The Other Side (Thomas Skinner Book 1)

Feeling socially awkward? Thomas is as awkward as a boy can be, feeling inadequate and unwanted, even by his family. Then he discovers another society, through a Narnia-evoking gateway, where he is both wanted and unwanted. The adventures begin. So cool.

If I wrote a parody entitled Harry Pooter and The Sorcerer's Bone it would be a more original rip off of Harry Potter than this book. A giant that is the school's caretaker? Check! Quirky elderly headmaster? Check! "You're a wizard Harry/Thomas"? Check! A phoenix shows up? Check! As if that wasn't lazy enough, the author drags in Atlantis (note: not underwater) and tired old Merlin! Nothing about the protagonist is relatable or interesting. His friends are just as bland. The only different bit is that imitation Hermione has been made into twins. One has no actual value and other is just grumpy.Also, can we just agree that talking about a 13 year old wanting to "touch and feel" a grown woman is just creepy?Also also, if I find a woman passed out in a car in my driveway, I highly doubt my response would be to wander to the park!At almost a dollar, this book is a steal if you also hate-read books. It will not disappoint in both its lack of originality and mediocre usage of the English language. Personally, I'm about to buy the second one to see if this one actually contains any character arcs and if the author really made the grumpy twin grumpy just so she can proclaim her love for Thomas.

Surprisingly good with a unique story that kept me e! Bngaged & wanting to read more. Bought the 2nd book in the series 😀

Decent story - a tad predictable

Great book! It really can transport you to another magical world, and it is very easy to relate with the hero of the story.Can't wait for the next book!

The Other Side did not make a good first impression on me. It was quoted as being similar to Harry Potter, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's okay if something is 'similar' to something else. However, in the first quarter of the book, all I could see where the similarities, and that *really* bothered me after a while:I mean...-Boy Wizard is rejected by those around him for x reason.-Boy Wizard is shipped off to magical school run by an old white weird wizard. Family doesn't care it won't be able to see him. (Albeit for a different reason than hating him.)-School of Merlin has an extremely large caretaker. (This one made me go goggle-eyed.) At least said caretaker didn't seem to be the super friendly sort.-The first class, which he's late to, is taught by a stern female teacher (the bushy brown hair made me grin).-The bully he encounters early on, with white hair, has two large-ish cohorts and is a complete stuck up snob son of one of the 'Lords' of the Wizarding World.I sort of groaned and slid down in my seat at this point, praying that it was really going to take a step in a new direction soon. But I was committed. I would read it. Even if it made me want to throw something. Luckily, once The Other Side gets away from pretty much everything related to the school, it becomes its own book. It's surprisingly dark, some characters dealing with causing someone to die, some talk of infant death, etc.The world that Thomas is in, The Other Side, is not a nice one. He's confronted with hatred on almost all sides as soon as he enters the world. He sucks at magic. He manages to have virtually no good times with the few friends he does manage to make. He's tormented by dreams pretty much as soon as he gets to the School of Merlin. Soon he's caught up in a quest that he's really not all gung-ho to go on. Still, he does what he needs to do, because it's the right thing to do.Overall, The Other Side isn't a bad read. Its simply written enough to appeal to the 10+ crowd. It's got plenty of action in it. The main character is one that any little kid that feels 'different' or 'invisible' can relate to. The idea that the author has is a good one, but it needs to come into it's own more before it really stands out in any way.

This book surprised me especially the ending. I can not wait till the next book. I wonder what is going to happen to this boy. I keep wondering how he is going to get through this.

In general, this book was a great book that describe in detail many of the scenes making you feel part of the story, but there were some orthographic errors that make the book less appealing. Nevertheless it was a great book.