ALL OUR YESTERDAYS BY CRISTIN TERRILL : SCI-FI - THEME OF THE MONTH

 GENRE: Sci-fi, Young Adult, Dystopia

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All Our Yesterdays, is a sci-fi novel mainly based on the concept of time travel. To say that the concept was stunningly executed, is an understatement. It was not just the concept, but the plot, the characters and the writing also, equally contributed to the book's success in being the best sci-fi book.
To begin with, let me talk about the plot. Without revealing much, this book revolves around Em, who is currently held captive by Doctor who is ruining this world one by one. When one day, Em finds a note saying she has to complete a final instruction in the note, she finds herself fighting against the Doctor, and killing her one and only love. I am not a big fan of romance, and I never even look towards sci-fi novels, and when I find a book with romance AND sc-fi together, I knew I shouldn't pick it up. But I did. And, boy was I surprised! I literally breathed the book, taking everything like wind. Writing a proper review is still very difficult for me, because I'm still inside that book, and I refuse to come out of this.
The characters of this book were mind-blowing. The protagonist Em living in the future, is everything from badass to caring. She is definitely my favorite literary hero. On the other hand, Em's past self, Marina, is a very different, though not opposite of Em. Like every other girl, who cares about her looks, and wants to fall in love with the perfect guy, Marina is everything Em is not. But, what is strikingly similar about them is their caring nature, their love, and their strong personality. The male leads, James and Finn, love interests of Marina and Em, respectively, are pure awesomeness. And what is strangely beautiful, is the love triangle which seems to grow out their their relationships.

“I've been scared of so much stupid crap in my life. Making a bad grade or not fitting in. God, I was scared of you. And it was all such a waste. None of it matters now that the real scary shit is here.”

Lastly, what stood out for me is the writing. No matter how great a plot is, and how striking the characters, what binds a story together is its writing. I often find myself bored when the writing is not good. and if the writing is good, I'll love it no matter what the story is like. In this case, the writing was so good, that it was a cherry on the top, for such a powerful story and such amazing characters. Cristin Terrill writes beautifully, yet powerfully. It makes a lasting impact, and even when the story ends, you'll find yourself wanting for more.

“The truth is, the world is a f*cked up place sometimes.”

 What are your Sci-Fi reads this month, tell us about it with the hashtag #ficfortressreads on any social media.

Book Review: An Ember In The Ashes

Title: An Ember In The Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin Random House)
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian

SYNOPSIS

Laia is a slave.
Elias is a soldier.
Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They've seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.



PLOT

The story describes a Dystopian society called Empire, which is divided into Martials, the ruthless soldiers who show no mercy to the Scholars who were overthrown by the Martials, some five hundred years ago. Events are shown through the perspectives of Laia, a Scholar and Elias, a Martial.

MAIN CHARACTERS

1. Laia, an orphan who saw her grandparents killed and brother Darin, taken into custody by the Martials, vows to bring back her brother and thus begins a series of events which leads her to get into the Blackcliff Military Academy as a spy for the Resistance, which is a group of Scholars fighting against the Martials.

2. Elias, a Martial, who was brought into Blackcliff to be trained into a Mask (a soldier) but secretly hates it. She finds him enslaved by the rules of Blackcliff and was going to run away from them, when he was made a candidate for the new Emperor. He finds himself fighting against his own people to become the Emperor, a title which he doesn't even care about.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS

There are some amazing characters who want to help Laia, even if it means it will kill them; Izzi and Cook, Keenan, Sana and others. There are some ruthless characters who want nothing but power and they can go to any lengths to torture others and establish their superiority, like the Commandant, Mazen and Marcus. And then, there are some characters, who are not happy with their situation, yet they remain loyal, like Helene, Dex and Faris.

REVIEW

There are books which make you smile. There are books which fills you up with emotions. And there are books which will drive you mad with fury, and An Ember In The Ashes is one of them. I did not feel happiness or fluttering butterflies when I read this book, only rage uneasiness and fear, and hell, I loved it.

I couldn’t put this down even for a minute; the story pulls you deeply into the lives of the characters and you can almost feel like living inside the story and witnessing everything with your own eyes. Such is the detail with which Tahir has written this book. You forget what is real and what is not, and you’ll find yourself getting more and more drawn with each passing page.

I loved it how the characters aren't perfect in any way and how they hate their situations. The characters develop eventually, into some badass people who are determined to change their lives, along with those they can help with. They know how to find happiness even when they are suffering the worst.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the two love triangles. Helene and Elias had a very beautiful friendship which was compromised when Helene started falling for him. Laia and Keenan had quite an interesting relationship, and I don’t really like their chemistry, yet I can’t make myself to hate it, either. Laia and Elias have something which cannot be explained. It’s complicated. There are sparks of love, sympathy and even empathy in their relationship. And again, I cannot hate it or even love it, either.

“Nan always said that as long as there is life, there is hope.”

Then there are characters which make you dread for life, which makes you relieved that you don’t live in the Empire. The Commandant is an arrogant creature, who can go to any extent for power and dominance. You can feel yourself fret whenever Laia sneaks out or even gets up late. You get Goosebumps every time Commandant is in the scene and you feel yourself standing beside her. Then there is Marcus, whose thirst for authority can be seen when he kills his own twin. He is another character for whom establishing his authority is the only life goal.

I can only say, that I need a sequel to this or I’ll cry myself to death, I swear.
As J. K. Rowling says, “There are stories which live with you forever”, and when you turn the last page of this book, you know that this story will live with you forever and beyond.

Have you read An Ember In The Ashes?