I really enjoyed reading this book after having read Hotel Magnifique by the same author. In this story, Maeve receives a letter suggesting that her father may be innocent and she decides to investigate his dark past. She takes on a new identity and has her journey at The Otherwhere Post, where magic is tied to writing. Much like in Hotel Magnifique, the magic system in this book is unique, which keeps the story intriguing. The main character is relatable, and her romance is a nice addition to the plot. If you like YA fantasy this book is a great read for you!

5/5 but really 100/5
One of the most delightful reads from my 200+ reads this year. I highly recommend to my fantasy pals that enjoy YA. (Sorry, no spice but the mmc is so adorable)

The prose is absolutely beautiful and the story is a journey I loved taking. From the first chapter I was hooked and every detail that came to light gripped me further. The magic system and world building are unique and well done, giving us just enough at intervals in the story to keep the pace moving well.

The banter between Maeve and Tristan is so delicious.

The characters were all built up well and I felt like I knew them. I knew their world. And I wanted to stay and hang out with them longer. It was everything I look for in a YA book.

I'm so grateful I was chosen for the arc. Such a wonderful gift!

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Otherwhere Post on February 25, 2025.

This is hands down one of the most imaginative worlds and magic systems I've ever read about. Emily J. Taylor's attention to detail is incredible, and you can see how much thought when into this writing and ink-based magic system. I love that it celebrates writers, letters, and the bonds people can form with just words on a page. It definitely gives Divine Rivals vibes, but also slight Babel AND A Darker Shade of Magic vibes!

You've got people with special writing magic traveling to other worlds, an infiltrated university, a bespectacled love interest who's trying to uncover her secrets, and a fascinating quest for the truth. Maeve is single-minded and willing to do what needs to be done to find answers. I do wish her growth and ability to trust people had been a bit more spread-out in the book though, instead of culminating all at once at the end.

All in all, if you want dark academia vibes with inventive magic and delicious romance, this is your book!

ARC Review! The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

In this story a young woman risks everything to uncover a truth that will completely rewrite her life and the history of her world.

This book immediately took you into a new world from page one. This book is set in a well imagined and developed world with a completely unique magic system. In this new world the main characters are finding themselves while learning to live with and accept their trauma that they experienced at a young age. The plot is intriguing and there is some light slow burn romance that keeps you wanting to know what happens next.

Please note, my review is based on an uncorrected text from an ARC of this book.

I want to start by saying I liked Hotel Magnifique but I LOVED The Otherwhere Post. I love dark academia with a little mystery and sweet romance.

Maeve has had to keep her identity hidden because of her father and the countless number of deaths he caused but a single letter has made her doubt if he is the person responsible, Maeve has to go undercover to find out what really happened. Add in all the fantasy aspect, magically scribing, and mysterious mentor that is moody and handsome. Chefs kiss!

How do you not fall in love with anything Emily J. Taylor writes? Hotel Magnifique is a hard book to follow up. Beautiful, rich, stunning from the outside in.

The Otherworld post, on the other hand, starts out grimy, dim and disheveled. Gloam, a world built of many layers people could travel between, until the doorways burned down. Now everyone is trapped where they are, except the scriptogrophers.

Maeve wants nothing to do with scriptogrophers or couriers. She doesn't even dare to speak her full name in anyone's hearing. Abenthy has become a curse word, the name of the man who introduced the Aldervine to Inverly, killing its inhabitants and leading to the desperate burning of the doorways. Maeve was taken out of Inverly just before the doors burned, her family left behind and leaving her a tainted legacy.

When she receives a letter that all is not as it seems, and her father might just be innocent, Maeve will stop at nothing to find out the truth. She tricks her way into an apprenticeship at the Otherwhere Post. Despite not having the education the other apprentices received, Maeve knows a thing or two about scribing. Her father was a great one in his time, and he was always talking about it, teaching her in his spare moments.

Tristan. My my, what a special one this boy is. As much as he struggles, he can't help leaving himself vulnerable and open, especially where Maeve is involved. He doesn't give up, even as Maeve runs to keep her identity secret, and his own past follows him like a darkest shadow.

Nan, a friend and roommate everyone deserves. One who is not only up for shenanigans and constantly trying to pull you into them, but stands by your side when you're cast in a situation that puts you in dark grey light.

This book. This writing. Thank you, thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this one. I am so excited to get the chance to read it early, and I know I'll be one of the first in line to buy it when it comes out. Please Emily J. Taylor, tell me you have another book on the way! Whether in the same world, or another space to sweep us away. This is what fantasy should make you feel like - completely transported, awed by the magic, seeing the beauty in even the gloomiest of places.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

The plot was amazing as were the characters and setting.

It was a quick and enjoyable read.

Recommend.

This was an interesting world to dive into, with a unique magic system. Scriptomancers are trained to enchant letters, and couriers can deliver them across worlds. Some letters can be enchanted with tracking spells; all that's needed is the recipient's real name and they can be tracked, allowing the letter to be delivered no matter where they are, which can be dangerous if you don't want to be found.

Maeve lost her parents at a young age and has been in hiding, moving from one place to the next. No one knows who she really is, and she wants to keep it that way. Her father was supposedly to blame for unleashing a deadly creature causing the deaths of many people and labeling him a murderer. When Maeve receives a mysterious letter from a "friend" who knew her father and can prove he was innocent, she risks everything to find out the truth.

This book has a wonderful mix of fantasy, dark academia, a bit of mystery, and romance. It was something refreshingly different, which is exactly what I was looking for. This was my first read by Taylor, and I very much enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book!!! Emily J. Taylor crafts a masterpiece that had me hooked from the first chapter. I devoured this, could not put it down. Our FMC, Maeve, is a breath of fresh air. Spunky, quick witted, a touch of desperate ambition, with a whole host of secrets? Sign me up! The slow burn romance, the found friends, the truth revealed at the end was just *chef's kiss*. Don't walk, run, to read this. I need a sequel. I don't even care if it is nothing but our characters enjoying life and the magic of this world. Love love loved it!

I think Emily J Taylor has become an auto read author for me. I loved her debut, <i>Hotel Magnifique</i> when it came out a few years ago, and I really enjoyed her second novel as well.

There’s just something about standalone YA fantasy that I just love. So many series are drawn out or inflated and I really enjoy fantasy stories that wrap up everything in a single volume.

This book follows Maeve, whose father was responsible for a magical attack that ruined communication and travel between different magical places. Once a pariah, she struggles to live in anonymity so people don’t connect her with her villainous father until she gets a mysterious message claiming he was innocent.

I really liked the fantasy aspects. They were interesting and well done. There is so much fantasy out there that it’s hard to find something fresh and new so I’m always excited when I see a new spin on the genre. I also liked the mystery element to the plot. Fantasy and mystery work well together and I don’t know why there aren’t more stories out there like that.

Maeve was a fun character. I liked seeing her go from trusting no one to slowly letting people in. The romance was cute as well. They had many funny interactions together.

Definitely do yourself a favor and pick this book up when it releases at the beginning of next year. I’m already excited to see what this author has in store next!

I really enjoyed this book! It was really fun and interesting read, the story was very well done and I really liked the characters. It was just a fun easy enjoyable read! Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Maeve Abenthy lost everything seven years ago, when her father unleashed a horrific evil on a world. But then she receives a mysterious letter that changes everything: “Your father was innocent.” Her search for the mysterious letter writer takes her to the Otherwhere Post, where she poses as an apprentice under a fake name and learns the art of scriptomancy. But when she starts receiving mysterious and threatening letters, can she unravel the mystery of her father before she has to forfeit her life?

The world is creative and unique, centered around the idea that hand-written writing can be infused with arcane magic to do awesome or horrific things. The world building was excellent; I always felt like I was right in the middle of the story with Maeve. I can’t say that I connected with Maeve as a character much, but that was personal preference. There is some slow pacing in the middle, but the ending is satisfying. I would definitely read another story set in this world.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was so fun a great read. It’s a great dark academia read and the slow-burn romance was *chefs kiss.* Maeve had a good character arc and overcomes a lot. It was fun seeing her grow as a person. And oooh, Tristan. I love him. I loved the twist at the end.

I can't say enough good things about this book!!! I already marked this on my to read list, even though it hasn't come out yet, and was so excited to get an advanced copy from NetGalley. I am leaving a review voluntarily.

Sometimes, you will come across a book, thinking it sounds amazing, but then it just falls flat. You are left disappointed, knowing the idea was so good, wondering how did the author go so wrong. That is not the case here at all. I was hooked from the first page. Would have finished it in one sitting, but work. So, instead, finished it in two. Just couldn't put it down.

I really hope this becomes a series, although there is no indication given that there is a second book.
Definitely a must-read!

I really loved this book. I felt totally sunken into the story and I LOVE that feeling. It’s parts dark academia, mystery, fantasy, magic, and romance. It was the perfect blend. Flawed but loveable characters, lots of secrets, and it was just perfect and lovely. I feel like this is a great December read for some reason. I can’t wait to get a physical copy and reread it during cozy times every year.

Spice: 0/5
Romance: 4/5
Friends(ish) to lovers
Single third person POV
One love interest

RATING: 5 out of 5

This book gave me Harry Potter meets Divine Rivals vibes and the combination worked together perfectly. This book had me enchanted from the very beginning and kept me that way the entire time. There is such a unique magic system in this world and thankfully it was written very easy to understand so you don’t have to circle back multiple times or feel like you are lost. Don’t let this book fool you just because it’s YA, it has so much depth and meaning behind it. I think the only thing holding it back is that it didn’t have a little bit of spice like I typically enjoy but that was expected so I wasn’t let down. There was one section where it had a brief start to spice and it was so delicious that it made me so sad we wouldn't get a whole scene for it.

Meave was perfect in every single way- she made mistakes, she was hilariously sarcastic, and my favorite part is that she took her time to open up to people. I love that she is distant and cold on the outside but you see so much warmth and feelings internally. It makes waiting to see her get close to people so exciting and rewarding. I will say the only thing I did NOT like about her is that she is 18, while she definitely does not act like an 18 year it still felt really weird to read from someone so young. So of course in my mind I made her in her 20’s to make it less weird lol.

I did not like Tristan at first simply because he felt too nerdy and whimpy, in the beginning I started to envision him as Milo Thatch from Atlantis and that definitely helped me fall in love with him. But around the 40% mark I started to see him as Sebastian from Hogwarts Legacy and I was hooked from there (obviously). He has so much depth to him and I really wish we could have gotten a few scenes from his POV because he had a lot of mystery around him sometimes, while mystery is definitely sexy I do enjoy to hear how much the FMC rattles the MMC.

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. This is the kind of book where you actually have to tell yourself to slow down so you don’t finish it all in a day and you catch yourself at work getting excited about reading it later. I will 100% be buying this hardcover for my trophy case (hoping to wait out for a special edition from owlcrate or somewhere)

A giant thank you to Emily J. Taylor, Penguin Teen (Penguin Group) and NetGalley for letting me read this enchanting book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A strong protagonist, a magical yet original story, and twists and turns- I was in. This would be the kind of book I think all my kids could find some way to connect with. It was a pleasure to read, and hopefully I will find a way to work at least a few copies into my plans next year.

4 ⭐️

Thank you to Penguin Group Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC of The Otherwhere Post!

I was so happy to receive this book, and I loved reading Hotel Magnifique two years ago. After enjoying this book as well, I’m excited to read all future works from this author.

This book had a dark, gloomy, yet kinda cozy vibe to it, and I think it would be a great book to enjoy during winter. It had a beautiful setting, and the magic system was unique and so fun to read about. I couldn’t truly get a full understanding of the magic system or world building, but I didn’t terribly mind seeing as it is a standalone book.

The main character, Maeve, is an untrusting and talented girl who had to see and endure terrible things at a young age. Sometimes it was hard to like her with certain decisions she made, but I understood why did made them and thought she was a great main character. I also thought her ability to lie so effortlessly was pretty fun.

I loved the other characters in this story, especially Nan and Tristan, who shoved their way into Maeve’s life and refused to let her push them away. Tristan was incredible, his backstory and relationship with Maeve were probably my favorite things to read about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

I don't think this book was bad by any means. I just think it wasn't for me. The world and magic system could have been explained a little more as it felt like it lacked detail. There are other worlds involved, but we have little idea on if these other worlds mirror the current one that Maeve lives in. In terms of the plot of Maeve trying to find out what really happened to her father, I felt like everything was too easy for Maeve. She easily tricks people into accepting her into the apprenticeship for the Otherwhere Post (the school where you learn scriptomancy); she tricks a girl into giving up her spot to this school; the guy who eventually becomes her mentor learns that she's a fraud but doesn't care much about it, etc. Everything was either convenient or easy to get out of or had no real repercussions.

Overall, I thought this was an average book, but it was not for me.

Like, seriously, this book totally had me hooked from the very first page! The mix of mystery, magic, and dark academia vibes was absolutely chef’s kiss. I mean, a magic system where letters are enchanted and delivered across different worlds? So unique and fun! Maeve is such a strong lead, and watching her deal with the weight of her past while unraveling this huge mystery was just so satisfying. Plus, the tension between her and Tristan? Ugh, the slow-burn romance was EVERYTHING. Their dynamic had me swooning, and let’s just say I was flipping pages like crazy to see how it would all unfold.

The world-building was on another level too—so intricate and full of rich details, it honestly felt like I was living in this magical, mysterious universe. And those twists? I did not see them coming, which just made me love it even more. Totally a 5-star read for me, and I can't wait for everyone else to get their hands on it!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.