My thoughts after reading A Thousand Pieces of You

My thoughts after reading A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You was released November 3, 2014 so hopefully I am not spoiling too much of the book for anyone who has not read it yet. So what is this book about you ask. Well … I don’t know why I am talking like that. Hopefully my thoughts don’t get jumbled into a big ol’ summary of the book.

Before I get into the book, can I just say this is one of the most beautiful book covers I have seen. Well… I guess that not really fair for me to say since I think all book covers are pretty. Well… except for the book covers that are reprinted with the movie poster. It’s nothing against the movie, or the book. But it makes me feel like saying it was a book first people! But at least more people will fall in love with books.

Any who, enough of the wells and buts. The wells are not my fault. All my wells I’ve learned from watching Doctor Who. Major spoiler alert here, so cover your ears. The main character Marguerite Caine is jumping dimensions chasing after Paul Markov, the guy who murdered her father. Well allegedly murdered her father. (Sorry that is the last well … maybe) Her and her parent’s research assistant, Theo are both traveling through different dimensions. Yeah, I guess you call Theo and Paul that. I won’t get into the minutia of their titles. (@DimesnsAndGalxs I did it, I used minutia)

One of the things that I did like about the jumping dimension story is when the characters would jump from one parallel universe to the other is they would jump into their other selves’ body. Huh? That did not make sense after I typed it. So when Marguerite goes into a parallel universe instead of two separate hers she jumps into the alt Marguerite’s body. Essentially she is taking charge of the other Marguerite’s life etc. The same goes for Paul and Theo.

The characters are able to jump from one parallel universe to the next with a device called a Firebird. With the Firebird they are able to jump into the alt universe and remember who they are and why they are there. Yes, to answer your question they do have to keep the Firebird on at all times. Or else they will forget who they are and will become lost in that dimension.

I will admit, and I mean not to offend anyone who loves the book, but when I first started reading it I sopped for a day or so because it started turned into a love story. I was like hey what happened to the Sci-Fi stuff?

So when I picked up the book again, with an open mind this time. It started to make some sense. One other interesting thing about the jumping dimensions is they will always end up where they belong. For example Marguerite always ends up in a version of her life where her family is with her.  In this case having a “love story” is needed to illustrate the point about Paul’s belief in fate. No matter which alternate universe Marguerite jumps to her version ends up finding Paul. Who (even more major spoiler alert) is not the murderer.

A major part of the story is in Russia around the 1800s ish give or take. In this universe Marguerite is a Grand Duchess and Paul is a Lt. and her personal body guard. Don’t roll your eyes just yet. Yes, it does turn out that the Marguerite that was their before the main character Marguerite took over has feelings for Paul. But in this universe Paul has lost his Firebird to his commanding officer for being out of uniform, so he begins to forget everything. Her mother has passed away due to complications from giving birth, but her father is still her birth father. He is actually Grand Duchess Marguerite’s tutor.

I know it kind of seems typically love story, until I read two words that made me say what? Paul dies. Then I was like yeah my Sci-Fi, well at least nonlove story is back. It’s not until you read later more of the book Paul got back his Firebird and was able to jump into another dimension. Then it turns into another love story and end with a love story.

Get ready for another spoiler, it turns out Paul was trying to save Marguerite from Wyatt Conley, the CEO of an evil corporation who wants to jump dimensions to steal technology. Conley is after Marguerite because she can naturally remember who she is with or without the Firebird. And it turns out since Conley has spies everywhere the Theo she has been jumping universes with is not her Theo but a spy.

A Thousand Pieces of You is the first book in a trilogy. Hopefully I did not sound like I didn’t like it. I did like it. I mean who does not like a good love story from time to time. Right? Anyone? My only wish was it could have been a little more Sci-Fi. Perhaps the second book will have more Sci-Fi and the first book was for character building. #SecondChances