A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Genre:  YA Science Fiction Romance

Firebird Series, Book 1

Claudia Gray's website

Expected publication date:  November 4, 2014

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Description (taken from Claudia Gray's website):

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. To accomplish her goal, she must learn how each world works, and confront the many people she has the capacity to become. 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 the truth is elusive, and love the greatest mystery of all.

Marguerite is affected by grief and rage when Theo gives her the opportunity to go after her father's killer.  She is surrounded by some of the smartest physicists in the world who have created a device that makes travel between dimensions possible.  Her father's killer, Paul, has used this device, the Firebird, to escape the consequences.  But Theo's determined to stop him and tells his plan of finding him to Marguerite who won't let him go alone.  Marguerite's determined to get retribution and stop Paul.

But jumping between alternate realities is nothing like what she suspected.  Using Theo as her guide begins to become shady as she jumps to a reality with different inventions and sees him at his worst.  And when she finally finds Paul, her old emotions come back, and it's impossible to figure out who to trust.  But as the cat and mouse game continues between worlds, Marguerite becomes more confused.  Is she really the cat chasing Paul, or is she herself being chased?

I will admit, it took me two alternate Marguerites before I finally got into this story.  But as her alternate versions become realer than life and weaved in between the original Marguerite's past, I became so intrigued.  What on earth was going on with this story?  I definitely didn't have that initial spark, but the romance pulled me in, and I had to know how it ended.  And let me tell you, there were surprises that I hadn't figured out until two pages before the revealing.  I thoroughly enjoyed this tale that pulled the ethics of dimensional travel and the meaning of love into a flawless piece.

And now I must wait for the next one to come out.  I think young adult fans looking for something different with that bit of romance will enjoy this book.  And if you're not sold by the first fifty pages, just keep going.  I can say it's worth it.

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.