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Review of The Other Side

The Other Side by Justin Jay Gladstone / Nitsuj Yaj Enotsdalg

Summary: "If one thought created the universe, then who was the first to think?"


The Other Side is a mystery and fantasy novel that delves into a parallel world that almost completely reflects our own. If people reflect us, then what could we say about our emotions? Is our sadness a result of their happiness?


๐Œ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ...


Leon J. Granttley is a seventeen-year-old boy who was diagnosed with a rare mental disorder known as; ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ (DID for short). To cope with this issue, he was forcibly enrolled in an institution known as the ๐ธ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’ ๐น๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ. It is here where therapists help patients like him cope and adapt to their ๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ . Despite his years of treatments...Leon's family and friends would hear his ongoing complaints about this devilish voice in his mind...


One that would ๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ๐œ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ taunt him...

One that would ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ tease him...


No matter what path Leon would choose, this ๐‘ฃ๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘๐‘’ would have a conflicting opinion to rival it. This ๐‘ฃ๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘๐‘’...would be so influential, that sometimes his choices would feel like they were not his own. It is this reasoning that makes the authorities in Leon's neighborhood believe that ๐’‰๐’† is the person who assaulted a kind young girl by the name of, ๐ด๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘’ ๐‘…๐‘’๐‘–๐‘›๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž.


Leon is the ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘™๐‘ฆ one who believes that he did not harm this girl.


The citizens of ๐ด๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘’ ๐ถ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘ฆ say otherwise.


Find the truth of Leon's innocence, on ๐™๐™๐™š ๐™Š๐™ฉ๐™๐™š๐™ง ๐™Ž๐™ž๐™™๐™š.

ย 

What if you learned that you had an other? Not a twin or a doppelgรคnger, but another version of you living in an alternate dimension? Leon Granttley has been accused of sexually assaulting his best friend, Allie, and instead of facing jail time, heโ€™s sent to the Earthshine Facility for rehabilitation. Ultimately diagnosed with DID, Leon works through the program in hopes of being discharged and conquering the malicious voice inside his head. But what he doesnโ€™t yet realize is that the voice isnโ€™t Leon - itโ€™s his other, Nรฉol. When a terrifying turn of events leads to Leon and Nรฉol switching places, Leon must do everything he can to get back to Earth and make things right. What an absolute rollercoaster this book was! The story and special features (part of the limited edition volume which Iโ€™ll address in a bit) create an immersive experience which just might have you wonder if youโ€™ve ever encountered your other. Gladstone dives straight into the action from page one, weaving a high-stakes tale wrapped in mystery and mental self-exploration. Did Leon attack his friend Allie? Why didnโ€™t he remember doing so? Is the Earthshine Facility really helping fix Leon, or does it serve some other, nefarious purpose? Finally, who is from Earth, and who is from planet Heart? The Other Side does a great job immersing the reader in the story. From detailed character descriptions to well-explained locations, the reader wonโ€™t miss a beat as to whoโ€™s talking or where the characters are, which is a big deal because there are several prominent locations throughout the story. Another great aspect are the interactive pieces included in the limited edition copy I received (thank you!). Gladstone incorporates character drawings, images of the Reflection Principles, and scannable QR codes that take the reader to additional material on his Tumblr page. Oh, and did I mention that youโ€™ll need a mirror to read certain parts? Move aside, choose-your-own-ending books, The Other Side was definitely the coolest reading experience Iโ€™ve had. Another thing Gladstone brings to the table is a good understanding of disorders and their affects on human mentality. As a psychology major, I really enjoyed the attention that was paid to describing Leonโ€™s DID, the way others treated him because of the diagnosis, and the mental shift he goes through when he learns that his disassociations are actually caused by Nรฉol. Itโ€™s dark and twisty, and altogether a great character arc for Leon. My only (minor) marks against The Other Side are with verb tense and formatting. Written primarily in present tense, there are a some spots when the action slips into past tense, and not just for flashback scenes. A few line indentations and gaps on pages make for the occasional odd layout, but none of these seriously detract from the spellbinding story that Gladstone tells. Many thanks to the author for sending me a physical copy of the book! I greatly enjoyed this first installment in his debut series, and Iโ€™m looking forward to the mischief that Leon and Nรฉol, as well as the rest of the cast, get into. To learn more about Justin Jay Gladstone and The Other Side series, check out all his resources here: https://linktr.ee/theothersideeb.

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