Thoughts
on the Novels: The theme of parallel universes/alternate realities seems to
be a growing trend in YA. So much so, that HarperTeen released both of the debuts
that I recently read – Kasie West’s Pivot Point and Lauren Miller’s Parallel.
As such, rather than reviewing them separately, I’ve decided to a compare and
contrast type of review.
My Rating: 4 hearts
Set up of Plot: As a
Divergent, Addie has the ability to Search how two options presented to her can
affect her life on a day-to-day basis for however long she chooses. When her
parents tell her they’re divorcing and her dad will be leaving the Compound to
live in the Normal world, Addie decides to
Search which parent she should live with. Chapters therefore alternate between
how Addie’s life would be like were she to live with her mom versus if she were
to live with her dad. Essentially, it’s like reading two stories at once, with
some common events between the two.
Protagonist: Addie is someone
I can totally picture being friends with! She loves to read, is organized, doesn’t
care about popularity, and prefers hanging out with a smaller group of close
friends than going to something like a party.
Worldbuilding: In Pivot
Point, the Para-community does its
best to ensure that its existence is kept a secret from the Normal
world. They hardly interact with Norms, and appear to be mentally and
technologically more advanced.
Romance: Since I thought Trevor,
Addie’s Norm friend, was sweet, and disliked Duke, Addie’s romantic interest in
the Compound; I hoped that Addie would opt to live in the Normal
world because it seemed like her decision would ultimately be based around a
guy. So, I was pleasantly surprised that Addie’s choice wasn’t influenced by a
guy in the end.
My Rating: 3.5 hearts
Set up of Plot: In Parallel,
two universes collide, with the alternate universe being a year behind in time
of the present one’s. As a result, alternating chapters reveal how the older
Abby’s current circumstances are affected by her younger alternate’s decisions every
day. Like the older Abby, I was constantly confused as to what was going on in
the beginning because details of her reality kept changing. But, I liked how
Miller showed that even a small choice can change a person’s course of life
dramatically.
Protagonist: I was never able
to form a connection with the older Abby. Meanwhile, alternate Abby was sort of
nosy and seemed kind of dumb. Who thinks it’s a good idea to walk around
barefoot in a construction zone?! Also, both versions of Abby seemed to develop
crushes very easily.
Worldbuilding: By far the
best part of Parallel was the theory behind alternate universes because Miller
explains the physics in such a simplistic manner.
Romance: I didn’t really care
which guy older Abby ended up with because neither captivated me. There was
also lots of talk about soul mates, a concept I don’t believe in.
Overall Comparisons: Despite the fact that both Pivot Point and
Parallel have very romance-centric plots, it’s a lot more obvious in Parallel.
That, combined with West’s engaging writing and my preference for Addie over
Abby means that I’m more likely to recommend Pivot Point over Parallel. Where
Parallel wins though is definitely the worldbuilding.
In exchange for an honest review, Parallel was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.
