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.
The Otherwhere Post is a YA historical fantasy with elements of dark academia, murder mystery, and romance. The story follows Maeve Abenthy, who lives under a fake name and doesn’t stay anywhere for long as she’s desperate to escape the stain of her father’s crimes. Then she receives a mysterious letter stating: Your father was innocent. To uncover the truth, she poses as an apprentice for mentor Tristan at the Otherwhere Post in order to discover the sender of the letter. Tristan knows she’s lying about her identity, and she begins to receive threatening letters, warning her to drop her investigation—or else.
The story is full of richly developed, compelling characters. Maeve is a fierce protagonist who has mastered the art of manipulation. Her compelling backstory, along with all the tactics she uses to evade being caught and solve the mystery of her father’s death, makes this book unputdownable. Her character’s arc is quite profound and incredibly satisfying. Tristan is a complex character who’s fiercely loyal to those he cares about. He’s also the perfect mentor for Maeve, with incredible patience and a non-judgmental attitude. Maeve and Tristan’s relationship begins with tension and mistrust. When Tristan eventually calls her out on her lies and fake identity, she still refuses to trust him. Their relationship very slowly transitions from animosity to friendship to romance—and in the end it becomes such a tender romance that will have readers swooning!
The book also has several memorable side characters that are lovable and an integral part of the story, including Nan, Shea, Steward Tallowmeade, and Postmaster Byrne. Nan, Maeve’s roommate at the courier school, has secrets of her own but remains devoutly loyal to Maeve, and the two characters develop a wonderful sisterly-like bond. By the end of the story, the found family trope is well established for Maeve, and she no longer sees herself as a drifter in the world, which is very satisfying to read! Readers will find themselves wanting more from these characters, and there’s good potential for a sequel!
The book has a slower start but nicely picks up pace once Maeve begins her apprenticeship. From there, the story whisks readers away into her dangerous quest for the truth about her father with lots of twists, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and great character development. There is some violence in the story, but it’s not graphic, and the book remains perfectly suitable for teens and older readers.
The world-building is unique and expansive but also has some Harry Potter vibes to it—the lectures on how the courtier magic works, conducted by quirky professors, are reminiscent of listening to a magic class at Hogwarts! The courier magic used to travel between worlds is well documented, but there could have been more descriptive prose about the worlds themselves. If listening to the audiobook, it’s a great idea to pair it with a physical copy that contains a detailed map to track Maeve in her journey!
Overall, The Otherwhere Post is a highly original tale that will appeal to fans of dark academia, portal fantasy, murder mysteries, and slow-burn romance. If you’re looking for an immersive fantasy that you can easily devour and will be recommending to everyone afterwards, then make this one your next read!
