Ten Thousand Skies Above You

Gr 10 Up—This follow-up to A Thousand Pieces of You (HarperCollins, 2014) blends elements of science fiction, time travel, and romance. Eighteen-year-old Marguerite and her 20-something friend Theo travel to alternate realities including Renaissance Rome, an alternative San Francisco at war, and the futuristic "home office" of the evil Triad corporation to rescue fragments of the splintered soul of Marguerite's boyfriend, Paul. As she meets different versions of Paul, Theo, and her family, the heroine begins to question her earlier notions of destiny and of people's essential natures. The protagonist's journeys form a travelogue of sorts, and her descriptions of alternate Earth cities and the ways these settings have changed her loved ones' characters are the strongest parts of the book. The parallel worlds allow readers to wonder how different they would be if they lived in different circumstances. Explanations of the mechanics and limits of dimensional travel are skimpy and a bit forced, but that won't bother fans of the previous volume. Attractive characters, plenty of suspense and danger, and a cliff-hanger ending add to the story's appeal. The characters' age and some sexual situations make the book best suited for older teens.