A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray | Book Review

(Firebird #1)

Published: October 7th 2014

Synopsis:

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.

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My Rating:  4.5/5 (Amazing)

Book Information

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre(s): Young-adult fiction, sci-fi

Page Count: 360

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 0062357697

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Used for the Popsugar challenge: A book based on its cover

Hi there! I finished this book a while back, and was supposed to have finished and posted this review long before now. But, I haven’t, and as I absolutely loved this book, I’m excited to finally post my review on A Thousand Pieces of You!

Quick Summary

So basically, the main character, Marguerite, and her friend Theo, goes off in a search of vengeance for a friend of the family, Paul, who she believes to have killed her father and stolen her parents’ most important creation, the Firebird (which allows the wearer to travel to different dimensions). In those different dimensions she encounters obstacles that prevent her from leaving the dimensions, and faces even more obstacles, while getting nowhere with the whole revenge thing. When she starts to question everything she knew, she finds that the mystery surrounding her father’s death was even more malevolent than she thought.

The Plot

This was a very interesting plot! I can honestly say that I haven’t read any books (that I can remember, at least) that involves dimension-travelling, and it was just so interesting to see how Claudia Gray incorporated it into her story, as the main focus, no less. [And actually, if you HAVE read something with dimension-travelling, I would love it if you comment the title below!] I mean, time-travelling, sure, I’ve read about that. But dimension-travelling? Add plot twists, cliffhangers and an intriguing storyline to the mix, and you’ll get this book.

The Characters

I also enjoyed the characters! I have to say, I’m not much of an artsy person, so I can’t really say I exactly connected with Marguerite (as she loves art and drawing, etc.) but she was still a good character. To be honest, I couldn’t see that many sides to her, BUT what sides there were interested me, and she developed enough throughout the book that I wasn’t disappointed. She also didn’t annoy the hell out of me, or make me want to slap her in frustration, which are both definitely bonus points.

As for the other characters, (specifically, the love interests), I definitely like them as well and how they were portayed. There IS a love triangle, but I think it’s pretty obvious who she’s going to pick (unless there’s a major plot twist in the following books). I like the two love interests, which is good, and they both have their chemistry with Marguerite (although the competition is no way equal), also good.

The Writing Style

I won’t say that the writing style was completely unique, but I will say that it’s enjoyable. There’s really nothing wrong with it, so… yeah! There may have been a few telling instead of showing moments, but they were few (from what I remember, anyway) and obviously didn’t impact my overall reading experience (as I don’t even remember any examples, and I rated this book ‘amazing’.)

Overall…

I totally recommend this book, especially for those who like YA sci-fi with a touch of romance, along with dimension-travelling! If you’re looking for a change in the sci-fi novels you’re reading, give this one a shot, particularly if you enjoy time-travelling. All in all: the cover is gorgeous, the plot is filled with exciting twists and ideas and the characters & writing style are enjoyable. This book is definitely worth the hype!

If you have read this book, please tell me your thoughts! Are you thinking of reading it? Tell me that too. I love hearing from you!

Now. Let’s go eat this meal in the next dimension! I’ll see you there.

-Analee