I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird #2
Published by HarperTeen on November 3, 2015
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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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.

Claudia Gray has done it again! Ten Thousand Skies Above You was an amazing, amazing book! After the cliffhanger in A Thousand Pieces of You (which was one of my absolute favorite books of 2014!!), I was desperate to get my hands on this book! And it definitely did NOT disappoint!

The one thing I hate to admit is that, as much as I loved A Thousand Pieces of You, I completely blanked on a LOT of things that happened. I remembered bits and pieces, especially from the Russiaverse, but that was about it. So I had to skim through A Thousand Pieces of You before I started Ten Thousand Skies Above You. This didn’t take long and it was completely worth it! I felt way more prepared, going into Ten Thousand Skies Above You, than I would have if I HADN’T skimmed A Thousand Pieces of You first. Plus, Gray did a great job recapping things along the way, as well.

Once again, I loved Marguerite. As usual, she was incredibly take-charge and refused to sit on the sidelines or let someone else do the dirty work for her, despite the uncertainty of what she was doing – and despite knowing what she now knows about her role in things. The way her story ended, though? Holy crap, did NOT expect that!

I’m still Team Paul, obviously! I adore Paul and I ship him and Marguerite so hard! But it was harder to like Paul in this book because, sadly, some of his other selves were.. well… a little bit rough around the edges. And a LOT less trusting. (P.S: I’ll still always love Lieutenant Markov from the Russiavnrse the best! Just saying…). Theo really had some amazing moments in this book! Sadly, after everything that happened with “Theo” in the first book, I’m still having a hard time trusting him. And after what happened at the end of this book…??? Whoa! That’s all I’m saying!

Through the dimensions visited in this book, we definitely saw a different side to each of the characters – darker, more evil sides – as opposed to those versions we met in the first book. We also discovered that some of the other versions of our beloved characters were a lot more ruthless when it came to achieving their goals. One character was stone-cold and heartless in one dimension, though I won’t say who for risk of spoilers.

There were some EPIC and INTENSE revelations in this book! I can’t talk about ANY of them without spoilers, obviously, but HOLY CRAP!!! We finally learned more about the events of book one and how/why they came to take place. We learned more about the Triadverse, more about Triad as a company and more about the founders, including Wyatt Conley and his motives. Basically, we learned why everything is happening. We also learned more about Marguerite’s role in all of this. And if you thought the cliffhanger for A Thousand Pieces of You was insane, you haven’t seen anything yet!!! I just can’t even! I have NO idea how I’m going to wait a year for the third book!!!

My only real complaint with this book is that it started off a bit slow – not necessarily in a boring way, just slow. The real action didn’t technically start until page 80! However, from there, it was intense and epic. Once that intensity started, it never eased up! I definitely loved the dimensions from A Thousand Pieces of You more, especially the Russiaverse (for obvious reasons!), but I still enjoyed the dimensions in this book, too!

Overall, Ten Thousand Skies Above You was epic, amazing and wonderful! No Second Book Syndrome to be found here! I’m so anxious to get my hands on the third book, I can’t even put it into words! Until then, I’ll keep myself busy by re-reading Spellcaster and then reading Steadfast and Sorceress for the first time! So, obviously, I HIGHLY recommend this book (and this series as a whole), not to mention everything Claudia has ever – and will ever – write. Period.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Series: Firebird #1
Published by HarperTeen on November 4, 2014
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
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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.

A Thousand Pieces of You was my most highly anticipated book of 2014. And Claudia Gray is one of my absolute favorite authors (I’m a huge fan of Spellcaster and Fateful, especially!). And I must say, this book did NOT disappoint! First of all, I read it in two days – it’s nearly 400 pages long – so that should tell you something! Second of all, Claudia Gray is brilliant. She creates masterful stories, unforgettable worlds and beloved characters that stick with you long after the story is over.

Marguerite was an amazing character, if not a little bit frustrating at times. She wanted to see the good in everyone, she trusted blindly and she refused to be calm and rational in the beginning. I know it’s hard to be rational after what she went through, but it would have saved her a lot of trouble if she had gotten her facts first. Then again, she may not have had a certain revelation near the end of the book had she been calm and rational in the beginning. So it all balances out. I really loved how take-charge she was from the beginning, though. She refused to sit on the sidelines, despite the uncertainty of what she was doing.

Despite what we’re told, I liked Paul from the beginning. There was something about the way Marguerite described him.. It just didn’t mesh with what we were led to believe he did. Seeing him throughout his various parallel lives further cemented this feeling for me. No matter what he did or didn’t do, I love him and ship him with Marguerite. Nothing can or will change that feeling.

From very early on, Theo is established as the hero, the one trying to avenge the wrong he feels was committed. But I just didn’t trust him at all. It’s weird and hard to explain, but from the moment we were introduced to him, I just had this really odd feeling. Despite that, I liked his chemistry with Marguerite. Theo felt like the “bad boy” to me; he reminded me of Damon from The Vampire Diaries, whereas Paul reminded me of Stefan. Despite everything that happened, I still ship Marguerite with Paul, though I still have a soft spot for Theo. And after that epic revelation near the end of the book, I’m curious to see what happens with him in the second book..

All of the parallel dimensions were facinating – The technology in the London dimension was crazy cool! – but the one I loved the most, the reason I was MOST excited to read this book, was the dimension in which Marguerite was a grand duchess in a Tsarist Russia. Oohhh, the Anastasia-like feels! First of all, I believe I’ve stated this in previous reviews, but I LOVE historical YA, with royalty and castles and all of that. But I’m especially fascinated by the story of Anastasia Romanov. Part of that is thanks to the animated movie (#SorryNotSorry) and part of it is because I love history and mysteries. And though I would have read this book no matter what since it’s a Claudia Gray book, this post that Claudia posted on Tumblr guaranteed that I would be all epic grabby hands when it came to this book! Also, this post = All the feels!!!!! And you’ll know why when you read the book!!! (For the record, the Anastasia aspect of the story wasn’t the main reason why Claudia wrote this book. To learn more about where the idea for A Thousand Pieces of You came about, check out this post on her website).

The ending of this book was epic, insane, crazy, whoa! I got to a certain point in the book and my heart was just in my throat from there until the end. I kept waiting for “the other shoe to drop,” as the saying goes. And it did.. quite a few times. And my poor heart couldn’t take it! And then… The worst thing ever happened.. I turned the page and saw ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!!!! I just stared at that page for a long time, sobbing. Because… HOW COULD I HAVE REACHED THE END ALREADY?!?!? HOW WAS THERE NOT MORE TO READ?!?!? I NEED BOOK TWO IN MY LIFE NOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!! *Sobs*

Overall, if you couldn’t tell from my… *Stares at review, clears throat…* Insane fangirly review, I adored this book to (A Thousand) pieces! As I said, it was my most highly anticipated book of 2014 and it didn’t disappoint at all! I love Claudia Gray, I love her books and this is now up in my Top Three Favorite Claudia Gray Books with Spellcaster and Fateful! I swear, Claudia Gray comes up with the BEST story ideas and I just can’t wait to gobble up Steadfast (Spellcaster, #2) (which I’m behind on reading) and – when they release – Sorceress (Spellcaster, #3) and the second Firebird book! And anything else she writes.. Really, she’s on my Auto-Buy Author List forever. If it wasn’t obvious…. *Clears throat* Anyway, A Thousand Pieces of You releases on November 4, 2014 – just a few more days. Everyone needs to read this book when it releases! It’s amazing and you won’t be disappointed!