A Million Worlds with You

By: Claudia Gray

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite’s hands in the final installment of the Firebird trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Ever since she used the Firebird, her parent’s invention, to cross through alternate dimensions, Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud. Now she has learned that the evil Triad Corporation plans to destroy hundreds of universes, using their ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite who is wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.

Even though her boyfriend Paul has always been at Marguerite’s side, the Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man, and he may never be the same again. Marguerite alone must stop Triad and prevent the destruction of the multiverse. It’s a battle of the Marguerites . . . and only one can win.

In the epic conclusion to the sweeping series that kicked off with A Thousand Pieces of You, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed.

Fun read at face value

So I’ll preface my review by admitting that at 31, I’m probably older than the author’s targeted demographic for this trilogy. Because of that, some aspects of it did come off as juvenile to me, and some of the writing itself was amusing at times (the sentence “distant cries rose in the distance”, for example, and the many passages in which Marguerite anguishes over her relationship with Paul) but I’m truly not a book snob so those things didn’t bother me too much. Plus if you’ve made it this far in the series, you’re already familiar with the author’s writing style so it’s a little too late to nitpick.

Above issues notwithstanding, I really liked this trilogy. I found it enjoyable for what it was. The premise of dimension travel was unique to me as I’d never read anything similar in the YA category (or at all) and I really liked the parts where Marguerite would first find herself in a new dimension and you’d learn what the differences were between that one and her own.

Personally I could’ve gone without all the monologues about fate in regards to Marguerite and Paul, Marguerite and Theo etc. But I suppose the author has to satisfy her target audience’s taste for conflicted teen romance and it definitely had enough of that. Personally I preferred the sci-fi aspects and action scenes. It was interesting and fun enough to keep me listening without getting bored or tired of it. In the last hour or so I started to wonder if there was going to be a fourth book and I would’ve continued the story for sure, but the author was able to wrap it up.

In regards to the ending-I can’t say I completely disliked it, I was just a little dismayed at how easily and conveniently everything wraps up in a climactic ending scene after Marguerite and her family had faced all these obstacles and challenges throughout the trilogy. It was as if the author herself couldn't really find a solution to the problems she'd created, so she threw in one last trick to fix everything. It's just that you never hear of this trick at any point elsewhere in the book(s). So that all seemed a little too simple which was in sharp contrast to how complex other issues were made.

One of the other reviewers mentioned that this book contains recapping of the first two Firebird novels and that IS true-however I kind of appreciated that here, because it had been a while for me between finishing the last book and purchasing this one. I didn’t find it too excessive to be bothersome.

Narration – I’m kind of on the fence here. On one hand, I did find Tavia Gilbert to know her way around French and Russian accents well (although some other reviewers have said the accents were horrible so it's subjective). I also thought she did well on the male narration and was even able to convey enough difference between Paul and Theo that I could tell who was speaking without having to hear the “Theo said”, “Paul said”. On the other hand..she could also be a little dramatic for me. Yes, there are dramatic scenes and it’s the narrator’s job to portray that, but at times she sounded close to hyperventilation and other times she would simply overdo it. So she’s obviously a talented reader with the ability to do different genders and accents, she just took it a bit too far here for my taste.

All in all I did enjoy this book and found it a nice conclusion to the series, which I’m glad to have come across. I would recommend it if you are looking for something fun and different.

EPIC FINALE

Such a great last book in the series that left me wanting more! CANT WAIT FOR THE TIME-TRAVEL BOOK FROM CLAUDIA *hint hint*

I enjoyed the authors imagination

I enjoyed the authors imagination.
The book was really good, I really enjoyed the thought of time travel. it seemed a little impeditive, but would still highly recommend it

Surprisingly addictive.

Bought on the recommendation by a colleague, the story opens on the tone of a teenage novel, built on the emotional perspective of rebellion, self- interest and random choice. I prepared myself for disappointment. When the key protagonist Marguerite sweeps past the potential for the level of detail I hugely enjoyed in The Martian with a 'I won't bore you with all the scientific mumbo jumbo' dismissal, I dropped further into the potential crevasse of Barbara Cartland meets wannabe high school writer.
I stuck with it though, listening to all 3 books in the series. There is enough repetition in the stories to lose a star - constantly referencing an earlier event to explain a current. And a better writer would have added detail not revealed in the earlier script to further the 3D credibility of Marguerite - narrator. Real people remember detail later to the event. Trying to set each novel up as a standalone costs the momentum and causes the main character to suddenly reduce to just an invention at the pen of the writer. Tiresome.
However, the series rates 4 stars for the onion like peeling in the development of the main character's awareness and the resolution of a fun story to a very satisfying ending all round. No loose threads but not too neat. Tavia Gilbert does it justice in her range of voices. Well worth the time!

Engaging Series

Claudia Gray has a way with characters that is just so engaging. This book starts off dramatically and keeps the pace fast throughout. Though there is moments I find myself frustrated with Marguerite's obliviousness, overall I still enjoyed the Story.