A Book Obsession..: Early Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Early Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

, by Kt Clapsadl

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Firebird #1

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.
This was a really interesting and enthralling read. I love alternate reality stories, and this one took that concept a step further which I loved. The ethical and scifi aspects kept me enthralled. There's just something about the idea of all the many different possibilities stemming from every little decision each person makes that just really interests me. I especially enjoyed the firebird aspects, and the different rules of the travelers, in that they overtook their alternate selves, but also needed their firebird devises to ensure they remained in control. The downside would be that they would be trapped inside their alternate selves without knowing it, which added an element of danger to the story. Not that there wasn't more then plenty other dangers as well, which made this an edge of your seat read for me.

Marguerite is one heck of a character. She's determined, strong willed, and more than a little fierce, yet also vulnerable at the same time. I loved the mix-up of her character, and it was really enjoyable to see things through her eyes. I especially loved how she could see through her anger and was determined to stay rational about what was going on. She's one heck of a character to say the least.

I really loved the romance aspects of this story, and the different facets of the love interest's personality. I was enthralled by the questions it arose in whether alternate versions were really the same person at the core, or if when it boils down to it they aren't. That question still wasn't solved by the end of this book, but it was intriguing in the process. Can you love two versions of the same person or are they really the same thing just a bit different? Only time will tell, and I loved the juxtaposition and questioning aspects this brought to the story. Bravo!

The great thing about A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU, aside from the fabulous characters and world of course, was that it could have easily been a stand alone. Of course, I'm really glad it's not as I can't wait for more from this world, but there was no nasty cliffhanger, and the ending was a rather satisfying new "beginning" that I would have been content with. But since it's a beginning that going to be continued on, I can't wait to see what happens next. So, all in all, A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU is sure to please YA readers who love alternate reality plots. I loved it!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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