Tether by Anna Jarzab

Series: Many-Worlds Series (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Romance

Subjects: parallel universes, parallel worlds, royalty, princes and princesses

Setting: Hyde Park in Chicago, Illinois, Aurora (a parallel world, not Aurora, IL), New York City (in this book known as Columbia City)

POV/Tense: 1st person POV (Sasha), 3rd person POV interludes of Thomas, Selene, and Juliana, and in past tense

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 305 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Random House: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “Tether, the sequel to Tandem, continues the captivating tale of rebellion and romance that spans parallel worlds.

Everything repeats.

Sasha expected things to go back to normal once she got back on Earth. But now that she knows parallel worlds are real, and that an alternate version of herself exists in a world called Aurora, her old life no longer seems to make sense . . . and her heart breaks daily for Thomas, the boy she left behind. Troubled by mysterious, often terrifying visions and the echoes of a self she was just beginning to discover, Sasha makes the difficult decision to journey once more through the tandem.

Thomas is waiting for her on the other side, and so is strange, otherworldly Selene, Sasha’s analog from a third universe. Sasha, Selene, and their other analog, Juliana, have a joint destiny, and a new remarkable power, one that could mean salvation for Selene’s dying planet. With Thomas’s help, Sasha and Selene search for the missing Juliana. But even if they can locate her, is Sasha willing to turn her back on love to pursue a fate she’s not sure she believes in?”

My Review:  I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first book, Tandem. I’ve been anticipating this sequel for so long. Tether is a great sequel and it takes us deeper into the world of Aurora and we also discover another analogue or version of Sasha named Selene. Sasha is from Chicago. She was pulled into Aurora by a boy named Thomas who happens to be the analogue of a classmate named Grant. Sasha was forced to pretend to by Princess Juliana, her analogue. Now Juliana is missing again. Sasha goes back to Aurora because she misses Thomas and meets Selene. Selene’s from a world, Taiga, that was hit by an asteroid a hundred years ago.

I really enjoyed the alternate-history, dystopian-like world building. It is really interesting have Aurora is both similar and different from Earth. Aurora is a world in which the aurora is visible everywhere in the night sky. There was a second revolution against the British and the United States or America instead became the United Commonwealth of Columbia. New York City is now Columbia City and Chicago is the Tattered City. There are no presidents, only the king. It’s kind of like The Selection in that way. I love that this book is set in Chicago mostly, even if it’s alternate-Chicago (Tattered City, and in Taiga it’s New Athens). I’m from Chicagoland, so I’m always happy to read books set here.

There’s a good amount of romance in this book. Thomas is very charming and also a great leader and supportive. Sasha’s is very independent, strong-willed and stubborn, as are her analogues. But Thomas sees something unique in her that he prefers over the others. Juliana is a bit spoiled since she’s the princess, but she starting to see that her country has problems. Selene seems fearless and doesn’t understand why Aurora is so different. She’s never seen or heard of some of the worlds or technology there. Aurora is much more similar to Earth than to Taiga. This book  mainly focuses on Aurora, but Selene wants Juliana and Sasha to help save Taiga, so I think the next book will but focused on that world. Also something cool and magical happens that involves discovering an ability.

The narration switches between Sasha’s 1^st person POV, Thomas’s 3^rd person POV, and Selene and Juliana’s 3^rd person POV in italic. I like how the chapter headers change depending on the perspective. If it says Chapter at the top, it’s Sasha. If there’s falling dots, it’s her analogues. 5 stars for Thomas. The pagination on the side also indicates perspective. Circle for Sasha, star for Juliana, crescent moon for Selene, arrow for Thomas. I love it when the book design is creative inside as well as the outside. I love a pretty cover, and pretty pages are awesome too (as long as they are readable).

Cover Art Review: I love this cover just as much as the first book’s. I think the bird is a sparrow and the stars and face inside it represent Juliana. The first book was a starling which represents Sasha.