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Monday, January 30, 2017

Review Monday: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray


Goodreads Blurb:
"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."



Review:
Overall, I really liked this book.  It made me laugh and I became immensely emotionally invested.  However, there were a few things that I shook my head at and others that confused me and made the experience less enjoyable.  Let's get to it!

1.  The plot.  The plot, in my opinion, was perfectly paced.  There was enough urgency and mystery to keep everything going but the author took time to develop the story and the emotions of the characters.  There were several points where things slowed down and you could take a breath before jumping right back in.  One thing that I dislike about the structure of the plot was the way the author revealed why Theo and Marguerite were using the Firebirds to jump to different dimensions.  While I liked the flashbacks and the information they gave about the characters, it was a bit hard to piece together the months preceding the big motivational event.  While some of the revelations made the mystery so much better, I wish there had been more information about what happened to Marguerite's dad (or what they thought happened to him) before she and Theo left with the Firebirds.  I felt like I was trying to piece together too many different time spans and it was a bit much.

2.  The premise.  I really, really love the idea of different dimensions and the mathematical possibility and that they could exist.  I also loved how the author took into account the fact that dimension-jumping is just a tool and it's the people who wield it and what they do with it that makes it good or bad.  I do think that the whole Accident and it's implications was a bit under explained in terms of the mechanics but this is only the first book in the series so I'm sure there's more to be discovered there.

3.  The characters.  The characters themselves, I loved.  They were all nicely developed and because of the whole 'jumping to different selves' thing, they're motives and central selves were explored beautifully.  They're each so distinct and clear with their own personalities.  Like I said at the beginning, I especially loved the banter between the characters and Marguerite's thinking.  It made me laugh and kept the mood light when it otherwise was a bit dreary.

4.  The romance.  Per the usual, there was a love triangle in this book although I'm sure after reading the blurb, you could see it from a mile away.  While I didn't explicitly mind the love triangle, I wish that it wasn't such a central part.  I understand that it's part of Marguerite's life at the time that all this happens, but sometimes it took a bit more precedence than the whole 'figuring out what happened' situation.  I just wish it was toned down slightly.

The Final Verdict:
A captivating tale with a beautifully executed idea and near flawless characters.  I do wish the beginning circumstances were made more clear from the beginning and the love triangle wasn't such a focal point (although it wasn't too prevalent).
3.5 stars


Favorite Quote:
“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.”

10 comments:

  1. Sigh! The never ending love triangle. So tired of it. Especially when it takes over the story. I do have this one on my shelf though. I'll still read it. At least I've been warned now.

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    1. It does seem to show up everywhere now, doesn't it? I wouldn't say it takes over the story (not like The Selection or anything) but I thought it took a bigger chunk than what I would have liked. I hope you enjoy it regardless!

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  2. Same! I really enjoyed this book except for the slightly cliché love triangle. I also wish it wasn't the main purpose of the book, and would have liked it a lot better if Marguerite was more focused on the mystery and not which guy to choose.

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    1. Exactly! You could see it from a mile away. Me too! It felt a little too close to The Selection (which doesn't really pretend to be anything other than a romance novel with some dystopian elements thrown in) so it was a little too much for my comfort. I'm glad I'm not the only one!

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  3. This sounds good! And nooo I'm so tired of shitty love triangle's they're soo cheesy sometimes hahaha
    Alex @ Pierced Reader

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    1. Ugh they are, aren't they? The thing is, I've never actually seen a love triangle take place in real life so they just seem so unrealistic to me (although of course some people have experienced them). Either way, it would be nice to have something different!

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  4. I've read the first two books in this series and I actually really love it. I love the different worlds and dimension traveling, especially as I am a world building junkie. Yes, the love triangle is so obvious, but I don't mind it too much because I like the rest of the story enough :D

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    1. Haha that is true! The world building is pretty good and it does make up for some of the love triangle dislike. I'm glad you've liked the series so far! Hopefully I'll get to the next book in the series soon!

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  5. Just received this lovely in the mail and I can't wait to get into it! :D Hopefully I'll like the love triangle, it's usually a hit-or-miss with me to be honest.

    Caroline @ Just Another Bookish Blog

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    1. Ooo I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by, Caroline!

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