The magical world of mail. This is probably one of the most original concepts I have seen in a long time and there was a lot going on in this book: magical mail delivery, a murder mystery and a girl trying to find her own identity.

Who are you really when no one is allowed to know your name? When you're afraid to say it? This is what Maeve has to learn as she navigates a mystery that might just clear her father's name or implicate him further.

I really enjoyed this book and it definitely kept me wanting to know more. There were a few parts that were a little slower but I was still very invested and wanted to know what happened.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an ARC for an honest review. I'm so happy to have received a copy of The Otherwhere Post! This book was full of adventure, mystery, thrill and romance.
The magic system in this book was so unique! I haven't read anything similar to it so in the beginning I had a hard time picturing exactly how the magic worked but as the story continued I had a much better understanding.
The world building was also confusing at first. There are multiple "world" built on top of each other and they're all copies of each other but with unique timelines but again as the story continued I was better able to picture this and why it was important to the story.
Maeve was an incredible main character. I loved being a part of her journey in unraveling the mystery. I did get frustrated with her at times when she insisted on working by herself but I can understand her apprehension in bringing others into the mess. Tristan, Nan and Shea were such great supporters and their love for Maeve shone through the story.
While some of the story line and details felt repetitive I did enjoy the pace and build up. I think the mystery was compelling and I loved the twists and turns throughout.
This will be a great book for late teens into early 20's!!
Thanks again Penguin Teen!

A unique dystopian scifi fantasy steampunk novel that feels familiar enough to be a comfort read and odd enough to keep this reader's attention!

The ink-and-paper magic of letter-writing works so well, and we get just enough dark academia aesthetic to balance the Dickensian world-building.

Maeve is my favorite shade of morally grey. Like many of my favorite characters (Mistborn's Vin for example), her ability to survive while trying to find her heart is what keeps me coming back. I'll always root for the antihero.

"All she had left was hope, after all. It had to be enough."

First, I just need to say that I was obsessed with the stamp designs that listed the chapter number for each new chapter. This is very specific and random but for some reason that wax seal design spoke to my heart and brought me inexplicable joy. Perhaps I need to explore wax stamps as a hobby.

Regarding the actual book, I was hooked immediately. Scriptomancy was a really interesting concept to me, and I found myself needing to keep reading so that I could learn more about the magic system. The way that Maeve met Tristan made me laugh out loud, and I loved all of their scenes together throughout the book. The character-building and pacing of how and when we learned more information about them really worked for me.

There was one point where I was wishing this was part of a longer series, but by the end I feel that it was wrapped up perfectly in a single book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC!

The Otherwhere Post spans multiple worlds, a few different universities, and so much ink. For anyone that enjoys fantasy and a stationary store, this is your jam. Maeve’s dad is a murderer… or so the world believes. But when she gets a message from a courier with the Otherwhere Post, it seems as if that may be in doubt. She decides to try to trace that letter to the author and the only way to do so is by joining the Post herself. From there, she works her way through her suspect list while also trying her hardest to not build any relationships at all, even though her roommate Nan and her mentor Tristan are making that difficult.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. While I wouldn’t say that it’s one that I couldn’t put down at all, it definitely kept me interested throughout the book. I like the twists at the end that I didn’t see coming. If you like a fantasy with a few different interconnected worlds (think A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab) and a heavy focus on ink and stationary (or sometimes writing on skin), I would definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this advanced readers copy for my unbiased opinion!

Enjoyment rating: 5
Quality rating: 4


What if everything I didn’t like about Divine Rivals was fixed and made into a different book? That is The Otherwhere Post for me.

I loved Divine Rivals for the *vibes*. Typewriters connecting people who fall in love? Adore it. But I didn’t love some of the darker elements or some of the plot issues. I wished there was something else that gave me academic, bookish type vibes without those issues. And boy, did The Otherwhere Post deliver for me.

I loved the magical writing elements, the school and the aspect of trying to avenge her father/trying to find out the truth of what happened with her father. The characters were delightful, the mystery was fun and the magic elements made sense. The imagery in the writing made me feel like I was really in the world. I adored the magic coming from writing — what bookish person wouldn’t?

The slow burn between Tristan and Maeve is well done. It didn’t feel like it switched from strangers to lovers too quickly, and they had some great banter. Overall, I adored the romance between them. Tristan easily could have gone into the too cliche to like category with his background, but it’s unique enough and he’s sweet enough that it works well.

I did think the ending was just a little too abrupt, but otherwise I enjoyed the pace. I wish it had been just a little bit longer for more time for the climax and for just a little bit more slow burn.

If you want a magical dark academia setting with a fun magic system and great banter, I recommend picking this one up.

The Otherwhere Post is a fantasy novel about a world where things that are written - if they are written properly - come to be, a fascinating thought for any reader. Maeve, the main character, wants more than anything to be a scriptomancer like her deceased father - someone who is trained to write in a certain way, with certain inks, so that her writing will come to life, but she can't, because she is who she is: her father's daughter. Seven years ago, there was an attack by the Aldervine - a massive mobile vine that brought terror and destruction, and closed the doors between the worlds - an attack that was blamed on Maeve's father. Since that time, she's been in hiding, using an alias, afraid to let anyone know who she is, because of the reputation attached to him after that event. Then one day, she receives a letter, addressed to her correctly, that tells her that her father was innocent. So begins her quest to find the writer, to prove her father's innocence, and to begin to live her life as a scriptomancer instead of a fugitive. A suspenseful and enjoyable story, suitable for readers of all ages.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a cute ya romantasy with a lot of angst and yearning that had me flying through the pages. This book follows Maeve whose father was the cause of world traveling ending and many people dying when a poisonous vine infected their world. Maeve receives a letter saying her father is innocent sending her on an adventure of trying to find out more about what happened all while trying to keep her true identity hidden. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and the pacing kept many entertained throughout. There were a few places where the plot felt a little too easy or convenient but still had a great time with this one. Look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars rounded up

My feelings on this book are strange. I feel like I want to love it more than I did, but I'm not 100% sure on why I didn't. Because, really, this was so cool. I loved the whole idea of scriptomancy, of the various worlds, and the mystery around Maeve's father's death and the danger she was now in (high five to myself for figuring out the bbeg 😌). Also, Tristen as a disaster prodigy with a good heart was *chef's kiss*. So, like, there were a ton of things I really liked.

I think at the end of the day, Maeve's trust issues, while understandable, led to things feeling a bit repetitive. I'd have been fine with, like, 20 less pages of the book where we didn't re-hash her escape plans due to lack of trust. Did I get their purpose? Technically, yes, but I felt like they were trying to achieve something either already achieved or could have been achieved in prior, similar scenes. Also, while I get the story needed to move along and people aren't just going to automatically be suspicious when not looking for a reason to be, Maeve's constant luck with everything did feel, well, too convenient xD

Overall, though, I still enjoyed this book, and I do recommend it to anyone who thinks this book sounds interesting!

I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

I loved Hotel Magnifique, so I had to grab this one. Emily did not disappoint. This book's magic system and world-building had me on a rollercoaster ride! I feel like she left a bit off the table with the world, but it's a yes. The characters are appropriate for a YA book, which I truly appreciate; I am tired of reading about teenagers in adult situations; enough already. Tristian is the sweetest book boyfriend; Nan is a ride-or-die friend, and Mave wants to become a courier but has to divulge her secret in order to make that happen! OMG, so tense. Once this story got going, it did not stop until the end, and I was still thinking about it when I read the final sentence. The ending left me feeling like it was a race to the finish. Emily didn't want to write any more pages, so she dropped everything at the end.

Still truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other readers.

Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Emily J. Taylor for the ARC of The Otherwhere Post

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley for providing a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 out of 5 stars.

There are multiple worlds, but three were bound together with the Written Doors. That is, until Jonathan Abenthy brought the aldervine to Inverly, Barrow, and Leyland, the thorns piercing people and poisoning them. In an attempt to contain the destruction to just Inverly, the Written Doors are burned, and scriptomancy is once more required to travel between Barrow and Leyland.

Maeve Abenthy, Jonathan's daughter, escaped Inverly with the help of a stranger who then dumped her at an orphanage where a Miss Hannigan of a hoodlum locks Maeve in a barn, from which she escapes, and spends years hiding her identity and looking over her shoulder.

One day, a door opens in the air beside Maeve, and a courier shoves an unmarked envelope in her hand. Since no one should know Maeve even exists anymore, it is a disturbing surprise, but couriers are never wrong. There is a backlog of letters between worlds, and the letter she gets telling her her father is innocent and to meet the writer is long past helpful.

Still, she can't not try, so when she sees another courier, she calls out to him. Thinking he didn't hear her, she throws a bar of soap at him, striking him in the head and ruffling his feathers. She asks for help tracking down the sender, but he tells her good luck and disappears.

Maeve had already told her employer she was quitting - it was time to retire Isla and move on - but instead of traveling, she returns her train ticket and applies for the University of Gloam, where she will learn scripts and hopefully learn just enough to figure out who sent the letter. But she can't give them her real name, especially since her father was a resident.

Convincing an applicant she is with admissions, she gets the applicant's name, confiscates her transcripts, and tells her she can reapply the following year. So, Maeve changes from Isla to Eilidh. She thinks she's all clear, until the headmaster assigns his son to be her mentor, and his son is none other than the courier she threw a bar of soap at.

I loved this book. If Inkheart was for middle grade, this is the YA step up. There was so much to love about these worlds, from the stormy atmosphere to the magic system of scriptomancy to the historical aspect of these fictional worlds. It was all so alluring in a literary magic way. Yes, there was romance, but there was friendship, too, and betrayal, and a daughter who believed her father was guilty for so long she did not know how to hope he might be innocent. I loved it.

Can I please get a coffee script??!?

I do feel like there were strings left flying in the wind, particularly when it came to her employer at the beginning. Yes, she gave her notice, but at one point in the book she ends up back there, scares him, and then he tells the constabulary about her, but she never goes back to explain herself. Also, I get that Maeve is basically a kid, and not a seasoned investigator, but the tangled mess of who framed her father and who sent the letter had my head spinning.

My first read by the author, but I will probably pick up her earlier novel.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I read the synopsis and immediately knew I was gonna be hooked. I was SO RIGHT. People had the ability to travel between various versions of their world (very VE Schwab!) But something called the Aldervine infiltrated on of those worlds and to stop it, they had to burn the doors between worlds. Now the only people capable of traveling are couriers of the Otherwhere Post.

Maeve thought her father was guilty of unleashing the Aldervine and killing/trapping everyone (and all the worlds blamed him too) until she receives a mysterious letter proclaiming his innocence, so she infiltrates the Otherwhere Post's courier training academy to try and find out where the letter came from. Where she meets Tristan.

I flew through this book. See Maeve overcome her walls and learn to trust people was so sweet. The world was so intriguing, the magic system was new and interesting, and Tristan was the tortured but still optimistic love interest we all needed. I loved every character in this book and I honestly hope that, if there's no sequel, Emily J. Taylor will write more in this world because I fell so in love with it.

I loved the dark academia vibes in this one! The plot was interesting it hooked me in early on and had me guessing from start to end! I loved the characters they felt well developed and grew throughout the book! I loved Tristan! Tristan and Maeve had me laughing so much I loved their humor and sarcasm! I also really enjoyed the magic system in this book! Towards the end there were a few to many coincidences going on for my taste but I definitely recommend reading this book!!!

The Otherwhere Post has a really interesting premise and intriguing magic called scribing. Maeve is our orphan heroine in this dark academia YA novel. And she’s SO secretive… But I suppose I would be too if my dad was infamous for tearing apart the world, killing a lot of people in the process. Confronted with the opportunity to clear her father’s name, she sneaks into the academy, meets a handsome boy, and gets to work solving the mystery. What’s not to love?

*I want to preface the next part with: I had an ARC from NetGalley, so any issues I have with the book may be fixed by the time it’s published.*

Characters and relationships don’t develop though, and that’s a must-have for me. The storytelling was thin at times too; sometimes events and connections happen for seemingly no reason at all. While I did love the characters, at times I found myself turning back pages to see what I missed, but it just wasn’t a fleshed-out scene.

Even with these issues, I had trouble putting the book down. I had to know how it ended. Who is the mysterious big bad sending magical terrifying letters? Does Maeve solve the mystery, clear her father’s name, and get the boy? Worth it.

Very cozy and fun read! The magic system was really cool, with magic performed by scribing. It was kind of like a light and fluffy Babel. There was an enjoyable little romance but no spice. I recommend for fans of The Encyclopedia of Faeries series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for a honest review.

The Otherwhere Post is a YA fantasy set in a unique world where magic can be written onto letters. This world has been shattered with the destruction of a door that lets them move between worlds and now only those who learn the magical art of scriptomancy can travel to the other worlds. Filled with mystery and a dark academia vibe this book's world was so much fun to read about. Our main character, Maeve, has to infiltrate the school for scriptomancy to uncover a mystery surrounding the collapsing of the door. Maeve is not very trusting of anyone and I found her actions to be not well thought out at times. She decided to run away multiple times and when I thought she had finally decided she had friends and she didn’t need to run she did it again… Her actions felt redundant and I was a little annoyed with her. Other than that I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. I loved the atmospheric vibes and world-building in this book. The concept of scriptomancy and the ability to travel between the overlapping multiverses were really interesting. This will definitely appeal to fans of Divine Rivals, though this skews more YA. I'd love to read more in this universe, but the main story line here is satisfactorily resolved so that it works as a standalone.

On the flip side, I felt like the characters were a little underdeveloped and there were some gaps/inconsistencies in the narrative that seemed confusing (for example, only six or seven years supposedly lapsed since Inverly was destroyed but Maeve's father's classmates all seem 20+ years older). The Otherwhere Post training school also felt like a missed opportunity to dig in more on the classes and skills they are taught, but that ends up being glossed over. This might be corrected in editing before final, but there were a lot of incorrectly used words that also took me out of the flow.

Thank you to GP Putnam and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

This was SO good!! For fans of Divine Rivals and epistolary themes, The Otherwhere Post is a perfect fit.

This is a perfect example of dark academia done right. The mood and tone as well as the world building were beautifully written. The character development as well as the intricate magic system was so captivating to read about. It truly felt original which is rare when it comes to books these days.

I’m thoroughly looking forward to anything the author writes going forward!!

Beautiful story full of characters who feel like they could walk off the page, a deep mystery, and rich lore. Maeve is convinced that her father is a murderer, one who led to the destruction of the connection between the three worlds seven years ago. However, when a mysterious letter shows up insinuating that her father was not the person she thought he was, she finds that her only way to get answers is to go undercover at the Otherwhere Post, the only avenue available to traverse the two remaining worlds. Along the way, she finds that she has stumble into something far beyond proving her father's innocence.

Even with all the dangers involved in this world, I would be more than willing to leap through the pages and explore it more for myself. The history and magic of the worlds were well-developed including why certain things happened the way they did, the antagonist's motives were believable and didn't feel contrived, and the characters' relationships were built bit by bit instead of all at once.

Worth a read and a bit of a ponder once you turn the last page.

The Otherwhere Post is the story of Maeve Abenthy, who lost her father seven years ago. To try and escape the stain of her father's crimes, Maeve lives under a variety of fake names, moving from place to place, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots. Then she receives a mysterious letter that says her father was innocent. In an attempt to uncover the truth, she poses as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, where she’ll be trained in the art of scriptomancy—the dangerous magic that allows couriers to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. But looking into her father’s past draws more attention than she’d planned. Her secretive, infuriatingly handsome mentor knows she’s lying about her identity, and time is running out to convince him to trust her. Worse, she begins to receive threatening letters, warning her to drop her investigation—or else. For Maeve to unravel the mystery of what happened seven years ago, she may have to forfeit her life.

This is such a fantastic book! The romance between Maeve and Tristan is so fun and enthralling. The way they first meet is hilarious and the banter they always share is clever, witty, and fun. You can feel the romantic tension between them the entire book, and the way Tristan cares for Maeve melts the reader's heart.

I love the world that Emily J. Taylor has created. To think of being able to travel to different parts of the world by going through a magical door, is so fantastic. Each area Maeve and Tristan visit is unique and has its own characteristics. The magic system and the scriptomancy are woven so well into the world. The idea of being able to enchant letters is so enthralling.

The Otherwhere Post is a gripping story with complex characters you can't help but fall in love with. Maeve's quest for answers inspires the reader to ask themselves what they would do if they found themself in a similar situation. Highly recommend this book!