Monday 15 August 2016

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray // a whole pile of ugh (no thank you fake sci-fi)


Title: A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance
Rating: 1 star
Goodreads
DNF at 22%

I read the blurb. I knew I was getting into a Sci-Fi Romance that would be more Romance than Science. But boy is that an understatement.

The book pretty much starts bang in the middle. We're told our protagonist's genius scientist dad died and so now she's in an alternate universe hunting down his killer. Where was the buildup to this? I don't like being told what's going on. I want to feel it. But there was basically no exposition so I didn't.

What's worse is that the whole premise of this book has no solid grounding. There is nothing - NOTHING - to suggest Paul killed Marguerite's dad. So what was the point?!

The characters sucked big time. Marguerite wines too much and was so full of self pity. And I'd accept that if that was because she was mourning her father. But it wasn't. She's just mopey.

Also she grew up surrounded by brilliant scientists but she's an artist. Special snowflake alert. The reason I wanted an actual exposition or maybe even a 3rd person narrative is so I could get to see some awesome Sci-Fi! But nah. Literally all the explanation we get for the Firebird technology and Meg's parents research is this:
'... I'd have to get umpteen physics degree to even understand. Long story short: the devices are really hard to make'
That's page 8. No thank you fake Sci-Fi.

Also there's this:
'it's a quantum mechanics thing, & explaining it involves this whole story about a cat that's in a box & is simultaneously alive and dead until you open the box, & it gets seriously complicated. Never ask a physicist about that cat'
What even? Is there even an actual concept here? Because all I'm seeing right here in the first quarter of the book is Meg just dodging all the big questions with 'I don't know. Not my thing. It's cool though!!' (not an actual quote. I just wanted to help illustrate better.)

I just... I couldn't with this book. Sorry. Nice cover though.

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