Claudia Gray is not my real name. I didn’t choose a pseudonym because my real name is unpleasant (it isn’t), because I’d always dreamed of calling myself this (I haven’t) or even because I’m hiding from the remnants of that international diamond-smuggling cartel I smashed in 2003 (Interpol has taken care of them). In short, I took a pseudonym for no real reason whatsoever. Sometimes this is actually the best reason to do things.
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray combines some of my favorite aspects about books – time travel, history, suspense, and romance. I found that I was unable to put this one down as I traveled through time with Marguerite to chase down the person responsible for her father’s death. Please know, I am going to do what I can to keep this spoiler-free so with that thought in mind, most of this review will center around the world building and the characters.
Marguerite is the daughter of some well-known scientists who have developed the ability to travel to alternate universes. As this ability gets to the wrong people, Marguerite’s world is torn apart. We find out quickly that her father has been killed and the person thought to be responsible is the one person she thought she could trust, Paul. As Theo, one of her parents’ other lab assistants, decides to chase Paul down to get revenge, Marguerite makes the decision to join him.
I loved how Gray layered the science into this story. I don’t pretend to be smart enough to know whether the physics behind this could be real but it is such an interesting theory and the fact that she pulls these characters into situations that create another dimension to the story only made it that more interesting.
Gray develops the relationship between Marguerite and Paul somewhat through flashbacks in Marguerite’s mind as well as the chase through the different universes. I loved the time they spent together in Russia and while I get that afterward, she was confused about who she really was in love with, I wanted Marguerite to get beyond her hang-ups. I can’t say too much here as I don’t want to give anything away but there it is…my opinion.
I also loved the relationship between Theo and Paul. It was great to see as the story progresses, just how close these two were and then the change once Marguerite’s father is killed. I thought Theo was an interesting character and his role in the whole story was somewhat unexpected. Again…don’t hate me but I can’t say much about it. Trust me – you should read all about it, not try to read my explanation for it.
Outside of the character stories, the worlds that Gray created in each of the alternate universes were great. I thought she did a wonderful job of developing each one and then integrating the characters with completely different backgrounds into those worlds.
I also thought that twists that Gray built into this book are what make the story stand out. I admit, I wasn’t expecting everything that happened and I love that. In the end, I think this is what made the book that much better. The expected wasn’t always what happened and how things ended up.
So, there you have it. There isn’t much detail I can give here without giving anything away and you know I hate to do that so I won’t. If you take anything away from this review, know that this book was good! I enjoyed the world building, the action and science were interesting, and there was a bit of swoon. Add to that the pretty, pretty cover and I think you should check this one out when you can.
Thank you to Harper & Edelweiss for the review copy!
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