Monday, October 27, 2014

Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird, #1)
A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by 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.

GR
Publishes in US: November 4th 2014 by Harper Teen
Genre: YA sci fi
Source: harper teen via edelweiss
Series? yes Firebird #1

Buy it: Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indie Bound

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter ~facebook ~blog

 4.5
   
    Okay, cover snob warning ahead. I was first drawn to it because of the gorgeous cover art and then I read the synopsis and I have always been interested in the concept and fiction of alternate realities. 

   The suspense in this one is well set up. With Marguerite (Meg's) dad recently deceased, and her having grown up to a certain extent with the suspsect of the murders--Paul. Her and her crush Theo, who also was a lab assistant and around her and her family so much, take out to hunt down Paul as he stole the device that makes traveling to the parallel universes possible. Theo, a physicist himself had tinkered with old prototypes and they were able to use that to chase him. 

   We begin to see that things are more complicated than they seem on the surface. She has memories with Paul where he seems so kind and tender. There are also hints of a love triangle that I wasn't sure that I wanted to see played out but also just had to know about my suspicions. Theo, while he seems like a great guy with good intentions, we find out that as smart as he is, he is also got a wild side. Paul, as we see in the 2nd time jump also has a lot more to him than the surface. 

  I ended up loving the romance and can't wait to see how it progresses. Though it does bring up a lot of ethical dimensional travel questions that I thought was really well done. Some of the worlds they travel to almost exactly mirror the dimension they started with, changes being a little less or more tech while others leave Meg jumping into a Meg that is a russian princess. This was actually my favorite time because of the romantic themes here and how it played out. But each Meg, Theo and Paul as well as Meg's parents and whether they are alive or not changes. So if Meg falls deeply for one of the guys, but he is a different version than the one she knew in her home dimension, is she stealing from the Meg in that dimension, and how much of that guy is the same and different? Can the romance travel with each of their jumps and the different versions of themselves? It was delicious. 

   I did appreciate the different ways that technology, the environment as well as social leaders have stayed the same or changed in each dimension jump. One was a semi-aquatic world, another not nearly as advanced and from a different cultural stand point, another set in London. Each world was well thought out and believable. 

   The world building was both understandable but over my head if that makes any sense. The family was physicists and while Meg couldn't understand it all, we got to see it through her understanding, which at times was still over my head, but better than if she also understood all that Theo, Paul and her parents did. (Don't ask about that cat in the box had me snickering because I have seen science nerds debate such things)

   The ending was good, but I am totally excited to read more and see where things go once all is revealed in this one. 

Bottom Line: Engrossing and well done book about parallel universes with a surprising romance.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Would you want to see yourself and different way life played out if inter-dimensional travel to parallel lives were safe and possible?

34 comments:

  1. I don't know…while I I must admit that I'm also drawn to this book due to its stunning cover, parallel worlds in book tend to confuse me.


    Glad you loved it!

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  2. The cover is indeed amazing! So inviting :D And the story sounds like a good read.
    As for your question, I probably won't. I would be extremely curious but I'll probably put the trip off until I've turned 80 or something.

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  3. The cover art is really good! And 4.5 rating from you is quite good reason to add this to my TBR pile :)
    Great review Brandi!

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  4. I adore books with parallel universes too. I'm so glad to see this was well done!

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  5. heeeeee yes this cover is everything! I like the sound of this story and I'm glad that you loved the romance so much! It sounds quite compliacted--the whole jumping through this and that and it's definitely appealing. I hope the next one is even better for you, Brandi! :)

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  6. Claudia Gray's FATEFUL has been on my TBR pile F-O-R-E-V-E-R, and now here she is with yet another series. I really need to get my butt in gear already! A 4.5 star read too—oh my! I'm not sure I'd want to see the different possibilities my life could have taken, it might make me depressed that I haven't accomplished more.

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  7. I've been wanting to read something by this author for a long time. I'm not sure this is it with the time travel and potential love triangle but it does sound very interesting. I might take a chance.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  8. I am so glad you enjoyed reading this! I am actually reading this right now for review and am about 60% of the way through it. I am liking it so far, and although I haven't been to all the worlds, I do really like the romance going on in the Romanov princess one and all. I will agree, the science-y aspect of things are kinda over my head, but I am glad for that otherwise I might find faults in it. Looking forward to finishing this one off!

    http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/10/the-guardian-review-giveaway.html

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  9. I a so glad to read your positive review for this one I have read some mixed reviews, I think I would like this one.

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  10. I can't blame you for wanting this book in part due to the stunningly gorgeous cover, Brandi! So glad you enjoyed the story. Parallel universes are one of my favorites-plus, I like the sound of how each one is so unique,and a bonus romance. I'm in! :)

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  11. This kind of worldbuilding could be tricksy. Glad to see that it didn't go over the top and you have me curious!

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  12. It sounds so great! Very fun with the different dimensions and romance involved. Thanks so much for sharing :D Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.

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  13. This is the kind of story that makes my head spin with possibilities. 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil was similar and I enjoyed it, but I had to suspend some of my reality while reading. Wonderful review, Brandi. I think I'd wait until more of the series releases until picking this one up. :)

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  14. Oh everything sounds so well done! You made me really curious!

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  15. Yes, def suspend belief, but still awesome

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  16. Yes, the dimensions were really well done

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  17. I thought the world building was amazing

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  18. I know, I love reading if its well constructed

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  19. Maybe its what you're expecting or how you feel about parallel universes

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  20. This is my first by her, haven't been interested before now

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  21. That never got my attention but I did love this one. The depression could certainly play a part seeing other lives

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  22. Hmm. putting off for an older age def opens a different sort of view into different lives

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  23. I thought that the actual jumps and basics were easy to understand, though I didn't understand all of the work on the physicist end

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  24. Time travel and alternate realities can be so hard to do but it sounds as if Gay nailed it. Good review. :)

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  25. Glad you enjoyed this one, I didn't at all. Which was the most disappointing for me since I love Claudia Gray and expected to love it. The character just felt flat to me, and the London comment pissed me off, and since I'm not even from London, I still took offence. But I think the thing that sealed the deal for me was the Russian romance and what happens, I, no. I did not like that at all, especially because the real person in that dimension didn't have a choice in the matter, after that, just went downhill for me. :( I don't think I would really, I mean, on one side it would be fun to see, but what if you liked the other dimension better? Would raise a whole lot of unethical choices.

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  26. The parallel universe theme seems to be super popular these days. I'm really curious about this one so I'm glad you loved it!

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  27. I like the parallel universe element and that is has suspense. I've read CGray before and enjoy her writing. So I'll have to put this one on my tbr. Great review, Brandi!

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  28. Aw, yay :D Great review Brandi! I'm so glad you loved this book. I cannot wait to read it. Hoping I will enjoy it too :)

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