Monday, August 26, 2013

Mini Reviews: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill and The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

From Goodreads: "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. 

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill starts off simply with a prisoner magnetized by a drain, but quickly becomes an engrossing, fast-paced read with plenty of action. That said, I probably won’t remember much about the novel in a few months because I didn’t really connect with the characters in a meaningful way. As well, because Terrill did her best to avoid time paradoxes, it was hard for me to see how the characters grew from their past selves into their present selves, making it seem as if the two storylines were a bit disconnected. 

All Our Yesterdays will be released by Disney Hyperion on September 3, 2013. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Disney Book Group) for free via NetGalley. 
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From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing - spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop. So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company. She knows her mom can’t find out - she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about. 

My Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Since I really liked Kasie West’s Pivot Point and thought that it felt very much like a contemporary novel despite not being one, I was looking forward to seeing what she’d do with an actual contemporary. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy The Distance Between Us as much as I was expecting to, mainly because I found Caymen to be very judgmental. I also didn’t like the way she treated Xander. But, I did like the unique doll shop setting and the focus on Carmen’s relationship with her mother.

The Distacnce Between Us was released in July 2013 by HarperTeen.

8 comments:

  1. Sorry these didn't work as well for you as you hoped Z! I loved both, but you make good points for sure. Caymen was definitely judgmental and a bit hypocritical since she was judging Xander for judging her, but I so enjoyed her sarcasm. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  2. All Our Yesterdays sounds pretty good. Since there's lots of action, I'm sure it would keep me on the edge of my seat.

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  3. I enjoyed both of these slightly more than you did. I had some problems with the ending of The Distance Between Us, but I did enjoy it overall. Sorry to hear that you couldn't connect with the characters in either of these books. But lovely honest reviews as always! :)

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  4. Z! I read Pivot Point last week and I instantly fell in love. So sad you didn't like The Distance Between Us as much but I'm still excited to read it.

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  5. Aww, too bad neither of these turned out to be absolute winners. I've been sort of curious about both, but not super committed to reading either. I mean, time travel always interests me, but if you can't connect to the characters, then I'm not convinced it's worth making it a priority if my reading schedule is already so busy. Ditto with the second because that characterization doesn't sound any better! Well, I really appreciated these reviews - I might keep these on my tbr, but push them down, down on my priority.

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  6. Ohhh ALL OUR YESTERDAYS was SO good! I'm almost finished with my review and I can't wait for everyone else to read it. Pretty much felt the same about THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, wasn't one of my favourite YA contemps.But PIVOT POINT by Kasie West is still one of my favourites:)

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  7. I'm really excited about both of these, Z. Sad to see they didn't make much of an impression on you. I haven't read a good time traveling book besides Ruby Red series so I'm curious if All Our Yesterdays makes the cut. Pivot Point was adorable so I was looking forward to reading "Distance". I'll still read it but maybe won't put it on the top of my reading list at the moment.

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  8. I failed to connect with the characters in All Our Yesterdays too, but that drain was darn memorable for me. I'm excited about the sequel.

    I got over Caymen's attitude pretty quickly and enjoyed the book after that, but I can see how it might not have worked for you. Still, at least you didnt hate it.
    Thanks for sharing!

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