability. Now, I don't really mind books being predictable, because a truly good book will be good regardless of whether the ending has been spoiled for you. But I do feel like adventure novels, such as this one, rely somewhat on suspense and thrills; henceforth, being able to easily figure out the twist early on was a slight let down. Either way, I was still impressed with the story.
CHARACTERS
I have only positive things to say about the characters in this novel. While they're not perfect, what fun would it be to read a novel in which human characters aren't flawed? Most of us know what heartbreak feels like, and if you could go back in time and save someone you love from insurmountable heartache, would you? I felt for the characters, and I found none of them too annoying (a common problem I find in YA sci-fi books actually, e.g.: Tris from Divergent).
WRITING
I'm a big fan of elegant, flowery writing. But I appreciate simplicity too. Cristin Terrill's writing is on par with the average style for YA books. It's not overly simplistic or dry that I feel I'm reading a grocery list, but it's not fraught with three-page long descriptions of waterfalls either. It's evenly balanced for its target audience.
OVERALL
All-in-all, when I finished the novel, I was surprised to realize there was a sequel. All Our Yesterdays is a superb standalone novel. It's complete from beginning to end, something that seems difficult to do in most films and books nowadays. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. One star was deducted for predictability (as I explained in The Story section). But, that aside, 4 stars is still a high mark in my book. :)
I hope you enjoyed the first of many book raves.
If you choose to read All Our Yesterday's (or already have) let me know in the comments. Just a reminder though, keep the comments spoiler free for others who may not want to be spoiled.
Thanks :D
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