ARC Review: Tandem by Anna Jarzab
21September 9, 2013 by Alice in Readerland
Everything repeats.
You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds. Many lives–infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather’s stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real–until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.
To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she’ll be trapped in another girl’s life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love–one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she’s someone she’s not.
The first book in the Many-Worlds Trilogy, Tandem is a riveting saga of love and betrayal set in parallel universes in which nothing–and no one–is what it seems.
Special thanks to Random House/Delacorte Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Tandem will arrive in stores October 8th, 2013.
Imagine being betrayed by someone you thought you could trust. Imagine being transported to a a parallel universe. Now, imagine being told you’re a princess in that parallel universe.
Well, Sasha’s about to experience all 3 of those things.
What I thought was really great about this book was that there wass always something going on and something is always happening; the characters were planning, thinking, running, and learning each chapter. I also liked how all of the universes were explained. One scene that really stands out for me in Tandem is the scene where Dr. Moss (one of my favorite characters) is showing Sasha a tetractys, an ancient mathematical symbol, representing universes. Dr. Moss talks about how many different universes could exist and the degrees of separation between them. He talks about how there could be changes in universes as simple as the color of someones tie, to a universe that’s so different the whole world’s scape is different. I thought the scene was pretty cool to read and showed how much research the author must have put into this book.
Also, did I mention that this parallel universe has the aurora borealis (or, as that universe calls it, the aurora universalis) dancing across the sky all the time? How beautiful would that be?
Cynical Cindy Says
This book alternates between three points of view (POV), two POVs in first person and one POV in third-person. For me, that seemed to make the story feel disjointed and messy, though it may not bother others.
I am very, very curious to see where Tether, the next book in the Many-Worlds trilogy goes, and I know that it’s going to be one of my most anticipated releases of 2014! What’s going to happen after that major cliffhanger Tandem left us with? Hmm…maybe I can visit a parallel world where Tether‘s already been released…
Alice in Readerland 
I’ve loved the sound of this book since I first came across it. Being a princess in a parallel universe? Bring it on! Haha :P
I just love time travelly, parallel universey, alternate reality-ey books, so I am pretty sure that I would like this one.
Your favourite scene sounds pretty awesome, and it makes me want to read it now, to be able to know exactly what you’re talking about!
I know what you mean about different tenses being a tad confusing. I recently read a book where the parts set in the past were told in present tense, and the parts told in the future were told in past tense – confusing D: But I can definitely overlook that if the book is awesome – which it sounds like Tandem definitely is :D
I’ve been loving those kinds of books too, they’re definitively one of the 2013 book trends I was excited to see! :)
Whoa! That does sound confusing (but also interesting, what book was it?).
There definitely seems to be more of these types of books out now than ever before!
It was a bit confusing, but I adjusted, haha. It was Mortality by Kellie Sheridan. I loved the book, even with the weird tenses :P
YAY YOU GOT IT!!!! Ah, besides United We Spy, this is my most anticipated 2013 release! The world Jarzab has created sounds magnificent. I can see how the different POVs can make it messy so I hope that’s not a huge deal breaker for me. Love the review!
I smiled at your Princess Diaries gif. So fitting. And is that a Quantum Leap gif?
Ahh United We Spy! Only 2 more weeks!!! :) Thanks, Sunny! No, that’s just a gif of the aurora borealis, but i think a gif from Quantum Leap would be cool! But I’ve been having some trouble finding gifs from the early 2000s and before. (Though, I guess the Princess Diaries was just way to popular not to be giffed ;))
Reblogged this on The Cosplaying Librarian and commented:
This seems like a very interesting read. I absolutely love science fiction, and the idea of a multiverse is so fascinating. I’m excited about this book, but I hope that the romance doesn’t take too much away from the rest of the story or create ridiculous tension :/
Thanks for the reblog! :) To be honest, I wasn’t a major fan of the romance in this first book, but I think it had potential, so I’m very interested in the rest of the trilogy.
This sounds like an interesting read! Though I am not sure about the multiple PoV!
I liked a lot of the story aspects, but I’m really hoping that the author just sticks to 2 POVs for the rest of the trilogy.
Love the premise of this story – alternate universes and princesses is a perfect mash-up! So glad that you enjoyed the book, I definitely want to check it out!
I hope you enjoy it too! :D
I don’t think I usually notice whether a story is told from first person or third person, I mean, I could tell you if you asked me while I was reading it, but it’s not often something that causes me problems or which I remember later. Love the princess diary gifs! I haven’t seen that movie in a long time, but I remember it fondly :)
I like both first person and third person, but mixing them just threw me off a bit. Thanks, I saw that the movie was on TV last week and I thought “Oh! I should use something from this in my review!” :) Thanks for stopping by & commenting! :)
This looks really good! I love when the author’s research and/or work is evident in the story; it makes the plot so much more interesting!
I know there have been some complaints about it, but I love the world building in this one! :)
This book sounds great! I’m glad you liked it! I can’t wait to read it now. The POV thing will probably annoy me a little, but based on everything else you’ve said, it will be worth it for a great story! Great review!
I hope you enjoy it! :)
If I see aurora borealis, I’ll be dead scared because it’s just not the norm. :P
And I love the GIFs you used. It fit your review PERFECTLY.
Thanks! I had fun with the gifs! :)
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