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Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite
The Other Side of Magik: The First Tale of the Mirror Worlds by Michael Lingaard is the story of two parallel worlds whose fate is in the hands of two teenage boys. Danny is from twenty-first century England where his life is so ordinary that it's a bit boring, while Garreth is from old fashioned Angland, a parallel world where in 1066 Harold won the battle of Hastings and put events on a different path. As Theolonia concocts a plan to resurrect her mandrake brother by having him possess a body impervious to magic, a spell brings Danny into Angland and sends Garreth back in his place. Danny turns to Wizard Salamander Ord for help to stop the mandrake's plan and save both worlds.
Michael Lingaard has set up intriguing worlds that mirror each other, but have very noticeable differences: one is the world that we know today while the other has carriages and is run by magic. Danny and Garreth are from different histories, but they're reflections of each other so they're able to fit almost flawlessly into each other's world and even find a place with the other's family. Garreth and Danny both feel out of place. Danny battles with a lot of expectations that people have for him, but he doesn't know where he's going in life, while Garreth has a dream of working his way up the magic ladder which crashes down when he's told that he failed. Through their switch, they're able to actually discover what their place is in their own world.
Most of the characters involved are from Garreth's world so they're magic based, from wizards to werewolves, and are incredibly charming. Theolonia is a layered character haunted by her brother and, though she's enacting an evil plan of bringing him back, she still maintains an air of sympathy about her. The Other Side of Magik is a coming of age adventure with humor and charm, magic and dragons, and the fun of parallel worlds.
