The Otherwhere Post - Emily J. Taylor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 📬 Dark academia with magical mail vibes

Okay, so I just finished this book in both audio and eARC format, and can we talk about how Emily J. Taylor just DELIVERS? (Mail pun totally intended!) This was my first time reading anything by her, and I'm officially a fan.

The plot moves at a nice clip - Maeve's on the run from her father's alleged crimes, then BAM - mysterious letter claiming he's innocent. Cue her infiltrating a magical postal service to uncover the truth! And don't even get me started on Tristan - he's giving grumpy-mentor-with-secret-softy-vibes who sees through Maeve's lies from day one but still ends up helping her? The tension between these two is *chef's kiss* - watching him go from "you're-clearly-lying-and-I-don't-trust-you" to protective ally had me LIVING. The romance builds naturally (no insta-love here, folks), and I loved watching their relationship evolve from reluctant colleagues to something more.

Let's break down what made this such a fun read:
🔮 The magic system is *chef's kiss* accessible - scriptomancy (magic through writing!) feels fresh and doesn't require a PhD to understand
📚 Dark academia aesthetic that actually involves STUDYING (shocking, I know)
🚪 Portal fantasy elements that give major "what lies beyond?" energy
👩‍💼 Maeve is giving determined-but-flawed protagonist who makes questionable choices but you still root for her
🧐 Tristan is the grumpy mentor we all secretly want (bespectacled and snarky? YES PLEASE)

If you're into Divine Rivals, this hits similar notes but with its own unique vibe. There are a few too-convenient plot moments in the second half, but honestly? I was having too much fun to mind.

Perfect for readers who:
- Love magic systems with rules that make sense
- Enjoy YA that doesn't talk down to its audience
- Crave that "sneaking around forbidden areas" thrill
- Want characters that feel like real people

This is definitely YA-friendly (14+ due to some darker/intimate moments). Sometimes you just need a magical postal service adventure in your life, you know?

For seven years, Maeve Abenthy has been hiding. She’s been hiding her true identity, moving from place to place to evade anyone connecting her to the horrific crimes of her father. But now she’s just received a letter that could change everything: the anonymous sender simply tells her, Your father was innocent.

Everyone knows Jonathan Abenthy was responsible for the loss of many people’s lives and access to a whole world. But what if he wasn’t the guilty party? Maeve could come out of hiding. So she steals an identity and poses as an Otherwhere Post apprentice. She’ll learn scriptomancy, the same art her father trained in, and be able to access the other world that is still open to couriers. It’s only accessible to couriers who know how to enchant letters and other writing and deliver them to the recipients of those letters. She doesn’t want to really become a courier, but the magic training and access to old records will just get her enough skills and information to find out the truth.

Unfortunately, of course, even as she tries to lay low at the training program, her friendly roommate will just not leave her be. Worse, a skilled mentor with high-up connections in the scriptomancy world won’t ignore her either. She simply cannot make friends and endanger either those friends or her quest. Because not long into her investigations, she begins to receive threatening letters. Finding the truth could cost Maeve her life.

I so enjoyed this world where some people can use writing to harness different types of magic. The story is a good mystery, and the relationships slowly blossom over the course of the book. Maeve is prickly but understandably so, and it’s rather nice to see her let other people in as she slowly learns to trust.

If you’re looking for a clean and fairly low-intensity magical story, The Otherwhere Post suits very well.

Wow, I was honestly surprised to find how awesome this book was! The premise not only sounded interesting but unique. I loved how well written this story was as well as how great the world building was. The mystery was intriguing and the fantasy was well crafted and not difficult to follow. What a great mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance. Yes, the romance here HITS! You would think with so many genres this book would be convoluted and suffer an identity crisis, but no, they all worked seamlessly well together. A compelling and captivating tale that I highly recommend!

The magic system was interesting, using ink to create spells. To be able to travel between different worlds using these spells. The spread of a strange plant that destroyed one of the worlds. The mystery of what happened to Maeve’s father and why he was blamed for this mass destruction.

The romance wasn’t particularly enjoyable and I could have done without it. The pacing was slow at times, then too fast. The tension built and dissolved and never really became what it could have been. I didn’t really care for the characters at all. Parts of the narrative were interesting, like the magic system, Maeve attempting to join the academy through theft and lies. The middle and end bits just didn’t feel as cohesive or enjoyable.

I wouldn't classify this book as dark academia, which was what first drew me to the book. It didn’t have enough academics to be classified as such, glossing over the classes and giving Maeve innate skills so she hardly needed the classes anyway. The setup was glorious and intriguing but I lost interest after classes really started.

I wasn't able to get into this book. I read about 50% in and just couldn't finish. I think if I read it more in the fall then I would of devoured this book. I was so excited for it :(

Absolutely loved this book. It had great pacing, wonderful writing, relatable and funny characters, an adorable mmc, and the perfect balance of mystery and suspense. It felt so whimsical and eerie at the same time and it held my attention the whole time. I'm recommending to everyone.

I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of mystery and an interesting storyline. Maeve receives a letter stating that her father is innocent. He had been framed for murder. As she gets deeper into the mystery things get dangerous for her as she becomes wanted for posing as an apprentice. She's learning the art of scriptomancy which will allow her to deliver letters to other worlds and dive into the mystery of her father. I couldn't put it down.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book. The writing style felt a bit too immature for my taste. I found myself struggling to stay engaged.

3.5 stars
What a fun blend of dark academia vibes, magic, and slow-burn romance! The scriptomancy magic system is really unique and what kept me sucked into the book. I did enjoy the mystery aspect too, but the pacing was a little too slow at times for my taste. I often found myself wishing that I could learn more about the worlds/schooling/etc. as well. Overall, this was a really fun read with lots of opportunity for other books to dive deeper into the other worlds (I hope!).

4.5 stars
I had previously read Hotel Magnifique by the same author and really enjoyed her creativity in the worldbuilding element of her books. The concepts are unique but not foreign which is the perfect middle ground for an avid reader that knows what she likes. The writing style and content fits right into the YA genre.
I sat down and finished The Otherwhere Post in 24 hours and could not stop thinking about it the next day at work. I love what the characters' friendships evolve into but I think for a protagonist as distrustful and deceitful as Maeve there should have probably been more bond building between her and Nan for example. There is a mystery built into this story of a girl trying desperately to make her way through the world while running full speed away from her past. As the mystery unravelled I think it began to fall apart too quickly, the ideas of who to point fingers at and the different “ah-hah” moments were great but I think the pacing needed to slow down.
I love Tristan, I love the concept of scriptomancy, I love the academia aspect of it. So many things I love shoved into one stand alone book. Honestly most of my gripes with this book could be solved by having it be longer or split into a series, so that these great concepts and characters could get all the way fleshed out. At the end of the day a standalone fantasy will always be refreshing in a world full of 8 book series but that won't stop me from wanting more!
Highly recommend both this book and Hotel Magnifique and look forward to reading more by this author in the future!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Group for this ARC! I really enjoyed getting to know Maeve and Tristan, along with their team of young friends who band together in search of answers and justice. The combination of historical style fiction mixed with magical realism was perfect for this story. There was mystery, magical doorways, plants and insects. You got the magical scholarly students and the found family tropes both! There was a sweet little love story potential developing also, though it wasn’t a main theme. I loved how the story unfolded itself to reveal the true person to blame for destroying worlds and killing innocents, ultimately framing Maeve’s father. This is a YA read that can be enjoyed by all and spice level is .5 🌶️

I ended up rereading this book and absolutely loved it! I loved Maeve as a character and her relationship with Tristan was just so sweet to see. The magic system was probably my favorite I’ve read possibly ever.

I really wanted to love this, but it just didn’t work for me. The premise had so much potential, but the characters felt flat, and the pacing dragged. I wanted to give this author another chance after Hotel Magnifique, which I had trouble connecting with, but sadly I just have to admit that the writing style isn't for me.

If you liked Divine Rivals, I think you’d really enjoy this one!
Maeve is an orphan who has to keep her identity a secret. See her father destroyed a whole world, and now her last name can get her in trouble.
It’s dark academia and a portal fantasy. People were able to travel between three worlds until her father’s crime killed everyone (or rather put them to sleep) in the world of Inverly, and the door between the world was closed so that the vine that put them to sleep wouldn’t come through.
This was both a redemption story for her father and for her. Who she is at the beginning of the book and at the end feels like two completely different Maeve’s— from having to force people not to care about her, to be surrounding by friends and a partner who would do anything for her.
It was definitely a slow burn romance, and YA, but the banter between the two and “he falls first” and spots her always getting into trouble and helping her out was so cute.
Tristan himself has some depth too. He’s no dashing Prince Charming but what I would describe as a bookworm’s fantasy. He’s a clumsy mess—but in like a cute way— means well, and feels a lot. He cares deeply and actually has a brain that works.
As Maeve tries to figure out who sent her the letter stating her father is innocent, being an imposter student, trying to keep all her secrets (which Tristan makes so so hard), learning who the actual killer/criminal is — so much happens and it’s such a thrilling ride!

Thank you Penguin Teen for the copy of the book and PRH Audio for the listen.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and it did not disappoint. The cover of this book is the stuff of dreams! Often, I am drawn in by a cover, only to find myself dragging through the book that does not interest me, and eventually sending it to the DNF graveyard. The Otherwhere Post was every bit as magical and mesmerizing as the artwork that introduces it to the world.

After the hardest 7 years of her life, Maeve Abenthy is still struggling to survive. Maeve—not that anyone knows her by that name anymore—never stays in one place too long, never gets emotionally attached, and NEVER EVER gives her real name to anyone. Time has shown Maeve that she has to keep on the move, and keep her head down. The slightest slip of complacency could cost her the very life she is trying to protect. Her identity must remain hidden. One day, Maeve receives a letter. A letter addressed to her with her actual first name on the envelope. A letter that says, "Your father is innocent."

I fell in love with Maeve from the beginning, and wanted so desperately for her character to find a path to peace and love, with people she could rely on...a family all her own. When Tristan came into the story, he easily became my favorite character. You could feel the brokenness in his character, but for different reasons that Maeve. There were times in the book when I worried that he might not be the person Maeve thought he was, and those times were heartbreaking to me. Each time Maeve felt the smallest hint of friendship, I shuddered. I was constantly wondering who would be the next to betray her. At times, I felt that way with Tristan, Nan and Shea...but I hoped beyond hope that I would be wrong.

The plot twists in this one definitely kept me turning the pages. Just when I thought I had things figured out...whether they were for the good or bad...I was surprised when the truth was eventually revealed. The second half of the book was so charged with deception, corruption, and lies that I could not put it down. I was desperate for Maeve to have a life outside of the courier program.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of dark academia, fantasy, and unique magic systems.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an advance reader copy of this book.

Tropes: Dark Academia | Frenemies to YA Lovers | Slow Burn | Gas Lamps | Cobblestone Streets | Enchanted Letters | Magical Worlds | Unique Magic System | Deception and Corruption

You might need to grab this one if you like YA Mystery & intrigue, dark academia, unique writing based magic, enchanted letters, slow burn romance, yearning, Edwardian-inspired multiverses

I was intrigued by The Otherwhere Post when I first read the synopsis of it back a few months ago, and I expected to like it, but honestly I didn’t expect for it to be such a comfort read, that kept me grinning the entire time I read it. I loved the storyline, and characters, but there was also just a vibe to the overall book that made it feel like the perfect book to get a cup of hot chocolate and cozy up with the rain falling outside and the world slipping away around me.

The relationship between the FMC and the MMC was filled with the kind of yearning I just wanted to scream at them for and it made the book, and their slow burn all the more delicious. The Otherwhere Post was a unique magically journey that I am so glad I had the opportunity to travel on.

Maeve lives with the shadow of her father's treachery hanging over her head. She never stays in one place for long and always gives a false name so no one knows she's the daughter of the man who destroyed one of the three worlds that used to be linked by doors made of writing - and caused the death of hundreds of people.

But then Maeve receives a letter telling her that her father is innocent. Driven to find out if there is a way to clear her father's name, she lies her way into the College of Scriptomantic Arts, now called the Otherwhere Post so she can learn magic writing that will enable her to travel between the two remaining worlds and find out who sent her the letter. But this mystery is anything but simple. And while she attempts to untangle it, the last thing she wants or expects is to make friends with her roommate, Nan - or to be found out by Tristan, the head postmaster's son and a scriptomancing prodigy, who just happens to be infuriatingly handsome as well. Can Maeve exhonerate her father, or will the person who seems to want her secrets to die with her succeed?

This book...there aren't enough words for how much I loved it. First of all, I love an alternate universe where all you need is a special kind of ink and the very act of writing can become magic. The construction of the worlds, how they are joined together, and the lore of scriptomancy all form a universe that puts me very much in mind of Stephanie Garber's "Caraval" series - as if the two could exist in the same universe, just maybe in separate dimensions.

Maeve is a delightful if stubborn and sometimes frustrating heroine, but because of her father's reputation, I could easily understand her reasons for doing things, even if I didn't always think she made the best choices. And she's left-handed, like me. A redheaded, slightly Irish heroine named Maeve who is left-handed? Say less!

As for Tristan - a gorgeous, dark-haired glasses-wearing hero who is a prodigy at writing magic. There is nothing not to like about him, right down to his stubborn loyalty to Maeve even when she puts him through all sorts of things. I could not love him more if he was plucked out of my own brain.

So to wrap up, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think those who like fantasy worlds based closely on ours but just a little strange - like "Caraval" - will love it. As will writers, people who are left-handed, and basically anyone who enjoys a well-thought world, a nice sweet romance, and a dash of magic. Five stars. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Penguin Young Reader's Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Emily J. Taylor for the advanced reader's copy. This is a voluntary review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Otherwhere Post is a young adult fantasy about a teenage orphan who joins a magical school in hopes of clearing her father’s name.

When her world was destroyed seven years earlier, Maeve barely made it out alive, and her talented scriptomancer father was blamed for the magical blight. After years of living under assumed names, a letter finally reaches her, declaring her father’s innocence. Determined to uncover the true culprit, Maeve enrolls in her father’s former magical academy, hoping to clear his name.

This is an enjoyable read with a unique magic system. I liked Maeve’s bold character and the chemistry between her and her mentor, Tristan. There are also plenty of close calls and dangers to keep the pages turning.

Overall, this is an engaging young adult novel with a creative magical system, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Emily J. Taylor for providing me with a complimentary digital of The Otherwhere Post. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I haven’t finished Hotel Magnifique yet. This was supposed to be dark academia, but it didn’t really feel like it to me. I was expecting a little more of that. I thought the plot and the set up was interesting. I just don’t think I fully enjoyed the execution of the plot. The characters didn’t really do it for me. I thought some things felt rushed, and it was hard to get on board. I would check out other books by this author.

After the Hotel Magnifique I was so excited to read this. While it wasn't seemingly connected to the Hotel, I seriously enjoyed this read. While it took a little building the story was engaging and kept you questioning what would happen next.