I have a weird relationship with YA science fiction books. It's the one genre I'll read some of but not all of. I've never been interested in science, outer space, or aliens. However, some YA sci-fi draws me in and won't let me go. It's usually the time travel or parallel universe books. Or the books are set in the future, but aren't dystopic so I consider them science fiction. (Although isn't dystopia technically a sub-genre of sci-fi?) But I digress. There's one sci-fi trilogy that I love with every fiber of my being - the Firebird trilogy by Claudia Gray. I'm going to tell you why I love the trilogy - and why you should, too.
1. The covers
It's a very shallow reason, but the Firebird books have some of the loveliest covers I've ever seen in YA (and I'm so glad they haven't had to suffer a redesign). Just look at these beauties.
2. The romance
Truth be told, most of my sci-fi books have to have a solid romance, and this one is perhaps the best of them all. The couple raises questions of fate and destiny - are they meant to be because of all the universes they're together in, or is love just random chance? Also, they refute the idea of love at first sight.
3. The alternate universes
This book is basically about AUs, which, as a fangirl, I love. But seriously, the world-building is rich and imaginative. It's fun to imagine where I'd be in different worlds. There'd be one where I attend Geneva College instead of Asbury, one where my family didn't move back to Virginia (and another where we never left VA in the first place), one where I wasn't homeschooled...the possibilities are endless.
4. The vastness of the alternate universe spectrum
Bouncing off that last point, I love how creative Ms. Gray got with the various worlds. All of the worlds are happening at a concurrent time to ours, but they're further along or behind than we are in technological development. Book one features a world with tsarist Russia and a futuristic London. Book two has a world where the Middle Ages seem to be in full swing still and a war-torn world reminiscent of World War II technology. And those are only the tip of the iceberg.
5. Marguerite's determination
Marguerite is the only artist in a family of scientists, but she will do anything for those she loves - her parents, her sister, and even her love interest. She crosses worlds for her dad in A Thousand Pieces of You and (spoiler alert) jumps through worlds to save them in A Million Worlds with You. I love that she's creative, loyal, and determined. She may not understand a lot of scientific stuff, but she's still smart and loving.
So what are you waiting for? Read the Firebird trilogy ASAP.
I love this trilogy, too! I'm so sad that it's over.
ReplyDelete