A Thousand Pieces of You is the first in the Firebird series by Claudia Gray, which delves into alternate realities and begs the question, is there such a thing as destiny?
Marguerite grew up an artist in a family of scientists. Her physicist parents and their research assistants, Paul and Theo (who are as close as family), have created a radical invention, the Firebird, which allows users to travel to parallel universes by inhabiting their alternate selves. But then Marguerite’s father is murdered by Paul who then escapes with the aid of a Firebird into another dimension. Naturally, Marguerite can’t let her father’s killer go free, so, with Theo, she chases after him. She experiences the lives of her alternate selves and, through her encounters with Paul and his other selves, she begins to doubt his guilt and then things get complicated.
The story is compelling, the worlds Marguerite explores are richly described and the love story is sweet, yet tragic. Are people destined to meet no matter the lives they have and the worlds they exist in? Marguerite believes that she loves every version of the boy she falls in love with despite their differences, but are they the same? In the second book Ten Thousand Skies Above You, Marguerite is forced to question this and her love for her boy, and even her love for her parents, is challenged.
I enjoyed the voice of Marguerite (she’s a little flawed, a little selfish, but that makes her all the more genuine) and the story is compelling. The second novel ends on a bit of a cliff hanger so I’m hanging out (get it!) for the next in the series. Also, I adore the covers.