By Emily J Taylor
** Publication Date 25 February 2025 **
4 stars



The fantasy world of Leyland sounds like a fairly dreary and dismal spot. But this book set in Leyland, and its alternate world Barrow, is not. This novel dumps us in the middle of this place with a spunky heroine named Maeve who wants to hide from the worlds.


Maeve was present when her father supposedly committed the greatest crime ever - releasing a toxic vine that causes everyone to sleep. She was sent to an orphanage where she later escaped and started moving around under aliases to protect her identity. But when she receives an anonymous letter saying her father is innocent, Maeve decides it’s time to get to the bottom of the real story.


Stealing someone else’s spot as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, Maeve immerses herself in the world of scriptomancy to try to unearth the truth. Along the way her own life will be threatened. With her mentor and roommate by her side, can Maeve prove that her father was not guilty of mass murder?


Such a great book. For all those who love fantasy and other worlds, this one is truly fun. Maeve is a fierce protagonist who has to learn to trust others, something she’s never done. It’s a bit of a mystery to find out the truth, which makes this journey evermore enjoyable. 


Wish this was a series, as I loved all the settings and characters and would be thrilled to return to the worlds of the Otherwhere Post.

By Nussaibah Younis
** Publication Date 25 February 2025 **
​4 stars



This book was really fun and enlightening. I love when I can enjoy reading something, but also learn something in the process. 


Nadia is a lecturer at university in London. She decided to take a sabbatical and implement her deradicalization ideas with a division of the UN stationed in Baghdad. Immediately upon arrival she starts to question why on earth she thought it was a good idea. 


Her unit will be responsible for the ISIS ‘brides’ imprisoned in a camp. They are women from both Iraq and other countries, who somehow ended up married to men of ISIS. Nadia feels that with the right training and counseling, they can be repatriated into their own countries. Only the two people on her team seem against the idea, and her boss seems oblivious. Nadia is all alone on this one. Nadia blunders into her task with hilarity and sometimes sadness. Most of these women didn’t realize what they were signing up for, and most would like to go home. 


While Nadia’s concept is noble, the task of implementing it is never going to be an easy one. The middle east is still filled with misogyny, sometimes extreme, and corruption, everyone wants to get paid for their assistance. Nadia latches onto a 19 year old former-ISIS bride who reminds her of herself. That’s when things get really out of hand.


This novel introduced me to so many things that I knew nothing about. What it is like to be Muslim in London. What happened to all the ISIS brides that were recruited. It was a lesson in world culture that I sorely needed. The wonderful thing was Nadia! She managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other even when things got horribly bad. She turned her coworkers into allies. She was tough and soft and funny all at the same time. She grew throughout the novel. 


It’s a good one.

By Madeline Watts 
** Publication Date 18 February 2025 **
4 stars

This was an interesting first-person narrative of the events surrounding a trip through the southwest U.S. At times it did drag a bit, and as it was told only from the eyes of one character, I’m not sure we ever fully grasped the second main character, the husband. However, a lot of the writing was so descriptive and lyrical, it felt like I was traveling along with them.


Eloise is our narrator. She is working on her doctorate dissertation which is about the Colorado River and the effects of drought on the Southwest. Her husband, Lewis, has been called to Las Vegas to meet with his boss. This gives them a jumping off point. 


While this story focuses on the journey down the Colorado River, it is more about the relationship between Eloise and Lewis. Lewis plays a distant supporting role. All we really know about him is Eloise’s reactions to him. He seems childlike in many ways - filming himself dancing in restaurant bathrooms and wanting to be the center of attention. We are merely an audience on the sidelines. 


This novel is unique in many ways. It is also really informative about the region they travel through. There are crises and tragedies, but also sheer joy. It wasn’t the easiest read I had in 2024 but I did enjoy it. Being from the southwest, it reminded me of places I’ve been, but also places I’d love to see. 


I didn't love this novel, but it was a good way to end my reading journey of 2024.