Book Review: TEN THOUSAND SKIES ABOVE YOU And Beyond

Ten Thousand Skies Above You 
Written by Claudia Gray
Published by Harper Teen
November 3, 2015
Paperback, 426 pages

After finishing the first book of this Claudia Gray trilogy, A Thousand Pieces of You, I did search for the second book, Ten Thousand Skies Above You. Happy to say I’m glad to be continuing down this path…in this dimension.

When we left Marguerite Caine, Paul, Theo, and her brilliant physicist parents, their adventure through the different dimensions had ended, her father safe and Triad, the evil corporation behind her father’s kidnapping, slinking back into the shadows….for now. However, all good things must end and the company has made it clear they will do whatever they can to get the Firebird technology for themselves. We knew from the first book they would kidnap but now they’ve made it clear they are willing to go farther than that — even destroying a person’s soul or worse.

This time they target Marguerite’s soft spot, Paul, splintering his soul into four pieces in different dimensions as leverage to forcer her to do their bidding. Theo helps her while trying to stop Triad’s plan, whatever it may be….until they find out the darker truth behind the company, leaving her to wonder if it’s too late for the multiverse.

And yes, I did just use that popular phrase that we seem to be hearing in just about everything these days. But honestly, I can’t say much more on it because that appears to be more for book three and I’ve not gotten there yet. So back to this book.

I will stand by my last review and paraphrase myself: You had one job, Gray. And you nailed it.

Normally the middle stories are the hard bowties between the beginning and the end. I feel that this is a good set up for the final book. Sure, Thousand Pieces could have been a standalone story if it had needed to be, and Ten Thousand Skies is definitely a middle book, stepping into the story and leaving you hanging. However, it does have its own unique tale that falls within.

We learn more about how Marguerite and Paul have had to navigate their relationship since it’s not the “typical” type, meet, flirt, date, etc. They are destined to meet and be together and in love no matter what dimension they’re in, no matter what the circumstances. In this book, Gray plays with the destiny belief almost as if she’s testing the two. It may appear that they’re not going to be together but that indescribable draw their two souls have are woven together so that there’s not a doubt in the truth. Now I understand this could appear to be manipulated a bit because of Marguerite being a “perfect traveler” — not forgetting anything of her original self when she’s in another Marguerite’s body, which other travelers do over a short time. So her knowledge of Paul and her emotions never fade where his are hidden underneath that dimension’s Paul. Yet it’s the small things that come out, regardless of who that Paul is, that shows the connection. And Gray makes these obvious without being too obvious. I like that.

Gray also does a good job in her world building of these new dimensions we visit. While showing up in a new location, she takes something familiar and asks “ok, we are here, now how can we push the boundaries more to make this world familiar but not really?” I do enjoy this. And again, I look at this and that she writes Star Wars books and wonder if she’s as clever there as here. So I will repeat myself, I should probably try one of those books.

What got me on this book was her twist. I honestly can say I didn’t see it coming. I was messaging a friend after complaining that first, I didn’t see that coming and second, it’s already way past my lights off time and I really need to sleep. The twist of Marguerite and Paul becoming a item was as out of left field as this. I love it. Plus, it’s going to be a driver for the next book.

Which means, YES, I will be looking for A Million Worlds With You. As I said above, Ten Thousand Skies Above You manages to be bet that between story that holds together the beginning and the end while pushing you to the end of the story. There is a bit more to go through with Marguerite Caine and I’m looking forward to every dimension of it.