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Book: “The Elsewhere Express” by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Publishing Info: Del Rey, January 2026
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: You can’t buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it’s a magical train carrying very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging.
Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead. One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she’s swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, a charming, handsome artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world.
Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that’s also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds. But they also discover that the train harbors secrets—and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train.
But in investigating the stowaway’s identity, Raya also finds herself drawing closer to the ultimate question: What is her life’s true purpose—and might Q be connected to it?
Review: For the most part, I enjoyed this author’s debut book, Water Moon. It was written in a gorgeous, lyrical style, and the sheer scope of creativity on display was truly impressive. The characters were also largely enjoyable. What held me back was the very loose trappings of a plot that held together the inventive scenes that took place throughout the book. All of this being the case, I was excited to see another book coming out from this author, as I thought she had a lot of potential. I will admit, however, that I was a bit concerned by the synopsis: in many ways, it sounded like it was leaning into the exact problem points that I had with the first book. And now, having completed it, I have to say that that impression was correct.
That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this read! Like the first book, there was a lot to enjoy here, and many of the author’s strengths were once again on display. There’s no overstating how impressive the author’s range for creativity truly is. The book moves from train car to train car, each more fantastical and whimsical than the last. These descriptive elements also continue to be written using a lovely, flowing style that perfectly aligns with the dream-like quality of these worlds. The author also made an attempt to tie some of these fantastical scenes into deeper themes of loss and life. There were a few moments here that really stood out. However, others felt like they were either too on the nose or too obscure to be fully realized.
However, once again, the story fell apart a bit with the plot itself. Our main characters were interesting enough (though I will say that the friendship between them developed quite quickly, all things considered). But the premise of the train itself did start to feel very tired very quickly, with our characters simply moving from one section to another, again and again. Our primary main character, Raya, seems to early on realize that this is more than it seems and wishes to leave the confines of the train, and, unfortunately, this sentiment transfers to the reader all too easily.
Beyond that, I was a bit disappointed with the whole “train” thing of it all. I love trains. I grew up traveling across the country on them every summer, and there is truly an old-fashioned sort of “romanticism” to be found there. However, as far as the structure of this story is concerned, our characters could have been traveling through any series of interconnected places. They could be in a hotel just as easily as a train, for all that it mattered. The train itself was just a vehicle (no pun intended) for these fantasy scenes to be strung along, rather than a feature itself.
Ultimately, my experience was very similar to that of Water Moon. I was initially pulled in by the beautiful whimsy of it all. But as the book continued, the formula quickly became tired, and I needed more depth from our characters and more “plot” from the plot to really become invested in what was going on. I’m starting to think that this author might do better going the novella route, similar to Seanan McGuire and her Wayward Children series. In a shorter format, I think the author’s true genius for wildly creative fantasy worlds could be better highlighted while not getting tangled up in weaker plotting. Overall, I’ll say that your experience with this book will likely be similar to your experience with Water Moon. If you loved that book, I highly recommend this one. If you’re a bit on the fence, just make sure to expect a similar experience here.
Rating 7: High marks for imagination and whimsy, but sadly lackluster as far as plot and characterization.
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Elsewhere Express” can be found on these Goodreads lists: The Most Beautiful Covers of 2026 and All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2026.
The Library Ladies 