When her mother’s assistant Paul suggests that they use her mother’s latest invention – a device called Firebird that allows inter-dimensional travel – to chase her father’s killer, Marguerite agrees. It seems the killer is another of her parents’ students, Theo, and Marguerite can’t bear to think that he will escape the consequences of his actions. Together, Marguerite and Paul travel sideways into alternate realities, chasing Paul and gradually unravelling the story behind Dr. Caine’s death.
When Paul and Marguerite are separated, things seem to go from bad to worse, but Marguerite is about to discover that appearances are misleading. Marguerite must quickly work out who she can trust if she wants to return to her own world safely, because her father’s killer is after her too and it is becoming increasingly difficult for Marguerite to distinguish between friend and foe.
A high-action science fiction adventure, A Thousand Pieces of You is the first book in a trilogy by author Claudia Gray, a pseudonym of bestselling young adult paranormal romance author Amy Vincent. The action of the fast-paced plot is well-balanced with interesting, relatable characters, and frequent references to the scientific ‘logic’ that underpins the work of Marguerite’s parents and the practical issues related to travel between alternate realities.
There are many unknowns related to the use of the Firebird and the combination of working out the logistics of inter-dimensional travel and the gradual discovery of the events leading up to Dr. Caine’s death create a thrilling storyline that I was reluctant to leave when I was forced by other commitments to put the book aside. Multidimensional romantic complications add another interesting element to the plot as do the changing landscapes of the various ‘realities’ and the ethical and moral questions raised by the characters’ experiences in other dimensions.
Marguerite, Paul and Theo are interesting and complex characters and the temporary resolution at the end of the first book leaves plenty of room for further suspense and character development in the next book in the Firebird trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed A Thousand Pieces of You and will be impatiently awaiting the release of the second book in the series.
Title: A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperCollins, $19.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1 November 2014
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780062357694
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult
