Tandem is an exceptional read! Sasha is your average girl living in Chicago, falling for her first crush and happy. She lives with her grandfather since her parents died when she was little. She doesn't expect Grant to kidnap her on the night of the prom.
Grant isn't who he says he is. He is the analog of Thomas, a soldier in the parallel universe of Aurora. He needs Sasha to impersonate princess Juliana since she has disappeared. Sasha is the analog of Juli and it's imperative that she marry the one promised to Juli in her place because of such political unrest.
The world building is phenomenal. Jarzab does an impeccable job of creating the parallel worlds, magnifying on the differences and those things that remain the same. I enjoyed how the point of view switched between what was going on with Juli to Sasha. It was interesting to see both sides of the coin and how it all played out.
With romance, politics, engaging characters and a touch of fantasy, Tandem sets the bar high as the first book in a new series. I can't wait for the next one. It doesn't end with a cliffhanger, but there is much left undone - questions that need answers. Fantastic read!
Grant isn't who he says he is. He is the analog of Thomas, a soldier in the parallel universe of Aurora. He needs Sasha to impersonate princess Juliana since she has disappeared. Sasha is the analog of Juli and it's imperative that she marry the one promised to Juli in her place because of such political unrest.
The world building is phenomenal. Jarzab does an impeccable job of creating the parallel worlds, magnifying on the differences and those things that remain the same. I enjoyed how the point of view switched between what was going on with Juli to Sasha. It was interesting to see both sides of the coin and how it all played out.
With romance, politics, engaging characters and a touch of fantasy, Tandem sets the bar high as the first book in a new series. I can't wait for the next one. It doesn't end with a cliffhanger, but there is much left undone - questions that need answers. Fantastic read!
Summary:
Sasha is in high school. She's had a crush on Grant Davis for as long as she can remember. All she wants is to go to the prom with him. Her dreams come true and Grant asks her to the dance, but then something strange happens. Grant confides in her that he really isn't who she thinks he is and he pulls her into another world. In this world, she is a princess and she must make different decisions or war will break out. The problem is, Sasha doesn't know the girl's life. How can she possibly fit the role of this girl and save the day? Unfortunately, she doesn't have much of a choice. If she can pass off as the princess, then the world will be saved and she will be able to return to her own life. If not, then she will be stuck there forever.
My thoughts:
While this is an adventure of its own, I definitely felt like this was a building novel. Sasha's grandfather is building the possibility of multiple worlds for the reader and Sasha, even thought she doesn't really believe him until it happens to her. Sasha and Juliana are complete opposites. Sasha is open to everything and generally a happy person. Juliana is not. She is closed off and generally unhappy with how her life is going. This is why she makes such drastic decisions, or at least that is what we are supposed to believe. Thomas and Sasha are well built up with multiple dimensions that really bring them to life. Juliana is not so much. She is a surface character through most of this book, even though her life is basically the one that is really at stake. While the ending of the book is fast paced, it definitely takes awhile to get there. Since this is the first book within the series, I think it is building on things to come so that would be why it is having pacing problems.
Sasha is in high school. She's had a crush on Grant Davis for as long as she can remember. All she wants is to go to the prom with him. Her dreams come true and Grant asks her to the dance, but then something strange happens. Grant confides in her that he really isn't who she thinks he is and he pulls her into another world. In this world, she is a princess and she must make different decisions or war will break out. The problem is, Sasha doesn't know the girl's life. How can she possibly fit the role of this girl and save the day? Unfortunately, she doesn't have much of a choice. If she can pass off as the princess, then the world will be saved and she will be able to return to her own life. If not, then she will be stuck there forever.
My thoughts:
While this is an adventure of its own, I definitely felt like this was a building novel. Sasha's grandfather is building the possibility of multiple worlds for the reader and Sasha, even thought she doesn't really believe him until it happens to her. Sasha and Juliana are complete opposites. Sasha is open to everything and generally a happy person. Juliana is not. She is closed off and generally unhappy with how her life is going. This is why she makes such drastic decisions, or at least that is what we are supposed to believe. Thomas and Sasha are well built up with multiple dimensions that really bring them to life. Juliana is not so much. She is a surface character through most of this book, even though her life is basically the one that is really at stake. While the ending of the book is fast paced, it definitely takes awhile to get there. Since this is the first book within the series, I think it is building on things to come so that would be why it is having pacing problems.
