Ten Thousand Skies Above You

Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2)
Author: Claudia Gray
Publish Date: November 3, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen

         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.

         Since I'm an incredibly vain person who only cares about appearances, I'm just going to gush about the beautiful cover. I don't like orange, but that doesn't matter anymore because the cover is too darn gorgeous. I think I was drawn to the cover more than the story when I started this series, but I don't think that matters. After reading, the book proved to be just as beautiful as its cover. I was pleased with the writing, story, and the characters. I really liked the concept of dimension jumping and it was well developed.

         The whole book was about Marguerite retrieving Paul's splinters. Being splintered is pretty much what it sounds like. Your "consciousness" is gone (split amongst the yous in multiple universes) and you're not yourself. You're splinter is everywhere. Once they get back together, you're yourself again.

         The whole story is very original. I love the whole alternate universe concept and traveling to those universes. The author had a science to it. It's great. Most books with universe jumping is about magic and some supernatural thing. I think that's pretty bullshit. Having a scientific reason to prove this occurrence made me happy. The author was also historically accurate when it was needed. She spelled czar as tzar because she was in Rome. So happy.

         I liked the writing. It wasn't super embellished. It was simple and I enjoyed it. The author allowed the story and everything to shine by itself. However, the end was anti-climatic. I thought it was boring and predictable. Some may think it's a cliff-hanger, but it really isn't. I don't feel the need to know what's going to happen next. It was lukewarm. Thanks foreshadowing...

         This is were I had PROBLEMS with the story. If you didn't know, there's a love triangle... The whole story is also about romance. Marguerite is in love with Paul. It's sickening seeing her fixate on him. I tried so hard to ignore her. I really wanted to say Bye Felicia to her. She has this notion that her love for Paul will last in different universes because they're "MEANT TO BE"! You can see why the romance KILLED ME. She went around preaching it.

         As mentioned above, this is a love triangle. Marguerite literally said that she and Paul had this everlasting love and nothing will come between it to this other guy, Theo, who loves and cares for her deeply. She's rubbing salt into the wound and I sympathized for Theo. She is so annoying. 

Marguerite: She's so naive. I found her funny in the beginning with her little one-liners before she went around with Paul Tinted Glasses. She's blinded by "true love" and "destiny". She believes her love is the reason for everything. She basically thinks everything revolves around her. The fact that she's the "perfect traveler" really helps with her inflated self-worth. She also develops Stockholm Syndrome in one of the universes she jumped to.

Paul: As much as I want to hate him for causing the atrocity that is Marguerite, I can't. This book focused on Paul, but not really. Each universe had this "essence" of Paul. It was his true character/history. It's interesting seeing his underlying traits and learning his history. Readers are used to Paul as this closed off person. It was great learning why he is the way he is. Paul is a great character in my opinion. He's smart and Russian...

Theo: He is such a great person. He's very supportive and doesn't let his feelings be the only guide to his actions. He lets his feelings slip through every now and then, but I think his actions are normal considering his situation. He wants to have his feelings reciprocated. How can that happen without telling them? I sympathize for him.