A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird #1
on 1st November 2014
Pages: 368
Goodreads

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.

When Marguerite Caine’s parents invent a device which makes the idea of travelling between universes a reality, it ends in murder. With her father gone, Marguerite (along with science geek Theo) use the device to track down the murderer. But nothing is every as simple as it seems and they are led on a chase though multiple dimensions before they can find the person responsible and find the truth.

To sum my feelings up for this book in one word? Epic.

Alternate realities, parallel universes and the Firebird – a device which can help travel between them. A Thousand Pieces of You is a mind-blowing, heart wrenching, one of a kind read. I couldn’t put it down. Between Marguerite’s determination to track down her father’s murderer and finding different facets of herself in the most impossible places – this book blew me away. I loved it.

One of the things which is first apparent about A Thousand Pieces of You is how well crafted the universe is. Each dimension is entirely believable within the realm of this novel because of how ingeniously simple they are. Each one is so very like the real world with slight changes which result in these universes being so very different from the world we know. There was no point whilst reading that I didn’t completely believe Marguerite, Theo and Paul were wherever they were supposed to be at any specific time.

Taking the reader from the present day to a futuristic London, historical Russia and other realms was incredible. All the universes visited felt authentic despite being world apart in so many ways. Marguerite was a character who embraced her reality in order to get justice for her father. But despite her gung-ho attitude to retribution, Marguerite was real and beautifully complex. She didn’t let the worlds around her overshadow her own thoughts and feelings. Her ability to remain true to herself despite being other versions of the girl she’s been her whole life was admirable.

The supporting cast was also great in their own ways. There is a romance in this novel which I feel even the most cynical love triangle critics will appreciated how it is handled. The romance adds to Marguerite’s confusion but in no way detracts from the overall story. I enjoyed how the parents were a constant presence despite being “off-screen” so to speak for most of the novel.

To put it simply – I loved this book. The story is so strong even non sci-fi fans will be able to appreciate the creative and inventive concepts within the novel. There are twists and turns I wasn’t expecting but loved discovering as they unfolded. The characters are strong and their authenticity made this book feel realistic despite the impossibilities of inter-dimensional travel.  The story is complete on its own but I’m delighted that there is a sequel in the works. A Thousand Pieces of You was a pleasure to read and I can definitely say it has been one of my favourite reads of 2014.

 

Note: I recommend this book for fans of Distruption or Between the Lives (both by Jessica Shirvington), or All Our Yesterdays (by Cristin Terrill).

 

Thanks to Harper Collins YA Australia for the review copy