{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!

Rules:

• This giveaway is US only.
• One entry per household. 
• Entries will be verified. Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant.
• Please note that if you use your Twitter account solely for giveaway entries and you enter using the Tweet about the Giveaway entry, that entry will be disqualified. Please remember that this entry method is to spread the word about the cover reveal and giveaway, not simply increase your chances of winning.
• Winner will be notified via email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Please check your SPAM folder!!! 
• We are not responsible for lost packages. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

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

Waiting on Wednesday: This Is Where It Ends & Ten Thousand Skies Above You

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selections are...








's Pick:

Title: This Is Where It Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Series: n/a
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: January 5th, 2016

10:00 a.m. The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m. The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03 The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05 Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

This book looks fascinating and terrifying all in one. And that cover.. the chalk exploding like that.. perfect. I need this book badly.






's Pick:



Title: Ten Thousand Skies Above You
Author: Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird, book #2
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: November 3, 2015

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.

Though I love time travel/multiverse novels immensely, I didn't expect to like the first book in this series very much. It was a happy surprise when I did, and now I can't wait to get to the sequel. I will need a refresher before then, though, because I don't remember how things left off...I thought there was some kind of love triangle thingy that was left unresolved, not Paul the boyfriend, though that might happen in this book? Hrrrmmm.


What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!

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Labels: beautiful covers, claudia gray, firebird, harper-collins, multiverse, This is Where it ends, time travel, waiting on wednesday (wow)

Review & Giveaway: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird, book #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Source: finished copy received from publisher, galley received from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in my admission that, while I was intrigued by the premise, that cover is what actually enticed me to add this book to my TBR all those months ago. It wasn't the only thing, though. I'm a HUGE fan of books about multiverses and traveling between them, and though this isn't my favorite book focusing on characters who travel to alternate dimensions, I found quite a bit to like in this story.

I've never read either of the books that this one is being compared to in that synopsis, but I did get a very strong All Our Yesterdays vibe from it. In that book, the characters are time traveling on the same timeline, though, whereas the characters in A Thousand Pieces of You are traveling from one parallel universe to the next. However, I like how both books tackled the aspects of such travel -- the hows and whys and wheres -- without too much sciencey mumbo-jumbo. The how isn't fully explained, but it's executed well enough so that it's not confusing and believable enough considering this is science fiction. And in this novel, I loved how the main character Marguerite focused on the moral ramifications because when these characters are world-jumping, they are essentially inhabiting their alternate self, taking over that life while their other self is none the wiser. That really comes into play later in the novel, and I can't wait see it explored further in future installments.

Whereas most novels concerning parallel universes will center on worlds that are just shades different from each other, the author of A Thousand Pieces of You chose to showcase several really unique worlds while Marguerite, Theo, and Paul were hopping around the multiverse. There are worlds that nearly mirror their home world, but the trio also jumps to a futuristic London-verse, a world that features a Romanov Russia in present-day, and one where global climate conditions have deteriorated so quickly that most of the populace dwells in ocean-bases. These parallel universes were all so fully realized that I wasn't sure I wanted Marguerite to return to her home, especially knowing what waited for her there...or rather, what didn't.

Marguerite was such a determined character...I couldn't help but root for her, even if her and Theo's plan seemed ludicrous. Chasing after the guy who murdered your father across multiple worlds? That can't end well...and it definitely didn't end the way you might expect. But it was an entertaining trip all the same, especially when you throw some romance into the mix. This may deter some readers, but I felt that despite the implications that a love triangle/love rhombus was at play, it was pretty obvious to whom Marguerite was truly ready to give her heart, especially in light of certain circumstances. If I were to put an official label on the romance, though, it would be "It's complicated". There are so many factors at play, so many hearts on the line -- and so much that I want to say but that would be entirely too spoilery. Just remember what I said about the moral consequences and consider how destiny might come into play across multiple worlds/lives, and you'll soon realize just how complicated love can get in a story like this.

If you enjoyed this novel, I definitely recommend picking up All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill and the Unraveling series by Elizabeth Norris (which is a full-on multiverse novel like this one) and vice versa. A Thousand Pieces of You is a solid first book and a welcome entry in the multiverse genre, and I'm very intrigued to see where the author takes this series. And I cannot wait to see what they come up with for the cover on the sequel...I just know it'll be beyond gorgeous!

Side note: While I was reading this book the other night, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory -- the original version with Gene Wilder, not Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the remake with Johnny Depp -- was playing in the background, and I happened to look up at the exact moment that the kid gets turned into a thousand tiny pieces and transported to the TV, i.e. Wonka Vision. It was kind of a perfect moment, especially considering the title of this book and the thousands upon thousands of versions of us that could exist across the multiverse.

GIF it to me straight:

Also, this novel really made me miss FRINGE. =(

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!

Rules:

• This giveaway is US only.
• One entry per household. 
• Entries will be verified. Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant.
• Please note that if you use your Twitter account solely for giveaway entries and you enter using the Tweet about the Giveaway entry, that entry will be disqualified. Please remember that this entry method is to spread the word about the cover reveal and giveaway, not simply increase your chances of winning.
• Winner will be notified via email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Please check your SPAM folder!!! 
• We are not responsible for lost packages. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

Read More

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