I absolutely loved Hotel Magnifique, and when I saw that Emily J. Taylor was releasing a new masterpiece, I couldn’t wait to read it. In her typical fashion, we have a beautifully crafted but easy to follow magical world that has many twists and turns! It’s hard to keep me guessing to the very end, but this book did just that! There were so many parts that left me guessing, but everything came together in a nice neat package by the end. I loved that we also had the murder mystery element with Maeve’s father, and her trying to clear his name. While this book came to a nice close just like Hotel Magnifique, I do wish that we will revisit this world in a sequel!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite character: Tristan
Pacing: Quick and easy to follow
Recommended for readers who loved Divine Rivals

*I was sent this arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to both the publisher and netgalley for providing access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an anticipated release and oh god did it not disappoint. I think if i hadn't also read the deavabad trilogy this year it might've been my favorite read of the year

The Otherwhere Post is a magical adventure that I loved every minute of. Following Maeve as she tries to clear her father's wrongfully accused name, she enrolls at the mysterious Otherwhere Post and comes under the tutelage of Tristen, the Post Master's son. Together, they uncover a plot they may threaten everything they know.

Both Maeve and Tristen were delightful characters to read about, and their relationship to each other was delicious. The romance! the banter! the yearning! all phenomenal! and when i say yearning i mean Y E A R N I N G. done properly.

While the premise of this book is great, the execution was not so much. Considering how big a part of the story Scriptomacy is in this book, you’d think the author would do a better job of explaining what it actually was. 400+ pages later and I still had no idea what it was or how it worked?? So that was frustrating. Combine that with the barely likeable characters and this book didn’t stand a chance for me.

3.5 stars, rounded up

I enjoyed reading <i>The Otherwhere Post</i>, and I thought that the magic system of scriptomancy was a really cool idea, but a lot of the story also felt incomplete.

For starters, there is a fair amount of world-building within the school itself, but we learn very little of the outside world, which poses many vital questions including some clarity on what the role of couriers and scriptomancy play in the world at large. It was all a little unclear, as was a lot of Maeve's back story, especially when it comes to her late mother and her parent's relationship. If this had been better developed, I think the story would have felt far more impactful. As it was, parts of it were a little confusing and felt unfinished.

The pacing was also really inconsistent- it starts out quickly and hooked me from the start, but then the next 80% of the book drags on with a lot of slow development and repetition (at 85% I had to check to make sure that this wasn't actually Book 1 in a series because it felt like it wasn't going to be able to wrap up everything at that point)...before speeding into an ending that felt rushed, too-basic, and convenient.

It was still an enjoyable read, but it lacked some of the depth I was hoping for, and I would have loved to see even more magic at use, especially when it came to all the different types of scribings.

This is my first Emily J Taylor book, and I think after this she may be an automatic buy. That is right, only one book and I am hooked on her writing style. Before even finishing this e-ARC I had already pre-ordered the book during B&N's 25% off sale, it was that fantastic so far. This world was reminiscent of Divine Rivals BUTTT the FMC, Maeve, was a lot more morally grey, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This book took you on a lot of twists and turns and I could just be stupid, but I did not see the ending coming and who the real villain truly was. The book was medium paced, but I felt that there was enough going on that I was hooked into it. I did not feel that the story was lagging despite the slower pace. It had plenty of tropes I know everyone loves:

-slow burn romance
-deadly mystery
-banter and I MEAN BANTER
-lots and lots and lots of yearning
-dark academia
-morally grey FMC

Maeve was fantastic, I loved her characters and Gibbs from NCIS like rules about what she was allowed to do and not do. I thought her overarching character arc was done very well and her ability to learn how to lean on others was a hard lesson for her to learn but a valuable one. The side characters, Nan & Shea, had to be some of my all-time favorites. They had the wit and charm to really draw you into their side arcs. Ugh then finally Tristan, a new book boyfriend for me. I loved him from the very start and the banter between Maeve and Tristan WAS TOP TIER. I was eating it up and was kicking my legs and giggling. I felt that they truly saw one another and held nothing back which I think for both of them was refreshing and made them bond. I love how Tristan very much had this tortured artist feel to him that I think Maeve fell for instantly.

I loved every moment of this book, and I hope there is more story to come of what else they find in their world. This world building has a lot of potential and I think Taylor is well equipped for the task. 100000/10 recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I discovered Emily J. Taylor last year after receiving a special edition of her previous smash hit Hotel Magnifique through OwlCrate. I was so mesmerized by the world she created that I looked her up and discovered that The Otherwhere Post was in the making. I requested an ARC of her sophomore novel as soon as it was available on Net Galley and I am so thankful for it! In TOP, Ms. Taylor's takes on Dark Academia specialized in Scriptomancy. We follow Maeve Abenthy who has been hiding her identity for the past 7 years, after her father released the Aldervine and destroyed a whole world. Now she enters this scriptomancy university, hoping to uncover the sender of this mystery letter she received that states that her father is innocent. Maeve goes on this journey to uncover the mystery around her father (and mother), and we are transported in this very unique world that I thoroughly enjoyed living in for several days. All characters had depths - I could picture them in my mind and I felt like I knew them. The MMC was not the typical dark and handsome and muscular stud that we get meet in most fantasy book.. that was refreshing. The magic was quite complex and kept me on my toes. A book you definitely need to put on your radar!

I can honestly say that Emily J. Taylor has become an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange on my honest review.

I hope I never stop living in a world where dark academia gets written. Between the characters and the authors top notch writing this one had me hooked almost immediately. I really enjoyed the light shades or romance and hope they’re more evolved at some point. All in all a lot of fun.

I enjoyed Taylor’s latest novel. I was intrigued from the start with the mystery of a letter. Yes, this book showcases letters and magic in an interesting way. The fantasy element isn’t overbearing and seamless in their society.

There is a part at the end I didn’t understand which I can’t explain without spoiling the book. I felt like the author didn’t really explain what happened to a character. I was left with questions. It ruined the pace.

Overall I still enjoyed this one and I think I’ll pick up her first novel later this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

In a Nutshell: A YA fantasy with dark academia vibes and portal fantasy elements. Intriguing magic, gripping plot and interesting characters. Some shades of romance and mystery as well. A bit repetitive and a tad too convenient in between, but overall, a satisfying read. (Coming from me the YA-phobe, this is a huge compliment.) I’d definitely recommend this book to older YAs.

Plot Preview:
Ever since Maeve’s father was accused of a serious crime seven years ago, Maeve has been living under a false name and constantly shifting places and jobs so that no one can connect her to the past. Now eighteen, Maeve receives a mysterious letter claiming that her father was innocent. To learn the truth, Maeve must take up an apprenticeship at the Otherwhere Post, which trains aspirants in the magical art of scriptomancy, thereby allowing couriers to enchant letters and deliver them across worlds. But Maeve’s challenges only increase with this decision. Her father’s murky past proves tougher to hide than she had expected, her mentor at the institute – a rude courier named Tristan – knows that she’s an imposter, and threatening letters pop up warning Maeve to drop her investigation. Can she find out the truth without endangering herself and her companions?
The story comes to us in Maeve’s third-person perspective.

I am not an avid YA reader. However, I had read this author’s debut work – an interesting YA Dark Fantasy named Hotel Magnifique – a couple of years ago and was quite impressed by her world-building, though the pacing and repetition hadn’t worked too well for me. I was keen to give her sophomore work a go and see if it clicked better and if she has grown as a writer.
It did, and she has!

Bookish Yays:
💌 Maeve: A typical teen representative of her age. Impatient, impulsive, gutsy. Acts first, thinks next. Thus, an apt lead for a YA novel, though some of her actions made me want to shake her. Her character is written well, with no extended rambling or whining that is so common in YA protagonists. I loved the balance between her bravery and her vulnerability.
💌 Tristan: If I were younger, there’s a good chance I would have declared Tristan my new book boyfriend, and no, this isn’t at all because of his looks. He’s not portrayed as a typical hot guy unaware of his charm. Rather, the author gives Tristan a strong and layered personality that has both a grumpy side and a fun side.
💌 An extra Yay not just for making Tristan bespectacled but also for remembering this throughout the book. I appreciate how his spectacles were written as a consistent part of his character instead of being forgotten after the first mention.
💌 Maeve’s roommate Nan is fabulous. (Possibly, my favourite character of this book!) Her personality adds the right amount of lightheartedness to this novel.
💌 The connection between Maeve and Tristan feels a bit too instant, but it doesn’t lead to insta-romance. Rather, the bond grows steadily from reluctant colleagues to friends to potential lovers. A good progression for a cute relationship filled with loads of banter (from Tristan’s side.) Plus points for not letting the romance dominate the core plot.
💌 The darker parts of the fantasy are creepy, with some scenes being quite gruesome.
💌 Maeve’s apprenticeship at the Otherwhere Post adds plenty of dark academia vibes to this story. Her role as a student is properly utilised, with many scenes actually in the classroom and library, unlike some other academia novels where the characters are doing everything but studying.
💌 The pacing is slowburn but never slow. I didn’t lose my interest at any point.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🔑 The worldbuilding has tremendous potential. The concept of known and unknown worlds accessible through magical doors and the art of scriptomancy allowing the use of words to create magic both are excellent fantastical ideas. The former reminded me of other similar portal fantasy books such as The Ten Thousand Doors of January; regardless, the concept is used well. I also loved the idea of a magical postal system. However, the scriptomancy content is somewhat vague. There is a lot about the whats but not enough of the hows. I am not sure if this is being planned as a series because a lot of foundational content on scriptomancy wasn’t utilised much in this book and there certainly is potential for more exploration.
🔑 For a change, there are a couple of good-hearted adults in this YA work. This adult thanks the author for this courtesy. (I am fed up of seeing idiotic adults in the YA genre.) However, most of the adults’ personalities aren’t sketched strongly. The rationale behind some of their actions stays vague till the end.
🔑The mystery about Maeve’s father and the identity of the writer of the threatening letters is handled decently, with a few nice red herrings and twists along the way. However, I’d have preferred the suspicion to be on multiple characters at once instead of going through them turn by turn.
🔑Given how closeted and grumpy Maeve is at the start, it is a bit difficult to understand why Tristan and Nan go out of their way to assist her. Perhaps they are just good people? Definitely a bit too good to be true!

Bookish Nays:
🚪 The second half has some overly convenient coincidences and timely character appearances at strategic plot points. I can ignore this issue if it happens only rarely, but it popped up a little too frequently when Maeve’s investigation was reaching its culmination.
🚪 Infodump ending. Never a fan of this!

All in all, this was quite a good read for me, which is even more surprising if you remember how I keep cribbing about the YA genre. I liked Maeve with all her flaws as she made for a realistic teen protagonist. Tristan and Nan were the perfect accompaniments. There are a few components that could have added more value to this book, but even as is, it is quite entertaining.
Definitely recommended. As an adult, I would have found this a good one-time read, but I've a strong feeling it will be fabulous for older YAs. (15+, because there are some intimacies mentioned.) As always, better if read without over-analysing.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group for providing the DRC of “The Otherwhere Post” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor is a third person-POV YA fantasy mystery with scriptomancy. Since she was twelve, Maeve has hidden her identity to protect herself after her father became an infamous murderer, unleashing an ancient magic that left her an orphan and killed so many. When Maeve receives a letter saying that her father is innocent, she heads to the Otherwise Post to perhaps finally clear her father’s name.

The magic system is very cool. I loved the little details about mixing ink together, the various ways that ink and scribing are used, and the post system being magical. It takes something mundane, writing a letter, and makes it fantastical while keeping the darker tone with names like ‘Raven’s Tears’ and ‘Oxblood’ for the names of ink colors. The coolest thing was that scribing is a skill that so many have to hone over extended periods of time, including Maeve, who grew up knowing so much about how the system works. I feel like, often, the main character just has innate talent whereas Maeve has knowledge, but isn’t wildly talented in the way that her love interest, Tristan, is.

Tristan and Maeve’s relationship goes through a lot of struggles because of Maeve’s constant deception. To protect herself and her mission, she can’t tell him her real name or why she’s studying scriptomancy and he trusts her anyways (as much as he can). Maeve does feel worse and worse about this over time, particularly as her romantic feelings for him grow stronger, but also as she realizes how much he has helped her. This is more of a subplot, so I wouldn’t call the book a romantic fantasy or fantasy romance, but it is a fun romance with great dialogue and enjoyable dynamic.

The overarching mystery is who sent Maeve the letter and whether or not she really can clear her father’s name, and, if he is indeed innocent, who is responsible? To me, because these are the central themes of the plot and everything is pushed forward by Maeve’s investigations and what she finds out, I would mark this as a fantasy mystery. I’m trying to get more into the mystery genre, but I’m not as familiar with it as I am the romance and fantasy genres, so if there are specific beats that a more knowledgeable reader needs to classify something a fantasy mystery, I am not aware of them. But I found the mystery to be intriguing and I did want to see the solution.

I would recommend this to fans of darker YA fantasies, YA readers looking for a fantasy mystery, and those looking for fantasies exploring complex relationships between orphans and their deceased parents and their legacies

This was so fucking magical! Eccentric dark academia vibes, twisty mysteries and a slow burn romance! This was such a wonderful experience all around.

A blank page and a single word.
~
I have been waiting YEARS for another Emily J. Taylor book, and this was exactly what I needed right now. I could not have been more excited to pick up a book about writing being magical and a girl hunting for the truth about why her father murdered so many people, gaining found family and truths along the way. Maeve was a super fun character to follow, even if I wanted to shake her sometimes for some of the decisions she made. Tristan was such a great character development as he went on the journey with Maeve, trying to find out who exactly she was and then everything that came after. Nan, and even Shea, we’re the best side characters and I adored them. And the twists! I could not keep straight who I thought the big bad was in this one and I was truly shocked when I found out at the very end. Not only did this wrap up wonderfully but it did so in such a way that has me thinking about the book and what could happen in the future, and I love that about this world! Do yourself a favor and grab this book so you can explore Leyland and Barrow, too!

this was fun! the magic system was kind of confusing at first but once i understood the story got a lot more interesting. i loved the relationships between each of the characters, particularly with maeve's relationship with nan. overall a decent fantasy read with a unique magic system and a mystery that kept me guessing.

I loved this one! I'm a huge dark academia in fantasy fan - and this is the perfect YA dark academia fantasy book. The magic system is so unique and interesting, I loved the world. The darker elements were intriguing, the romance was sweet and swoony, and it's a book you can just escape into and not want to leave!

The writing in The Otherwhere Post is excellent, and knowing the author's style from Hotel Magnifique, it’s clear, fluid, and easy to follow. The storyline is incredibly intriguing, blending mystery and dark elements as the protagonist changes her identity—not just to survive but to escape the shadow of her father’s crime. Her decision to take on a job under a fake identity to help solve the crime adds an exciting layer to the plot, giving the story a unique feel, almost like a fantasy version of a post office infused with dark magic. The romance was well-balanced—not too overpowering but just enough to complement the overarching mystery, though I did wish for a little more of it. The ending felt somewhat abrupt, but not in a jarring way; it was natural and realistic. The characters were well-developed, making them feel fleshed out and compelling. The magic system added a great twist to the postal element of the story, making it both magical and quirky, and reading the letters throughout was a cool touch. I would highly recommend The Otherwhere Post, and I’m especially glad it’s a standalone

Exhaustingly long-winded for such a predictable story. For fans of A Study in Drowning.
Dark Academia
Slow Burn Romance
Magical Letters
Mystery
Secrets

All hail author Emily J. Taylor, whose magical pen enchants and inspires with every word. 6 out of 5 stars for The Otherwhere Post which had me alternately giggling, kicking my feet, and tearing up at different parts.

Maeve Abenthy is running from her parents’ past and even her own name; but when receives a long-lost letter, she goes on an adventure to become an Otherwhere Post apprentice to deliver enchanted letters. But when the letters turn dangerous, Maeve will have to decide who she can trust, if anyone.

Taylor expertly crafts a story with sweet love and hope like an old-fashioned fairytale. I couldn’t put it down and am desperate for more, now that it’s over.

The dialogue? The BANTER? The magic? The characters? The tension in this book is incredible and it kept me at the edge of my seat for the entire read (I devoured the entire book over the course of a long flight).

It’s releasing February 25th, and I need all of you to read it ASAP. In the meantime, this is going straight to the favorites shelf and I will be ordering a hard cover copy.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the eARC of The Otherwhere Post in exchange for a review!.

This was such an unexpected treat to me. The cover was very nondescript that I don't really remember it, the synopsis was something that for the life of me I could not recall when I picked this up to read, and overall I just randomly grabbed this since I needed a book but had no expectations. Well, I loved this story, hands down my favorite read in months. It was full of magic, other worlds, twisted mystery and a very sweet romance- and the best part, somehow the author packed it all into one book with no need for a sequel to make me wait for more. There was never a dull moment where I wished I could just skip ahead, there was always something new (and most likely dangerous) that Maeve and I could get into. The relationship dynamics were slow-burn all over, from the sweet romance to the unwanted best friend, I just loved it all and watching prickly Maeve get swept into it against her will. Keep in mind this is pretty dense, not a light and fluffy read, but something you want to sink into and give yourself plenty of time to sit with. I read an ebook copy but would love a physical copy to keep on my shelf to come back to when I need a reread of this magical world.

Posted on Goodreads: 2/2/2025

If you love fantasy worlds with unique magic, you are in for a treat. This book follows Maeve Abenthy, who receives a letter from seven years ago that changes her life forever. The book includes parallel worlds, cloak-wearing couriers, a main character who can't trust anyone, and secrets upon secrets. I was given the opportunity to review this book through NetGalley, and I hope that it finds other readers who will love it as much as I did!

4.5

This was quite an interesting standalone fantasy novel. It featured a magic system I haven't read about before, had a mostly unique world (more on that below), and a pretty solid set of characters.

The book features scriptomancy, a magic form using words and inks to bring the magic to life. I enjoyed reading about it, though I wish the book had gone a little more in-depth about it. The main setting is in Leyland, one of three worlds that are regularly discussed throughout the book, the other two being Inverly and Barrow. The worlds are parallel in a way, with each world featuring Gloam, the main city in the book. This part reminded me of the Shades of Magic series, where as there are different worlds that all feature a different London. There is a bit of traveling between Leyland and Barrow, as Inverly is lost, but the majority takes place in Leyland. Gloam feels just like its name; a gloomy, depressing city that people wish to escape. However, they can't, as the doors between the worlds have been burned. The only way to cross over is by being a courier and knowing the magic.

While all the characters are pretty well-written, I enjoyed the interactions between Maeve and Tristan the most. There's plenty of sass and banter which made their relationship so good. Maeve is a strong female character, and Tristan has a lot of depth to him that is released throughout the book. Other characters are introduced, and they each have their part and add to the story. It did keep me guessing throughout as to who wrote the letter and who was possibly the villain, which I enjoyed as well. It's nice when a book makes you think and wonder.

The only problem I had really was that there seemed to be a lot of unnecessary filler. I would have liked a little more explanation on the worlds before or on the magic instead of some of the other filler we got. However, this was not enough to really detract from the story. Perfect for fantasy fans who enjoy standalones, unique magic systems, and good characters and plot.