Tether

January 15, 2015
Back on Earth and discontented after the events of Tandem (2013), Sasha returns to Aurora for the boy she left behind.Sasha can't stand not knowing whether or not Thomas is well, and after Aurora, Earth just doesn't feel right anymore. She receives a message that Thomas is alive, investigates her parents' connection to the alternate worlds and returns. There, she meets a third analog, Selene, the last oracle of a dying world in a different universe. It is prophesied that Selene may save her world, but she needs her two analogs, Sasha and Princess Juliana, to do it. While the addition of Selene (and a handful of others) draws focus away from the characters of the first book, it creates an interesting dynamic for the analogs. Sasha and Selene bond quickly, but their psychic connection to Juliana is weaker because of the tension between her and Sasha. Sasha and Selene must escape the villainous General to find the missing princess and convince her to go save Selene's world. Meanwhile Juliana, held captive by rebels, is given complexity and a romantic storyline of her own in occasional third-person sections. The exposition's better consolidated in this outing than before, coming in short bursts, then cutting back to the action, but sometimes feels like infodumps. After a chaotic climax, the ending predictably sets up the next book. Despite predictability and second-book syndrome, a generally fast and enjoyable read of interpersonal drama and rescues. (Science fantasy. 12 & up)

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February 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-Ever since her return from parallel universe Aurora at the end of Tandem (Delacorte, 2013), Sasha has been plagued by persistent visions that suggest that she still has a destiny to fulfill in the other universe. Using some questionable science, Sasha returns to Aurora, which is even more politically unstable than it was when she left. In addition to a missing princess and violent anti-government rebels, Aurora now faces another problem: an ambassador from a third universe called Taiga, who is that universe's analog (perfect look-alike) for Sasha and missing Princess Juliana. The visitor, Selene, convinces Sasha that they must work together to find Juliana in order to prevent disaster on Aurora and Taiga. Thus, the identical girls embark on a mission to find their missing analog, accompanied by Sasha's love interest and a few new friends. Where the first book was science fiction, this second volume includes magical elements and reads more like a fantasy. Action and conspiracy abound, however the plot is unfortunately marred by faulty science, predictable "twists," and immature romance. The story is told from multiple perspectives that don't always work in tandem; the narrative is not cohesive. Fans of royal intrigue and romance would do better to pick up Rae Carson's "Fire and Thorns" trilogy (HarperCollins), Kristin Cashore's Graceling (Houghton Harcourt, 2008), or Marissa Meyer's "The Lunar Chronicles" (Feiwel and Friends). VERDICT Plot holes and uneven characterization mars this second installment in the series.-Liz Overberg, Darlington School, Rome, GA

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