Review : A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author : Claudia Gray
Publication Date : November 4th 2014
Publisher : Harper Teen
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

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. 

Personal Thoughts

I knew I should have stayed far away from this book when I found out that it was going to have multiverses and parallel worlds because I've struggled in the past with the concept. How could I resist that stunning cover though? Unfortunately, I just wasn't the right fit for this book.

I had troubles with this book from the very start. While I admired our main character Marguerite going to lengths in order to avenge her father's death by going after his suspected killer into a different universe, I had difficulty forming any kind of emotional connection with her. I personally thought she was underdeveloped and didn't live up to her complete potential. We really don't get to know her that much. I was also annoyed by how quick she was to forgive people. I don't know about you, but if someone's suspected killer tells me that he is innocent, I wouldn't immediately believe it. I would go to the root of the cause and find out what truly happened. I just thought it was quite unbelievable how fast Marguerite was to dismiss Paul as a suspect as soon as he told her that he was not the killer. I just needed her to be a bit more smart. I can't really say much about the secondary characters either, other than the fact that they were really not memorable, to me.

The romantic situation in A Thousand Pieces of You felt very weird as well. I was convinced in the beginning that Theo, that lab assistant who aids Marguerite in her task was going to be the love interest because they had some romantic dynamic going on between them. Then somewhere around the middle, when Paul finally came into play, Marguerite's affections turned to Paul. While this wasn't exactly insta-love because Marguerite had grown up with Paul, I still felt like it was rushed, especially the "I love yous" because there wasn't any build up to that moment. I also had issues with the only sex scene in the book. When it happens, Marguerite is in the body of another Marguerite, that is, one in another universe and this Marguerite was dormant. I felt like it was a bit of a violation when she decided to have sex because the body's owner had no control over it. I know I may be looking at things too deeply, but it made me rather uncomfortable. I was also let down by the actual world building in the different universes. There really wasn't much details so it wasn't vivid enough for me.

I skimmed some reviews after reading the A Thousand Pieces of You and I do seem to be a bit of a black sheep and I can see why because this is simply not a concept that works for me. Don't let my review prevent you from trying this book out. You all should definitely read it because one man's waste is another's treasure!

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 2/5
Characters : 2/5
Writing : 2/5


Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of A Thousand Pieces of You.

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