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Down World #2
Yesterworld
In the sequel to Down World, Marina is lured back through the doors by a mysterious man.
“Time after time I come back to this cold brick door. Sealed, as it has been for over a year now, as I know it must remain forever. I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself. I know I can never open the door to Yesterday again. I can never have Kieren back. Never talk to Brady about the things we saw under the lake all those months ago. And never tell my brother Robbie how my heart broke every day that he was trapped in the abyss lurking behind those immovable bricks.
Maybe I come to this room the way some people visit gravestones. The three doors are all I have left of my loved ones now. The rough, hard rectangles and their merciless mortar, staring back at me. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
And me in the waiting room.
To open any of these doors is to open a pathway to death. I know this. And yet, they call to me.”
Eighteen months have passed since Marina O’Connell first discovered the doors, and her life changed forever. She’s a senior now. And she’s living in a plane of reality with her stepmom and her dad, while Robbie and her mom are in Oregon. She and her best friend Christy are making plans for college. They’re crushing on Mr. Martel, the new history teacher. He’s young enough to inspire them to take the subject seriously, but there’s more to him than good looks. He isn’t who he seems, and when he confronts Marina with the secret they both share, she realizes that she can’t, or won’t, turn away from the doors that have been calling out to her for months.
“Time after time I come back to this cold brick door. Sealed, as it has been for over a year now, as I know it must remain forever. I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself. I know I can never open the door to Yesterday again. I can never have Kieren back. Never talk to Brady about the things we saw under the lake all those months ago. And never tell my brother Robbie how my heart broke every day that he was trapped in the abyss lurking behind those immovable bricks.
Maybe I come to this room the way some people visit gravestones. The three doors are all I have left of my loved ones now. The rough, hard rectangles and their merciless mortar, staring back at me. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
And me in the waiting room.
To open any of these doors is to open a pathway to death. I know this. And yet, they call to me.”
Eighteen months have passed since Marina O’Connell first discovered the doors, and her life changed forever. She’s a senior now. And she’s living in a plane of reality with her stepmom and her dad, while Robbie and her mom are in Oregon. She and her best friend Christy are making plans for college. They’re crushing on Mr. Martel, the new history teacher. He’s young enough to inspire them to take the subject seriously, but there’s more to him than good looks. He isn’t who he seems, and when he confronts Marina with the secret they both share, she realizes that she can’t, or won’t, turn away from the doors that have been calling out to her for months.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2022
10 people are currently reading
2687 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 11, 2024
The book just felt unnecessary.
November 9, 2022
5 stars
If it was possible to give this book six stars I would. I absolutely loved the first novel, Down World, and somehow Phelps has topped that with this one. If you haven’t read Down World, you must read it first.
Marina’s timeline is all messed up. She came back, but somehow it’s months later. Apparently she’s with Brady, not Kieran. Her mom and brother live across the country. She’s doing her best to get through school and head off to college. Marina is amazingly gifted in math & science, likely could get into MIT, but she doesn’t want to put that kind of pressure on her dad.
One day at school they get a new AP History teacher. His name is Adam, and he’s hot. Marina isn’t interested, but Adam takes an interest in Marina. And then she figures out why. Adam has been to Down World. Adam wants something from Marina. Is Marina willing to risk everything to help Adam?
Like I said, this one was better than the first. If you go back and read my review for Down World, I was blown away. While I knew all about Down World in this novel, I didn’t expect to learn the crazy things about the place. One little choice can have lasting impact on the world in which we live.
Read it. It’s amazing.
If it was possible to give this book six stars I would. I absolutely loved the first novel, Down World, and somehow Phelps has topped that with this one. If you haven’t read Down World, you must read it first.
Marina’s timeline is all messed up. She came back, but somehow it’s months later. Apparently she’s with Brady, not Kieran. Her mom and brother live across the country. She’s doing her best to get through school and head off to college. Marina is amazingly gifted in math & science, likely could get into MIT, but she doesn’t want to put that kind of pressure on her dad.
One day at school they get a new AP History teacher. His name is Adam, and he’s hot. Marina isn’t interested, but Adam takes an interest in Marina. And then she figures out why. Adam has been to Down World. Adam wants something from Marina. Is Marina willing to risk everything to help Adam?
Like I said, this one was better than the first. If you go back and read my review for Down World, I was blown away. While I knew all about Down World in this novel, I didn’t expect to learn the crazy things about the place. One little choice can have lasting impact on the world in which we live.
Read it. It’s amazing.
April 26, 2023
It's 5 months since I finished this and finally feel able to write a review. With the benefit of some distance, I can admit that this book might have been the one to permanently cure me of my interest in YA.
There's nothing sadder for me than not liking sequel of a book that I had loved. In my original review of Down World , I said that I was pleased that it was a standalone novel and I loved the way that it wrapped up in the end. This contributes in large part to why I didn't like the sequel; I felt it was unnecessary. By the end of Yesterworld, after all of the ret-conning, I still felt that way.
What is the point of the sequel, what is the point of carrying on the story, when you demonstrated that you can (and will) simply undo things again?
There was also another aspect of the story which made me increasingly uncomfortable. There was an escalating theme throughout both books of xenophobia. The author set the antagonist in the first novel to be Russians, which I thought was fair enough. Alternative histories have focused on Russians and Germans before and what would have happened if they had come to power in the western world.
The problem with Yesterworld is that the xenophobia goes further than just the antagonists' actions and enters the realm of the protagonist's thoughts and biases. Marina refers to people as 'foreigners' or as speaking with a foreign accent and it just didn't sit right with me.
The final nail in the coffin for me was when Marina is shown to have an affair with her school teacher. She is a school child, she is still in school in the novel and he is her teacher. There is a massive power differential there and it's not okay. Marina also self-identifies as naive and stunted due to the time previously lost in Down World and she admits that while she is 18, she is an immature 18. This increases her vulnerability yet the author lets Marina explain away the affair - what happens in Down World stays in Down World - without ever challenging the teacher's role in it.
I don't think I'll be reading the final novel in the trilogy. I think I'll just pretend that the sequels didn't happen.
There's nothing sadder for me than not liking sequel of a book that I had loved. In my original review of Down World , I said that I was pleased that it was a standalone novel and I loved the way that it wrapped up in the end. This contributes in large part to why I didn't like the sequel; I felt it was unnecessary. By the end of Yesterworld, after all of the ret-conning, I still felt that way.
What is the point of the sequel, what is the point of carrying on the story, when you demonstrated that you can (and will) simply undo things again?
There was also another aspect of the story which made me increasingly uncomfortable. There was an escalating theme throughout both books of xenophobia. The author set the antagonist in the first novel to be Russians, which I thought was fair enough. Alternative histories have focused on Russians and Germans before and what would have happened if they had come to power in the western world.
The problem with Yesterworld is that the xenophobia goes further than just the antagonists' actions and enters the realm of the protagonist's thoughts and biases. Marina refers to people as 'foreigners' or as speaking with a foreign accent and it just didn't sit right with me.
The final nail in the coffin for me was when Marina is shown to have an affair with her school teacher. She is a school child, she is still in school in the novel and he is her teacher. There is a massive power differential there and it's not okay. Marina also self-identifies as naive and stunted due to the time previously lost in Down World and she admits that while she is 18, she is an immature 18. This increases her vulnerability yet the author lets Marina explain away the affair - what happens in Down World stays in Down World - without ever challenging the teacher's role in it.
I don't think I'll be reading the final novel in the trilogy. I think I'll just pretend that the sequels didn't happen.
February 27, 2023
Mariana is fickle as heck bro. I understand how crazy it is but she is so flip flop with the boys. Anyways I’m holding out hope for team Kieran still.
June 28, 2023
I’m still rooting for Kieren.
December 5, 2022
A little more than a year after Marina's last trip through the portals into Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow in the basement of her school, Marina is adjusting to her life with the consequences of the changes she made in the portals. Marina is now a senior in high school and making college plans. However, Marina has a new history teacher, Mr. Martel who might derail her plans to never go back through the portals. Mr. Martel has secrets and plans of his own concerning the portals and plans to drag Marina back through to help fix his own mistakes in the portals.
Yesterworld is the second book in the Down World series and I highly recommend reading the books in order to understand the portals and how they work. Yesterworld picks up soon after the events in Down World where Marina is trying to adjust to the changes she caused while in the portals. Marina believes that she stopped the portal to the corrupt Down World from being created. She soon learns from Mr. Martel, or rather Adam, that the Down World still exists and that his friend is trapped there. Yesterworld is action packed, suspenseful and full of surprises. It was interesting to see how Marina's current timeline was altered by her trips through the portals. The introduction of Adam's character brings another layer into the story and creates an unexpected relationship. I was a little unsettled by Marina and Adam's relationship; however, the portals do have that effect. I was glad to learn about how the portal formed and how they were tied to events during World War II. The creation of the portals also explains how the Down World became controlled by the Russians. The changes Marina and Adam made in the portals this time seemed to have caused even more changes, even though they fixed a bigger issue. I can't wait to see what happens next for Marina.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Yesterworld is the second book in the Down World series and I highly recommend reading the books in order to understand the portals and how they work. Yesterworld picks up soon after the events in Down World where Marina is trying to adjust to the changes she caused while in the portals. Marina believes that she stopped the portal to the corrupt Down World from being created. She soon learns from Mr. Martel, or rather Adam, that the Down World still exists and that his friend is trapped there. Yesterworld is action packed, suspenseful and full of surprises. It was interesting to see how Marina's current timeline was altered by her trips through the portals. The introduction of Adam's character brings another layer into the story and creates an unexpected relationship. I was a little unsettled by Marina and Adam's relationship; however, the portals do have that effect. I was glad to learn about how the portal formed and how they were tied to events during World War II. The creation of the portals also explains how the Down World became controlled by the Russians. The changes Marina and Adam made in the portals this time seemed to have caused even more changes, even though they fixed a bigger issue. I can't wait to see what happens next for Marina.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
December 2, 2022
Right from reading Downworld on Wattpad to reading a published copy to now getting the chance to read this Yesterworld copy, nothing has been more nostalgic and mind blowing.
If you're a Divergent series fan, Matched series, The Giver, The Host , think of any dystopian book that you know, this book is the one to read and get. One thing I loved about this edition was being able to see all the characters develop individually despite your life being told through the lens of Marina. This book gave me literal chills every second of it and everytime, I felt like I too had solved a mystery I was proven wrong. It exhilarating, perfect amount of thrill , romance and mystery and suspense. If you love Stranger Things or even Dark, it's worth the read. It follows the events of the first book in the Downworld series where Marina is till tryna to figure out this whole concept of the portals.
Thank you Wattpad books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If you're a Divergent series fan, Matched series, The Giver, The Host , think of any dystopian book that you know, this book is the one to read and get. One thing I loved about this edition was being able to see all the characters develop individually despite your life being told through the lens of Marina. This book gave me literal chills every second of it and everytime, I felt like I too had solved a mystery I was proven wrong. It exhilarating, perfect amount of thrill , romance and mystery and suspense. If you love Stranger Things or even Dark, it's worth the read. It follows the events of the first book in the Downworld series where Marina is till tryna to figure out this whole concept of the portals.
Thank you Wattpad books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 19, 2022
I really liked DownWorld so no surprise I liked this one too and it’s usually hit of miss with sequel.
Marina is lured back into DownWorld by a mysterious man. A man that is here new hot AP teacher. A man who comes from that world an needs her help. Months have changed since the last time she was there and things aren’t the same, but she decides to help him because what else does she have to loose.
The world really isn’t a new place if you read the first book. Marina’s life isn’t that great but she makes do and is a strong character. She doesn’t really have a world where time is what it seems. I also really like the world building and the fast paced plot. I also love seeing a character who grows and had developments.
I can’t wait to see what else Rebecca Phelps develops with this world! Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an early copy for review.
Marina is lured back into DownWorld by a mysterious man. A man that is here new hot AP teacher. A man who comes from that world an needs her help. Months have changed since the last time she was there and things aren’t the same, but she decides to help him because what else does she have to loose.
The world really isn’t a new place if you read the first book. Marina’s life isn’t that great but she makes do and is a strong character. She doesn’t really have a world where time is what it seems. I also really like the world building and the fast paced plot. I also love seeing a character who grows and had developments.
I can’t wait to see what else Rebecca Phelps develops with this world! Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an early copy for review.
February 6, 2023
the chokehold this series has on me is ridiculous. i read the first book of this series, Down World, in june 2022 after ordering it online on a whim. it quickly became one of my favourite books and i was so excited to learn there are actually 3 books in total!
Yesterworld was so fun and had me gasping out loud and left my heart aching all at the same time. the action and romance and adventure and time travel is just SO well written and tied together. i don’t know what it is about these books but i fly through them like no one’s business. the writing style is *chefs kiss* !! this was a 5 star rating before i even flipped to the first page. extra points for the beautiful covers of both these books, there’s just something about them that i love so much. i CANNOT wait for Everworld to come out at the end of this year!!
Yesterworld was so fun and had me gasping out loud and left my heart aching all at the same time. the action and romance and adventure and time travel is just SO well written and tied together. i don’t know what it is about these books but i fly through them like no one’s business. the writing style is *chefs kiss* !! this was a 5 star rating before i even flipped to the first page. extra points for the beautiful covers of both these books, there’s just something about them that i love so much. i CANNOT wait for Everworld to come out at the end of this year!!
September 10, 2023
This book picks up 18 months after Marina exits the Today door. Nobody remembers the other timeline and the people she loves don't entirely feel the same. Her mom & brother don't live with her, she has a new step-mother, Kieran doesn't even know her, Brady and her did remain friends as did Christy.
Then, they get a new history teacher and everything changes. They go back through the Yesterday door, twice. First to fix Marina's life and second to fix what went wrong through the Lake dimension and save Adam's friends.
Everything changes! And I think I would have loved it again except for a choice that was made that effects the end.
Then, they get a new history teacher and everything changes. They go back through the Yesterday door, twice. First to fix Marina's life and second to fix what went wrong through the Lake dimension and save Adam's friends.
Everything changes! And I think I would have loved it again except for a choice that was made that effects the end.
July 1, 2024
The FMC is F I C K L E.. pick a dude my girl. And uh. Maybe not the one that's off limits in the "real world". That little romance gave me the ick. I will be reading the next one when it comes out. But I'm prepared for her to have 3 more new love interests in college. I should just expect it at this point.
That being said, I didn't hate it, I just wanted her to make a decision with the boys and stick to it. She was so sure of her choices in DW that I needed her to be that way in her love life. To grow up a little. Maybe she does in the next one! I'll just have to read it and find out I suppose.
That being said, I didn't hate it, I just wanted her to make a decision with the boys and stick to it. She was so sure of her choices in DW that I needed her to be that way in her love life. To grow up a little. Maybe she does in the next one! I'll just have to read it and find out I suppose.
May 9, 2023
Marina is trying to plan for college after surviving the the multiverse of the Down World, but her new history teacher has other plans as he makes a deal with Marina to go back through the Yesterworld door to find his lost love Jenny, so they go back to the 1940s where a one time friend becomes a foe, and Marina just hopes to return home. Some clever world building, but still confusing at times. Recommended for late teens who like multiverse fantasies.
June 6, 2024
I have been enjoying this series a lot. I am sad at the prospect that I will never get to finish it. Down World was great and opened up a bunch of possibilities. I am awestruck by the amount of creativity and lack of formulaic events in Yesterworld. It has made me interested in the historical events surrounding the story line but these events were not required knowledge to comprehend the story.
Please make Everworld available soon!
Please make Everworld available soon!
December 28, 2023
I have not picked up a book in years and Downworld was the first book I picked up since then and I loved it so I obviously had to get the second book! I was upset with the publishers because the third book was supposed to come on on 12/23 but for some reason they put it on hold :(( I hope Everworld comes out SOON
March 25, 2025
I love this series so much! I am very sad that the third book is not in paperback (only kindle) for some reason. Just like the first book I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I can't wait to see what happens in the third book!
July 16, 2025
I am absolutely obsessed with this series! Marina is just trying to figure out her own self while being thrown into so many scenarios trying to right the different timelines. I can't put these books down!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2023
A thrilling follow up to Down World.
July 16, 2023
This book is so good, better than the first. I can’t wait for the third!
January 20, 2024
Marina, literally what the fuck is your problem, girl??????
July 19, 2024
Great book.
December 2, 2024
This was such a fun read, i loved how the story was continued, and i love the plot! Again an amazing read and i didnt want to put it down. One of the best sequels ive read and i cant wait for book 3!
December 5, 2024
love love love
July 12, 2023
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
The second novel in the Downworld series follows Marina back through the door to Yesterworld to undo the damage done.
Excellent Storytelling
Let me preface this review by stating that I was unaware Yesterworld was the second book in a series.
However, despite not having read Downworld (I have since bought the book), I could follow this novel easily.
Following Marina, we are given a rundown of the first novel’s events and why the doors are important. More importantly, we’re given the emotional toll the events of the previous novel took on Marina. Despite not reading the first novel, I felt her heartache, her struggle to make this new reality she has found herself in.
The way the story develops is so easy to follow, as well as the science. Time travel is always a complex theme; sometimes, the story risks becoming too complicated.
However, Phelps tells a story that is easy to follow and engaging. Each time Marina and Adam enter the doors, they change their future. Phelps gives just enough detail and information to grab the reader and make them understand the motives behind Adam and Marina.
Sometimes it is complex, but again, it is easy to understand because Phelps focuses on building up the dialogue between the characters.
However, any time I was lost had more to do with the fact that I hadn’t read the first book.
Strong Characterization
Nevertheless, I was hooked by Yesterworld.
Phelps makes Marina so relatable and emotional. Like I said above, the reader can feel the emotion from her, and that has to do with the detailing.
The smallest motions, the inner dialogue, and inner turmoil bleeds off the pages. Marina is a genius, headed to MIT, but the first novel’s events cost her dearly. It cost her the love of her life, not once, but twice in this novel.
The heartache is real, and the reader feels it.
And as for Adam, the way Marina sees and interacts with him is addictive.
They begin as enemies, but that quickly becomes a truly emotional romance between the two characters.
Initially, I was wary of Adam, thinking he was the villain of this story. However, as the story progresses, we discover he has his own demons.
That angst and guilt, this life of jumping through doors, is something only Marina can understand. And for her, it is the same.
The romance that resulted from that bonding took my breath away.
They don’t look at each other with guilt or fear. They see one another as human beings who did things they believed would improve everything, even if their motives stem from selfishness.
The chemistry between the two built and grew from the beginning, and given all the heartache that Marina suffered, the way Adam treats and admires her makes the reader attached. These two characters balanced each other so well that the romance was tender and even heartbreaking at the end.
Final Thoughts
Yesterworld took my breath away. I fell in love with the story, characters, and with Adam, and I’m hoping book three will come out soon…but not before I read book one.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Yesterworld takes readers into the past and opens the doorway to multiple universes in this gripping tale.
The second novel in the Downworld series follows Marina back through the door to Yesterworld to undo the damage done.
Excellent Storytelling
Let me preface this review by stating that I was unaware Yesterworld was the second book in a series.
However, despite not having read Downworld (I have since bought the book), I could follow this novel easily.
Following Marina, we are given a rundown of the first novel’s events and why the doors are important. More importantly, we’re given the emotional toll the events of the previous novel took on Marina. Despite not reading the first novel, I felt her heartache, her struggle to make this new reality she has found herself in.
The way the story develops is so easy to follow, as well as the science. Time travel is always a complex theme; sometimes, the story risks becoming too complicated.
However, Phelps tells a story that is easy to follow and engaging. Each time Marina and Adam enter the doors, they change their future. Phelps gives just enough detail and information to grab the reader and make them understand the motives behind Adam and Marina.
Sometimes it is complex, but again, it is easy to understand because Phelps focuses on building up the dialogue between the characters.
However, any time I was lost had more to do with the fact that I hadn’t read the first book.
Strong Characterization
Nevertheless, I was hooked by Yesterworld.
Phelps makes Marina so relatable and emotional. Like I said above, the reader can feel the emotion from her, and that has to do with the detailing.
The smallest motions, the inner dialogue, and inner turmoil bleeds off the pages. Marina is a genius, headed to MIT, but the first novel’s events cost her dearly. It cost her the love of her life, not once, but twice in this novel.
The heartache is real, and the reader feels it.
And as for Adam, the way Marina sees and interacts with him is addictive.
They begin as enemies, but that quickly becomes a truly emotional romance between the two characters.
Initially, I was wary of Adam, thinking he was the villain of this story. However, as the story progresses, we discover he has his own demons.
That angst and guilt, this life of jumping through doors, is something only Marina can understand. And for her, it is the same.
The romance that resulted from that bonding took my breath away.
They don’t look at each other with guilt or fear. They see one another as human beings who did things they believed would improve everything, even if their motives stem from selfishness.
The chemistry between the two built and grew from the beginning, and given all the heartache that Marina suffered, the way Adam treats and admires her makes the reader attached. These two characters balanced each other so well that the romance was tender and even heartbreaking at the end.
Final Thoughts
Yesterworld took my breath away. I fell in love with the story, characters, and with Adam, and I’m hoping book three will come out soon…but not before I read book one.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
December 13, 2024
I loved this book! Seriously couldn’t put it down. You know it’s a good series when you feel bereft when the book ends. I’m so excited to read the final book and find out what happens with Marina and Robbie and Brady and Adam. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to forgive Kieren, so I maybe don’t care what happens to him … urgh. December 17 can’t come quickly enough!
December 26, 2023
4.5
Such a fun world to explore. Can't wait to read the last book. Adding it to my preorder list!
Such a fun world to explore. Can't wait to read the last book. Adding it to my preorder list!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews