TANDEM The Many-Worlds Trilogy, Book 1

Narrator Amanda Dolan delivers this story of parallel universes and double identities with mixed results. Chicago teen Sasha Lawson accepts a dream invitation to the prom from popular Grant Davis but discovers her date is actually Thomas Mayhew, Grant’s doppelgänger “analog” from the planet Aurora. Thomas brings Sasha across “the tandem” to Aurora, demanding that Sasha impersonate her own analog, Princess Julianna. Dolan shares Sasha’s and Thomas’s viewpoints with subtle vocal changes that are simple yet effective. Despite the dramatic events, Dolan doesn’t overact and keeps the story moving. However, the narration for this appealing work seems rushed and flat in places, and sound editing is sloppy. Even with these audio concerns, the cliff-hanger ending will whet listeners’ appetites for Jarzab’s next book. C.A. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2014]