{Review & Giveaway} A Sequel Worth Traveling To Other Dimensions For: Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Title: Ten Thousand Skies Above You
Author: Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird, book #2
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: November 3, 2015
Source: ARC and finished copy received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents' invention, to cross into alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurting the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked and his consciousness scattered across multiple dimensions.

Marguerite has no choice but to search for each splinter of Paul’s soul. The hunt sends her racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each world brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with each trial she faces, she begins to question the destiny she thought they shared.

The second book in the Firebird trilogy, Ten Thousand Skies Above You features Claudia Gray’s lush, romantic language and smart, exciting action, and will have readers clamoring for the next book.

I often find myself saying that time travel/multiverse books are usually so hit-or-miss with me, but these days, that's just not true. Ten Thousand Skies Above You was a worthy sequel to last year's A Thousand Pieces of You, and it's renewed my faith in the subgenre. This book asks some big questions and in a big way.

Not that these same questions haven't been asked before, but this sequel really seemed to focus on the ramifications and repercussions of traveling between worlds. What that means for the traveler and what it means for their doppelgänger in the other universe. And this novel doesn't approach the subject lightly, which leaves Marguerite, Paul, and Theo all riddled with guilt at things they've done as their other selves or what their other selves have done as them. It's quite a conundrum and one not easily resolved.

The novel also delves into the idea of destiny pretty heavily: whether Marguerite and Paul are fated to find each other in every world, whether each version of themselves is a part of them in every world. It's not as if every choice they make has been preordained, but in most worlds, Marguerite's parents have or are near to having the technology to travel between universes, so it seems a logical conclusion that all worlds were on the same path until something caused them to diverge. It's a lot to take in at times.

That romantic triangle that reared its ugly head in the first book seems to pretty much be kaput, but Marguerite has to wrestle with her feelings for Paul time and again as she searches for the splintered pieces of his soul, and especially as she encounters each universe's version of Paul. And, okay, maybe the triangle isn't completely kaput because Marguerite questions her "fated" relationship with Paul quite a bit and realizes that she does have a choice in the matter.

This novel is twisty and shocking and not what I usually expect from the second book in a trilogy. It was quite captivating, actually. Kept me on my toes, surprised me at nearly every turn. No second book syndrome to speak of. And I know I probably should have seen that shocking ending coming, but I totally didn't. That is definitely one way to ensure I'll be back for the conclusion!

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

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.

I live in New Orleans. So far, in life, I've been a disc jockey, a lawyer, a journalist and an extremely bad waitress, just to name a few. I especially like to spend time traveling, hiking, reading and listening to music. More than anything else, I enjoy writing.

Find Claudia:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest

Thanks to the folks at Kaye Publicity/HarperCollins, I have an extra copy of A Thousand Pieces of You to give away! So, if you haven't started the series yet -- and why haven't you?!? -- now's your chance!

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Labels: beautiful covers, claudia gray, firebird, giveaways, harper-collins, multiverse, reviews, sci-fi, time travel