Review of Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2) by Claudia Grey

To be published on November 3, 2015
by Harper Teen

Source: ARC for review

Review of Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

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. 

Review of Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

While I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, I think I liked this one even more. 

I was surprised that, although Ten Thousand Skies Above You emphasized something in I had huge reservations about in A Thousand Pieces of You. In my review of that book, I said "the romance presented just a little bit of a sticking point for me. The problem I had is that the main love interest had slightly different personalities in each universe, making it hard for me to get a handle on who he was. I mean, imagine falling in love with one version of a person, then discovering he's also a bunch of totally different people who you might love -- or not. "

Well, this second book explores that concept in a big way, but I applaud the way it did so. I mean, even if you love someone, that person probably has aspects, traits, habits, that you aren't so crazy about. 

I felt that this book pointed out that each of us has qualities that aren't ideal, even qualities that could take us to a darker version of ourselves, given the right circumstances. 

The book also was strong on destiny -- the idea that even in multiple universes, certain people are destined to end up together. Maybe or maybe not, but it worked in the story.

Some readers felt that in A Thousand Pieces of You, the relationship between Paul, Marguerite and Theo felt triangle-y. 

I can't say I completely disagree, but somehow in Ten Thousand Skies Above You, this trio really worked for me. 

Marguerite is resolute in her feelings for one guy, but that doesn't  mean things didn't get complicated. And I really liked the fact that in this installment I got to see really different sides of all the characters.

Another thing I really enjoyed about Ten Thousand Skies Above You it that it used the parallel universe concept to serve up some truly surprising plot twists. And that some of those plot twists involved Marguerite having a moral crisis when she's faced with the repercussions of some of the things she did in book one. The book ends with a very fun twist, one that makes me look forward to the final installment.