Hotel Magnifique author Emily J. Taylor's sophomore YA offering, The Otherwhere Post, is a thrilling dark fantasy anchored by the magic of the written word.
Seven years ago, the world of Inverly was destroyed and the Written Doors that connected the worlds of Barrow and Leyland were "burned to cinders, obliterating [their] magic." In mere moments, everyone inside of Inverly was gone forever and travel between Barrow and Leyland "was cut off instantly, stranding everyone wherever they happened to be." Eighteen-year-old Maeve Abenthy has been trapped in "godforsaken Leyland all by herself" since that day. The young woman has not used her real name in years; her father was the cause of the cataclysm, and to carry the same name as the monster who destroyed the interconnected worlds is a curse and a danger: "if anyone discovered who she was... the families of her father's victims [would come] for retribution." Now, the only people who can cross the borders of the worlds are the couriers of the Otherwhere Post, who use scriptomancy, "the art of enchanting any piece of existing handwriting," to carry letters between Leyland and Barrow. When a letter arrives for Maeve claiming her father was innocent, the fragile existence she has built for herself is ripped apart.
Taylor has constructed a stunning exploration of the power of language to both free and bind, layered with complex characters, hints of romance, and a family mystery to unravel. The Otherwhere Post is sure to captivate, ensorcelling readers as if the author might be a practitioner of scriptomancy herself. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer