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!

Where do I begin? Having loved Hotel Magnifique I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book. The world building for The Otherwhere Pist is just incredible. A story of multiple worlds, written arcane magic, a villian and a daughter hoping to learn the truth. Maeve is stuck in this miserable life because of something her father did - but when a mysterious letter shows up her life changes. Everything she thought is now possibly wrong and she has hope that she can find out the truth. She schemes her way into an apprenticeship and ends up befriending the school’s misfit who also happens to be her mentor. With an intriguing world and mystery - you will become sucked into this story. The writing is terrific and there’s even some romance. This book has it all for fantasy lovers.

~ 𝚊 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝, 𝚊 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 ~

This book was nothing like I expected and yet, it was everything.

Maeve, our FMC, has been living a lonely existence under an assumed identity for years - following the death of her father who was presumed to be a murderer. How, exactly, he came to be called this is a bit of a spoiler (though you can find it in plenty of synopses).

Maeve receives a letter from the Otherwhere Post that is quite old - it was in the backlogs of mail that was stuck following the sealing of one of the doors between "layers" of the world. The Otherwhere Post is the only thing that can carry messages – and it’s couriers the only people who can travel - between these layers due to a tragic event leading to the sealing of the doors between worlds. Maeve’s letter sets in motion a series of events that leads her to training to become a courier herself - complete with an overly friendly roommate, Nan, and a handsome but aloof mentor, Tristan - and to the discovery of murder, mayhem, mysterious plots, and undying loyalties and friendships where she least expected them. Along the way, Maeve discovers a love for things lost to her, as well as realizing it's okay to let people in - if only ever so cautiously.

📖 World Building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ (5) - It was a little confusing to start, as Ms. Taylor did not dive into explanations right away - but it unfolded beautifully and perfectly. The magic system – Scriptomancy – is wonderfully done, though I want more of it!

📖 Character Development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Oh, the development that happened, Especially Maeve, but also Nan, Tristan, and Nan's mentor Shea, grow and change significantly as well, and it's delightful to watch the relationships between them all grow.

📖 Predictability (lack of): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Yes. Just Yes. While there were some convenient coincidences at the end, I felt like overall they fit well.

📖 Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - very well done. It never felt bogged down or boring. The end did feel a little bit like an infodump/rush to wrap up and I would have loved to see that fleshed out more.

📖 Spice: 🥛 – upper middle grades and up safe

📖📖 Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5) – New favorite. Whoever said it’s like Divine Rivals meets Dark Academy was spot on. This is a beautiful story and I cannot wait to read more.

📖 Noteworthy:
📚 frenemies to lovers
🪶 orphan
📚 found family
🪶dark academia
📚 mentor x mentee
🪶sapphic romance (secondary characters)
📚 unique magic system

📖 TW/CW: Death, murder, attempted murder, poverty, bullying, objectification of women (one scene/plot point); Parental advisement for younger middle grades for descriptions of death and related scenes.

This is such an immersive read!! I adored this author’s debut - the vibes were immaculate and it felt like I was dancing through a Pinterest board. This book was the same! The plot was solid and the writing bordered on flowery but at just the right amount.
I’ll be reaching for this book again soon!

Wonderful world building and characters! I very much enjoyed reading about. I never felt that it was info dumpy or that it was to weighty in expecting you to keep up with everything as has been the case sometimes with other books! Definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of the genre!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my review.

4.5 stars for this fantastic standalone fantasy that feels like the child of Divine Rivals and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy!!

Oh my goodness what didn’t this book have!? The world building was out of this world, with a magic system tied to writing and doors to other worlds; our main character Maeve was persistent, so full of heart, and extremely clever and capable; the friendships, reluctant at first from Maeve’s end, so full of genuine care and willingness to take that extra step for someone who needs it most; and the mystery at the heart of the story was engaging, thrilling, and oh so magical!

I loved so much about this book and this world, I only wish I could have more!! Thanks so much to Emily J Taylor and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

It’s been quite a while since I read Emily J. Taylor’s debut novel, “Hotel Magnifique,” but I do clearly remember liking it. So I was excited to see that she was releasing another YA fantasy novel! And I ended up liking this one even more than the first!

There are many things to praise, but I’ll start with the writing quality and the world-building first of all. Taylor writes in a clear, confident tone that easily draws readers into her fantastical world while also centering us around the characters and their own personal stakes. The serious nature of Maeve’s situation was clearly conveyed, while the transition towards more comedic or romantic moments was smooth and natural.

As for the worldbuilding, any time an author attempts to create a secondary fantasy world, there’s a risk of falling into info-dumping holes or unnatural dialogue used as exposition. Not so here. Instead, we are slowly introduced this world, its history, and its magical systems. The nature of the magic was incredibly interesting, and I enjoyed the way additional layers were papered upon the original concept as the story progressed. Beyond this, the history of this world is incredibly important to the story, and as Maeve is attempting to work through the mystery of her father’s life and death, she begins to uncover truths about her world as well. By the end, the magic system and the world itself have been built up by leaps and bounds from the foundations that the book starts with. And then, the bow on top, these are woven together for some great reveals in the very end.

Of course, none of this would work if Maeve herself hadn’t been an excellent character. From the start, her perspective and motives are clearly established, and as she works through the mysteries before her, she never loses sight of what is most important. Further, due to the secretive nature of her childhood, she’s incredibly distrustful, struggling to open up to others well past the point when others would feel secure. I appreciated that this aspect of her nature was so firmly established, even when it worked against Maeve’s own best interests.

I also really enjoyed the romantic subplot. There was a moment early in the book where I was concerned the book was going to go in one direction (I personally struggle a lot with books that hold on too long to secret identities), but luckily it jagged at the last minute. Even with certain secrets revealed, this was still a slowburn romance as these two slowly began to open up to one another with their own various secrets. They had excellent chemistry with each other throughout, however, which made all of their interactions a pleasure to read.

I ended up loving this book! There were several incredibly fresh fantasy elements included and, best of all, Maeve was written as a fully-fleshed out, complex YA heroine, something that I seem to have a harder and harder time finding recently. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy novel to restore your faith in the genre and that it’s still a good fit for you, than this is definitely one to check out!

Rating 9: Breathtaking in its creativity and incredible character work; I especially enjoyed the fantastic main character and the slowburn romance.

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on March 7

Five stars. Ten stars. How many can I give??

The Otherwhere Post is magical. An entirely original idea that was implemented so beautifully that I was hooked from the jump. I'm almost sad that there isn't another book, but this book was executed so beautifully, with no unanswered questions. Highly, highly recommend!

If you loved Divine Rivals, you will absolutely love this!

I really liked this book. I liked the plot, but I loved the development of all of the characters. While the main character is Maeve, and her search regarding her father, it didn’t completely focus on her. There was Tristan and his past with the Post, and his parents. There is Nan, and her developing self-confidence.

There is also the dialogue. The sarcasm and witticisms didn’t only exist between Maeve and Tristan. Emily Taylor continued the flow with each character but managed to insert their own personalities.

There is fantasy mixed with mystery (which is why I loved it so much). I enjoyed the world building in this novel much better than in Hotel Magnifique.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

In a world where magical letters are the only way to communicate, The Otherwhere Post takes readers to a world where the pen literally is mightier than the sword.
Seven years ago, Inverly was torn apart by the Aldervine and Maeve Abenthy’s father was the cause. After losing everything that meant anything to her, Maeve lives under a fake name working at an inksmithy sharpening quills while preparing to move again before anyone can figure out who she is. But her plans go awry when an anonymous old friend reaches out claiming that she doesn’t know everything that happened in Inverly that day. The only way to find out who this person is and what the truth is is to pose as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, where she’ll be trained in scriptomancy—the magic that allows couriers to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. But looking into her father’s past becomes dangerous to her and those around her including her roommate and her mentor.
Emily J. Taylor creates a world torn asunder by a vine that puts people to an unwakeable sleep. Maeve’s life has been literally and metaphorically torn apart because of this. The vine has literally taken her mother and her homeland. She has lost her name and her father due to rumors and social blame from the fallout of the wretched thing. Taylor has written a character who could live in agony and could do nothing but live in self-pity in the dark. But instead, Maeve lives productively each day even if she moves constantly to keep her secret safe. Each step Maeve is a fighter, and that characteristic becomes stronger as she heads to the Otherwhere Post. Sadly, but not surprisingly, her dependentness on herself gets in her way. In this, I could absolutely connect with the character and just wanted to help her learn to trust like I did. I rooted every step of the way for her.
I loved the world-building and would have loved to see more of the story extended past this one book. That’s how much I wanted to see everywhere that the Otherwhere Post reached. Taylor created an immersive world that you care about, that the reader wants to see fixed and reunited. The magical aspect is fun and unique and something I truly enjoyed. I would love to see more of it. That is the hallmark of a good book: the reader would want more of the world and characters.
The ending is a tad bit rushed, but overall, The Otherwhere Post is a thrilling mystery where I was rooting for the romance the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group for supplying me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
When the blurb says those loving Divine Rivals and A Study In Drowning will love this one, it could not have been more true. This book absolutely gives Divine Rivals vibes for me. I would venture to say you could also compare it to Curious Tides. I love dark academia. This one is a bit of a twist on most dark academia books I've read. The mix of mystery with a cool magic system layered with some nice world building really had me turning the pages.
Maeve is a main character you can definitely relate to. I love that she's not perfect. She has lived her life on the run since her father caused a terrible accident killing many people. She has no training in the magic system. She has no real money. And she's determined to keep her identity a secret. She does a lot of illegal things to get herself into the academic setting that will hopefully help her clear her father's name. While I loved the was the underdog, I will say all the things she gets away with are a bit over the top. She's never caught or found out. It just seems so impossible to me.
Tristan is a great character. I love that he is related to the man who runs the Otherwhere post and is in charge of the scribes. But he definitely is a rebel in his own right. I would have liked to see him use his magic more.
I enjoyed the romance that was built. It was light with a reliance on the chemistry and slow burn between the two characters.
I loved the layering of the worlds. How you have three different worlds lining up parallel. The one thing I would have liked to see is the background of these worlds. Taylor does a good job of building the world Maeve and Tristan reside in, but we don't know much about the other two worlds. I can easily understand not knowing the one which has been closed off, though Maeve lived there so I feel like flashbacks could have helped with that. But I didn't see much difference between the other two worlds.
The side characters were interesting. Lots of personalities were developed. I liked how Maeve was able to make friends, despite her secrecy with who she was. And especially since she didn't really have any friends prior to entering The Otherwhere Post.
I would have liked to see a bit more story revolved around the academia. We don't really see much of the students in class to get the sense of the academic setting outside of being told they are at a university.
The pacing of this one was really good. I didn't want to put it down. The mystery had me totally intrigued and the world was different from other fantasy worlds I've read in the past. The writing flowed really well.
The story does wrap up in the end, though I see the potential for other stories within this world that she has built. And it did feel just a bit rushed with everything tying up in a neat bow.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. There are a few kinks and some plot inconsistencies that bothered me, dropping my rating to 4.5/5 stars. But I really liked the author's prose, so much so I decided to download the other books by this author.
If you're looking for something to read after your Divine Rivals hangover, this one will definitely fill that gap.

What a fantastic book! Such a unique concept! For a little bit, I was confused by the world building and learning all the intricacies in this book but I caught up pretty quickly and easily followed along! The ending was twisty which I loved! And the characters were likeable! There were some times where the morality of the characters were questioned and some moments that were rather graphic. Phenomenal writing! A thrilling fantasy indeed!

Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to read this eARC!