At this point, multi-dimensional, intricate world-building is Emily’s brand—and I’m definitely not complaining! I loved the dark academia layers and the twisty mystery plot, which kept me on my toes and eager to read! And let’s not forget about the fresh take on magic and a slow burn romance that had me BEGGING for the characters to relieve the tension! The chemistry was off the charts.

Overall, this was a wonderful read! I can’t wait to have a physical copy on my shelf!

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor presents an entirely new world of magic with amazingly detailed world building and an intricately detailed magic system. The main and supporting characters are delightful with friendship and a slow-burn romance giving real substance and believe-ability to the tale.

Maeve is a girl who has been in hiding for the past seven years - hiding her identity and her history - and heartbroken over what she believes was a huge betrayal by her beloved father. Fairly early on in the story, she receives an anonymous note indicating "Your Father Is Innocent." This begins her quest to find out the truth - which requires a vast amount of ingenuity and even deception on her part, as well as infiltrating a magical school where her father was well respected prior to his 'believed' betrayal. There is a multi-level mystery which is woven throughout the book and a huge part of the thread of the story.

Tristan stole my heart early on --- charming, a bit broken, brilliant, misunderstood, and yet with a quiet and sweet sense of humor. Tristan immediately knows that Maeve is imposing as someone else, but yet he is intrigued by her and goes to great length to protect her. Their relationship is very slow-burn and very sweet and ultimately very satisfying.

Nan is Maeve's roommate and quickly a strong supportive friend who, along with several others, plays a big part in Maeve's eventual resolution to the mysteries surrounding her father and the crime that he was accused of committing.

This is the first book I have read by Ms. Taylor and it was incredible. I highly recommend it and my one thought is that I truly hope it will eventually be released in audiobook version as well, since I know my daughters would absolutely love it!

Many thanks to NetGalley for proving this early digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Omg wow? This book absolutely took my breath away. I have not felt so moved by a book in a while. The magic system and the characters were so unique and different from what I have read this year. I would give anything for a sequel, even if there’s no plot and just vibes.

The romance was absolutely tender, heartfelt, and had just the right amount of tension. AND THE WITTY BANTER…immaculate!!! I mean, honestly, the written dialect was just so good.

Most of all the unconditional love that Maeve finds when she embarks on this crazy rollercoaster to figure out whether her father is truly innocent made me tear up.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really cute fantasy. I would put this for fans of Emily Wilde, The Spellshop, or Hotel Magnifique. The MC starts off not the most likeable and a bit stubborn, but she grows on me over the novel. I liked the FMC a lot. The world building magic system had some holes, and the story became a little more convoluted than it needed to be, but it was enjoyable. I would recommend if you like any of the above.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The Otherworld Post is a whodunit mystery with a touch of whimsy. It was an easy, fun read with a couple of surprising twists I honestly enjoyed and didn't predict right away.

Dark academia, mystery, poisonous plants, and friendship. I loved this story, plot twists and all!

Maeve has hidden who she is for so long, and been afraid to trust anyone with the truth of who she is and what her goals are. Enter one very reluctant mentor and an overbearing roommate!

I love the idea of scribing magic (I mean, the written word IS magical!) and the way that scribes hold so much power in Maeve's world. This book was just clever and original!

This book would be perfect for older teens, very little language (I only remember one instance!), no open door scenes.

I received an arc from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Book:
THE OTHERWHERE POST by Emily J. Taylor
Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the Earc (March)

Review:
3⭐
THE OTHERWHERE POST...I don't actually know what I thought about it. It was just a book. A really, really long one.
THE OTHERWHERE POST follows Maeve Abenthy. 7 years ago, Aldervine was released and k*lled a bunch of people. Maeve's father was blamed. When she receives a letter proclaiming his innocence, she'll stop at nothing to figure out if he actually was.
Like I said above, I don't know if I liked this or not. The beginning, I was interested since the premise for this book was intriguing. The middle---it was super dragged out with information that felt necessary, but also felt like a chore to read. Honestly, it made me want to DNF the book or skip the the end just so it would be over. However, THE OTHERWHERE POST did pick up toward the end, and I the whodunit was surprising.

This book has a word to describe it that I'm not sure I've ever used for a book before: stylish. As you read, you are transported to a world of quills, ink, and spectacles. A world, or multiple worlds, where our dear Maeve searches for answers about her father. I didn't finish this book because personally, the style is not for me. I read it simply because of the author, whose first novel I love so much. However, I did read quite a bit and it is written beautifully. The world building is done well and easy to follow. When this book comes out, I will most likely pick it up and try again when I have more time to appreciate it. Still highly recommend!

I am delighted by this moody fantasy combining a sweet love, a murder mystery, multiple worlds, and a loving ode to the craft and power of writing. It’s fast paced but never feels too fast, twisty but not confusing, with beautiful descriptive details. I particularly liked the ink moths.

4 stars to The Otherwhere Post!! Paired with a blanket and a cup of tea, this cozy fantasy was perfect for my afternoon.

Maeve is orphaned at 12 years old when she loses her father to the same disaster the world says he created. Knowing that the world would gladly judge her for her father's crimes, Maeve conceals her true identity, adopting various aliases and constantly staying on the move. But one day she receives a letter from an anonymous "old friend" saying that her father was innocent of the crimes against him.

To discover the truth, Maeve must learn the art of scriptomancy, an ancient magic that allows travel between the known worlds. Faking the identity of an apprentice at the Otherwhere Post, Maeve searches for clues to her mysterious "old friend" and the answers to what really happened the day her father became the "world killer". But the danger is no longer in her past, but following her closely. Someone watches her from a distance and mysterious letters that threaten her false identity begin to appear. Under the watch of her overly curious mentor, Maeve is running out of time to find the truth and clear her family's name before it is too late.

4 out of 5 stars to The Otherwhere Post! A great story for fantasy lovers, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a new cozy read :)

The Otherwhere Post is an enchanting fantasy for anyone who knows the power of the written word.

Maeve is an orphan whose father is accused of mass murder - he was accused of releasing the Aldervine, which took over one of the known worlds. Maeve thought he was guilty for years, until she received a letter addressed from an old friend, proclaiming his innocence.

Maeve decides to infiltrate the Department of Scriptomancy, where her father had worked, to find this friend and the evidence that will exonerate her father. To be accepted as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, which is run by the Department, she has to steal another girl's identity and papers. She is assigned to work with Tristan, who is the Postmaster's son. Tristan has secrets of his own, and he resolves to teach her without actually casting any spells himself, other than the traveling work he uses to deliver letters.

While certain parts of this story feel inauthentic - at points, things just resolve themselves when they wouldn't in real life - the story is charming, the magic is believable, and Tristan and Maeve make a really cute couple! I really enjoyed this book, and think librarians, writers, dreamers, and avid readers will love it, too.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved her first book
But I think this one may even be better. The world building is lush and vivid but the magic system and mystery are where Taylor’s fantasy shines. I love the magic of scriptomany, that can be used for tracking, travel, senses, and even creatures. I also loved the plotting of the mystery, it kept me turning the pages to see all the pieces fall into place. This was a book I read in 2 sittings. It was so hard to put down. The slow burn romance was swoony. This had vibes of sorcery of thorns in the best possible way. Loved it.

I absolutely adored this book. The scriptomancy pulled me in and I loved the whole idea of magic through writing as well as this magical Post that delivered letters between worlds. It was so much fun to live.
Maeve was a fun character and I loved how relatable she was, especially when she was just being honest about not wanting to be friends with people. Tristan was adorable and their relationship was so wholesome and just made my heart so happy.
I would have liked to learn more about scriptomancy and witnessed some of the lessons that went into it. The whole concept is so interesting to me and I just wanted more details about the inks and lessons.
Overall, I loved the book and will most definitely be purchasing it as well as recommending it to people.
*Chef's kiss*

The Otherwhere Post
by Emily J. Taylor
YA Fantasy
NetGalley eArc
Pub Date: Feb 25, 2025
Penguin
Ages: 14+

A world where the citizens could travel between three worlds through doorways until seven years ago. Those doorways were burned, leaving the people in one of the worlds for dead. Now, the other two can only communicate through letters delivered by the Otherwhere Post, people trained in the art of scriptomancy, the magic that allows them to enchant letters and travel between the two worlds.

But Maeve Abenthy is in hiding because her father committed a crime so bad that she would be punished for it, but then a letter was delivered to her telling her that he was innocent.

To uncover the truth she poses as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post and to use what she learns to find the sender of the letter.


A semi-unique story, though I got Potter vibes with the setting being in a school with lectures, sneaking out into town, and a few other things, but the doorways and the 'mail' system were unique, and with a little more descriptions and history would have given it a lot more depth.

The first chapter started off slow, but with the revealing of her father's crime gave it a nice shock factor and got my attention. There were some really great descriptions, 'a hole in her father's shirt', that connected the reader with the scenes. I just wish there had been more history and a deeper dive into the magic with in the first few chapters.

This was a great and quick read, easy to follow. There was some violence and a bit of blood, but I still think this book is suitable for readers fourteen and older.

There is a lot of world and magic in this book so I can see it becoming a series, which I would be interested in continuing.

4 Stars

The Otherwhere Post
by Emily J. Taylor
Pub Date: Feb 25 2025

Seven years ago, Maeve Abenthy lost everything: her world, her father, even her name. Desperate to escape the stain of her father’s crimes, she lives under a fake name, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots.

Then she receives a mysterious letter with four impossible words: Your father was innocent.

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 was lovely and intriguing. What a creative, interesting world! I am content with one book, but I wouldn't be upset if the author wrote something else in this setting.

Once again, this story was a surprise and blissful read for me. I loved her first book and own it. This author has the most beautiful writing & grips me every time. I highly recommend 10/10

The Otherwhere Post was a read that fell a little out of my comfort zone. I am so, so glad I read it anyway! This book was dark and magical and whimsical and twisted and mysterious. I wish I could read this for the first time again.

I really enjoyed this book! I knew the villain was not going to be who our girl thought it was, but I didn't guess until the end who it truly was. I enjoyed the romance aspects of the book and I love that it was a bit of a slow burn. This book has all the ingredients for an excellent read, a little adventure, a touch of romance and a mystery to solve. I truly enjoyed this book, and definitely recommend it!!

This was magical! The setting, the characters, the plot - I loved it all. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I won’t, but this was so gripping that I read it in a weekend, which is new for me. Thank you!