Book Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
by Claudia Gray
Genre: Young adult sci-fi
Expected publication: November 4th 2014 by Harper Teen
Format Acquired: ARC from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | National Book Store

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.

A Thousand Pieces of You is the first Claudia Gray book I've read and I must say – I am an instant fan. At first I was only excited because of the gorgeous cover. I mean, who wouldn’t want to get their hands on such a pretty book, right? As soon as I read the first chapter though, I was undoubtedly hooked. Gray sure knows how to draw her readers in!

From the onset one thing is made clear: this is sci-fi. I was wary at first because I don’t typically do well with books in that particular genre. However, I was quite pleased with how Gray managed to present the very complex science ideas. I wasn’t overwhelmed at all. I was fascinated, in fact. I don’t know much about any of the concepts tackled in the book (i.e. PHYSICS?!) but the way they were incorporated into the story was great. I think Gray found the perfect balance between setting the base for her story, without all the info-dump, and being able to build from that as the story progressed. In fact, I think the concept and pacing are my most favorite things about the book. I like that despite the dimension jumping (not time travelling), the suspense and excitement was always there. A bit toned down in some parts but that’s normal. My main point is – it’s exciting, even with all the science-y stuff that usually hinders me from enjoying a book fully.

Our protagonist is one very well-rounded character. Marguerite is such a tough girl, initially driven by revenge. That’s great and all but what I found interesting was how she took in everything she saw and experienced in every dimension. She’s a good character to begin with, in my opinion, but her growth in the story made her even better. There was never a moment when I wanted to hate her…

Okay, maybe there was one.

But I won’t spoil it for you. Here’s a hint though: it involves a boy. A really sexy boy.

Apart from that, the book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDABLE. The plot, prose, and vibrant characters create one epic opener to a very promising series from Claudia Gray.

Catch Claudia Gray tomorrow with Madeleine Roux!

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