Cloud Atlas meets Orphan Black in this epic dimension-bending trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray about a girl who must chase her father's killer through multiple dimensions. Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes-and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer-her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul-escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows-including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt-as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores an amazingly intricate multi-universe where fate is unavoidable, the truth elusive, and love the greatest mystery of all.
Having read several of Claudia Gray's previous books with mixed results, I was very curious to see how she would tackle the latest YA trend: parallel universes. The verdict? A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU is my favorite Claudia Gray novel yet.
Comparing A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU (ATPOY) to other recent YA novels about parallel universes, the one that is the most similar is Anna Jarzab's TANDEM. Both books feature protagonists whose parents are involved in exploring these parallel universes, have love triangles with different versions of the same guy, and must impersonate royalty in one universe. The edge definitely goes to ATPOY though since Marguerite travels to multiple universes and the characters are much stronger.
Another plus about ATPOY is that because the POV is from a non-scientist, I didn't have to sift through tons of theoretical physic discussions regarding parallel universes. There were a few straightforward, simple explanations that left me feeling like I understood what was going on but I was never bogged down by explanations.
And the romance was pretty good too. Lots of great twists and genuine heartache. I do wish some of the flashbacks in the first half of the book were left out. I understand the need for character back story to explain the connection between characters, but they did slow the pace down for me. Still, overall ATPOY was a great read and I'll definitely be looking forward the rest of the Firebird trilogy.
