A review by currant7
The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Deluxe Edition II by Nagabe

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I've been trying to venture out of novels and give graphic novels a go. I've started with the Lore Olympus series. It was an excellent start to keep things current. But when I heard a few friends gush over Nagabe's The Girl from the Other Side. I jumped to have a go. Thank goodness I ordered the whole series on a whim!

The Girl from the Other Side has an interesting premise of a girl (Shiva) and a monster (Teacher) as they navigate living in a harsh "outside world" while waiting for "Auntie" to come back. The revelations that kept coming after each chapter will keep any reader glued to the book!

I found the juxtaposition of a monster taking care of a girl. The Outside Monsters and Shiva's relationship is more loving than the humans that would think so high and mighty serving a higher being.

There were many revelations on simple joy, new experiences, survival, and connections in this book that I had a hard time putting down. Thus, the speedy read from Vol. 1-3. Vol. 3's ending got me choking and bawling my eyes out! It is not what I expected and seems to have gotten from a simple "creating a home" to heavy topics like love and sacrifice. How did it all turn 180 degrees on me in a split of an eye?

The pacing of the books was fast and good. The bonus sections between chapters gave me much reprieve from the cliffhanger cut-off scenes. It was good to laugh at one of the funny experiences. These bonus chapters look like drafts that didn't make it to the final chapters of the official book.

Conclusion: I highly enjoyed this book series and cannot wait for Vol IV. It is very entertaining and has all the elements of excellent, current, and relatable nuances.