Thursday, October 10, 2013

Review: Tandem

TANDEM
Many Worlds #1
Anna Jarzab
Young Adult/Parallel Worlds
428 pages
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Available now
Source: BEA

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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.


MY THOUGHTS
Tandem is not a story that has a wholly unique premise; instead by all appearances it's but one more in a growing group to embrace the parallel universes trend in YA fiction, complete with a romance in the form of a triangle to ensure tension and drama run high. What we soon discover after the first several chapters though is that the blurb doesn't come close to doing the story justice, and Sasha's tale stands out as memorable – a bright blinding light amidst the din – leaving the familiar aspects to which the blurb allludes at the door. While the world building doesn't necessarily wow us nor does the concept of analogs (doubles) mesmerize us with its creativity, Ms. Jarzab bleeds newness into a familiar setup with her characters, Sasha and Thomas yanking us as forcefully into their story as they themselves are yanked through the tandem and into the middle of a war.

Tandem requires a slight adjustment period in the beginning, the format throwing us off ever-so-slightly as we're bounced from Sasha's first-person perspective to short chapters detailing Thomas's actions in third-person to brief snippets of the real Julianna and her current predicament. Majority of our time is spent with Sasha however, and we quickly see how valuable our brief detours with Thomas and Julianna are in deciphering the political complexities of Sasha's new world. Though we suspect certain things before they're revealed to us in truth, it's clear to us that identifying all the players complicit in both Julianna's absence and Sasha's presence in the United Commonwealth of Columbia is only a single thread of a much larger web, one we see glistening out of the corner of our eyes as we focus straight ahead only to have it disappear when we turn our heads in an effort analyze it more closely.

Though the synopsis suggests a love triangle between Sasha, Thomas, and Prince Callum (who we learn early on is betrothed to Julianna as part of an attempted peace agreement), he doesn't come into play until midway through the story, and by then Sasha's heart – a bit battered and bruised – belongs only to Thomas. She doesn't play games or waffle between the two of them, and though Callum is upfront about his desire for their marriage to be real and not a mere facade to appease their families, the only real drama created by his presence is the guilt Sasha feels about having to play her role. Her relationship with Thomas is one full of just enough hurt and betrayal to have lumps take up permanent residence in our throats, but the two of them are never frustratingly dramatic, their pain genuine and believable even as the weight of their situation starts to crush us into so much dust.


We're left with things far from concluded, the unrest in Julianna's world at an all time high just as we're forced back to our own reality, but though we have lingering questions, they're not the kind that haunt us and drag our overall enjoyment down the more we think about them. Tandem is full of twists and turns but yet is not altogether unpredictable, rather it feels as though we've traveled a highlighted portion of a maze, granted a false sense of comfort thanks to the things we're allowed to uncover seemingly on our own, but out there off the beaten path we've traveled in this first book lie all the dark offshoots we've yet to see, and I for one can't wait to discover where they lead in book two.

Rating: 4/5



Find Anna:


This book was given to me by the publisher at BEA  free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

34 comments:

  1. I'm really intrigued by this story. I do have a beautiful copy sitting here from BEA and waiting for me. I love Parallel Universe and I am so happy to hear that the Love Triangle is not as big as expected from the blurb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you'll like it Danny! And yes, the love triangle was basically a non-issue, I'm hoping that continues in the next book!

      Delete
  2. I'm intrigued by this one. I don't think I picked up a copy at BEA but I remember hearing good things about it. It sounds like the TV show Orphan Black a little bit. Also sounds like dystopia with a twist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There wasn't as much world-building as I might have liked, but I really enjoyed the characters and all the political intrigue, so it was a highly enjoyable read for me!

      Delete
  3. Multiverse....I like it! It does seem different

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have heard great things about it and I haven't read nearly enough books about parallel universe. I'm a bit surprised with this love triangle, it doesn't sound like one of these that will make you pull your hair out. Great review Jenny :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would even venture to say it 's not a love triangle at all. Callum things she's Julianna, and Sasha never develops any feelings for him, so it's like a ghost love triangle really...Callum thinks he's in love with someone who doesn't exist:)

      Delete
  5. I'm so glad there isn't a love triangle in this one and especially that it's so creative. I've been hearing fantastic things about it, so I really need to pick this one up. Great review, Jenny!(:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really liked this one Keertana, I have some hopes for it moving forward, but I adored the characters and the ending definitely left me wanting the next book asap!

      Delete
  6. Seriously, the parallel universe thing is such an odd trend! This one, however, actually's piqued my interest more than the others so I might just have to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's always fun to see what trends pop up and how all the different authors execute the same basic premise. I just had fun reading this one Mary!

      Delete
  7. I'm happy to hear that you liked this one better than I did, Jenny. It was an interesting read, but I felt it was weak when it came to the world-building. I wanted to know more. I agree that the writing format takes a bit of time to get adjusted to, but I thought it had a nice flow to it.
    Oh and I definitely didn't see the romance as a love triangle as it was clear who Sasha liked more.
    I'm a bit unsure whether I want to continue this series, but I hope you'll enjoy the next one as much.
    Lovely review, Jenny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree on the world-building, it could have used more, but I did really like all the characters and was able to therefore overlook any questions I had about the world:) I hope I enjoy the next one too Nick!

      Delete
  8. I have this and tossed it aside because some peeps were struggling with it..but you and I tend to feel similarly about books, so now I need to go dig this one out of the pile again..Lovely

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The world building could use some work for sure, there's not a lot of explanation for why the parallel world is so different from ours, but I wasn't bothered all that much by it because I really enjoyed Sasha and Thomas:) They were both difficult to like at times, but they won me over in the end and I can't wait to see how things develop for them moving forward!

      Delete
  9. Sounds good! For all they hyped this book before BEA, the buzz seems to have died after. Honestly? I had forgotten I had this book until your review. It was buried in one of my TBR stacks from BEA. Might be time to move it to the front o' the line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was one of the ones I wanted most at BEA, and I was really glad it was as good as I'd hoped it would be. I can't wait for the next in the series and I hope you dive in your pile and pull this one out! I think you'll like it:)

      Delete
  10. I'm really curious about the parallel universe trend in YA right now. The stories have so many possibilities! I love how this one doesn't have a love triangle but I'm a bit worried about the clunky narrative. I'm guessing it ironed out after a while?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! I think that's one of the things I like most about parallel universes - there's just so much there to play with and I love seeing what authors come up with:)

      The bouncing from first to third person with Sasha and Thomas is easy to settle into after the first couple switches, but there were time I didn't want to bother with Julianna's detours. We learn some important things while we're with her, but I just didn't care for her at all (we're not supposed to though). Luckily, her snippets are very short, usually only 1 or 2 pages and then we're back with Sasha.

      Delete
  11. I am so glad you were able to like and enjoy this. I really wanted to but for some reason just couldn't get into it like I needed to.

    Lovely review Jenny!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It happens Ali! The Faerie Ring was like that for me. There was no obvious reason I shouldn't have liked it, but I just couldn't ever settle in to the story :(

      Delete
  12. I don't know about you, Jenny, but the cliffhanger ending totally blew my mind to pieces! I am dying to read the next book! Also, agree with everything you said in your review, especially about the love triangle! I did quite like Callum and felt really sorry for him, he's such a sweet and charming (and genuinely good) person, I hope he won't get his heart broken in the next books!

    This was my first book by Anna Jarzab, but definitely won't be the last. I like that she's so diverse in her writing and can't wait to check out more of her stories!
    Fantastic review sweetie! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really enjoyed Callum too! I just wanted to wrap him up in a hug and keep him far, far away from his awful mother. She was a piece of work wasn't she? And that ending! *dies* Can it please be time for book two?

      This was my first book by Anna too, and I'm definitely up for reading anything she wants to write now!

      Delete
  13. Hey Jenny! Multiverse books are hard for me to read because I'm very picky. I think they need to be done right so that they don't confuse the reader. But this sounds like an excellent story that is well written. Loved your review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't find this one overly confusing as I have with some others (like Parallel, even though I did enjoy that one), but there wasn't a whole lot of explanation for why Julianna's world is so different. That was just a small niggle for me though, I loved it overall!

      Delete
  14. Oh this sounds just wonderful! Well, your review does anyway! :) I'm not sure I like the sound of the ending. Sounds a bit like a cliffie. However, you have me captivated with that world and I'm so curious as to how it twists and what it holds for me.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I didn't even realise that this book was part of a series. I really enjoy reading books with parallel worlds, and I've been quite lucky that the books I've read so far, haven't let me down. The characters and story building in Tandem sound fantastic. I can't actually wait to get to know Thomas and Sasha, but especially about their relationship, you know me I love a good relationship, especially one that leaves a lump in your throat! Another wonderful review Jenny! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. There certainly has been a lot of books featuring parallel universes this year. I am happy to hear that this one is a solid read and that the love triangle doesn't really form.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh Jenny, I'm so excited to read this one! It actually doesn't sound TOO different from the other YA parallel universe books out there now that you describe it, but it does still sound fantastic in its own special way. The love triangle is actually intriguing me a lot, it seems like a successful one! I'm glad you enjoyed this one, fabulous review!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm glad the love triangle doesn't develop too much. I like it when love triangles are more one sided. The plot of Tandem sounds great, too! Great review :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yay! I'm absolutely thrilled to hear you liked this one too. I really enjoyed it, and was SO relieved that the LT never took off. The ending definitely left me wanting more, but not in a totally uncomfortable way, not like a truly nasty cliffie. Still I wouldn't argue if someone tried to give me the sequel like right now. :-) Wonderful balanced review!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I haven't read many reviews of this and I believe yours is the most positive so far. I wasn't too interested in it before, but I'm rather curious now, it sounds a bit different. At least compared to what I've been reading lately!

    ReplyDelete
  21. There's been quite a few parallel universe stories out there and this seems like maybe this is a superior one in the bunch. I'm sure the romance with "hurt and betrayal" between Thomas and Sasha would make my heart ache, so of course that would be the one I'd root for.

    Excellent review, Jenny! I think I'd hold off until more of the series is released to pick this up, because I hate waiting! :)

    ReplyDelete