A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird, #1)

by Claudia Gray

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.

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

3 of 5 stars

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Here's the thing with this book: I feel like it needs two separate reviews. One based on entertainment value, and one based on actual analysis. I did not hate this book. I actually kind of liked it. At the same time, it infuriated me because there were things that made exactly no sense.

What I Liked/What Entertained Me:

  • The idea as a whole I mean, different dimensions is a great plot. Especially while chasing potential murderers in and out of what I assumed would be all kinds of crazy places.

  • The story moved at a really good pace, and I never found myself bored.

  • The dimensions we did see were fascinating! I loved the early 20th century style Russia, and high tech London. Especially Russia though.

  • I didn't dislike the love story. Actually, I think if it were given just a bit more time, it could have been really great.

  • I just was entertained, for no reason that I can actually articulate, because I did have a lot of problems with this book. But it was fun for me, and I will read the sequel. I know that isn't all that helpful, but it's all I've got.


What I Didn't/What Didn't Make Sense or Work:

  • The romance was too sudden. I don't think it qualifies as insta-love because the characters all shared affection for each other (platonically or otherwise) for quite some time, but it went from zero to The Notebook pretty quickly. Also, there's a love triangle. Usually, I don't even mind them, but this one isn't necessary. It's just one of those "all the boys looooove me" situation, which irks me at best.

  • There were a lot of conveniences that bugged me. Obviously, I can't go into too much detail on specifics, but things just worked out too easily for my tastes. It was just "problem solved!" but... how? Why? And even when it was explained, the explanation was too easy.

  • The characters were okay. They weren't great though. They were pretty basic, and didn't have a lot of distinctive characteristics. Marguerite didn't really stand out to me at all, I never felt any particular like or dislike toward her, she was just there. Theo and Paul weren't much better, by the end, I figured it didn't matter who she loved, because they were pretty much the same dude anyway. Her parents seemed pretty cool though, let's skip this trio and read about them.

  • More dimensions, please. Seriously, like a day in techno-London, a few weeks in Russia, and then a couple for like, 33 seconds. Where were all my dimensions!? I wanted more. I needed more. I wanted to go to the moon, or like, some weird made up trippy kind of place.


Bottom Line: Honestly, if I were basing this on content alone, it would be maybe a two star. But inexplicably, I did sort of like it, so I have to factor that in, because sheer enjoyment is a big factor for me. I won't be mowing people down to get to the sequel, but I am  sure I'll give it a read at some point.
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 17 November, 2014: Finished reading
  • 17 November, 2014: Reviewed