Now here's a book that i really enjoyed! I'm rating this 4.5/5 because it could have been better but is still really great. And of course, the cover is flawless and deserves so much love.
I have seen this book in bookstores many times, and have even picked it up(who wouldn't be attracted to THAT cover??) to read the blurb to see if it was worth buying. The blurb wasn't very exciting for me, because it seemed too out of the world. I even thought it was more fantasy than science fiction, and i really wasn't into that kind of stuff anymore. These days i like to read more realistic kind of books. After reading some mixed reviews about it on Goodreads a year later, i decided to just buy it anyway because the rating was decent. My expectations were very low though, which actually made me enjoy it more to be honest.
A Thousand Pieces of You is a book about Marguerite Caine, one of the daughters of two famous scientists known for proposing extraordinary scientific theories and discoveries, especially about inter-dimensional travelling. They invented a rare device called the Firebird, which allows a person to safely travel to a different dimension. Marguerite's parents were also lecturers who worked with many students, but who were very close to Paul, a young genius who's quite introverted, and Theo, another brilliant student who is more outgoing and ambitious. When Marguerite's father is unexpectedly murdered by Paul, who then stole a Firebird and escaped to a different dimension, Theo and Marguerite follows him to get justice for Professor Caine's death.
Thinking that the book would be completely ridiculous with the fantasy ideas about jumping across dimensions, i didn't expect it to appear very mind blowing with its concepts. The whole idea about infinite dimensions existing because of every single possible event and decision being made was just so extraordinarily phenomenal Admittedly, the author couldn't explain every logical detail of how it would or could work, but i think Claudia Gray did quite a decent job at trying. Her descriptions were quite simplistic, but I could understand as a reader that the existing concept is very theoretical, and i was somewhat impressed with the fictional links and attempts to make sense of something that we can't yet prove to exist in our world.
I love that i can also raise a few debatable issues from what the characters do. Debates about ethics and individual rights and even dimensional rights(if there is such thing) are some of the things that crossed my mind as i read the book. It's pretty astonishing when authors can make you THINK about these kinds of things while still being able to be grasped in the book's intense plot.
The writing style can go from mediocre to exceptionally good. The great parts are usually talking about feelings and Marguerite's own thoughts. I didn't initially plan to tab my books with pagemarkers, but i ended up pausing my reading just to search for pagemarkers to tab the good parts with. There are a few really good dialogues as well. I remember a couple of times clutching a hand to my chest because of the feels! Perhaps i was just more emotional than usual while reading this book, because a lot of people didn't give it very high ratings. But really, i love how i was able to feel different emotions while reading. For two nights, i picked up the book planning to only read a few chapters before sleeping, but i ended up staying up so late because the ending of the chapters made the next chapter sound so, so tempting to read!
The reason why i didn't think the book was perfect was because of how fast-paced it is. Don't get me wrong, the fast pace made me want to keep reading because i don't think there were even any boring parts i wanted to skip. However, it makes the scenes seem a bit incomplete and short, leaving me to wish there was more to it. Even at the ending, i wanted more. I knew there was going to be a sequel, but i wasn't sure if it was out yet or not. After checking on Goodreads, the expected publication date is November 3rd 2015 and I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG! Oh and the simplistic logical explanations of the Firebird are both good and bad. Good, because the lack of explanation sort of balances out the genre of the book to stick to romance as well as sci-fi, and is enough for its targetted audience. Bad, because some people WANT the logic and sense to the concepts.
The characters in the book are very likable. I don't think i dislike anyone, not even the main character. She can be a tad bit annoying at times for making such rash decisions and is sometimes naive, but it was a tolerable personality. Marguerite is a teenager, and even though she can't be flawless and mature like Hermione Granger and Annabeth Chase she's a pretty decent main character. I'm glad she has a few flaws here and there.
*SPOILER SECTION*
I am in love with Paul Markov. Mostly the Russian Paul, but it seems that all the Pauls are amazing anyway. I love how Claudia Gray makes you think you'll fall in love with Theo at first, and makes you believe Paul really is the bad guy. Theo did seem perfect at first, and I think i really was starting to fall for him until we discovered the less perfect parts about his drinking and drug addiction, and how he flirts with everyone. Even though my interest in him faded as we learnt more about Paul, it still impresses me that I can still like Theo for being so good and loyal to Marguerite. AND THEN we discover that the Theo we've been reading about isn't even Theo!That he's the unfortunate one in the love triangle, even though he had a good chance to win Meg's heart but was unfairly beaten because of his evil twin. AND he's trying to be okay about Marguerite choosing Paul too! Ahhhh I totally fell in love with the real Theo in the end.
But I'm still glad she chose Paul, of course. I love the internal conflicts Marguerite experiences when she falls in love with the Russian Paul who dies, and feels like she's being unfaithful to him when she meets her Paul Markov. The complex of the emotions Marguerite has to go through is something that kind of effected me emotionally as well. It makes me think "what would i do, or how would i feel if i were in her shoes?" a lot. Imagining what it must have felt like to see her father again after knowing he died in her own dimension, that was intense. And at the same time, feeling guilty for pretty much living and possibly messing up the other dimensions' Marguerites was also interesting, and made me think of the debatable issues about ethics and rights as i mentioned before.
I did think that it was a little sudden that she and Russian Paul got to spend a night together, and was quite shocked at how it actually happened. But the idea of forbidden love and everything for those two in that dimension was so, so captivating and intense and the cheesy lines being said were actually very romantic. I'm starting to realise that I loved Marguerite's time in that dimension the most. It was the most distinct from the other dimensions she explored, and it was very interesting to wonder what in history had changed for the world today to be so held back.
*END OF SPOILER SECTION*
I don't think many people will enjoy this book as much as I did, but i can tell you that it's one of the books that i know i will recommend to people. Sometimes books only seem good for a few weeks after you finish it, because it didn't grip you enough to leave a lasting impression. But i think i'll always like this one, and i'm more than excited to read the sequel. The second book is called Ten Thousand Skies Above You, and the cover is mesmerizing(but the first book's cover is still more beautiful in my opinion).
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