The Girl From the Other Side vol. 9

Do you know who we haven’t seen a whole lot of over the course of this series?  The humans from the Inside, that’s who.  That changes here as the King who almost sacrificed Shiva in the previous volume gets a lot of page space as he reckons with his infirmity in failing to go through with the act.  He also manages to get to know the girl a little better, as her knowledge of what happens to those who become Outsiders causes him to ask questions about what they really are.  The problem is that the Kingdom’s existing knowledge of these beings is incomplete.  Which is why the King is compelled to ask the High Priest for further knowledge, and winds up finding out all the answers he could want.  More than that, too.  Because where the King lacked certainty in believing that Shiva’s death would solve the Kingdom’s problems, the High Priest doesn’t have that problem.  It’s just that his certainty doesn’t benefit the Kingdom.  Just that of a higher power…

Vol. 9 also provides something I didn’t think we’d see in this series:  Answers regarding the very nature of the Insiders and Outsiders.  We get an interesting Creation lesson here that casts a different light on things, even if it doesn’t make things completely clear.  It does give a good reason as to why the High Priest wants Shiva to be sacrificed and serves in kicking up the story’s drama content by its end.  This leads to a spirited chase scene through the castle with Shiva, a gallant last stand, and a daring escape with a guard who may actually know who Teacher really is.  Which all means the story is in good shape before we get to the volume’s ending.

…I don’t know how many more volumes there are in this series, but vol. 9 gave me some real “penultimate volume” vibes.  Particularly with the cliffhanger that greets us at its end.  My gut tells me that its devastating implications will be walked back a bit, even if vol. 10 turns out to be the finale.  Still, that won’t stop the breath from catching in the throat of anyone who has been even a little invested in the relationship between Shiva and Teacher when they get to that final page.