Ten Thousand Skies Above You

Reviewed by: Michelle Brenner - Casco Public Library, Casco, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: April 10, 2016

Review

This intriguing young adult novel is told by 18 year old Marguerite Caine who travels to alternate dimensions using the Firebird, her brilliant parents' invention, with the objective of collecting the splintered consciousness of Paul, the love of her life. It is a sequel to "A Thousand Pieces of You" but brief explanations of past events made it understandable even though I had not read the first Firebird novel. The splinters of consciousness have been hidden in the versions of Paul that exist in parallel worlds by the evil Triad Corporation head who wants the Firebird for his own purposes. The main characters change their persona in some way in each dimension as Marguerite searches for the pieces of her boyfriend and questions her ideas about destiny. Readers may wonder how they might act differently in a different universe. Although the splintering of a person is reminiscent of a Harry Potter theme and the rules of travel to the other dimensions seem a little forced, it is an entertaining read. The imaginative elements of the other worlds are a good mix of familiar and fantasy. The fast-paced science fiction story keeps you guessing until the cliff-hanger ending and blends suspense, thrills, and romance so it should appeal to a broad base of high school readers.

Overall Book Score: good