A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird, #1) by Claudia Gray

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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. 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. 

“I meant it when I said I didn’t believe in love at first sight. It takes time to really, truly fall for someone. Yet I believe in a moment. A moment when you glimpse the truth within someone, and they glimpse the truth within you. In that moment, you don’t belong to yourself any longer, not completely. Part of you belongs to him; part of him belongs to you. After that, you can’t take it back, no matter how much you want to, no matter how hard you try.”

First, I want to start by saying I didn't know Claudia Gray was a pseudonym. I happened to see that little fact on her Goodreads profile. Am I the only one that didn't know this??

Now, to the book! Well, audiobook. I've learned that during this stage of my life, audiobooks work best for me. There are no paper pages for little fingers to grab. My husband lost a beloved book this way (and why I keep all of mine on the higher shelves). The twins will be one this month, and they are in EVERYTHING.

I was intrigued by the synopsis for this book, so I downloaded the audiobook from my library. It was the first I had heard of it, so I didn't really know what to think when it started. Gray throws us into the story from the first page. Marguerite is in a body that is both hers and not hers, and doing things that make absolutely no sense. It was great! I loved getting knee-deep into the story before getting more background. My interest was piqued, and I was hooked. I needed to know more!

I did hate how easy it was for Marguerite to blindly want to destroy someone with very little evidence, and only half of the facts. I get that she was emotional and hurt, but if you're going after someone with the intention of killing them (or stranding them in another dimension), you had better be a million percent sure you are correct. There's no room for doubt when someone's life hangs in the balance. You also shouldn't try to kill someone else, but what do I know. 

I was slightly annoyed by the love triangle, but I've never really been a fan. I don't like it when the main character's heart is torn in two different directions. Someone always, always gets hurt.

Everything considered, this was a captivating and unique story. The science aspects weren't confusing, but still complex enough to explain travel to other dimensions. I never felt lost, or that concepts were over my head. Marguerite also never jumped somewhere boring. Her blended background allowed for numerous possibilities, and we get to experience a few of them.

A Thousand Pieces of You makes you think about decisions, and whether each one potentially changes the outcome of your future. Is everything fated, or do the small choices we make have a bigger impact than we know?