Not Sci-Fi. Mostly Rory Gilmore introspection.

Not going to point out an essay on the iPhone, but...

I thought this would be an updated version of Sliders from Sci-fi. Instead it's a book that too hard tries to make the tension from a love triangle last as long as possible. 80% of this book is introspective thought, usually about a boy, then the narrator, then family.

Parts are painful to get through. This girl accepts on faith a mission to kill the man she is in love with, doesn't understand half of the ideas involved, and doesn't really even direct her own narrative until the very end. In fact, I think she has two scenes of significance where she makes her own decisions and isn't being escorted by a lover (both times waiting for rescue). Ok, three (London, Russia, Waterworld). Rescued every time.

So if you want to feed some inner dialogue to the home-made robot girl you're tinkering with in the basement, this motherload is all the drama you'll need.

Kudos to the illustrator and voice actor. The russian and french accents are cringeworthy, but maybe they are in real life, too.

10 people found this helpful

Sliders meets Cloud Atlas for Teens

What made the experience of listening to A Thousand Pieces of You the most enjoyable?

I used to love the show Sliders. Experiencing every possible new earth that could've been. Claudia Gray also gives a sort of Cloud Atlas some souls are meant to be together type of thing. Has some great twists. That's refreshing when it seems like so many books have become mind-numbingly predictable. While I would have preferred no hint another teen love triangle, this one doesn't seem so bad. But maybe I'm the only one who doesn't get a thrill from dangling two guys at once. It's so popular in YA, but I don't get it. Ok, I put my soapbox away. I gave it 5-stars all-around because it is well-written and so much FUN. Some really gorgeous sentences here. Glad to see this in YA! This my first experience of Gray's work and I can't wait to try her others.

What other book might you compare A Thousand Pieces of You to and why?

Timebound by Rysa Walker - similar rhythm but time travel. Full of heroic romance.
Every Day by David Levithan - Equally awesome. This person jumps into a different body everyday. It's thoughtful. No love triangle.
The Blood Vivicanti by Becket - Blood memories give Mary Paige the abilities of her victims, who don't die and experience euphoria when bitten. Full of adventure and gadgets. Also, no love triangle.

What does Tavia Gilbert bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her accents are spot on. I'm not sure I would have really heard any accent in my head if I had just read it. I was surprised when she started doing them, even though the author makes it clear that the characters have the accents. Accents make everything more fun.

I like her British dad voice. It sounded comical sometimes though. That's not meant as an insult, though I'm not sure how else it could sound. In fact, she is exactly the person I hope to ask to narrate for me, when I'm published someday. Maybe it was just me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, the book and narrator made you want to forget everything around you and just listen. But I listen and read at the same time. That's just what I like.

4 people found this helpful

just ok

I feel like it had a lot of build but right when it started taking off, it was over. I know this is a series but generally the 1st book really hooks me and I just HAVE to know what happens to the main character... I'll check out the next if I find myself at a loss as to what to read somtime. It was a neat concept though.

3 people found this helpful

This is perfection

I own a paper copy of the book that I've read by myself and I really enjoyed it, but I have to say that this audible version is Great! The reader is a remarkable performer and adds to the story that something quite unique that made me fell for this book so completely and once again more and really deep. I' m so overwhelmed with emotions right now that I can't wait to listen to the second book in the series.

2 people found this helpful

MUST READ!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

One of the most interesting, unique stories I have had the privilege to read in quite some time. I can't even begin to capture a picture of the basic story for you, all that would do is serve an injustice. Just trust me, you need to go pick this book up and me as captivated as I am now.

I can def see this being made into a major motion picture. Why can't all stories take you on a journey such as this one?!

Now, I'm going to need Claudia Gray to hurry up and finish the 2nd book in this series so I can finish it in a day. :)

5 people found this helpful

Good for YA, lacking for adult readers

I struggled with what to rank this because I know if I was younger I would love it. I'm 21, so slightly older than the intended audience. The teenage self-centeredness is very apparent in the authors "twists". The love story seems very forced with one of the love triangle parts, but still not real with the other part. It was obviously written by someone without a scientific background so a lot of the multiple dimensions part is very basic. All of that aside, I did listen to it all in one go and was entertained. It's not bad, I just should probably not listen to YA novels.

1 person found this helpful

Super creative take on the parallel universe

This book had been on my TBR and on my shelves for a very long time (I mean, hello, one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen) and the concept was something that instantly drew me in. I finally grabbed the audio for this, wanting to read something more sci-fi and what better to pick up than an multi-dimension story?

The book started off abruptly for me. It kind of starts right in the action and things immediately start happening. I really wished Claudia Gray had taken the time to set up a little backstory before throwing readers into things because it permanently messed up my feelings towards some of the characters, without giving away any spoilers, and once that happens, it's really hard for me to go back and "correct" that. The first impressions stuck with me and I didn't even have time to learn a little backstory, but more importantly, see some character history and personality, before the action took off.

The concept was exactly what I was looking for! Hopping from dimension to dimension and travelling between worlds. I have to say, I was super impressed with the different universes that Claudia Gray created for these characters! Most books, when dealing with alternate universes, focus a lot on things that are very close to the life that we're living now but a few major or minor things have been changed to have a significant impact on a character. Here, Gray set up worlds where the main characters have a whole lot more to figure out. From a world where technology has progressed much faster to a world where technology has progressed MUCH slower so that the world is essentially still in the dark ages. A world where Marguerite ends up in a place almost exactly like her home to a world where she lives in a different country and has an entirely different upbringing. It's easy to create a setting for a book a tamper with it slightly to come up with an alternate universe. Claudia Gray really gets into the different possibilities and how anything minor can create a huge major difference!

I also really love the family aspect and how tightly knit this family is. There's a great dynamic, the parents are loving and supportive (although I guess it depends in what universe, right?), and the graduate students that work with Marguerite's parents have become a part of the family too.

What I didn't love was the romance. It was set up a little awkwardly and there were some... things that happened that really turned me around right from the start. I won't get into details because that heads into spoiler-ville but the set-up and execution of the romance felt really clunky to me and even heading straight on to the second book (which I'm reading now), I still can't shake that feel because of how it was set up in book one. Again, with no backstory for these characters when the book started, I had no sense of who was supposed to be what to Marguerite, the history she had with them, her feelings for them, and why she should trust anyone. I just really needed that chapter or so in the beginning to introduce all of the characters. The book felt like it was the second book in the series, not the first, with the way that it started and threw the story and characters at me right away and that made things a little difficult. The book does offer flashbacks so readers are still able to see things from "before" but that didn't really make up for what I was wanting in the very beginning.

A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU didn't exactly go how I had hoped but it was still an enjoyable read and I'm so impressed with the different worlds that Claudia Gray has built! I'm already in the second book because I'm interested in bingeing the whole series and I'm loving her creativity so far.

1 person found this helpful

Tavia Gilbert is wonderful!

Would you listen to A Thousand Pieces of You again? Why?

I would listen to it again to search for other details in the story, but mostly because I adore Tavia Gilbert!!

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when 'Meg' and Paul spend a night in the cabin in Russia.
I really enjoyed all of the scenes in Russia!

Any additional comments?

I would listen to a boring Textbook on paint drying as long as Tavia Gilbert is narrating.

1 person found this helpful

Interesting story idea.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I enjoyed the author's idea and the worlds and characters she created. The book may have just been a little too young for me because it was mostly about a teen romance.

Would you be willing to try another book from Claudia Gray? Why or why not?

Probably not. This book was an ok listen, but nothing that thrilled me in to wanted to explore more.

Which character – as performed by Tavia Gilbert – was your favorite?

Tavia did a good job with all the characters.

1 person found this helpful

cool aspect

This was a different aspect of time travel that I'd not seen in a book before. While the timelines were complicated, the author describes them in a way that it believable and understandable. The love triangle is a good twist, too.