I'd Know You Anywhere (+ Giveaway!)

I'd Know You Anywhere (+ Giveaway!)

• Nov 7, 2014

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Release Date: November 4, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins | HarperTeen
Pages: 368 pages
Source & Format: Publicist; Hardcover
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Summary (from 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.

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.

Thoughts on A Thousand Pieces of You

When I first saw the cover for A Thousand Pieces of You, I was in love. Seriously, it's one of the most gorgeous covers I've seen in quite a while! I immediately put it on my wishlist without even looking at the summary. When I was given the opportunity to read it for review, I jumped at the offer! I wanted this beauty in my life.

Marguerite Caine's parents are genius physicists known for their incredible achievements. But their most amazing invention might also be their most dangerous: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes. When Marguerite's father is murdered by his assistant Paul, she chases Paul through different universes to get revenge and justice for her father's death. She can't let him get away with it... but as she meets Paul in each universe, she begins to question his guilt, her feelings and whether fate exists.

A Thousand Pieces of You throws you right into the action. The first chapter has an explosive feeling right out of the gate, despite being a little confusing. But then the pace slows down, and the excitement tapers off a bit. Marguerite has pursued Paul into a high-tech version of the present, and you aren't invested enough in the characters yet to really care about the chase. You don't know enough about the characters, their relationship to one another or their history to really connect to the story.

And then it changes... Marguerite is transported to Russia, and everything starts to click. I can't really put my finger on it, but there was a shift. The pace picked up, and I started to finally connect to what I was reading. I wanted Marguerite to avenge her father, to learn the truth about Paul and to understand the power of the Firebird. I still didn't completely understand the science behind it all, the explanation for the alternate dimensions, but I didn't care. I wanted more of the magical experience and the mystery!

While I think the book needed more character development, A Thousand Pieces of You still managed to deliver on the feelings. Although I was detached at first, I cared about Marguerite's family and romantic relationship by the end of the book. I felt for these characters, even if I'd like to know a little more about who they are and why they feel the way they do for one another.

Overall, I think the setting and the plot were the two strongest elements of the book. I might not have understood the science aspect, but I could still picture the alternate dimensions because of Gray's vivid descriptions of the world. And once I was hooked, the plot had me on the edge of my seat! I wanted to know what had set all of these events in motion and how the characters would change as they jumped through dimensions. At one point, I verbally reacted to a certain revelation... and as a result got teased a bit by my husband. It's not often that a book makes me talk back!

I didn't realize this was the first in a series when I started it, but I finished and was so excited to discover that there was going to be more to this story. It ends on a nice note - giving you some closure and resolution while still leaving a few threads open for the next book.  It was compelling and creative, and I'm so glad that the story inside lived up to the gorgeous cover. If you're looking for a complex sci-fi novel, this probably isn't it. The romance and relationships take precedence, but I think that's why it worked for me. A Thousand Pieces of You was an addicting read, and I can't wait to return to this world!

So Quotable

“Every form of art is another way of seeing the world. Another perspective, another window. And science –that’s the most spectacular window of all. You can see the entire universe from there.”

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review.

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