A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird)

    A Thousand Pieces Of You by Claudia Gray is a new favorite. I would be proud to recommend it to any young adult reader. The end provides a surprising twist.  The main character, Marguerite, wants to find out the truth about her father’s death and does this through her own cleverness. She faces her emotions, and is always brave. The author uses descriptive language to paint a realistic picture in this future world. In the end, we learn that the truth is not always what you expect.

    A Thousand Pieces Of You takes place in the near future of the US. The protagonist, Marguerite, lives among a family of famous scientists who invent a device that allows somebody travel to different dimensions. Some dimensions can be much like your original dimension and others totally different. Right after her parents discovery, Marguerite’s father dies mysteriously. So Marguerite, along with her friends Theo and Paul, go on an adventure through dimensions to discover the truth about many different things.

    Traveling through dimensions, Marguerite has to be clever to escape situations and figure things out. The author writes, “‘The Chinatown gate,’ [...] ‘Meet me there in an hour,’ [...] ‘I bought us an hour. While he’s in Chinatown, we can get you to the airport,’” (Page 287). Marguerite is in a tough situation and she squeezes her way out of it because she is being extremely clever. Marguerite tricks the person chasing her to meet her at a landmark. But instead, she goes to the airport in the hour she gained and that allows her and Paul to escape that dimension. The text also states, “The Beatles never existed here.The Gears were a band featuring Paul McCartney and George Harrison-not John Lennon. But John Lennon is the one who wrote “In My Life” for the Beatles. [...] So how is Dad humming it?” (Page 311) What this text tells us is that Marguerite deducts what's happening in this situation by using her knowledge of her own dimension.

    A challenge Marguerite has to face in this story is managing her emotions. She needs to be able to move on from the lives she had in the other dimensions and to accept something painful. One example from the text is, “Paul. My heart is in equal parts joy, pain, and fear. Joy to see him alive again. Pain because this isn't the Paul who died in Russia. [...] Fear because I still don't know what's going on. I don’t know whether Paul’s saving me or leading me into even deeper danger than I already am,” (Page 271). Marguerite is feeling many different emotions at one time around Paul because she had lost him in the Russian dimension. But is happy to see him alive and scared he isn’t on her side. Most people would feel the same way around somebody who is a mystery to them. This shows how Marguerite is facing her emotions.

Lastly, in this story from beginning to end, Marguerite is brave. She stands up for people in different dimensions she barely knows and saves their lives. Gray writes, “‘Katya!’ I jump in front of her. She turns to me, angry, and would start calling me names. But that's when the gunfire starts.” (Page 185). Marguerite is acting as the princess of Russia and tries to save her younger sister in this dimension and risks her life to save her even though her life mattered more than Katya’s.

Throughout everything, Marguerite deals with many challenges like dealing with her emotions. She faces them in many ways like being clever or bravery. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars and 2 thumbs up. I would recommend this book to any young adult reader.

I absolutely loved the twisting plot lines and fast-paced action from beginning to end. Couldn't put this book down from the moment I started! Highly recommend this book and can't wait to start the second one!

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
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Not going to lie, I opened this book and never put it down. I read it all night long, and I don’t regret it one bit. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray is sci-fi perfection. Jumping between dimensions? Yes. Romantic subplots? YES. Super cool scientific multicultural family? SUPER YES. I loved all the characters, and I thought the way everyone blended together across dimensions was flawless, lovely, and exciting. Despite all the crazy technology, the teenage protagonist was realistic and relatable and hilarious. I enjoyed watching her navigate worlds and her various emotions dealing with her life and with the ethics of what she was doing. Basically, you jump from dimension to dimension—worlds only slightly different from ours—and you jump straight into yourself. So, you control your other life…which has some interesting effects. Though the premise and protagonist is interesting enough to propel the story forward, the overhanging mystery of a murder is engaging and thrilling. The ending is satisfying. I absolutely recommend this read. It’s one of my favorite 2016 reads so far.
~SAT
Recommended to: YA sci-fi fans who want to also swoon for some romance. Those interested in dimensions and worlds slightly different from ours.
Favorite Quote: I meant it when I said I didn’t believe in love at fight sight. It takes time to really, truly fall for someone. Yet I believe in a moment. A moment when you glimpse the truth within someone, and they glimpse the truth within you. In that moment, you don’t belong to yourself any longer, not completely. Part of you belongs to him; part of him belongs to you. After that, you can’t take it back, no matter how much you want to, no matter how hard you try.

The beginning of this book is pretty weak, with a revenge quest that's hard for readers to care about when we don't have any emotional connection to the characters yet and a whole lot of infodumping about the technology that enables travel between universes. I really wanted there to be a few chapters at the start to showcase the character relations before betrayal rips them apart and to actually present the events that drive the plot rather than simply having characters allude to those happenings after the fact.

This is a story that rewards readers for pushing through the early rough patches, though, and it develops into a rather creepy tale of sinister plots across parallel worlds, wrapped in a romance that's only slightly bogged down by the requisite YA love triangle. The universe-hopping is reminiscent of stories like Dark Matter or the TV show Fringe, with the added wrinkle that characters essentially take over the body of their parallel lives, who then gradually reassert themselves over time. There are enough fresh ideas here that I'm glad I didn't quit and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy, but author Claudia Gray really could have used another draft or two of her opening.

I’m going to be honest here, I definitely judged a book by its cover when I decided to click “want to read” on GoodReads . When this book was released I thought, “oooh…pretty cover, I’ll read that later.” I literally did not read the summary, because if I did I probably would have read it a lot sooner. It wasn’t until I read a little book called Lost Stars that I was like “Oh, that Claudia Gray, I should read her other books.” …and why the hell did I wait so long to read this book?!?

First off, I think I loved Marguerite from the start because she is a sarcastic little s***. I love characters that use humor as a defense mechanism. One of my favorite quotes in the book was when she was talking about what people think when they find out she is homeschooled: “They assume it’s super religious and not very difficult, like we sit around all day learning God made dinosaurs for the cavemen to ride.” I quite literally laughed out loud. She might not be as classicially “smart” as her genius parents, but I think Marguerite had this common sense that I found so refreshing in YA.

I’m a fan of The Flash, and the idea of the multiverse fascinates me, so I was super interested in the plot. I also love the Quantum Leap-esque way that they travel from different dimensions by jumping into the body of your other self. I liked that because it kind of removed the paradox of not meeting your doppelgänger, because you essentially become your doppelgänger. I’m about it! I also think it really makes you think about moral good, and if science can do something like this, should you really do it?

There was a part of me that had reservations about this novel and this is because it seems like it was going to do the whole love triangle thing. I hate love triangles, and I wish we could stop seeing them in literature. The thing I liked about this book is that Gray has Marguerite make that choice at the end of the book, so I’m hoping the next books in this series doesn’t even talk about that.

There were a few things that I predicted about the plot. I was not sold on Paul being the bad guy early on, and I knew there was something else going on, so at times It was predictable to me; however it didn’t make me want to like this book less. I think this is just a cause of reading way too much sci-fi, and being able to predict certain things but it didn’t make me like the book any less. If you have any interest in parallel worlds and the science behind how that could come to be, I would highly recommend this one. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one!

With its reviews through other readers, beautiful cover and intriguing description, I'll admit I had my expectatios for A Thousand Pieces of You extremely high, but unfortunately, I can't say they were met. The concept for the story is there, but I can't say the execution was will thought out.

So basically, Marguerite's parents are famous physicists - known for their invention of the Firebird - a mechanism that allows anyone who wears it to transport into different dimensions. But then Marguerite's father supposedly murdered by his very own research assistant - a boy named Paul. But before the police can catch him, Paul jumps into a different dimension. In order to stop him, Marguerite has no choice but to jump after him...

The story starts incredibly slowly, and by page 30, I was actually thinking of giving up altogether. It's only once Marguerite makes the decision to follow Paul into another universe that the story truly begins to pick up in my opinion. The beginning is simply a ton of info-dumping and background on Marguerite's life, flash backs in her past- nothing that I found specifically interesting or noteworthy.

Also, I found the writing to be quite cumbrous and just stiff overall - especially in the beginning. There are so many quotes, but this one is just horrid:
"...As the only right-brained member of my family, I wound up perusing my passion for painting a whole lot more than I studied high-level science."
There are continual quotes like that - sentences that have nothing to do with the story or are simply face-palm-worthy; and, while the writing smooths out gradually over the course of the novel, I still felt a little more editing was necessary. I also felt that the characterization lacked as well. As a protagonist, Marguerite had huge potential, but, unfortunately, she spent the majority of the story complaining and whining about the situation she was stuck in; and she constantly relied on others to get her out of the (many) sticky situations she got herself into; which, after a while, became quite annoying.

The worst part though? The love triangle that could only be called destiny over exaggerated. Marguerite finds herself torn between two guys - Theo (her childhood crush) and Paul (the guy who killed her father), both being completly obvious. Not only were the love interests flat and underdeveloped, but I could never feel the chemistry between any of them, which made the romance quite hard to believe sadly. And the fact that love is destiny/fate even through dimensions is unoriginal and dull. I understand that people may be tethered to your life no matter what ie. father, mother, but to say that if is always the same people over and over is unrealistic.

Between the Damsel in Distress-like protagonist and the cringe-worthy love triangle, I can't say this is something I'd recommend despite the fantastic concept and beautiful cover.

A Thousand Pieces of You is surprisingly a multidimensional science fiction ya romance, the first book in a series. The protagonist is leaping through dimensions chasing the alleged killer of her father, seeking revenge for his death. Such a boring book with such an exciting premise! I had great expectations and they were dashed to pieces.

I read quite a bit more than I was interested in reading. Early on I found myself drifting away from the story and soon began skimming, looking for the intrigue. Even the first major plot twist didn’t hold my interest for more than a page or two. It was incredibly disappointing. Part of the problem might have been that there was not enough background for me to care about the protagonist or other leading characters, nor was there quite enough action for me to be excited enough to care before hearing their back stories. So unfortunately for me, this book was a flop. A major flop. I quit halfway. I have no intentions of finishing it.

I don't really write reviews that often, but nearly the entire time I tried listening to this audiobook, all I had in my head were things I would love to write in a review. Not exactly in a good way either. I'll also premise this by saying I haven't finished the audiobook, so there aren't going to be any MAJOR spoilers in here. And yes, I believe I can still give this a 2 star review having not finished it. I CANNOT STAND how bad the narrator's different accents are (I managed to struggle through the horrendous English accents, but the Russian... it's too much. It's Dracula meets Chekov), and regardless, I doubt the last 1/3 of the story will really redeem itself enough to change my mind.

I believe I found this book solely because it appeared on some online list of "favorite audiobooks" where a few others listed I had tried and ended up being quite good. Which is why I ended up quite surprised that this one was... not. By a lot. I'll start off by saying I didn't know anything about this book, or the series, or the author beforehand. I still am unsure of whether or not this is supposed to be a young adult novel. I'm hoping it is. But even in that case I still think the book falls quite flat. I found myself constantly thinking it felt like something I would have written when I was 14 years old - and were it written by someone that young, this would be a great achievement for sure. But a best selling author? I found this book contrived and lazy.

Whether it's magic, or futuristic technology, a good sci-fi and fantasy author has a way of making the super natural world they create believable without having to explain exactly how the world works. Claudia Gray on the other hand keeps the reader tethered to the real world we are living in by constantly having the main character draw attention to the fact that she can't explain the science and technology. It's beyond her understanding, she's just an an artist surrounded by scientific brilliance, and how dare we ask her to explain! We weren't. I don't question how Harry Potter's wand works, or how miracle medicine and hovercrafts work in The Hunger Games (I'm still rooting for this to be a YA novel). Gray either doesn't trust the reader to become immersed in her world and just accept the fantastic, or she doesn't trust her writing enough to take us there on it's own, so her character's constant and obvious inability to explain anything that would require "multiple science degrees" comes off as a lazy apology.

On top of that, I also spent the first half of the story feeling as though I had missed an entire chapter. But how can that be, since I was listening to the audiobook! But it really would seem I missed the part of the story where there was enough character and story development to make Marguerite's decision to: abandon her newly widowed mother, travel inter-dimensionally using technology that she makes very clear she doesn't understand (at all. Because art. You know how it is), to find and KILL a man that she is sheepishly in love with because, despite there being no real evidence at all, he maybe, MAYBE, killed her father, make any sense. So let's break this down. Gentle art student of two brilliant scientists dotes and crushes on the reserved but handsome assistant, who has never done anything wrong to her. Art student's father is suspiciously dies, assistant disappears, so art student decides she must chase him down through different dimensions and kill him to avenge her father? Wait. What? Why? Seems a bit extreme and quite presumptuous.

The character descriptions are also painfully stereotypical - another reason why the story feels as though it's being written by a young teenager. Either that or someone older sitting down at their laptop thinking "Hmmm... what ARE the cool kids wearing these days?" and searched free stock images to get a better idea. Ah, Doc Martens, a vintage band t-shirt and spiky hair? Check.

I gave this book two stars, because despite the fact that I cringed nearly the entire time I listened to the audiobook (a combination of both the writing and narration - ugh, those accents still haunt me), the writing itself is technically sound, and the general idea of the book is interesting with a lot of potential. This would likely make a much better movie where special effects and quality acting could draw us in to the world of inter dimensional travel possibilities, where the writing ultimately fell flat on taking us.

Overall, pretty good. Not The Selection series good, but good enough that if I’d had the next book on hand, I would have picked it up right away (instead, I ordered it and it will be here in a few days, and while I’m waiting, I put it on hold at my library).

I don’t want to be guilty of spoilers, so I’ll say this: I very much enjoyed the romance between Marguerite and “that guy”. I had read that there was a love triangle, but to be honest, it wasn’t a very compelling one. It seemed pretty clear to me from the onset who she had genuine feelings for. Somehow I suspect there will be some volleying back and forth in the following books, and I’m eager to see if it’s convincing (after Twilight I was so Team Edward and then after New Moon, I was SO Team Jacob, and then I went back to Team Edward eventually so…just sayin’). I like a little romantic tension.

In terms of the sci fi aspect, there have been a lot of complaints in other reviews, but I don’t think this was meant to be hardcore sci fi, and I don’t really care how accurate is because I didn’t pick up this book to learn something, I picked it up to enjoy myself. An element of time travel (er…dimensional travel) alone does not make a book sci fi. I don’t consider The Time Traveler’s Wife sci fi either and it has time travel. So, if you’re the kind of person who thinks every detail of a book that has a hint of sci fi has to be perfectly accurate or that every little thing has to be scientifically explained, then just don’t. Seriously. Just. Don’t.

If you like YA that is entertaining and fun, a little reality bending, with a strong dose of romance, and a hint of sci fi, then this is a good choice for you.

MY THOUGHTS
I've been wanting to read this book for a long, long time. I added it to my TBR list back in 2013 when it was still titled Can't Get Next to You. The title changed, it got that AMAZING cover (probably my favorite cover of all time) and I wanted it even more! I was insanely happy when I finally got my hands on this book and I'm happy to say, it did not disappoint!

A major reason why I wanted to read this book was this: PARALLEL UNIVERSES! Anybody who knows me, knows that I am a bit obsessed with parallel universes. The worlds that Marguerite travels to are so intricate and well-done. It is very interesting to see how similar and how different the worlds can be to Marguerite's own world! And all the science behind the technology to do this is explained very clearly and it makes perfect sense!

This will probably come as a surprise, but I actually loved the romance! It's odd, since there is a bit of a love triangle. Not much so in this book, but I get the feeling that it will progress later on. I loved the guy that the romance was focused on in this book and I was definetly shipping it! I was annoyed by Marguerite, though, because she was constantly not accepting the fact that she loves him. I want my ship to sail!

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this was probably one of the best books I've read this year! I love the idea of parallel universes! It was so well-done and developed! I rooted for the romance! And the characters were great as well!
I, honestly, cannot wait for the next book!

My feelings on this book are very very confused. There are aspects of it that I love, but there are also a lot of aspects that made me very very cranky. I keep going back and forth with my feelings on this one because my brain grabs on to some things and loves it but then it grabs on to others and wants to smacks things. So this review is probably going to be all over the place.

I’m going to start with what bugged me so we can end the review on a happy note. The first thing that drove me absolutely insane was how dumb some of the characters could be. I mean, we are told the characters are smart and they are smart, but then some of the decisions they made were just not in line with that. The characters just didn’t see things when it was convenient for the story. And I don’t fault characters for making bad decisions, because we all do, what bothers me with this is that it was inconsistent for the characters.

Then I felt as if the story was repetitive at times. They would jump to a dimension, have to find each other, find out new things, and move along. Sometimes I felt like parts of the story didn’t even contribute to the overall arc. For example, the prominent dimension in the story is a dimension where Russia is still ruled by the Romanov Empire. While I enjoyed this dimension, I felt like it wasn’t integral to the overall plot of the story and was there as a device to bring two characters closer together.

The other thing that bugged me is that this entire world is built on a very very thin line and it doesn’t take much to poke holes in it. For example, in the main dimension Marguerite has an older sister, but then in another dimension she doesn’t. I just don’t get how this works… wouldn’t the first child her parents have always be the first child… or does it have to do with when they have the child… I don’t know but that didn’t work for me and just felt convenient. And then the author explains that in other dimensions where the firebird doesn’t exist, other people won’t be able to see it because it technically doesn’t exist there so their mind passes over it. Okay cool, that makes sense to me in sci fi book land. But then while she is in the Russian dimension, there are two distinct instances where characters who shouldn’t be able to see the device do see it and both of those instances are major events in how the story plays out. So it’s a rule of the worlds that other dimensions “can’t see the firebird” except when it needs to be seen in order for the story to work. I don’t know. Maybe I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it all, but this just never sat right with me.

And now for the things I liked. I absolutely LOVED the romance. It was beautiful and sweet and gorgeous. I was rooting for Paul and Marguerite the entire time. It is so clear right from the get go that these two have something special. Those two together are wonderful. Paul was easily my favorite character and made the book for me. Right now the story is teetering on the line of love triangle… I wouldn’t say it is one, but I can see how the story may twist to make it one and I swear if that happens, I am going to be soooooooo mad.

I also loved the last 20% of this one and I felt like that is when we finally started to see things happen that were directly involved in the main storyline. There were plot twists towards the end that took me completely by surprise. I loved that the book was able to do that. One of those twists I even guessed SUPER early on and then I convinced myself I was wrong and out ruled it… so well played Claudia Gray well played.

All in all, A Thousand Pieces of You was a very back and forth read for me. I think I’m intrigued enough to continue with the series… honestly, I want to keep going for Paul alone. Plus the concept is truly unique and I do appreciate that aspect, I just hope the next book sees less deviation and more development with the storyline I feel is at the center of this all.

A Thousand Pieces of You was my most highly anticipated book of 2014. And Claudia Gray is one of my absolute favorite authors (I’m a huge fan of Spellcaster and Fateful, especially!). And I must say, this book did NOT disappoint! First of all, I read it in two days – it’s nearly 400 pages long – so that should tell you something! Second of all, Claudia Gray is brilliant. She creates masterful stories, unforgettable worlds and beloved characters that stick with you long after the story is over.

Marguerite was an amazing character, if not a little bit frustrating at times. She wanted to see the good in everyone, she trusted blindly and she refused to be calm and rational in the beginning. I know it’s hard to be rational after what she went through, but it would have saved her a lot of trouble if she had gotten her facts first. Then again, she may not have had a certain revelation near the end of the book had she been calm and rational in the beginning. So it all balances out. I really loved how take-charge she was from the beginning, though. She refused to sit on the sidelines, despite the uncertainty of what she was doing.

Despite what we’re told, I liked Paul from the beginning. There was something about the way Marguerite described him.. It just didn’t mesh with what we were led to believe he did. Seeing him throughout his various parallel lives further cemented this feeling for me. No matter what he did or didn’t do, I love him and ship him with Marguerite. Nothing can or will change that feeling.

From very early on, Theo is established as the hero, the one trying to avenge the wrong he feels was committed. But I just didn’t trust him at all. It’s weird and hard to explain, but from the moment we were introduced to him, I just had this really odd feeling. Despite that, I liked his chemistry with Marguerite. Theo felt like the “bad boy” to me; he reminded me of Damon from The Vampire Diaries, whereas Paul reminded me of Stefan. Despite everything that happened, I still ship Marguerite with Paul, though I still have a soft spot for Theo. And after that epic revelation near the end of the book, I’m curious to see what happens with him in the second book..

All of the parallel dimensions were facinating – The technology in the London dimension was crazy cool! – but the one I loved the most, the reason I was MOST excited to read this book, was the dimension in which Marguerite was a grand duchess in a Tsarist Russia. Oohhh, the Anastasia-like feels! First of all, I believe I’ve stated this in previous reviews, but I LOVE historical YA, with royalty and castles and all of that. But I’m especially fascinated by the story of Anastasia Romanov. Part of that is thanks to the animated movie (#SorryNotSorry) and part of it is because I love history and mysteries. And though I would have read this book no matter what since it’s a Claudia Gray book, this post that Claudia posted on Tumblr guaranteed that I would be all epic grabby hands when it came to this book! Also, this post = All the feels!!!!! And you’ll know why when you read the book!!! (For the record, the Anastasia aspect of the story wasn’t the main reason why Claudia wrote this book. To learn more about where the idea for A Thousand Pieces of You came about, check out this post on her website).

The ending of this book was epic, insane, crazy, whoa! I got to a certain point in the book and my heart was just in my throat from there until the end. I kept waiting for “the other shoe to drop,” as the saying goes. And it did.. quite a few times. And my poor heart couldn’t take it! And then… The worst thing ever happened.. I turned the page and saw ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!!!! I just stared at that page for a long time, sobbing. Because… HOW COULD I HAVE REACHED THE END ALREADY?!?!? HOW WAS THERE NOT MORE TO READ?!?!? I NEED BOOK TWO IN MY LIFE NOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!! *Sobs*

Overall, if you couldn’t tell from my… *Stares at review, clears throat…* Insane fangirly review, I adored this book to (A Thousand) pieces! As I said, it was my most highly anticipated book of 2014 and it didn’t disappoint at all! I love Claudia Gray, I love her books and this is now up in my Top Three Favorite Claudia Gray Books with Spellcaster and Fateful! I swear, Claudia Gray comes up with the BEST story ideas and I just can’t wait to gobble up Steadfast (Spellcaster, #2) (which I’m behind on reading) and – when they release – Sorceress (Spellcaster, #3) and the second Firebird book! And anything else she writes.. Really, she’s on my Auto-Buy Author List forever. If it wasn’t obvious…. *Clears throat* Anyway, A Thousand Pieces of You releases on November 4, 2014 – just a few more days. Everyone needs to read this book when it releases! It’s amazing and you won’t be disappointed!

"The Firebirds allow me to travel through dimensions, but not through time."

That quote above is a very clear and concise description of the Firebird and reading that was very helpful to me. So many science fiction books don't explain things well, or if they do explain them, the explanation is overly complex and makes it hard to follow. Gray was able to boil it down to the basics which was great to see and it helped me enjoy the book more because I understood what was going on.

I was worried that this book wouldn't work for me. I love parallel universe stories, but the cover of this book was so stunning, I was afraid that the book wouldn't match the gorgeous cover. I am so glad to say that I was wrong, and really wrong.

A Thousand Pieces of You is slow in the beginning and normally that would bother me a lot, but I stuck with it because I wanted to give this book some time to really hook me. Right around page 60, it really began to pick up and from that point on I was fascinated by the world, or rather, worlds that Gray had created in this story.

I don't know which boy to trust at this point. I don't like Theo all that much and I do like Paul. I'm just not sure if I like him with Marguerite. Marguerite is a bad ass on her own and I do think she's in love with Paul and that he is in love with her as well. I'm just not sure if the book really needed the romance or if it would have been stronger without it.

"I fell in love with one Paul. I fell in love with his unchanging soul. Does that mean I fell in love with every Paul, everywhere?"

I do think Paul has goodness in his heart, but I think Marguerite is conflicted due to the things that happen throughout the book. Things that she can't answer. Questions that plague her mind every single day. She begins to question what actually happened to her father. She begins to second guess everything that everyone is telling her, in every dimension.

A Thousand Pieces of You is a wild ride that will take readers on an adventure through multiple universes. I really enjoyed this one and I cannot wait to see where it goes next. 4 stars to this captivating book with captivating characters. I would completely recommend this book to lovers of science fiction.

First off .. can I just say the cover is BEAUTIFUL!

Okay heres the blurb:
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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So after picking this book up I wasn't sure if it would catch my attention because I usually don't read time travel books. But for some reason A Thousand Pieces of You caught my attention.

This is my first Claudia Gray book and it won't be the last. I really enjoyed the writing. Its a pretty fast paced book. At the beginning I was already trying to pair her up with a guy.

So she didn't end up with who I wanted in the beginning I still really liked the book!

I think the Russia dimension is my favorite! It really got me into the story!

A Thousand Pieces of Me kept me turning the pages.. I had to know what was going to happen next.. so needless to say I finished it in a few hours. Great read!

I loved A Thousand Pieces of You. Considering the past couple of weeks I been pushing through some ARCs it was refreshing to read something that is already published. I'm not a huge fan of Gray, I wasn't all impressed with Spellcaster and I never made it past the cover on her other series, so I was playing with fire when I picked up A Thousand Pieces of You, but I ended up loving it!

Marguerite's parent's have a created a device called a "Firebird" that allows a person's consciousness to travel between dimensions. But soon the joy of the successes will be drowned in betrayal when the "Firebird" data has been destroyed and Marguerite's dad murdered. But no one expected Paul, a student assistant to be guilty of the crime. But with evidence pointed at him and a now stolen "Firebird" he uses to jump through dimensions with a determined Theo and Marguerite will track Paul to the end of the multiverse with discarded "Firebird" prototypes to catch him.

A Thousand Pieces of You has several settings. All of them well written and developed. My favorite of them being Russia, with Marguerite being the Tsar's daughter. My only problem with the dimensions was that Marguerite got use to them too quickly, she didn't make many mistakes that made people question her and some information it seemed like she already knew, though she was never in that one dimension before.

Character wise I liked Marguerite for the most part though, her emotions where strong and she was determined and she kept the story moving. I loved Theo and I shipped them but then Gray throws in a bunch of twists and now I am not so sure. Paul had to grow on me, it wasn't until we learned about Russian Paul that I really fell in love with him. And once again Gray twisted the plot and I had to go and search for tissues because the tears wouldn't stop.

I couldn't really tell if there was a love triangle in this book. At times it felt like there was one, and then at other times I wasn't so sure. Marguerite obviously has feelings for both Paul and Theo. (I don't blame her though!) I felt like her feels changed depending on the settings and what was going on. In the London dimension I shipped Theo on Marguerite but then in the Russia dimension I shipped her and Paul. It wasn't until the very end where I finally chose who I shipped Marguerite with and I can't wait to see more of them in the next book!

A Thousand Pieces of You made my list of 2014 favorite reads. It was full of suspense, action, and romance making me crave more!

After reading so many great reviews on this book I just knew I had to read it. It was what I wanted and offered so much more.
Plot: This is about a girl named Marguerite who lives in a time of time travel. I can’t really explain other than it reminded me of the movie Jumper but instead of jumping to places, she can jump to different parallel universes. This indeed intrigued me to no end and it made me read the book faster.
Relationships: This book is all about relationships. Relationships with friends/co-workers, parents, etc. I really enjoyed how all of these relationships develop over the period of the story. The reader is able to know more about her parents, her history and why she is traveling to different parallel universes.
Parallel Universes: One other great aspect of the story are the different parallel universes. You travel to the past, the future yet the author keeps all parts of that history intact. You don’t feel confused yet you feel as if you just step into another universe with the same characters. Thats the other great part I loved. The characters, even in other parallel universe remain the same. So you don’t loose the characters you know. In fact, I think the different parallel universes help bring out the characters emotions even more.
Honestly, I adored this book. I loved the time travel. I loved the characters. I just in general really loved the whole story. I can’t wait to read the second book!

A Thousand Pieces of You

Welcome to Book City
Date: November 13, 2014

Spoilers Ahead

Headline
A Thousand Pieces of You
Claudia Gray

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.

City Calendar:
This is what happened during the week.
Paul supposedly kills Marguerite's father. He leaves their dimension. Marguerite and Theo jump the dimension to follow Paul. They end up in a futuristic London where Marguerite is an orphan. Theo finds Marguerite. They sneak into a conference where Wyatt Conley a genius in the tech world is speaking in hopes to find Paul. They see Paul and go into the conference. They confront Paul who makes them run to the Tube. They fight there, but Paul takes Marguerite and flee on a train. Paul leaves the dimension then, leaving Marguerite. She follows.
They end up in Russia. Paul begs her to go home, but Marguerite refuses. Paul's Firebird is taken, and Marguerite's is damaged. Marguerite ends up being the daughter of the Russian tsar. Marguerite acts as the duchess. She dances with Paul who doesn't have the memories of the Paul she knows. She sees the real duchess's drawings of Paul and knows how much the duchess loves Paul. (Who is a lieutenant in this dimension.) Theo sends a letter to Marguerite, explaining where he is. Christmas comes. Balls happen. Paul and Marguerite exchange presents. The royal family go on a trip to Moscow, but their train is attacked by the tsar's brother. Marguerite and Paul escape unscathed. They confess love for each other and make love. Marguerite admits the truth to the lieutenant. They then go to an encampment where the tsar and the soldiers are. They find Marguerite's dad a royal tutor to see if Marguerite's Firebird is fixed. Marguerite tells her father the truth. She reveals that the deceased wife of the tsar her mother and her father the tutor are her parents. The tsar's brother is killed in battle. Paul is wounded. Marguerite goes to see him. He dies. Her father fixes the Firebird, and Marguerite leaves.
She goes to a dimension almost exactly like her own. She and Theo go to find about Conley. Paul tells her to leave and meet him. She does. She learns the truth about Conley's motives and that Conley wants her. She learns that Conley killed her father. Paul and Marguerite escape.
Marguerite finds Theo and Paul on the science research boat. A storm comes. Marguerite realizes that this dimension's father is her own. She gives him a reminder that 'wakes up' Marguerite's real dad. Theo comes. Marguerite and Theo go to find a winch. Marguerite realizes that Theo is not her dimension's Theo but another dimension's Theo. They fight, and Marguerite escapes via escape pod. She is rescued by Paul and taken aboard. Paul goes back to rescue Theo. Marguerite and her father go back to her home dimension. Their family is reunited, and Paul and Marguerite get together and form a couple.
And that's what happened this week.

Personal Ads:
Marguerite Caine.
Brave. Cares a lot for her family. Chasing her father’s killer. Important in Conley’s eyes. Ordinary girl. Painter. Sketcher in Russian world. Daughter of geniuses in physics. More into art than physics.

Theo Beck.
Flirty. Smart. Graduate student. Assistant to the Dr. Caines. Deceptive. Liar. Cares for his ‘family’. A bit reckless.

Paul Markov.
Buff. Graduate student. Supposed ‘killer’ of Henry Caine. Assistant. Lieutenant in one world. Brilliant in physics. Genius. Shy. Quiet. Cares for his ‘family’. Determined to keep his ‘family’ safe.

Opinions:
This book was one that I kept saying ‘You gotta read this book’ to everyone I met. Yes. I did that.
This is why.
The world building was nice. The author paid attention to some small details. The way the people spoke. Their outfits. It’s nice to have that. Of course, I wanted some Russian thrown in. But it’s fine without it too.
The romance was…okay. I think it could have been done better. While I’m no fan of love triangles, I do like Marguerite and Paul are good together. Well…good enough. I think Paul deserves someone else, but Marguerite works too. She’s kind. She understands him on a different level. I think there is chemistry there. But there are bad things to the romance.
The sex scene threw me off. I was screaming at my book, wondering why this book had to fall into the YA sex scene trap. Why does it seem like so many fantastic YA books are ruined with sex? I don’t get it. It’s not like teens are just randomly going into bedrooms and having at it. I know that teens are known for drugs, alcohol, and sex, but that doesn’t have to transfer to books. I’m sick of sex scenes. Sick of it.
The science fiction was good as well. It blended well. Marguerite was no Paul nor an Einstein, but she knew enough. I think that it is a possibility with this dimensional travel. My friend, a mad genius, says so. But he’s mad, so that is something to consider.
The fact that there are so many surprises is good. Not unwanted surprises like pregnancy or whatnot. Nice surprises that keep you on your toes. You gasp along with the characters.
The characters. Oh my. This is a tough one. I hate the other Theo. Annoying. Bratty. Goes to another level of flirty. And hitting on poor Marguerite? Oh my. But I do love Paul. In any form. He cares for his family. He really does. I like Paul. Tortured genius, in a way. I do like his character. I hope he ends up with a happy ending.
I also like the plot. It’s interesting while not being too annoying with the setting switches. I like the even balance of action and romance. (Even though our little Marguerite gets too…clingy with Paul after Russia.)

Weather:
Sunny with almost clear skies
4.5/5

"A Thousand Pieces of You", a roller-coaster ride blending mystery and romance into an exciting fantasy begins when Marguerite Caine shattered by the pain and betrayal of Paul Markov jumps into an alternate dimension with Theo Beck to search for and kill her father's murderer. What she doesn't expect is to discover the truth about Paul's guilt and to uncover clues to a sinister plot that will have her running from Russian insurgents and corporate spies.

Claudia Gray sets the stage for this thrilling tale of secrecy, subterfuge and infinite possibilities after Marguerite's physicist parents make a remarkable discovery about the universe which is actually a multiverse where countless realities are layered beside one another. With an innovative invention human consciousness can travel between these alternate dimensions but with only one drawback; if the Firebird's lost, broken or stolen the traveller's memory becomes submerged in the mind of the loaned body. When Paul Markov one of Dr. Sophia Kovalenko and Dr. Henry Caine 's grad students destroys her mother's research and her father is presumed dead in a freak car accident Marguerite leaps at a chance to hunt, find and kill the murderer.

With surprising twists and turns in a plot that keeps you mesmerized from the first page to the last Claudia Gray slowly builds tension and suspense. As Marguerite becomes embroiled in the mystery of her father's murder and the destruction of her mother's research, the truth of Paul's involvement begins to unravel. Cleverly the author even weaves a romance for this eighteen year old that's not only difficult at times but holds shocking surprises as she draws close to Theo while reluctantly remembering the tender moments she spent with Paul only to suffer through love and loss with his counterpart, a Russian guard during a rebellion.

The characters are unforgettable and complex as they traverse alternate dimensions, facing one challenge after another. Marguerite Caine who's passionate about painting not science is high-strung, melodramatic, impulsive and spirited. In her journey she learns not only about love, but about the secret behind an overload test that made her not only dizzy but the target in a sinister plan. Theo Beck the grad student who repaired the Firebirds so he and Marguerite could track Paul is an amusing, cocky flirt who hides a dark side that's selfish, reckless and ambitious. Paul Markov is aloof, quiet, awkward and highly intelligent. Only in his search for answers to the machinations of Wyatt Conley the boyish tech genuis and CEO of the Triad Corporation does Marguerite's parents' shy, strange assistant show his resourcefulness, ingenuity and bravery. It is these personalities and others that add energy, passion and excitement to this imaginative fantasy.

I enjoyed "A Thousand Pieces of You" especially when the adventure, intrigue and romance heats up after Marguerite leaps into other realities to uncover an ominous scheme while learning lessons about love and destiny.

Marguerite's parents are physicists who have invented a technology that lets people travel between dimensions. They enter the body of themselves - whoever they are in that world. Her parents' theory is that there are infinite dimensions, each different from the next, and that everything has happened in one dimension or another. Paul, one of their assistants, thinks differently. He believes in fate, and that some things are destined to happen in every dimension.

But Marguerite is forced to forget about everything Paul has said, and the feelings she was developing for him, when he murders her father and escapes to another dimension. With the help of Theo, another assistant of her parents, she must travel through dimensions to catch Paul and kill him.

I absolutely loved this book, and I cannot wait until the sequel is released. The concept of there being infinite dimensions where one person's life could play out in so many different ways was so interesting. It also allowed the reader to see many sides to each character, and I think that was done very well. Sometimes being placed in a different scenario can really change a person, but there is always that core personality that is them no matter where they are at or what they are forced to deal with. The character development was great to see and this was a unique spin that made it that much better.

The moral issues dealt with, when it came to traveling between dimensions, was excellent as well. Marguerite had to wonder whether relationships with one version of a person could really transfer to their other self. Could she trust the same people in one dimension as she could in another? If someone fell in love with multiple versions of a person, did they love several people, or just one? The issue was also talked about that traveling to different dimensions meant taking over someone else's body. How long could you take over someone's life before it was morally wrong? What decisions of theirs was it okay to make? I really like that these concepts were looked into and thought about through the story, as it made things feel more realistic and gave the reader some interesting points to think about as well.

One thing that I had a kind of love/hate relationship with were the twists. I feel like, in a couple of situations, things happened and then were taken back. While I liked the way things turned out, it was frustrating to think something for most of the novel and then have it taken away. The twists all made sense, but I feel like some of them could have been left out and might have made for a better story.

Either way, I was so invested in the story and these characters. I truly wanted the best for them and I will definitely be picking up the sequel as soon as it comes out. I'm especially happy that, while this book left plenty of room for sequels, there was not a terrible cliffhanger - which makes the wait between this and book two a bit easier!

A Thousand Pieces of You

Welcome to Book City
Date: November 13, 2014

Spoilers Ahead

Headline
A Thousand Pieces of You
Claudia Gray

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.

City Calendar:
This is what happened during the week.
Paul supposedly kills Marguerite's father. He leaves their dimension. Marguerite and Theo jump the dimension to follow Paul. They end up in a futuristic London where Marguerite is an orphan. Theo finds Marguerite. They sneak into a conference where Wyatt Conley a genius in the tech world is speaking in hopes to find Paul. They see Paul and go into the conference. They confront Paul who makes them run to the Tube. They fight there, but Paul takes Marguerite and flee on a train. Paul leaves the dimension then, leaving Marguerite. She follows.
They end up in Russia. Paul begs her to go home, but Marguerite refuses. Paul's Firebird is taken, and Marguerite's is damaged. Marguerite ends up being the daughter of the Russian tsar. Marguerite acts as the duchess. She dances with Paul who doesn't have the memories of the Paul she knows. She sees the real duchess's drawings of Paul and knows how much the duchess loves Paul. (Who is a lieutenant in this dimension.) Theo sends a letter to Marguerite, explaining where he is. Christmas comes. Balls happen. Paul and Marguerite exchange presents. The royal family go on a trip to Moscow, but their train is attacked by the tsar's brother. Marguerite and Paul escape unscathed. They confess love for each other and make love. Marguerite admits the truth to the lieutenant. They then go to an encampment where the tsar and the soldiers are. They find Marguerite's dad a royal tutor to see if Marguerite's Firebird is fixed. Marguerite tells her father the truth. She reveals that the deceased wife of the tsar her mother and her father the tutor are her parents. The tsar's brother is killed in battle. Paul is wounded. Marguerite goes to see him. He dies. Her father fixes the Firebird, and Marguerite leaves.
She goes to a dimension almost exactly like her own. She and Theo go to find about Conley. Paul tells her to leave and meet him. She does. She learns the truth about Conley's motives and that Conley wants her. She learns that Conley killed her father. Paul and Marguerite escape.
Marguerite finds Theo and Paul on the science research boat. A storm comes. Marguerite realizes that this dimension's father is her own. She gives him a reminder that 'wakes up' Marguerite's real dad. Theo comes. Marguerite and Theo go to find a winch. Marguerite realizes that Theo is not her dimension's Theo but another dimension's Theo. They fight, and Marguerite escapes via escape pod. She is rescued by Paul and taken aboard. Paul goes back to rescue Theo. Marguerite and her father go back to her home dimension. Their family is reunited, and Paul and Marguerite get together and form a couple.
And that's what happened this week.

Personal Ads:
Marguerite Caine.
Brave. Cares a lot for her family. Chasing her father’s killer. Important in Conley’s eyes. Ordinary girl. Painter. Sketcher in Russian world. Daughter of geniuses in physics. More into art than physics.

Theo Beck.
Flirty. Smart. Graduate student. Assistant to the Dr. Caines. Deceptive. Liar. Cares for his ‘family’. A bit reckless.

Paul Markov.
Buff. Graduate student. Supposed ‘killer’ of Henry Caine. Assistant. Lieutenant in one world. Brilliant in physics. Genius. Shy. Quiet. Cares for his ‘family’. Determined to keep his ‘family’ safe.

Opinions:
This book was one that I kept saying ‘You gotta read this book’ to everyone I met. Yes. I did that.
This is why.
The world building was nice. The author paid attention to some small details. The way the people spoke. Their outfits. It’s nice to have that. Of course, I wanted some Russian thrown in. But it’s fine without it too.
The romance was…okay. I think it could have been done better. While I’m no fan of love triangles, I do like Marguerite and Paul are good together. Well…good enough. I think Paul deserves someone else, but Marguerite works too. She’s kind. She understands him on a different level. I think there is chemistry there. But there are bad things to the romance.
The sex scene threw me off. I was screaming at my book, wondering why this book had to fall into the YA sex scene trap. Why does it seem like so many fantastic YA books are ruined with sex? I don’t get it. It’s not like teens are just randomly going into bedrooms and having at it. I know that teens are known for drugs, alcohol, and sex, but that doesn’t have to transfer to books. I’m sick of sex scenes. Sick of it.
The science fiction was good as well. It blended well. Marguerite was no Paul nor an Einstein, but she knew enough. I think that it is a possibility with this dimensional travel. My friend, a mad genius, says so. But he’s mad, so that is something to consider.
The fact that there are so many surprises is good. Not unwanted surprises like pregnancy or whatnot. Nice surprises that keep you on your toes. You gasp along with the characters.
The characters. Oh my. This is a tough one. I hate the other Theo. Annoying. Bratty. Goes to another level of flirty. And hitting on poor Marguerite? Oh my. But I do love Paul. In any form. He cares for his family. He really does. I like Paul. Tortured genius, in a way. I do like his character. I hope he ends up with a happy ending.
I also like the plot. It’s interesting while not being too annoying with the setting switches. I like the even balance of action and romance. (Even though our little Marguerite gets too…clingy with Paul after Russia.)

Weather:
Sunny with almost clear skies
4.5/5

"A Thousand Pieces of You", a roller-coaster ride blending mystery and romance into an exciting fantasy begins when Marguerite Caine shattered by the pain and betrayal of Paul Markov jumps into an alternate dimension with Theo Beck to search for and kill her father's murderer. What she doesn't expect is to discover the truth about Paul's guilt and to uncover clues to a sinister plot that will have her running from Russian insurgents and corporate spies.

Claudia Gray sets the stage for this thrilling tale of secrecy, subterfuge and infinite possibilities after Marguerite's physicist parents make a remarkable discovery about the universe which is actually a multiverse where countless realities are layered beside one another. With an innovative invention human consciousness can travel between these alternate dimensions but with only one drawback; if the Firebird's lost, broken or stolen the traveller's memory becomes submerged in the mind of the loaned body. When Paul Markov one of Dr. Sophia Kovalenko and Dr. Henry Caine 's grad students destroys her mother's research and her father is presumed dead in a freak car accident Marguerite leaps at a chance to hunt, find and kill the murderer.

With surprising twists and turns in a plot that keeps you mesmerized from the first page to the last Claudia Gray slowly builds tension and suspense. As Marguerite becomes embroiled in the mystery of her father's murder and the destruction of her mother's research, the truth of Paul's involvement begins to unravel. Cleverly the author even weaves a romance for this eighteen year old that's not only difficult at times but holds shocking surprises as she draws close to Theo while reluctantly remembering the tender moments she spent with Paul only to suffer through love and loss with his counterpart, a Russian guard during a rebellion.

The characters are unforgettable and complex as they traverse alternate dimensions, facing one challenge after another. Marguerite Caine who's passionate about painting not science is high-strung, melodramatic, impulsive and spirited. In her journey she learns not only about love, but about the secret behind an overload test that made her not only dizzy but the target in a sinister plan. Theo Beck the grad student who repaired the Firebirds so he and Marguerite could track Paul is an amusing, cocky flirt who hides a dark side that's selfish, reckless and ambitious. Paul Markov is aloof, quiet, awkward and highly intelligent. Only in his search for answers to the machinations of Wyatt Conley the boyish tech genuis and CEO of the Triad Corporation does Marguerite's parents' shy, strange assistant show his resourcefulness, ingenuity and bravery. It is these personalities and others that add energy, passion and excitement to this imaginative fantasy.

I enjoyed "A Thousand Pieces of You" especially when the adventure, intrigue and romance heats up after Marguerite leaps into other realities to uncover an ominous scheme while learning lessons about love and destiny.

Marguerite's parents are physicists who have invented a technology that lets people travel between dimensions. They enter the body of themselves - whoever they are in that world. Her parents' theory is that there are infinite dimensions, each different from the next, and that everything has happened in one dimension or another. Paul, one of their assistants, thinks differently. He believes in fate, and that some things are destined to happen in every dimension.

But Marguerite is forced to forget about everything Paul has said, and the feelings she was developing for him, when he murders her father and escapes to another dimension. With the help of Theo, another assistant of her parents, she must travel through dimensions to catch Paul and kill him.

I absolutely loved this book, and I cannot wait until the sequel is released. The concept of there being infinite dimensions where one person's life could play out in so many different ways was so interesting. It also allowed the reader to see many sides to each character, and I think that was done very well. Sometimes being placed in a different scenario can really change a person, but there is always that core personality that is them no matter where they are at or what they are forced to deal with. The character development was great to see and this was a unique spin that made it that much better.

The moral issues dealt with, when it came to traveling between dimensions, was excellent as well. Marguerite had to wonder whether relationships with one version of a person could really transfer to their other self. Could she trust the same people in one dimension as she could in another? If someone fell in love with multiple versions of a person, did they love several people, or just one? The issue was also talked about that traveling to different dimensions meant taking over someone else's body. How long could you take over someone's life before it was morally wrong? What decisions of theirs was it okay to make? I really like that these concepts were looked into and thought about through the story, as it made things feel more realistic and gave the reader some interesting points to think about as well.

One thing that I had a kind of love/hate relationship with were the twists. I feel like, in a couple of situations, things happened and then were taken back. While I liked the way things turned out, it was frustrating to think something for most of the novel and then have it taken away. The twists all made sense, but I feel like some of them could have been left out and might have made for a better story.

Either way, I was so invested in the story and these characters. I truly wanted the best for them and I will definitely be picking up the sequel as soon as it comes out. I'm especially happy that, while this book left plenty of room for sequels, there was not a terrible cliffhanger - which makes the wait between this and book two a bit easier!

Marguerite Caine is an aspiring artist who happens to have physicist parents. These physicists have made groundbreaking discoveries, including inventing a device called the Firebird that can take a person into one of the infinite parallel universes that exist. Unfortunately, this revolutionary invention makes them a target for opportunists. Paul, a graduate student who earned the trust of the scientists and Marguerite, seems to have murdered Marguerite's father and escaped with their invention into on of the multitudes of universes to escape the law. Marguerite and another grad student have to follow Paul through these dimensions and bring him to justice.

Based on the description, you might assume that this book is an action packed thriller, but you would be very wrong. This is a romance through and through, which I don't have a problem with, but it would have been nice to know beforehand. Like a typical teen novel, a love triangle forms and troubles our heroine, but then turns into a love square. The romance isn't terrible. I like how the different romances develop, but not always how they end. The science fiction takes a backseat to the romance, but is still intriguing. Travel to the parallel universes is something that I don't read about often, so I was excited to see this author's take. When travelling to these other dimensions, a person takes over the body of the version of themselves in the universe. The traveler has no memories of their alternate life, so they have to find out more about their life and fake like they are the version that belongs there. (Although there are convenient inconsistencies that help forward romances.) This is an interesting take and takes away the confusion of having two of the same person in one dimension. I loved the different dimensions and looking at the different ways civilization, technology, and pop culture developed. Some dimensions aren't very different from this one. Others are drastically different. My favorite was the one that seemed to be a century behind due to slow development and alternate history.

I had numerous problems with the novel. A lot of technical questions are avoided because Marguerite is an artist with little to no knowledge of the science. This is a bit of a cop out and allows the author to create the science fiction without fleshing out specifically how or why it happens. I had a big problem with Marguerite assuming Paul killed her father on no evidence at all. Is it so much to ask that some characters have half a brain and ask some questions before jumping to huge conclusions? Also, Paul and Marguerite are in love in all of the dimensions they go to. It stands to reason that this would not be the case in all dimensions because one or the other wouldn't exist or might be evil or simply living in different parts of the world or one of them might be dead. However, they seem to be in love because they are fated to be together forever. I personally find fate incredibly boring because it doesn't bring free will or the circumstances I mention into account and also does not mesh with the scientific aspects of the novel. The true villain of the piece is revealed to be an evil and young version of Steve Jobs. He's one dimensional caricature, practically twirling his mustache and tying a girl to some train tracks while he swims in his mountains of dirty money. This aspects was ham handed and boring to read,

The overall concepts were much more interesting than the actual story. Many aspects simply didn't mesh well together. There were a lot more things I had a problem with than I enjoyed. I enjoy Claudia Gray's work and will continue to, but this was a miss for me. I won't be continuing the series.

A totally wonderful, uplifting and exhilarating adventure of a book that takes you on a journey that you will not forget. Marguerite’s life is one wild ride from the moment she takes the journey to try to find her father’s killer and justice. She finds that things are not always what they seem. Plus her life is very different with every reality.

What I found really interesting is that when it starts, Marguerite finds herself wanting revenge for her father’s death. We get the background story of Marguerite and the other characters, her family, the two men in her life Paul and Theo. Paul is a family friend, Theo is her friend, maybe boyfriend possibly. She thinks that Paul has murdered her father because of the technology that her father has created and used a device known as the Firebird which allows people to travel to alternate dimensions taking over their other selves in that dimension. I thought that this was an interesting concept, plus it was believable the way that the technology worked. Plus Theo manages to assemble two old ones so that both him and Marguerite can find Paul and bring him to justice for killing Marguerite’s father. I really like that there’s a purpose to Marguerite’s traveling through dimensions, except that nothing is what we really think.

As we go through the dimensions, we learn that Paul has been set up. During some of the dimensions or alternate realities, we find that things are a lot different. One of my favorite dimensions was the one where Marguerite was a princess and that Paul was her guard. I thought that this was really well done. Plus Paul and Marguerite really get to know one another on a very different level. Their relationship was so great to see it unfold and blossom in a very unexpected way. Plus we learn that Paul isn’t what we are told. He is a great character in his own way.

The book is intense in a lot of ways. We learn that there are other people pulling strings. Then there’s a twist regarding Theo. Theo is not her Theo, but another Theo from a different world. I totally could get this with all that we know about the Firebird technology. Plus Marguerite finds out that what she thought about the past is not true. Also there’s a really cool twist that I totally enjoyed, but I don’t want to spoiled that I really found awesome.

Great action, romance, twists, alternated dimensions, and fighting for what you want and believe in is all wrapped up in this book. This book was awesome.

A Thousand Pieces of You has a really great premise and a fun plot, but I was distracted by holes and questions! I love parallel universe tales, but there are things about this one that had me puzzled and distracted. The plot starts right away. There's no easing into it. Marguerite and Theo are traveling through the multiverse to kill their friend Paul who killed Meg's father. But things always seem to go wrong during their inter-dimensional travels, plans are thrown off, and secrets revealed.

One thing that kept me distracted about A Thousand Pieces of You from the very beginning was this revenge plot. I loved the idea of following a criminal through parallel universes, but in this case, there was no basis for it. Like I said, it jumps right in, so we have no idea what exactly happened. But then it turns out that Meg and Theo actually have no idea what exactly happened. They left on this mission the very next day. Paul had only been a suspect at that point, and Theo kept pushing that Meg, her sister, and mother are in danger from him. But...neither of you know that he did it? So how do you even know that he would come after anyone else? They didn't even stick around to see the body. Just grabbed their Firebirds and started universe hopping. I don't think so.

Then there's the matter of the actual multiverse travel. It's explained pretty well, in a few info-dumps at the beginning. I don't think there's any other way to present this information, and I thought it was very interesting. I liked that only energy was transferable. They hadn't gotten to matter yet, which makes a lot of sense. Except that for 300 pages(!!!) I was wonder what happened to Meg, Theo, and Paul's bodies. Were they just laying around where they left them? They certainly didn't come with.

Then we're told what happens, which was not interesting or believable at all, because they didn't develop a way to do that which is why their bodies were left behind in the first place! And then I had to wonder what happened to a certain character who was returned to their body which was in a very inconvenient and dangerous location, because their consciousness is returned to wherever it had been last. It's a quick, simple solution but it doesn't make sense given what we know about how this works.

Along those same thoughts, A Thousand Pieces of You makes it clear that time travel is not involved in moving between universes. You always appear in the new world at the exact time you left the old one. But does that mean the exact same time and date? Or the same "biological" time? If it's the former, what would happen if Meg went to a world where she was born ten years later? Would she inhabit her 8 year old self's body? We see a world where she has different siblings, so it's not much of a stretch to imagine her born at a different time. The story makes it seem like it's the latter, because she's always in her familiar body, as are Theo and Paul, which would imply that in the worlds where all three of them exist, they were still born at the same times. But it's also the former because it's always the same time of day. It seems unlikely that both events would always be in alignment, unless they're able to somehow choose worlds where this is so.

Which brings to me the fact that I had to roll my eyes at how Paul knew exactly which of the trillionbilliongillion universes to set his Firebird to. How can he possibly know how mathematically different the worlds he needed to end up in were? They could have been wildly different or super similar or anything inbetween! In fact, it's possible that the worlds he was going to didn't even have a version of him in them, and therefore he wouldn't even be able to get there! Same with the bad guy who's going from world to world. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but it all nagged at me.

Clearly, my brain was working overtime during A Thousand Pieces of You. There were too many pieces that simply didn't fit for me. I did love the middle portion of the book where Meg winds up in a world where the Industrial Revolution hadn't happened yet. That was super interesting! But then the traveling stuff started up again, and obvious reveals were obvious, and more questions.

I really enjoyed this book. I will admit this ridiculously beautiful cover was a large part of what drew me in. The story was so much better than I thought this was going to be. I was hoping I would like it, obviously, but I was really pleasantly surprised. The sci-fi, romance, mystery mix kept me interested and unable to put this book down.

I liked Marguerite as a character, for the most part. She definitely wasn't the most self-aware when it came to her own feelings (particularly toward the end). But it was easy to emphasize with her during all of the scenarios she had to endure and overcome. She was a strong character, which is a must for me in a female protagonist.

I loved Paul. I won't say more to avoid spoilers.

I was surprised by the whodunnit aspect. I wasn't anticipating it to be as mysterious as it was. I figured she'd be convinced Paul was guilty then realize he wasn't and figure out who was. But it didn't really work out that way. It was much larger than that.

There are two reasons I didn't give this book 5 stars. First, it took a few chapters to get into. The flashback aspect was hard to get into right off the bat because you don't know the characters yet and you don't know the story. So then you have a brief flashback to a scene in the past that doesn't make much sense. So I wish the flashbacks would have started a few chapters in. Second, I genuinely believe this should have been a stand alone. I don't think this needs to be a series. It could have been resolved in one book. And if it is going to be a series, I don't understand why the big shocking twist would have been revealed this quickly. I don't know, I just don't see where this series could possibly be going.

I should probably start by saying that I have found over my reading life that I don’t usually particularly like or connect with books about time travel or parallel universes. I don’t really enjoy science and so often times I find that books try to talk about the science behind such things and I don’t care about any of that. Plus it never makes sense to me. Then there’s how the character has to spend an unusual amount of time describing the new world or time they’ve traveled to, and that annoys me as well. I like minimal description when reading. So these types of books usually don’t work for me. However, A Thousand Pieces of You would be an exception.

While most every character within A Thousand Pieces of You enjoyed and studied science, the main character Marguerite didn’t. She was into art. And I think this distinction—the main character not being the science buff—really helped me not drown in science jargon that could have happened had she been the main character interested in how everything works.

Thankfully, Marguerite didn’t travel to too many different universes within the book. There were really only 4 worlds (including the one she originated from) within the book, and I think that helped me not be overwhelmed with the whole parallel universe travel thing. The more jumps the more time spent describing each world. Marguerite spends the most time in a world that is old world Russia where she’s actually a princess. I enjoyed each world, but this one was probably my favorite.

But here’s the crux. In the end I’m kind of torn. I definitely kept wanting to go back to A Thousand Pieces of You when I had to put it down. I wanted to keep reading. So that’s something. But I still had some frustrations with the book and the concept as a whole plus just some little irksome things as well. Here they are:

1. The idea behind the multiple universes in this story is that every single time a decision is made there’s a different universe were each variation of any one decision plays out. This means there are an infinite number of universes. Yet each character is the same, and not. So is it possible for in some universe out there for each of the characters in our story to be evil if they are currently good, or good if they are currently evil? It seemed like this was kind of contradictory to me.

2. Because each character is the same, yet different, this presented a unique and kind of weird situation for the romance involved in this book. There was a bit of a love triangle between Marguerite, Paul, and Theo. And while each character seemed to have some sort of connection no matter the world they traveled to, each version of these characters were slightly different as well. So I’m not really sure how to explain my exact issue with the romance without spoiling anything. But let’s just say that while Marguerite is in Russia things get weird for her as far as her connection to the same character from her original world.

3.And then there were a few inconsistencies that just bothered me a little bit. Like how when the characters travel to a different world, their minds retain things like language but not things like places or people. Maybe there’s some true scientific reason about how we use different parts of our brains for language or something, but this just didn’t feel consistent to me. If Marguerite can travel to Russia and speak Russian with no problem, why can’t she remember her way around her home or her family members in that world? I don’t know. This wasn’t a huge deal, but it was one of those things that just made me go “does this make sense?” And it kind of pulled me out of the story to ponder to logistics.

I want to discuss each character a little bit, but I feel like I can’t really do that since each character is slightly different in each world. So it’s almost like there’s nothing concrete to discuss anyway.

All in all, I kept getting pulled into A Thousand Pieces of You, but I had some minor things that bothered me. Ultimately though, this might have been one of the best world traveling books I’ve read. A Thousand Pieces of You gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read A Thousand Pieces of You? What did you think? Let me know!

For more book reviews, check out Somewhere Only We Know - http://sandyfarmer.blogspot.com.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: One of the best science fiction books I have ever read. From the moment I picked up A Thousand Pieces of You I was captivated and I loved every minute of it!

Opening Sentence: My hands shake as I brace myself against the brick wall.

The Review:

Marguerite Caine is a seventeen year old girl that has crazy smart parents. Both of them are physicists and for years they have been working on inventing a device, known as the Firebird, that will allow you to travel between all the different parallel worlds. Just recently they had a breakthrough and the Firebird is finally ready to test. But before they have the opportunity to try it Marguerite’s father is murdered by her parents long time assistant, Paul. Paul steals the Firebird and jumps into another dimension in order to escape.

Marguerite won’t allow her father’s murderer to go unpunished so she decides to follow Paul through the different worlds in order to bring justice to her family. Luckily she doesn’t have to go alone, Theo her parents other assistant, goes with her to the different universes. Each world is different, some more than others, but it seems that there are certain things that remain the same no matter what dimension Marguerite ends up in. Each time she runs into Paul she begins to doubt his guilt, and soon she doesn’t know what to believe or how she should feel. As things start to unravel she realizes that nothing was what it seemed.

Marguerite was a wonderful protagonist with a fun personality. I think the main thing I loved about her was the fact that she was so different from everyone else in her life. While all her family and friends were scientists she was an artist. She looked at life so differently from everyone else and that really made her stand out. But that also made her feel out of place a lot of times in her life. She never felt as smart or important as everyone else, which is something a lot of teenagers go through in life. She grows so much as a character and even though she doesn’t always make the best decisions she always tries to make them for the right reasons. I thought that she was very easy to connect with and I can’t wait to read more of her story!

I am not going to go into detail about the boys because I don’t want to spoil anything but I will say a couple things about each of them. First you are introduced to Theo, a charismatic, flirtatious young man that everyone loves. He is the type of person that will go far because he knows how to charm people and he works hard. Next up you have Paul, a very reserved, shy guy that always speaks what’s on his mind whether it is offensive or not. He isn’t easy to get to know and even though he is awkward socially he actually has a very big heart. I loved each boy so much but only one stole my heart!

A Thousand Pieces of You was a wonderfully written story that captivated me from the very first page. Lately I feel like there have been multiple young adult books released that feature parallel worlds, but Grey had her own unique spin to the concept. She focused on the scientific aspect of the idea and it actually made it seem much more believable then other books I have read that featured parallel worlds. It also made it a lot less confusing then other books I have read which I really appreciated. Because they travel to multiple worlds there are many different settings which I loved because you got to discover all the different versions of what the world could be like depending on the choices you make. With the suspense, action adventure, and sexy romance this book was almost impossible to put down. I also have to say that this is by far my favorite cover of 2014 and it fits the book perfectly. Pretty much everything about this story was done perfectly and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is a young adult sci-fi or romance fan, you will not be disappointed.

Notable Scene:

I meant it when I said I didn’t believe in love at first sight. It takes time to really, truly fall for someone. Yet I believe in a moment. A moment when you glimpse the truth within someone, and they glimpse the truth within you. In that moment, you don’t belong to yourself any longer, not completely. Part of you belongs to him; part of him belongs to you. After that, you can’t take it back, no matter how much you want to, no matter how hard you try.

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of A Thousand Pieces of You. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

A Thousand Pieces of You centres on the discovery of alternate dimensions – where each dimension represents one set of possibilities – that everything that can happen does happen, in one dimension or another. Marguerite Caine, using a device invented by her physicist parents, jumps from one dimension to the next, taking over the body of her own self in each dimension – all in an effort to find vengeance and truth about the death of her father.

I didn’t know a lot about this book, going in – only that it involved alternate realities and has an absolutely gorgeous cover (yes, I did judge a book by its cover). As the story started to unfold, it held a lot of promise and I willingly drank it up, all until Marguerite landed in the second dimension and the pace of the book utterly halted. This became a pit of frustration until finally things started to pick up again and I actually found myself thinking, “just one more chapter” on more than one occasion. The ending was satisfying with the final unraveling of the mystery.

Other than the grand halt in the middle, I had three other major problems with this book: convenience, ethics, and suspension of disbelief. NB: Many many spoilers ahead! Please don’t continue reading until you’ve read the book yourself!

I found it constantly annoying how convenient a lot of the situations were – that Paul was her personal body guard in the historical Russia dimension (yet Theo was conveniently located in France) and that Azarenko just ‘had to’ leave during the ball, moments after taking away Paul’s Firebird. How one of the dimensions was historical Russia in the first place, because it seemed to be for the sole reason of Marguerite playing dress up, dancing with Lietenant Markov, and ‘falling in love with him’. And what were evil Theo’s reasons for taking the submersible at the end??! It was an accident waiting to happen, duh! And of course, the part that the whole story hinged on – how Marguerite was the target of the device made by Triad to transform her into the only person in their dimension who can travel into other dimensions for indefinable amounts of time without forgetting herself. The annoying part about it was that [evil] Theo had brought it to her parents house but Marguerite just so happened to be in the room with her sister when it ‘went off’… was it timed? Did [evil] Theo press a remote button? This could easily have been explained but it was not – just left as a seeming accident, which makes it appear way too convenient that she was even in the room when it went off.

With regards suspension of disbelief: Sure, I’ll believe that alternate dimensions exist. Sure, I’ll believe that her parents are physicists and have developed a device to travel to alternate dimensions. Sure, I’ll believe that one can travel into the body of their alternate self in said dimensions. But for her parents to conceive her as a child in a alternate universe where they aren’t even married (like the Russian royalty dimension) would mean that they would have had to have intercourse at the exact moment in time as they had in her universe. It’s basic biology – a unique sperm and unique egg meet in fertilisation to form one unique human being. I can believe in the futuristic London universe and the one that resembled her universe in basically all ways but was slightly ahead in the race to discovering inter-dimensional travel, but the other universes were too much of a stretch for me to believe that she existed in.

Now, as for ethics – Marguerite barely entertains the thought that her actions (in hindsight) may have been ethically wrong. She seemed to care only for herself and her own desires, disregarding the life of the alternate versions of herself that she was hijacking. She finnnally thinks “now I realise the villain might be me” but as she raises the topic of ethics with her family, they talk about the evil that Conley and Triad want to do and barely touch on the implications of hijacking a person’s life. My frustration reaches its epitome at this point because after this conversation, Triad is seen as basically the only villain and Marguerite hardly implicates herself any further or is filled with any sense of grief or remorse for the effect her actions had on the lives of her alternate self.

I would like to see Marguerite face the consequences of her actions in the sequel. For taking over people’s bodies and not caring what happened to them, for stealing princess Marguerite’s final time with Lieutenant Markov (not to mention that she slept with a Paul that she’d only known for two weeks yet was confused over which Paul she loved – how about the Paul she had for the past eighteen months?! And she was using princess Marguerite’s body to sleep with Lieutenant Markov! This whole plot point was wrong on so many levels); For announcing to Princess Marguerite’s father that he was her biological father not tsar Alexander; And lastly, does she not realise that it’s basically her fault that Lieutenant Markov died? Because if she’d just gone back to Moscow as directed, he would have gone with her and never gone into battle. Marguerite left confusion and destruction in her wake and hardly feels any remorse for it – only the way it affected her own life.

A difficulty I find with first-person stories is that by being sucked so fully into a character’s life by being in their mind, seeing things as they see them, when a character makes decisions that disagree with my own personal beliefs, I find myself struggling to accept what is going on and my desire to continue with them waivers. Because of this, I almost quit reading this book in the middle because of Marguerite’s complete disregard of ethics and her constant self-centredness. I sincerely hope she learns from it all by the second book, which yes, I will be reading – the first book left the story wide open and I neeeeed to know how things wrap up in the end!

Despite the three major issues I had with A Thousand Pieces of You, I really did enjoy it and would be interested in reading some more by Claudia Gray – but hopefully next time there will be a little less romance and a little more adventure.