Yesterday [Hardcover]

C. K. Kelly Martin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 25, 2012

THEN: The formation of the UNA, the high threat of eco-terrorism, the mammoth rates of unemployment and subsequent escape into a world of virtual reality are things any student can read about in their 21st century textbooks and part of the normal background noise to Freya Kallas's life. Until that world starts to crumble.

NOW: It's 1985. Freya Kallas has just moved across the world and into a new life. On the outside, she fits in at her new high school, but Freya feels nothing but removed. Her mother blames it on the grief over her father's death, but how does that explain the headaches and why do her memories feel so foggy? When Freya lays eyes on Garren Lowe, she can't get him out of her head. She's sure that she knows him, despite his insistence that they've never met. As Freya follows her instincts and pushes towards hidden truths, the two of them unveil a strange and dangerous world where their days may be numbered. Unsure who to trust, Freya and Garren go on the run from powerful forces determined to tear them apart and keep them from discovering the truth about their shared pasts (and futures), her visions, and the time and place they really came from. Yesterday will appeal to fans of James Dashner's The Maze Runner, Veronica Roth's Divergent, Amy Ryan's Glow, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Ally Condie's Matched.  

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-United North America, 2063. Biological weapons and global climate change have left humanity on the brink of destruction. To protect his family, Freya's powerful and politically connected father sends his daughter and his wife back in time to 1985. Upon arriving, Freya does not remember anything about her previous life. Though she feels disconnected, she has no idea she is from the future and mostly believes the lies that shape her new life. But when she sees a familiar boy on a class field trip, she cannot shake the feeling that she knows him from somewhere. Desperate for answers, she follows Garren and questions him, and they discover that their lives and families are eerily similar. When they investigate further, they are forced to run from people who will stop at nothing to erase their memories of 2063-and of each other-forever. Sci-fi thrillers are hot right now, and Yesterday does not disappoint. Featuring a psychic teen running for her life, the novel will appeal to readers who enjoyed Rachel Ward's "Numbers" trilogy (Scholastic). The oppression of 2063 is frighteningly believable; Martin does a good job explaining how the world got so horrific in such a short time. Slow-building suspense and heart-pounding action help keep readers engaged. While the story starts a little slow and unanswered questions abound, patient readers will be rewarded and will clamor for a sequel.-Leigh Collazo, Ed Willkie Middle School, Fort Worth, TXα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

Starred Review, School Library Journal, December 2012:
“Sci-fi thrillers are hot right now, and Yesterday does not disappoint.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (September 25, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780375866500
• ISBN-13: 978-0375866500
• ASIN: 0375866507
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.3 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #843,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Long before I was an author I was a fan of books about Winnie the Pooh, Babar, Madeline, Anne of Green Gables and anything by Judy Blume. Throughout high school my favourite class was English. No surprise, then, that most of my time spent at York University in Toronto was as an English major--not the traditional way to graduate with a B.A. in Film Studies but a fine way to get a general arts education.

After graduation I headed for Dublin, Ireland and spent the majority of the nineties there in forgettable jobs meeting unforgettable people and enjoying the buzz. I always thoughts I'd get around to writing in earnest eventually and I began writing my first novel in a flat in Dublin and finished it in a Toronto suburb. By then I'd discovered that writing about young characters felt the freshest and most exciting to me.

Currently residing near Toronto with my Dub husband, I became an Irish citizen in 2001 and continue to visit Dublin as often as I can. My first book, I Know It's Over, came out with Random House in September 2008 and was followed by One Lonely Degree, The Lighter Side of Life and Death and My Beating Teenage Heart. My newest YA, sci-fi thriller Yesterday, hit shelves on September 25th. I've also released a book called Come See About Me, featuring my first adult character: twenty-year-old Leah.

You can find out more at www.ckkellymartin.com or www.comeseeaboutme.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling and faced-paced time travel adventure! September 25, 2012

By Evie Seo (Bookish blog)

Format:Hardcover

With unique premise and absorbing plot line, C.K. Kelly Martin's Yesterday is a great time travel adventure! The intriguing cover instantly drew me in, and the fast-paced, thrilling and fascinating storyline kept me well entertained and captivated all the way through. Not to mention that I just love books set in places that I'm familiar with!

Taking place in 1980's Toronto, Yesterday tells the story of one girl's quest to discover the truth about her past, her family and herself. A quest that is just as thrilling as it is dangerous, and just as thought-provoking as it is moving. Freya Kallas has just moved to Canada from Australia and she seems to have trouble acclimatising to her new surroundings. Her memories are blurry and illusive, no matter how hard she focuses, she can't recall the details. It's almost as if they're not real... Nothing about her new life in Toronto feels right. Is it just a bad case of home-sickness, or is there something more to Freya's headaches and weird dreams? And things get even more weird when she meets Garren, a strangely familiar teenager who claims that they've never met before. And when they stumble across some well-protected, shocking secrets, they find themselves running for their lives. Everything they thought they knew, every memory they believed to be true - all that crumbles to pieces right before their eyes, and they'll have to fight to find out the truth about their pasts.

First of all, I have to say that C.K. Kelly Martin did a fantastic job capturing the spirit of 1985 Toronto! Through famous quotes and various pop-culture references, she managed to really breathe life into the places and people of the time period. 1985 is the year I was born in, so I guess you can say it was personally meaningful to me that she got it all right! The atmosphere was amazing and I could easily picture all the scenes, conversations and settings. Her depictions were spot-on accurate and very vivid, and the overall effect was wonderful, charming, and quite convincing!

I thought the premise was really great. I love twisty time-travel stories and mind-bending mysteries. Yesterday is both - and more! The pacing was good, there was never a slow or boring moment, and though I did get slightly confused at times, I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book a lot. I've seen people complaining about the prologue, they say it gives away too much, killing the surprise factor. Well, yes - the prologue isn't the best one I've seen in my life, but can you really imagine the story without it? I can't. The story would be even more confusing, and I probably would not know what on earth was going on. So, while I wasn't the biggest fan of the prologue, I did recognize its importance to the plot as a whole.

I liked Freya, though I can't say that it was love at first sight. Some aspects of her personality I liked and admired, others - not so much, but in the end she grew on me and I found myself caring about her, her quest to uncover the truth, and her relationship with Garren. She had some really great qualities, she was persistent and mentally strong, she didn't give up easily and even in very hard situations she found it in herself to push trough and continue her search for the answers. Most importantly, she grew as a person, and that is something I always appreciate in YA characters. Additionally, the first-person narrative made it easy for me to connect with her and get a good idea of what she was going through. C.K. Kelly Martin's writing was raw, emotional, insightful and thoroughly absorbing. Some of the passages were almost poetic, and they spoke straight to my heart. I loved it!

Overall, Yesterday proved to be just as good as I hoped it would be. I can't wait to read the sequel and find out what Freya and Garren will do next, what dangers they'll have to face and if they'll manage to find what they're looking for!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Boy! Did I love this book! October 1, 2012

By Buffee

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

So yes it kind of starts like a tutorial....I was almost yawing in places, kind of thought I got yet another bummer book. WOW!!!! when this book takes off, it does so with a nail biting, white knuckle, can't put it down fire. I REALLY loved this book, the story was very compelling, extremely detailed and quite original..cannot wait to find out what happens next. Plus for a YA book it had a little more language(realism is very important and people do swear) and the sexual tension was more then you normally get in a YA book, but not disgusting like 50 shades....if you like really good dystopian scifi/time travel, this book is a great read and yes I know I don't go into alot of detail, I loathe those reviewers who basically tell me the entire story BEFORE I have read it....ever heard of TMI?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly Unique Dystopia October 5, 2012

By Christina (A Reader of Fictions) TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

My second C. K. Kelly Martin book has me convinced that I need to write every single thing she writes. Martin has a very distinct style. Her writing is wonderful and her concepts, at least for the two books I've already read, are entirely original. Yesterday didn't remind me of any other dystopia, a very rare experience.

Yesterday is one of those stories where you'll spend most of the book confused, unsure what the heck is going on. However, rest easy with the knowledge that you WILL be given answers; Martin will explain everything. Her vision of the future is dark and complex, taking into account various ways that humans could destroy the world. Not only that, but, of course, the meddlesome government will take charge in a harsh way to try to control everything.

I really cannot say much of anything else about the world building aspect of Yesterday, because spoilers would be unavoidable. The only other things I need to point out in this regard are the reasons I rated it down a little bit. First, there was the clunky info dump when Freya realized what was going on. I'm not sure if there was a better way to do that, but that chapter read like a history text. I also felt like her memories came back too quickly and easily. Second, the time travel aspects were questionable, but, then again, I almost always have big suspension of disbelief issues with time travel.

Yesterday made a really nice change from most of my other reads, because of the unique setting. For one thing, the book is set in Canada, taking place largely in Toronto. Very few books I've read have had a Canadian setting, though I'm a bit surprised by that. Even more uncommon, Yesterday is set primarily in the 1980s. I loved all the mentions of music, like The Smiths, and other bits of pop culture from that time period. Also, picturing everyone in the horrific clothes greatly amused me.

Freya won my affections early on. She's gorgeous, in a way that could have made her completely obnoxious; literally, everyone stares at her. However, she is completely uncomfortable with that. She doesn't try to be popular; instead she befriends the goths, and even does a makeover on herself so people will pay less attention to her. I loved that, despite her beauty, she doesn't take advantage of it nor does she deny it.

Freya has premonitions, visions of the near future. These really could have felt out of place, and I am curious about them, but Martin made them work. They did not come off as an unnecessary paranormal addition to the plot, thank goodness. I love Freya for her intelligence, her forthrightness, her courage and her anger. She feels so real. It also entertained me that in this case, it wasn't a heroine falling for a vaguely creepy, gorgeous guy who stalked her; she does the stalking, although she does have her reasons.

Garren definitely was less dear to me, but I liked him because Freya did. I still question him a bit, because he had a girlfriend at the beginning. The switch of his feelings from Janette to Freya seemed rushed and unnatural. However, I can accept it, since, though they get close to one another VERY quickly, they don't instalove all over the place. In such a stressful situation, emotions developing is not a surprise, but I would have punched everything if they were declaring eternal love for one another. Thankfully, they did not. As an added bonus, Martin is a genius at writing steamy scenes, as evidenced here and in My Beating Teenage Heart.

Reading Yesterday was a pleasure from beginning to end, a refreshingly original addition to dystopian fiction. Now I need to go add her other books to my wishlist...