Book Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You Series: Firebird #1 Author: Claudia Gray Published: November 4, 2014 by Harper Teen (Amazon / Goodreads)  Synopsis: Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined. A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure

A Thousand Pieces of You is one of those books that I was almost instantly attracted to. From the gorgeous cover to the intriguing synopsis, this book intrigued me so much. And while the book didn't quite hit it out of the park, it was an interesting read with a fascinating world and interesting and well-rounded characters.

One of the best parts of A Thousand Pieces of You was the complex Science Fiction world. It's not your typical story of time travel or multiverses but it takes elements of both and creates something utterly fascinating. Claudia Gray has managed to develop a world that is rooted in science, logic, and technological and feels creative and interesting. I loved her concept of dimensional travel and taking over your other self's consciousness or what I like to call "body-switching." And because it was rooted in logic it seemed entirely possible.

But what also seemed possible is the different dimensions she created. In this book we get to explore four or five different dimensions. And while most of them aren't exceptionally different from our own, they are lusciously created. You can visualized the sleek and modern London, the frivolity of Russia where the Romanovs retained power, and the underwater ocean bases where global warming raised sea level. In each world you were immersed in a place that was interesting and unique. Every time the characters got ready to jump into a new dimension I would get so excited to see where they would be heading next. These dimensional worlds, and the world of this book, was the best part of A Thousand Pieces of You.

And as good an interesting as the world was, the plot felt a little lacking for me. I'm not sure if it because the focus of the book was the world-building but when it came to the storyline of the book it felt too basic. It's not that it wasn't interesting or enjoyable, it just wasn't the focus of the book. I would have liked it to be a little more complicated and there to be a lot more mystery. There were a few plot twists that did surprise me but most of the plot felt simple and a little predictable. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. If both the world and the plot were complicated it would have been too overwhelming. It tried to strike that delicate balance. Plus the simple plot made it a quick read. And one thing I did like about the plot was that it had an actual resolution. Being the first book in a new series, you would think that there would be a cliffhanger, but there wasn't. It actually resolved things so much that it felt like a standalone and I'm not entirely sure what is going to happen in the next book, because things were wrapped up so much.

But perhaps the thing for me that made this book walk the line between good and great was the characters. They were definitely interesting and well-rounded. They were the kind of characters that had strengths and weaknesses that usually makes me like them. Marguerite in particular felt very realistic and her dedication to others before herself was admirable. And while I did want to see her succeed, I just wasn't as invested as I thought I would be. In this case of Marguerite and many of the characters in this book, while I found them likable I just didn't feel the connection to them and their struggle. What I did love about these characters however were the family relationship. You could really feel the love between Marguerite, her parents, and their assistants. They cared so much for each other and supported one another with their words and actions. But that being said I didn't really like the romance in the book. It was a very contradictory feeling because while I shipped the ship the romance felt weird and the love triangle was incredibly forced. But what was even more forced is the love triangle. To me the choice was so obvious but it wasn't for Marguerite. Her romantic indecision made her feel indecisive and frustrating. All and all this made me feel a little indifferent to the characters and that lack of connection made it harder for me to connect with the book.

A Thousand Pieces of You was a good and enjoyable book, that was a quick read. The Science Fiction world was utterly fascinating but the plot could have been more complex.

I give A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray 8 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. I would probably recommend this book to fans of Science Fiction or people who are looking for a fascinating and creative world. The multiverses and "body-switching" are so brilliant and amazing so if you are looking for a unique world then check out A Thousand Pieces of You. If you are looking for something with a lot of mystery and suspense then maybe give this one a pass.

Have you read A Thousand Pieces of You? What did you think? What was your favorite universe? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!